Summary of the day …
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has defended chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to visit China amid turbulence in the economy as being “right and proper”. She said “it is absolutely right and proper that the chancellor is taking seriously our relationship with the world’s second largest economy”
Nandy has said she believes that the Labour government is still “on track” with its ambition for the UK to be “the fastest growing economy in Europe,” adding “I’m not, for a moment, saying it’s all going swimmingly” she said when asked about Labour’s first few months in government. Nandy said “our intention is that in the next few years, people will start to feel significantly better off in their own lives and for the prospects for their children”
Almost 700,000 homeowners are facing an increase in mortgage costs when their fixed-rate deals end this year, as a sell-off in the UK government debt market threatens to push up household borrowing costs
The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, has joined calls for a “limited” national inquiry into grooming gangs, saying the scope of the local inquiry he had commissioned in Oldham did not have the same legal powers
Burnham’s intervention was seized upon by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and shadow home secretary Chris Philp, both of whom have been criticised for raising the issue now rather than when they were previously in government. Tom Crowther KC, the former chair of the Telford child sexual exploitation (CSE) inquiry, said the “Telford model” led to real progress in the Shropshire town and could be used in towns across the country looking into similar CSE scandals
Prof Alexis Jay, who led the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, will appear before the Commons Home Affairs Committee on 21 January. The inquiry’s secretary, John O’Brien, will also appear
Culture secretary Nandy rejected calls for England’s men’s cricket team to boycott a planned match against Afghanistan over the treatment of women by the Taliban
PA Media reports that it understands 11 councils in England have asked for their local elections to be postponed. They include Surrey, Oxfordshire, Devon and Norfolk county councils as well as Worcestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Gloucestershire and Thurrock. The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative-run areas of “running scared” in areas where the Lib Dems made huge gains in last year’s general election
The UK has enough gas and electricity to meet demand this winter, the government has insisted, after the company that owns the country’s gas stores said levels had become “concerningly low” amid the current cold snap
Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has accused world leaders of “sleepwalking” into a “deadly new future” and demanded that Keir Starmer revoke recently issued North Sea oil and gas drilling licences
The opening of the UK’s first safer drugs consumption room will be a “significant step forward” in efforts to tackle drug problems in Scotland, John Swinney said. The first minister was speaking as he toured the Thistle Centre in Glasgow’s east end, which is due to open on Monday
The co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, has said his party was yet to make a “final decision” on whether to back the draft Scottish budget, and that they were continuing to “negotiate constructively” with the SNP-led government on it
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for today. Thank you very much for all your comments. I will see you again at some point next week.
11 councils in England ask government to postpone local elections – reports
PA Media reports that it understands 11 councils in England have asked for their local elections to be postponed.
They include Surrey, Oxfordshire, Devon and Norfolk county councils, which have all voted to push their elections back.
Worcestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Gloucestershire and Thurrock have also requested postponements.
Local authorities have until Friday to request permission from the government to postpone their elections, after plans to abolish two-tier council areas were announced in December, as part of Labour’s proposals to devolve more power away from Westminster.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has been out on the Friday afternoon photo trail again, this time with a visit to the Burwell Print Centre in Burwell, Cambridge, which describes itself as “a social enterprise that provides fulfilling work and social experiences for adults with additional needs”.
Davey has also spoken to PA Media about Elon Musk. He told the news agency:
He has said that America should replace our government. I’m afraid it’s British people at the ballot box that decide that, not the richest man in the world who happens to be close to the next president of the US and who has this social media platform. I think these powerful people need to be held to account.
The Liberal Democrats champion free speech. But when the richest man in the world owns a platform that he distorts to promote his views and prevents other people speaking, he isn’t a champion of free speech, he is an opponent of free speech.
Updated
Ellie Chowns, the Green Party of England and Wales MP for North Herefordshire, has also responded to data showing 2024 was the world’s hottest year, calling it a “wake-up call”.
Chowns said “The new EU Copernicus report is a wake-up call: 2024 was the warmest year ever, at 1.62°C above preindustrial levels. We’re crossing dangerous thresholds.
“We must phase out fossil fuels, act urgently on decarbonisation, and invest in adaptation. The time is now.”
