Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
Right here is the listing of MPs right down to ask a query at PMQs.
HoC {Photograph}: PMQsShare
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Met police releases transcript of McSweeney reporting telephone theft to 999 to indicate he didn’t say he was PM’s chief of employees
The Metropolitan police can be eager to dispel conspiracy theories in regards to the lack of Morgan McSweeney’s telephone. (See 11.36am.)
Some commentators on-line have mentioned they’ve discovered it onerous to imagine that, if the PM’s chief of employees had been to report the lack of a telephone which may comprise secret data, the Met police would do little or nothing about it.
In response, this morning the Met has supplied journalists with a transcript of the decision made by McSweeney when he referred to as 999 to report the theft of his telephone.
It exhibits that McSweeney advised the decision handler that it had been a authorities telephone that had been stolen. And he gave the decision handler his identify. However that didn’t immediate the decision hander to ask “Are you the Morgan McSweeney?’ and nothing was mentioned within the conversationn about McSweeney being the PM’s chief of employees.
The Met mentioned:
double citation markUnfortunately, a lot of it has included some assumptions about what would have been identified to us on the time of the report and the way that ought to have influenced our resolution making and dealing with.
Of explicit notice, it has been assumed by many who the Met would have identified particulars of the sufferer’s employment or the actual safety dangers related along with his machine or materials on it. This was not data supplied to us and couldn’t moderately have formed our resolution making, as you will notice under.
We’d not sometimes launch detailed details about an allegation of crime nonetheless given the profile of the incident, the general public curiosity and in an effort to make sure any reporting is as correct as attainable, we have now taken the choice to take action.
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Up to date at 07.57 EDT
Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
Right here is the listing of MPs right down to ask a query at PMQs.
HoC {Photograph}: PMQsShare
Streeting urges individuals to reject ‘conspiracy’ theories about theft of Morgan McSweeney’s telephone
Wes Streeting, the well being secretary, has urged individuals to reject “conspiracy” theories in regards to the lack of Morgan McSweeney’s telephone.
On the weekend the Solar on Sunday revealed that McSweeney had his cell phone stolen final yr, when he was chief of employees to the PM. It has been claimed that his means some messages between McSweeney and Peter Mandelson – that are purported to be disclosed below the far-reaching humble tackle ordering the disclosure of all messages between Mandelson when he was ambassador and authorities ministers and officers.
Cynics have identified that the lack of the telephone is massively handy. On social media some individuals even doubted the telephone theft story, however the Metropolitan police has now confirmed that the theft of the telephone was reported in October final yr. The theft was not investigated and the offender was not discovered.
In an interview with Occasions Radio this morning, Streeting urged individuals to just accept McSweeney’s story at face worth – and to reject claims that there was some plot to destroy Mandelson messages. Streeting mentioned:
double citation markI can completely perceive the cynicism in these kinds of circumstances, however do keep in mind that when his telephone was stolen, it was reported to the police on the time.
[McSweeney] couldn’t at that stage have identified that parliament would ask for the publication of all messages in the way in which that they’ve in fairly an unprecedented method.
Sure, typically in politics issues might be defined because of conspiracy. In different instances, most of the time, it’s a results of cock-up fairly than conspiracy.
However Streeting has did not silence the sceptics. After his Occasions Radio interview, the Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges posted this on X.
This was revealed by Tim Shipman on 14 February. It particulars how within the interval as much as 13 October, 2025 Labour officers turned anxious a movement can be put to parliament demanding the discharge of Morgan McSweeney’s messages to Peter Mandelson. On October 20 McSweeney reported his… pic.twitter.com/gyZKHXKIAm
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) March 25, 2026
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A whole lot of UK youngsters to trial six-week social media curbs for main research
A whole lot of UK youngsters will trial social media bans, digital curfews and closing dates on apps below a authorities pilot, which can run alongside a session to determine whether or not the UK ought to ban entry to social media for the under-16s, Alexandra Topping stories.
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Streeting says he needs feminine NHS sufferers to pilot system letting them suggest cost cuts for unhealthy suppliers
Wes Streeting, the well being secretary, has mentioned that he needs to empower feminine sufferers within the NHS by permitting them to trial a system that will permit them to suggest monetary sanctions for supplier who don’t present a superb service.
Streeting mentioned he needed to provide “girls the facility to the kick medical misogyny the place it hurts: the financial institution stability”.
