Starmer And Macron Agree That ‘new Deterrent’ Needed To Stop Small Boats, No 10 Says – As It Happened

Key events

Show cardinal events only

Please move connected JavaScript to usage this feature

Afternoon summary

• Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, nan French president, person agreed that “a caller deterrent” is needed to extremity nan mini vessel crossings. (See 4.57pm.)

• Resident doctors will spell connected onslaught betwixt 25 July and 30 July successful their conflict pinch nan authorities complete pay, nan British Medical Association has said.

• Victims of nan infected humor ungraded person “not been listened to” by ministers, nan chair of nan enquiry has said successful a study urging an overhaul of nan compensation system.

• Google has agreed a sweeping woody pinch nan UK authorities to supply free exertion to nan nationalist assemblage from nan NHS to section councils– a move campaigners person called “dangerously naive”.

• Police successful Scotland are gearing up for a imaginable sojourn by Donald Trump later this period that is expected to return successful his play edifice successful Aberdeenshire.

• HS2 building contracts priced astatine £19.5bn person already costs £26bn contempt being “just complete halfway done”, nan leader of nan high-speed obstruction task has told MPs.

For a afloat database of each nan stories covered connected nan blog today, do scroll done nan database of cardinal arena headlines adjacent nan apical of nan blog.

Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer looking astatine nan Sutton Hoo helmet successful nan British Museum this day – 1 of nan objects going to France connected indebtedness successful return for nan Bayeux Tapestry coming to nan UK. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/Reuters

DWP curate Stephen Timms claims group pinch fluctuating conditions protected from consequence of having wellness UC use cut

In nan Commons MPs person been debating amendments to what is still called nan cosmopolitan in installments (UC) and individual independency costs (Pip) measure – moreover though each nan Pip elements of nan measure were removed past week, erstwhile No 10 realised that without a monolithic concession nan authorities mightiness suffer nan vote.

Dozens of Labour MPs are still unhappy astir what’s near of nan bill, which will raise nan modular complaint of cosmopolitan in installments by much than inflation, while reducing nan wellness constituent of UC for group incapable to activity arsenic a consequence of an unwellness aliases disablement for caller claimants. Ministers declare nan existent strategy incentives group to move to nan UC wellness constituent because it is simply a batch much generous than nan modular rate.

Some authorities MPs are expected to rebel successful votes later, but arsenic a consequence of nan concessions past week nan government’s mostly is now longer astatine risk.

Here are immoderate of nan cardinal points from today’s debate.

• The Green statement is calling for nan measure to beryllium amended to make nan summation successful nan modular complaint of UC much generous than presently planned. This scheme is group retired successful amendment 39, tabled by Siân Berry from nan Greens, which was selected arsenic nan lead amendment for today’s debate. All nan amendments are here.

• More than 40 MPs person signed an amendment tabled by Labour’s Richard Burgon that would artifact nan trim to nan wellness constituent of UC. The wellness constituent is group to beryllium trim from £97 per week to £50 per week. Burgon said:

The halving of nan cosmopolitan in installments wellness constituent is an particularly sadistic trim - targeting abnormal group already assessed arsenic excessively sick to beryllium capable to work.

• Rachael Maskell, nan Labour MP who led nan revolt against nan measure past week, described nan bill, moreover successful its amended form, arsenic “a stain connected our awesome party, founded connected values of equality and justice”.

• Stephen Timms, nan curate for societal information and nan disabled, has claimed nan measure will protect group pinch fluctuating conditions. In her reside Maskell said:

If personification has a fluctuating beingness aliases intelligence wellness information for illustration aggregate sclerosis, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, aliases different recurring muscular-skeletal condition, if pursuing a play of remission and activity past relapse and returning to cosmopolitan credit, unless unequivocally stated, they will return onto nan pittance of £50-a-week for their wellness element.

But Timms intervened to opportunity “the measure protects group successful precisely nan business that she describes”. He said that if a pre-2026 claimant slips retired of being eligible for cosmopolitan in installments but meets nan eligibility criteria again wrong six months, nan measure would request that they beryllium considered “continuously entitled to an award”. It would mean that they could spell “straight backmost onto nan position they are successful astatine nan start”, Timms said.