Earlier party co-leader Carla Denyer cautioned that world leaders were “sleepwalking” into a “deadly new future” and demanded that Keir Starmer revoke recently issued North Sea oil and gas drilling licences.
Swinney: 'we are all paying the price' of Labour's policies
First minister John Swinney has said “we are all paying the price” of Labour’s policies.
In a social media post, the SNP leader said:
Labour’s straitjacket on tax, their hike in employers’ national insurance, and their refusal to rejoin the EU single market have all stifled growth which we so badly need. They ignored every warning, and now we are all paying the price.
Prof Alexis Jay to appear before Commons Home Affairs committee on 21 January
Prof Alexis Jay, who led the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, will appear before the Commons Home Affairs Committee on 21 January. The inquiry’s secretary, John O’Brien, will also appear.
PA Media reports committee chair Karen Bradley said: “We have a responsibility to ensure that the results of comprehensive public inquiries set up by government are acted upon.”
The Conservative, who has been MP for Staffordshire Moorlands since 2010, continued:
For too long, children were failed by those who should have been protecting them.
We are holding this session to understand how the government and the different institutions within the remit of the inquiry have responded to its findings.
We want to see if there has been progress in the wide-ranging change needed to implement a comprehensive child safety framework, and what more needs to be done.
Prof Jay has previously expressed dissatisfaction at the failure to put the report’s recommendations into place. It was published when Liz Truss was prime minister. The new Labour government has committed to implement them in full.
No 10 insists UK has sufficient energy supply despite ‘concerningly low’ gas storage levels
Jillian Ambrose is the Guardian’s energy correspondent
The UK has enough gas and electricity to meet demand this winter, the government has insisted, after the company that owns the country’s gas stores said levels had become “concerningly low” amid the current cold snap.
Centrica, which also owns British Gas, said on Friday that its inventories had fallen by half since early November, to a quarter below where gas storage levels were at the same time last year.
The company blamed the decline to less than a week’s worth of gas – it usually stores a fortnight’s worth – on the early start to a colder than normal winter across the UK and high prices in the global wholesale market.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “We are confident we will have a sufficient gas supply and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter, due to our diverse and resilient energy system.
“We speak regularly with the national energy system operator to monitor our energy security, and ensure they have all tools at their disposal if needed to secure our supply.”
Read more here: No 10 insists UK has sufficient energy supply despite ‘concerningly low’ gas storage levels
Denyer: 'leaders are sleepwalking' after data shows hottest year on record
Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has accused world leaders of “sleepwalking” into a “deadly new future” and demanded that Keir Starmer revoke recently issued North Sea oil and gas drilling licences.
She issued the statement after data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showed that the average temperature in 2024 was 1.6C above preindustrial levels, representing levels of heat never experienced by modern humans. She said:
This news comes as uncontrollable wildfires rage in Los Angeles, and just months after unprecedented flooding in Spain killed over 200 people.
The target of limiting warming to below 1.5 degrees was an attempt to prevent the deadliest effects of the climate crisis. Breaching that limit is catastrophic for humanity – and yet our leaders are sleepwalking into this deadly new future.
We need to massively speed up the transition away from fossil fuels – that is the bottom line. In a world of 1.5 degree warming it’s unconscionable that the government is still letting some new North Sea oil and gas drilling go ahead – Starmer must revoke those consents and licenses immediately.
But we also need to start thinking about how we make our communities more resilient in the face of the extreme weather that is now unavoidable. From flooding to extreme heat, our homes and neighbourhoods need to be fit for the future.
Labour’s MP for Mid & South Pembrokeshire, Henry Tufnell, has just issued a long statement saying he has been “deeply saddened” by what he called “misleading and inflammatory claims” about his participation in the parliamentary vote on Wednesday.
Conservatives attempted to kill the government’s child wellbeing and schools bill by tabling an amendment that would force a national grooming and rape gangs inquiry, blocking the bill at the same time. The amendment was defeated by 364 votes to 111, a majority of 253.
Tufnell, in a series of posts to social media, said:
Let me be absolutely clear: the safety of children and ensuring justice for victims of these appalling crimes is a cause I hold incredibly close to my heart.