He defined:
double citation markOver the subsequent yr, I’m additionally going to enlist sufferers in my drive for a greater high quality service.
We’re going to trial new Affected person Energy Funds. Sufferers will be capable to determine whether or not the NHS supplier deserves full cost for the service they acquired, based mostly on the standard of their expertise.
And the place higher to start out, than with a gaggle of sufferers who’ve been made to really feel like second class residents whose voices don’t matter: girls.
In our Ladies’s Well being Technique, which we’ll publish shortly, I’ll be giving girls the facility to the kick medical misogyny the place it hurts: the financial institution stability.
Streeting additionally mentioned he needed to provide sufferers extra say over follow-up appointments.
double citation markPatient alternative will even assist me drive additional productiveness good points. Over the subsequent yr, we’ll let sufferers determine if and when to have a follow-up appointment.”
I’ve misplaced rely of the variety of instances I’ve been invited to a very pointless follow-up that wastes my time and NHS cash. It’s not simply me, we may unlock tens of millions of appointments for sufferers who really need and wish them. So from April that’s what we’ll do.
In his speech Streeting additionally mentioned “the NHS is enhancing, but it surely’s nonetheless nowhere close to ok”.
Wes Streeting speech talking on the College of East London’s Stratford Campus, this morning. {Photograph}: James Manning/PAShare
Common band D council tax in England rising by 4.9%, or £111, this yr, authorities figures verify
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities has revealed council tax statistics for England. It says:
double citation markThe common band D council tax set by native authorities in England for 2026-27 might be £2,392, which is a rise of £111 or 4.9% on the 2025-26 determine. This contains all precepts together with grownup social care and parish precepts.
It additionally says 274 of the 384 authorities coated by the figures set their council tax enhance on the most allowed and not using a referendum (usually 4.99%). It says this was 21 fewer than the quantity going for a most enhance in 2025-26.
It additionally says there have been 21 authorities that saved their council tax the identical, or decreased it.
As this chart from the goverment doc exhibits, despite the fact that most councils raised council tax by the utmost allowed and not using a referendum, this yr’s common 4.9% enhance is the bottom since 2022.
Common council tax will increase in England {Photograph}: MHCLG
The truth that common will increase had been increased within the remaining yr of the final Conservative authorities has not stopped the Tories attacking Labour over this. James Cleverly, the shadow native authorities secretary, put out a press release saying:
double citation markKeir Starmer promised to ease the price of residing and freeze council tax, but households now face back-to-back hikes and a complete council tax take rising by £2.6bn- one other damaged promise.
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Up to date at 06.51 EDT
‘Doge of the left’ may save UK taxpayers as much as £30bn, says new inexperienced thinktank
A “Doge of the left,” may save as much as £30bn a yr for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, in accordance with the primary report from a brand new inexperienced thinktank. Heather Stewart has the story.
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Wes Streeting defends Treasury’s indication that power assist bundle would assist poorer households, not richer ones
Yesterday Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, indicated that, if the federal government has to introduce an power assist bundle later this yr due to the continued impression of the Iran battle, it is going to be focused at low-income households.
Predictably, within the rightwing papers, this has been written up as an assault on the “center courses”. Right here is the Day by day Mail splash.
{Photograph}: Day by day Mail
And the Day by day Telegraph’s take could be very related; its story is headlined “Center courses set to overlook out on Reeves power invoice assist.”
Wes Streeting, the well being secretary, was giving interviews this morning, and he defended the chancellor’s method. Requested on the At this time programme if it was true that the center courses would take a success, he replied:
double citation markPut a distinct method, I might be feeling, as a better earner on this nation, a distinction in my residing prices.
Will they be pinching me within the pockets in the identical method that they could impression on my mum, who’s a cleaner on the minimal wage? No.
Requested if this was truthful, he confused that the battle was responsible.
double citation markLook, we all know that the general public funds are in a precarious scenario. That’s what we inherited.
We all know that the financial system has needed to undergo an enormous quantity of pressure during the last decade, partly because of issues just like the pandemic, partly because of reckless political decisions like Liz Truss’s mini-budget, and the problem the chancellor has is, she’s bought to try to drive enchancment within the financial system, confronting the world as it’s, not as we would need it to be.