• Debbie Abrahams, Labour chair of nan activity and pensions committee, urged nan authorities to hold its betterment of wellness benefits until November 2026. She said:

This is to let for nan NHS capacity to ramp up and to guarantee backing follows wellness need, truthful that group pinch recently required conditions aliases impairments tin person early curen and a amended aligned labour marketplace that will alteration them to return to activity quickly.

• Zarah Sultana, nan independent MP who past week said she was leaving Labour to group up a caller statement pinch Jeremy Corbyn, said nan measure showed nan authorities was “not retired of touch, but besides morally bankrupt”.

Starmer and Macron work together that 'new deterrent' needed to extremity mini boats, No 10 says

Downing Street has issued a connection astir Keir Starmer’s talks pinch Emmanuel Macron complete luncheon today. It says nan PM and nan president agreed that “a caller deterrent” was needed to extremity nan mini vessel crossings.

This seems to beryllium a reference to nan thought of a “one in, 1 out” returns scheme, which would impact migrants arriving illegally successful nan UK being swiftly returned to France, but pinch nan UK besides agreeing to return successful an balanced number of migratns based successful France who are claiming asylum successful nan UK. Starmer is said to beryllium urging Macron to judge a woody of this sort, but Macron has reportedly been resisting, and nan thought is unpopular pinch immoderate different European countries. Last period Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta wrote to nan European committee complaining that specified a strategy could incentivise moreover much irregular migration into confederate Europe.

Starmer and Macron are attending a much general acme tomorrow, and further specifications connected what has (or has not) been agreed should look erstwhile they speak to reporters tomorrow afternoon.

The No 10 connection said:

[Starmer and Macron] reflected connected nan authorities sojourn of nan president truthful far, agreeing that it had been an important practice of nan heavy ties betwixt our 2 countries.

Moving connected to talk associated working, they shared their desire to deepen our business further – from associated activity successful support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and expanding bilateral waste and acquisition and investment.

The premier curate welcomed nan news that EDF would return a 12.5% liking successful Sizewell C starring to little bills, much jobs and amended power information for nan UK.

The leaders agreed tackling nan threat of irregular migration and mini vessel crossings is simply a shared privilege that requires shared solutions.

The premier curate said of his government’s toughening of nan strategy successful nan past twelvemonth to guarantee rules are respected and enforced, including a monolithic surge successful forbidden moving arrests to extremity nan mendacious committedness of jobs that are utilized to waste spaces connected boats.

This paragraph seems to magnitude to an acknowlegement that Macron was seeking assurances connected this issue, arsenic nan Telegraph reported this morning. See 9.31am.

The connection goes on:

The 2 leaders agreed connected nan request to spell further and make advancement connected caller and innovative solutions, including a caller deterrent to break nan business exemplary of these gangs.

Finally, they looked up to nan 37th UK-France acme taking spot tomorrow and agreed to purpose for actual advancement connected these areas.

King Charles was instrumental successful persuading France to lend Bayeux Tapestry to UK, Macron suggests

President Macron has suggested that King Charles was instrumental successful helping to seduce France to nonstop nan Bayeux Tapestry connected indebtedness to London. In his reside astatine nan British Museum, he said that for decades nan French utilized to travel up pinch reasons why sending specified a precious entity overseas was not possible.

We recovered nan champion [reasons] to explain, successful cleanable detail, why it was wholly intolerable to make specified a loan. And, judge me, we recovered them. And, judge me, we could person recovered them again.

But, Macron said, seeing Charles’s “attachmment, his willingess to assistance nan project” helped to seduce him to o.k. nan loan.

(The normal communicative was that nan tapestry was successful excessively frail a information to beryllium moved.)

President Macron speaking astatine nan British Museum successful France. Photograph: Benjamin Cremel/AFP/Getty Images

Northern Ireland politicians condemn migrants effigy connected loyalist bonfire

A loyalist bonfire successful Northern Ireland pinch an effigy of a migrant alloy and astir a twelve lifesize mannequins pinch lifejackets has been condemned arsenic sick and racist, Rory Carroll reports.

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, nan French president, are now astatine nan British Museum successful London, astatine an arena wherever they are marking the decision of nan French to indebtedness nan Bayeux Tapestry to nan museum, pinch nan Sutton Hoo postulation and nan the Lewis Chessmen being loaned to nan French successful return.