The recent vote was not about turning a blind eye or denying justice to victims of grooming gangs. It was about ensuring that our efforts to tackle these heinous crimes are focused and effective.
Over the past 10 years, several thorough investigations – including the Alexis Jay Report into child exploitation in Rotherham and the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse – have highlighted systemic failings and led to significant reforms in the justice system.
If there is consensus from victims or survivors calling for a new inquiry, we must listen carefully. Any decision on further investigations should be informed by their voices and needs, ensuring that it adds value to the work already done and delivers meaningful outcomes.
What matters most is action. Many recommendations from existing inquiries remain unfulfilled, and it is critical that we prioritise implementing these changes to protect vulnerable children and bring perpetrators to justice. We cannot allow delays or rhetoric to stand in the way.
This is not about scoring points; it is about standing up for victims, holding institutions accountable, and ensuring the weight of the law is applied to those who commit such horrific crimes. I remain committed to these principles and will continue to work for justice for all.
Let’s remain focused on what truly matters: delivering justice for victims and survivors, and ensuring that children and women in our communities are safe from harm.
Earlier this morning a new YouGov poll, commissioned by the Women’s Policy Centre, reported that 76% of British people would like to see a new national inquiry. That has been picked up on social media by the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as well as shadow home secretary Chris Philp.
Philp, who endured a torrid time when being interviewed by Cathy Newman on Channel 4 on Wednesday over his previous silence on the issue in parliament, posted to social media to say “Victims, independent-minded Labour figures such as Andy Burnham, and now the public. All are saying the same thing. Starmer and the Labour government should listen and hold the proper national Inquiry we need.”
Downing Street has issued read-outs of two diplomatic calls that prime minister Keir Starmer has had today, with Kristen Michal the prime minister of Estonia and with president Alexander Stubb of Finland.
Both read-outs are broadly similar, stating that Starmer discussed with them the issues of undersea cable security and support for Nato and Ukraine.
The read-outs also explicitly mentioned Starmer’s desire for a “reset” of relations with the EU, stating that with Stubb “the leaders discussed the UK’s EU reset, and talked about ambitions for closer economic and security ties between the UK and the EU,” while with Michal the focus was “on ambitions for an even stronger relationship through the UK’s reset with the EU.”
Plaid Cymru is continuing its campaign today for money it claims is owed to the Welsh budget over the HS2 railway.
Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said “Wales’ wait for HS2 cash epitomises how Westminster ignores our needs. Labour used to agree that £4b is owed to us, but now in power, they’re only asking for £350m! The uplift must contain every £ we’re owed, otherwise it’s further proof that only Plaid Cymru stands up for Wales.”
Wales is owed £4bn from HS2 - not the £350m that Labour now claim since gaining power in Westminster.
— Plaid Cymru 🏴 (@Plaid_Cymru) January 10, 2025
Plaid Cymru won't accept anything less for our communities. pic.twitter.com/uHQGiyj6QL
Despite none of the planned HS2 route or work being in Wales, it was designated as an England and Wales project, meaning the Welsh government was excluded from extra transport investment that was made available to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Earlier today Sky News reported that first minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, was expecting to see “some uplift in terms of rail infrastructure and financing” for Wales from the government in Westminster.
Sky quoted a government source saying Labour is making efforts to “fix” the “historic underinvestment in rail in Wales, exacerbated by HS2”.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson has said No 10 would not “mandate” postponement of local elections in England, but would work “collaboratively” with councils.
PA Media quotes them saying:
We have set out before that any postponed elections will only be considered at the request of the local authorities involved, so this will not be mandated by the government. Instead we will work collaboratively with them to ensure any postponement is aligned to ensuring that it fits with reorganisation and devolution in the most ambitious timeframe.
Ministers announced a major redesign of local government in December, where smaller district councils and larger county councils could be merged to create unitary authorities that handle all services.
Deputy prime minister and local government minister Angela Rayner told a select committee hearing this week that it would be “ludicrous” for councils to hold elections if they were planning mergers.