And I can’t inform you how a lot my coronary heart sank when the chancellor was delivering the spring assertion solely weeks in the past, the place she was capable of speak confidently about falling rates of interest, falling inflation, wages lastly rising quicker than the cost-of-living because of the alternatives she is making, figuring out full effectively, as she did, all of us did, that what was happening in Iran would make these numbers and that enchancment a lot more durable, however she’s confronting that problem head-on.
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Up to date at 06.14 EDT
UK inflation held at 3% earlier than world power value hit from Iran battle
The UK inflation charge held regular at 3% in February, earlier than Donald Trump’s Iran battle drove up world power prices, threatening a renewed value soar, Heather Stewart stories.
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What joint committee on nationwide safety technique mentioned about case for ban on crypto donations to events
That is what parliament’s joint committee on the nationwide safety technique mentioned in regards to the case for banning cryptocurrency donations to political events in a report on political finance and international affect revealed final week.
double citation markCrypto donations pose an pointless and unacceptably excessive threat to the integrity of the political finance system and public belief in it. We settle for that future laws could institutionalise the usage of various cost techniques to be used in donations. At current, nonetheless, the chance to evade guidelines is simply too excessive, the adequacy of mitigations too low, and the useful resource value of making an attempt to implement acceptable oversight is disproportionate. We see no democratic crucial to allow the usage of crypto in political finance till ample safeguards are in place.
Crypto additionally poses wider upstream dangers to the integrity of political finance: donors can convert ‘soiled’ international crypto funds into ‘clear’ UK fiat after which donate it with out arousing a lot suspicion. A ‘final mile’ ban on crypto donations is due to this fact not a panacea. Specialist capabilities to handle upstream dangers are underpowered and require additional work.
The federal government ought to introduce a binding moratorium on crypto donations as an modification to the illustration of the individuals invoice. This moratorium ought to stay in place till the Electoral Fee has issued statutory steerage on crypto donations which applies to its regulated entities.
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Evaluation of international monetary interference in UK politics to be revealed, with ban on crypto donations anticipated
Good morning. In December the federal government introduced that Philip Rycroft, a former everlasting secretary on the Brexit division, will lead a evaluation into international monetary interference into UK politics. The evaluation is being revealed at this time, and it’ll embrace suggestions that we’re advised the federal government will implement as a precedence.
The evaluation will make suggestions related to all of the political events, however nobody in authorities is making an attempt very onerous to faux that one get together particularly isn’t the principle focus. Rycroft was employed for the job quickly after Nathan Gill, the previous Reform UK chief in Wales, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail for taking bribes to spout pro-Russian propaganda. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, dismissed Gill as a one-off unhealthy apple, however different Brexit get together MEPs gave pro-Russian speeches much like Gill’s. Reform UK is the Brexit get together below a brand new identify.
And Reform UK is the one political get together actively encouraging donations in cryptocurrency – which is broadly seen because the foreign money of alternative for individuals eager to keep away from the eye of the regulatory authorities. Parliament’s joint committee on the nationwide safety technique has been calling for a ban on crypto donations to political events and, in accordance with a narrative by Max Kendix within the Occasions, Rycroft goes to say he agrees. Kendix says: “Keir Starmer is anticipated to ban cryptocurrency donations in a blow to Nigel Farage as an unbiased evaluation warns that they threat letting international powers intervene in British democracy.”
Right here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Wes Streeting, the well being secretary, will give a speech. As Denis Campbell stories, he’ll welcome figures exhibiting public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the primary time since 2019.
9.30am: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities publishes figures exhibiting council tax figures for England for 2026/27.
Morning: The federal government is because of publish the report from the evaluation by Philip Rycroft into international monetary interference in UK politics.
Midday: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
Midday: John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions from MSPs. (FMQs is often on a Thursday, but it surely’s Wednesday this week due to the recess arising.)
After 12.30pm: Steve Reed, the native authorities secretary, is anticipated to make a Commons assertion on the Rycroft evaluation.
Afternoon: Friends will debate the youngsters’s wellbeing and colleges invoice, and there might be a transfer to re-insert the clause inserting a social media ban on under-16s orginally added by the Lords (towards the needs of the federal government) however subsequently taken out once more by friends.
4.30pm: Michael Shanks, the power minister, offers proof to the Commons power committee on power resilience.
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Up to date at 05.31 EDT