Starmer opens his reside by pointing retired that nan British Museum is successful his Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

Keir Starmer speaking astatine nan British Museum Photograph: Sky News

A scholar asks:

From what I callback nan Post Office tests were successful beforehand of a judge nary jury. Is this correct?

This is simply a reference, I think, to nan main group action ineligible lawsuit led by Alan Bates. That was decided by a judge, without a jury. But that was a civilian case, not a criminal case. Judges can, and do, determine these sorts of cases without a jury. But location were astir 1,000 criminal prosecutions resulting from nan Post Office Horizon scandal, and galore of those will person been heard earlier a jury.

At PMQs Kemi Badenoch said that a erstwhile Labour first curate of Wales has backed a wealthiness tax. She was referring to Mark Drakeford, who is now finance caput successful nan Welsh government, who told nan BBC’s Walescast podcast nan chancellor, Rachel Reeves, should “absolutely” look astatine a wealthiness tax. Drakeford said nan “root of inequality is nan measurement that wealthiness is distributed crossed nan population”.

Badenoch besides claimed that Reeves herself backed a wealthiness taxation erstwhile she was successful opposition. She was referring to this Telegraph story saying that Reeves supported “five forms of wealthiness tax” erstwhile she was a backbench MP successful 2018. The Telegraph said:

In 2018, nan chancellor backed a number of caller levies successful a pamphlet called The Everyday Economy. It was published by Ms Reeves erstwhile she was chairing nan Commons business committee.

In it, she said nan authorities could revise assembly taxation bands, switch assembly taxation pinch spot tax, raise and betterment inheritance tax, enforce a onshore tax, and bring superior gains taxation successful statement pinch income tax.

Reeves has not changed assembly tax, aliases introduced a onshore tax. But successful her fund past twelvemonth she did limit nan grade to which farms are protected from inheritance tax, and she accrued superior gains tax.

Dale Vince backs increasing calls for 'wealth tax' - and what this word mightiness really mean

Dale Vince, nan greenish entrepreneur and Labour statement donor, has issued a connection saying that he favours higher taxes connected nan wealthy. Responding to nan exchanges connected this astatine PMQs (see 12.11pm and 12.26pm), Vince said:

We do request to trim welfare, use for nan rich. Tax breaks, allowances, loopholes - there’s an abundance of them, and it results successful group pinch money paying half nan complaint of taxation of group pinch a job.

It’s correct that those pinch nan deepest pockets, who’ve taken nan astir from our economy, salary their adjacent share. It’s why calls are increasing for a wealthiness tax.

It’s astir fairness - we taxation money made pinch money astatine half nan complaint of money made pinch a brace of hands - it’s conscionable not right. Our taxation codification was written by group pinch money for group pinch money - it needs to service america all.

While Starmer did not norm retired a able taxation astatine PMQs, his reply to Adrian Ramsay, nan Green party’s co-leader, made it clear that he is rather antagonistic astir nan concept. (See 12.26pm.)

But a batch depends connected what you mean by “wealth tax”. The Green statement favour a purist version, a 1% taxation connected assets worthy much than £10m, and a 2% taxation connected assets worthy much than £1bn. This would fresh nan literal meaning of a wealthiness tax. Starmer is very improbable to clasp this type – not slightest because nan experts opportunity it would not work.

No 10 has been keen to constituent out that it is successful favour of taxes connected nan able – arsenic it has made clear complete nan past 12 months by announcing policies that really do raises taxes for nan wealthy. Their briefing implies nan UK already has a plethora of wealthiness taxes.

Vale’s position seems to beryllium location successful between. In his statement, he is not explicitly backing nan Green statement type of a wealthiness tax. But he points retired that taxes connected superior gains are little than taxes connected income, and he is calling for important betterment of nan taxation strategy to reside this. In this, he has nan support of nan Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank, which yesterday proposed “reforming superior income taxes successful bid to decently taxation precocious returns”.

Tonight Pippa Crerar, nan Guardian’s governmental editor, is chairing a chat astatine nan Conway Hall successful London connected Labour’s first twelvemonth successful office. She will beryllium joined by Guardian journalist Rafael Behr, erstwhile Conservative typical adviser, Salma Shah, and Labour adjacent and nan erstwhile wide caput of nan TUC, Frances O’Grady. It starts astatine 7.30pm and location are specifications of really to get tickets – for nan unrecorded event, aliases to watch online – here.