The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative-held areas in the south of England thought to be considering election delays of running scared after the Lib Dems made significant gains in those areas in last year’s general election. [See 10.45]
Jessica Murray, our Midlands correspondent, reports:
Public inquiries are seen as the “Rolls-Royce solution” to tackling the grooming gangs scandal but local reviews are more effective, the former chair of the Telford child sexual exploitation (CSE) inquiry has said.
Tom Crowther KC said the “Telford model” led to real progress in the Shropshire town and could be used in towns across the country looking into similar CSE scandals.
“Everyone wants a public inquiry. It’s seen as the Rolls-Royce solution. But we couldn’t have had the result that we’ve had in Telford through a public inquiry,” he said.
“We saw far more people in Telford than ever would have come forward if that had been a formal inquiry.”
Crowther led a three-year independent inquiry into the scale of CSE in Telford, which concluded in 2022 that hundreds of children were sexually exploited over decades with authorities failing to investigate and victims, rather than perpetrators, often blamed.
The government has said its main priority was implementing the recommendations of the national independent report into child sexual abuse published in 2022, and MPs rejected calls for a new national inquiry in a Commons vote on Wednesday.
Read more from Jessica Murray’s report here: ‘Telford model’ is more effective for child abuse inquiries, says former chair
Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Carla Denyer has posted on social media to send birthday greeting to climate activist Gaie Delap.
In the message Denyer said:
Sending solidarity and birthday wishes to Gaie Delap, a peaceful climate protester who is spending her 78th birthday behind bars – all because the private company responsible for fitting electronic tags couldn’t find one the right size for her. Will keep pushing for her release.
Delap, a retired teacher and a Quaker from Bristol, was jailed in August, along with four co-defendants, for her part in a campaign of disruptive Just Stop Oil protests on the M25 in November 2022.
She was released in November to serve the rest of her sentence under a home detention curfew. But the private company contracted to fit the tag to Delap was unable to attach one to her ankle because of a health condition and did not have a tag available small enough to fit wrists her size.
Davey: UK economy is 'flying blind' with chancellor and BoE governor abroad
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has added his voice to criticism of the timing of the chancellor’s trip to China. Rachel Reeves is travelling there after a week in which investors drove up the cost of UK borrowing and pushed the pound to a 14-month low.
Davey said with Reeves away the UK economy was “flying blind”. In a statement he said:
The ongoing crisis in the markets needs the Chancellor’s urgent attention and for her to be on the other side of the world is deeply worrying.
Our economy is flying blind with the Chancellor and Bank of England governor abroad.
The budget has not worked and this market turmoil is proof of that. We need to see the Chancellor now announce a plan B for growth.
That should start by cancelling her misguided jobs tax and a real focus on rebuilding our broken trade relationship with Europe. Only then will we see the growth needed to fix our economy after years of Conservative economic vandalism.
Earlier culture secretary Lisa Nandy described Reeves’ trip as “right and proper” and that the chancellor was taking seriously the country’s relationship with “the world’s second largest economy.”
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union general secretary Fran Heathcote has responded the reports that chancellor Rachel Reeves is contemplating further public spending cuts.
Heathcote said:
If the Chancellor comes for our members’ jobs, and the services they provide, we’ll fight her every step of the way. She will be committing an unforgivable mistake by forcing civil servants to pay for a financial situation not of their making.
Fourteen years of austerity tells us you can’t cut your way to growth. The government should be taxing those who can afford it, not taking away pay from those who cannot.
As well as making another intervention on calls for a national public inquiry on grooming and rape gangs, Kemi Badenoch has published a campaign video this morning accusing the Labour party of “an ideological assault on education” and “educational vandalism.”
In the clip Badenoch is seen visiting the old school of chancellor Rachel Reeves, Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley. The Tory leader says:
I am really worried about what Labour is going to do to our schools. Their new schools bill is going to unravel all of the good work that we did, and all of the good work that the previous Labor governments did as well.
They are going to stop new free schools. They are going to remove the freedom that good schools have to expand. They’re going to remove the freedom that academies have to pay their teachers more, and they’re going to make education worse in this country
What Labour is doing is an ideological assault on education. It is being led by union policy, not by what is good for pupils, for teachers or for parents. This is educational vandalism, and Conservatives are going to fight it every step of the way, because what we believe in is what is right for children, not what is right for politicians.
Education is a devolved policy area.
Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has again posted to social media her calls for a national public inquiry into grooming and rape gangs, picking up on Andy Burnham’s comments.
In the post, Badenoch said “The government’s line is crumbling. Even Labour Mayor, Andy Burnham knows there has to be a public inquiry into the rape gangs. It can be an inquiry that gets answers quickly. It can draw on existing work and it can also COMPEL witnesses to attend and give evidence UNDER OATH.”
Our North of England correspondent Hannah Al-Othman has just written this report on the comments by the Greater Manchester mayor: Andy Burnham joins calls for ‘limited’ national inquiry into sexual abuse gangs
On Wednesday at PMQs prime minister Keir Starmer said of Badenoch “The leader of the opposition has been an MP, I think for eight years, her party have been in government for seven and a half of those eight years. She was the children’s minister. She was the women’s equalities minister. I can’t remember her, I can’t recall her once raising this issue in the house, once calling for a national inquiry.
“It’s only in recent days she’s jumped on the bandwagon. In fairness, if I’m wrong about that and she has raised it, then I invite her to say that now, and I will happily withdraw the remark that she hasn’t raised it in this house in the eight years that she’s been here until today.”
As part of her interview round this morning, Culture secretary Lisa Nandy was asked whether her own department would be a prime target for any further spending cuts the chancellor deemed necessary. Nandy was defensive of her brief, saying on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:
I really want to push back on this idea that this government sees arts, culture, media and sport as a nice to have.
We’ve put it at the heart of the industrial strategy, one of eight industries that we are going to put rocket boosters under, because we believe that offers the best chance for growth, jobs and living standards across the UK.
She also defended closing the National Citizen Service (NCS) for young people, saying it was a “very difficult decision” but adding:
It’s been a programme that has benefited a lot of young people, but at a time when there is a crisis afflicting the young generation, we do not believe that we can justify spending money on a four week programme over the summer for a variety of young people, rather than gripping the challenges that they face.
The NCS was launched in 2011 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, and was heavily supported by David Cameron, who later served on the NCS Trust’s patrons’ board after leaving No 10. It has been subjected to repeated criticism of the way funding was allocated and the number of teenagers it managed to involve.
The Liberal Democrats have gone on the attack this morning against the Conservatives over suggestions that Conservative-held areas may request delays to local elections in England.
Local elections are due to take place in 21 county council areas in England in May, but at least 12 of them are poised to ask ministers for a delay.
Angela Rayner, the local government secretary, has given councils until Friday to request that their elections be delayed so that they can explore the potential for restructuring their local authority as part of devolution plans.
Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservatives of “running scared”, pointing out that councils apparently bidding for delays are in places where the party made gains against the Tories in the general election last year.
Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said:
The Liberal Democrats made sweeping gains against the Conservatives at the general election, from Devon to Surrey. Now Conservative councils are running scared and attempting to delay these local elections, to avoid voters appalled with their record of failure.
This attempt to silence the voice of millions is a scandal. Democracy delayed is democracy denied. The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to ensure these elections go ahead in May as planned.
The party also made a dig at opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, with a Liberal Democrat source accusing her of sitting on her hands, saying “Kemi Badenoch is bottling it and trying to cancel these local elections because she’s terrified of more Lib Dem gains and a Conservative collapse that would threaten her leadership.
“She could step in and ask Conservative councils not to delay, instead she’s sat on her hands. It’s sad to see this so-called defender of free speech now refusing to give voters a voice.”
The opening of the UK’s first safer drugs consumption room will be a “significant step forward” in efforts to tackle drug problems in Scotland, John Swinney has said.
The First Minister was speaking as he toured the Thistle Centre in Glasgow’s east end, which is due to open on Monday.
PA Media reports Swinney said that while the “first of its kind” centre will not be a “silver bullet”, it will complement other action being taken to tackle the problem of deaths from drug misuse.
The SNP leader said:
Every death related to drug misuse is one too many, and drug deaths in Scotland remain far too high.
Scotland’s public health and human rights-based approach to tackling drug misuse means we’re focused on ensuring our healthcare services are not only listening to people, but also drawing on their experiences as we work to support them.
Earlier today my colleague Libby Brooks had this report on the opening of the centre, where some of the most vulnerable addicts will be able to take their own drugs in a clean and safe environment under the supervision of health professionals.
Richard Adams is the Guardian’s education editor
The Department for Education has described as “extraordinary” the National Education Union’s call for a strike ballot over teacher pay in England.
On Thursday the NEU announced it was polling its members over holding a formal strike ballot in the wake of the government’s proposal for a 2.8% pay rise from September.
In response a DfE spokesperson said:
“This is an extraordinary decision. In three years, teachers have had a combined pay increase of over 17%.
“As schools and families continue doing everything they can to improve attendance, and after the millions of school days lost through both the pandemic and recent industrial action, union leaderships need to think long and hard about whose interests they are putting first. For the government and the education secretary [Bridget Phillipson], it is always children who come first.”
The NEU’s indicative ballot opens on 1 March, ahead of the union’s annual conference in April, where a decision on a formal strike ballot will be taken.
Kiran Stacey is a political correspondent based in Westminster
England should be allowed to play next month’s cricket game against Afghanistan, the UK culture and sport secretary has said, despite calls for a boycott over the Taliban government’s treatment of women.
Lisa Nandy on Friday backed a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to allow the game to go ahead, saying that cancelling it would “deny sports fans the opportunity that they love”.
There is growing pressure from MPs for the game to be called off after the Taliban disbanded the Afghanistan women’s cricket team and banned women from public spaces including gyms, parks and hairdressing salons.
Nandy told BBC Breakfast: “I do think it should go ahead. I’m instinctively very cautious about boycotts in sports, partly because I think they’re counterproductive.
“I think they deny sports fans the opportunity that they love, and they can also very much penalise the athletes and the sports people who work very, very hard to reach the top of their game and then they’re denied the opportunities to compete. They are not the people that we want to penalise for the appalling actions of the Taliban against women and girls.”
England are due to play Afghanistan next month in Pakistan as part of the Champions Trophy. The ECB has said it will not schedule a bilateral series against Afghanistan, but that participation in an international competition such as the Champions Trophy is a matter for the International Cricket Council.
Read more from Kiran Stacey here: Lisa Nandy rejects calls for England to boycott Afghanistan cricket match
The reason that Culture secretary Lisa Nandy was on the media round today was to promote the government’s consultation on tackling online ticket touting.
On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she said:
People will no longer go on to a website and find that the tickets have been bought up by touts in mass numbers as part of an industry that fleeces fans and leeches money out of the music industry and are then sold on at vastly inflated prices
Over £1,000 pounds, for Coldplay tickets, for Bruce Springsteen tickets. I don’t know a single person who could afford that sort of thing. And that’s what we’re bringing an end to today, the time is up for ticket touts.
If you have strong views on the issue, you can find the consultation documents here. In a government press release the move has been backed by the general secretary of the Musicians’ Union, the chief executive of UK Music, and Fatboy Slim among others.
Yesterday my colleague Andrew Sparrow reported Andy Burnham’s comments that the Greater Manchester mayor thinks there is a case for a “limited national inquiry” into child abuse by gangs. Burnham said:
In my view the government was right to reject that form of opportunism [the Tory amendment that was voted down this week].
But I did hear last night coming out of that debate ministers saying they are open to discussing issues now with survivors.
I will add my voice into this and say I do think there is the case for a limited national inquiry that draws on reviews like the one that I commissioned, and the one we have seen in Rotherham, the one we have seen in Telford, to draw out some of these national issues and compel people to give evidence who then may have charges to answer and be held to account.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy was asked about this on ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier today, and she told viewers:
I get the point that Andy’s making. He said that there was a case for a smaller, more limited national inquiry into the specific issues that the inquiry that he instigated could not pick up.
I do understand that because the inquiry that we had here in Greater Manchester, astonishingly, some of the Greater Manchester police officers refused to even take part, and the local inquiry couldn’t compel them to do so.
But I do disagree with Andy actually. The reason that the Theresa May government set up a national inquiry, which ran for seven years and took evidence from thousands of victims, is precisely because of the points that Andy made.
That inquiry found what every inquiry has found, that young girls weren’t believed because they were young, they were female, and they were working class, and that the systems that were supposed to protect them protected themselves instead of protecting those brave young victims.
Nandy was asked whether Labour were cross with Burnham’s intervention, to which she replied “It’s impossible to be cross with Andy Burnham,” adding “this is the whole point of devolution, is that we want to make sure that people’s views are heard from across the country.”
She commended the Conservatives for setting up the 2015 national inquiry, and did not rule out a future inquiry being commissioned, saying:
The reason I think that that people have heard from us that there may at some point in the future be another inquiry is because child abuse by its very nature is hidden, it’s secretive, and at various points, I’m sure that more will come out about the scandals that we’ve heard. We are not going to rule out an inquiry ever.
She said the government has its focus on delivering the recommendations from the 2022 Prof Alexis Jay review.
As appears to be compulsory at the moment, while being interviewed this morning the Culture secretary was asked about her views on Elon Musk. At least responsibility for social media is actually in Lisa Nandy’s remit.
On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme Nick Robinson asked her “is Elon Musk’s idea of free speech a threat to democracy?”, citing the FT story that the US-based billionaire is seeking ways to oust prime minister Keir Starmer.
Nandy said “Elon Musk, like everybody else in this country, is free to say whatever they like, but our job is not to respond to social media, our job is to represent the British people.
“And when it comes to things like tackling child abuse, we are absolutely crystal clear. We’ve had a seven year inquiry. We’ve had 20 recommendations …”
At this point Robinson let out a long audible exasperated sigh, and interrupted saying “If you’ll forgive me I’ve asked you a slightly different thing … will you regulate social media differently? Are you going to say, look, the world has changed. Elon Musk’s view of free speech is very different. Mark Zuckerberg appears to be adopting it. It’s the job of politicians in a democracy to say, we’ll regulate.”
Nandy replied:
Of course, the online space, like the real world, is a place where people have to feel free safe to be able to interact, and we’ve heard a lot from people, including young people, who feel that that is no longer the case.
That’s why the Online Harms Act, which we are implementing, will introduce requirements on social media companies to take down harmful content.
We’re taking a different approach here in the UK [to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg], we make no apology for that. It’s our job to protect people and support people to be able to have a decent democratic debate, and we fully intend to continue with those reforms.
Mark Sweney has news on how current market turmoil might affect the housing market:
About 700,000 homeowners are facing an increase in mortgage costs when their fixed-rate deals end this year, as a sell-off in the UK government debt market plunges the financial markets into turmoil and threatens to push up household borrowing costs.
Mortgage rates had been predicted to ease this year, as analysts projected multiple cuts to the Bank of England base interest rate, which was expected to feed into the lowering of mortgage rates for homeowners and buyers.
However, the sell-off in government bonds, or gilts, fuelled by concerns over inflation and heavy public borrowing, could keep borrowing costs higher for longer.
You can read more from Mark Sweney here: UK debt market sell-off threatens to push up mortgage costs
Scottish Greens yet to make 'final decision' on backing SNP budget
The co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, has said his party was yet to make a “final decision” on whether to back the draft Scottish budget, and that they were continuing to “negotiate constructively” with the SNP-led government on it.
Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, PA Media report he told listeners:
The government has, I think, a great deal more … work to do, to answer the questions and to respond to the proposals that we put forward.
I hope that we hear constructive answers. But as you know, there have been budgets in the past where we have voted in favour. In recent years, we’ve got a strong track record of delivering change through the budget that makes the lives of people in Scotland better and addresses the climate emergency.
Harvie also said he regretted the decision by former first minister Humza Yousaf to end the Bute House agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens. He said:
I still regret the decision that Humza Yousaf made to end the cooperation agreement. Not just because I think Greens were successful at delivering a number of policies, and that there were some issues coming up that we had got the ball rolling on, which are still really, really important.
But Greens, before we were in government – it was only two-and-a-half years that that agreement lasted, after all, which is a shame – but before we were in government, we had a strong track record of delivering change by doing constructive politics.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said “I’m not, for a moment, saying it’s all going swimmingly” when asked about Labour’s first few months in government.
However, she continued by setting out what she said was the party’s ambition for the term of government, saying:
I think there wasn’t a single person in this country who could say that they really felt better off after 14 years of Tory government.
And our ambition and our intention is that in the next few years, people will start to feel significantly better off in their own lives and for the prospects for their children.
On the economic news front, Graeme Wearden is on our business live blog today, and has this:
All eyes are on the UK government bond market today, where the current bond market selloff has been particularly acute.
And in early trading, bond yields are nudging slightly higher, although it’s a small move.
The pound is a little weaker this morning, but higher than the lows touched during Thursday’s choppy trading.
One worrying aspect of the market turmoil this week is that both UK government bonds and the pound have fallen.
In more normal times, a rise in government borrowing costs (caused by a fall in the value of bonds) tends to lead to a stonger currency.
When both fall together, it can be a sign of fiscal de-anchoring, and potentially capital flight out of the UK.
This last happened in the 1970s crisis, a point another former Bank official Martin Weale made yesterday.
You can follow all the latest business and economic news with Graeme Wearden over on his live blog: Reeves may need to consider ‘very severe’ spending cuts, as bond sell-off continues – business live
Lisa Nandy says chancellor's visit to China is 'right and proper'
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has defended chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to visit China amid turbulence in the economy as being “right and proper”.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Nandy said fluctuations affecting the bond market and the pound were part of “a global trend that we’ve seen affecting economies all over the world.”
“Rates rise and fall,” she said. “We’ve seen it, most notably in the United States.”
Nandy continued:
We are confident that we’re taking both the short term action to stabilise the economy, but also the long term action that is necessary to get the economy growing again.
That’s why, from my point of view, and I think many others, it is absolutely right and proper that the chancellor is taking seriously our relationship with the world’s second largest economy, and is in China this weekend.
Nandy: Labour has worked very hard to 'restore economic credibility' and is 'on track' with growth
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has said she believes that the Labour government is still “on track” with its ambition for the UK to be “the fastest growing economy in Europe.”
Conceding that the budget decision to increase national insurance contributions on employers was “a difficult one for many companies”, she told listeners of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the government was not going back to the “bad old days” of Tory budgets. She said:
We inherited an economy where it was hard to see who had confidence, both to invest, and particularly for consumers to be able to feel that they could spend, given the huge fluctuations that we’d seen, particularly after the Liz Truss/Kwasi Kwarteng mini-budget.
The chancellor has been absolutely clear that we are not going back to those bad old days. We have had two interest rate cuts since she became chancellor, and we have worked very hard to restore economic credibility.
Boasting that Labour’s attempts to attract investment had seen “a huge vote of confidence” in the UK economy, she continued:
We are not only confident that we’re on track, but the OECD is confident that we’re on track to become the fastest growing economy in Europe.
Welcome and opening summary …
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling politics coverage for Friday. Here are your headlines:
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has defended chancellor Rachel Reeves’ visit to China amid economic turbulence
Reeves is reported to be considering imposing steeper cuts to public services to repair the government’s finances after a bruising week in which investors drove up the cost of UK borrowing and pushed the pound to a 14-month low
Health secretary Wes Streeting has defended the growing use of the private sector to help tackle long waiting lists in England for treatment, but said providers must “pull their weight” and not take resources away from the NHS
The co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, has said his party was yet to make a “final decision” on whether to back the draft Scottish budget
A committee of MPs has criticised the Ministry of Defence for being behind the times on the use of artificial intelligence in the military]
The number of people in England and Wales who sought help with energy bills jumped by 20% last year, according to Citizens Advice
In the diary today Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is out and about in Cambridgeshire, and we can expect stunt photos. There is also another Reform UK regional conference event this evening. It is the turn of the south-east, and Nigel Farage is speaking at Sandown Park Racecourse. You can insert your own punchline about runners, riders, odds and gambling etc.
It is Martin Belam with you today. You can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com, which is especially useful if you have spotted errors, typos or omissions.
