Closing summary
Magistrates have been ordered to delay jailing criminals in a bid to ease prison overcrowding. Court of appeal judge Lord Justice Green issued a listing direction to magistrates’ courts managers in England and Wales, saying offenders likely to be jailed should have their sentencing hearings postponed until the government’s plans to free thousands of offenders early from prison come into force next month. The body representing magistrates described the move as “another sticking plaster to hold our crumbling justice system together”, while solicitors repeated calls for an “urgent injection of funding” to get a grip on the crisis.
Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, said she is working on cutting back Scottish government spending amid a “very challenging environment” for public finances, pledging to update MSPs on her choices in early September. Robison said more cost-cutting measures are needed following the Treasury’s review of public finances and uncertainty over how pay review body recommendations will be funded.
The Metropolitan police has ended its involvement in the criminal investigation into the placing of bets on the date of the general election. The investigation by the Gambling Commission into whether offences were committed under the Gambling Act continues.
China’s president Xi Jinping discussed cooperation in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence during his first official phone call with Keir Starmer on Friday. The call was reportedly made at Starmer’s request and is the first between Xi and a British prime minister since March 2022.
Thank you for reading and all your comments today. This blog is closing now but you can read all of our politics coverage here.
More spending cuts needed amid 'very challenging environment', Scottish finance secretary says
Scotland’s finance secretary Shona Robison says she is working on cutting back Scottish government spending amid a “very challenging environment” for public finances.
Scottish ministers have already begun cutting spending, including scrapping a pilot scheme that removed peak fares from all domestic rail services, in preparation for an emergency budget this autumn.
The PA news agency reports:
Ms Robison said more cost-cutting measures are needed following the Treasury’s review of public finances and uncertainty over how pay review body recommendations will be funded.
Earlier this month she confirmed a freeze on public sector recruitment for everything except “essential frontline” posts.
Scottish ministers have also confirmed their version of the winter heating payment will now be means-tested, following a similar decision by the UK government.
The arts body Creative Scotland has also closed one of its key funds due to concerns over support from the Scottish government.
In a letter to Kenneth Gibson, convener of Holyrood’s finance committee, Ms Robison said more cost-cutting is needed in the 2024/25 financial year.
She said: “The Scottish government, along with government and public sector bodies across the UK, faces a very challenging environment as we manage our finances through the current financial year and set our budget for 2025-26.
“I am working with my cabinet colleagues to agree the necessary actions to reduce expenditure and ensure our finances are on a sustainable footing.
“Further to this, additional measures are now necessary following the UK Treasury’s recent audit of public spending and lack of clarity over whether their decision to deliver pay review body recommendations will be fully funded.”
Details are expected to be set out when the Scottish parliament returns from recess in early September.
Updated
Kemi Badenoch leads in first YouGov poll of Tory members for Conservative leadership contest
A new YouGov survey of 910 Conservative members shows the shadow communities secretary, Kemi Badenoch, is the current frontrunner to be the next leader of the Tory party, with nearly a quarter of the vote.
These are the results from the members being asked which of the of six contenders they thought should take over as Tory leader:
Kemi Badenoch – 24%
Tom Tugendhat – 16%
James Cleverly – 14%
Robert Jenrick – 12%
Priti Patel – 11%
Mel Stride – 2%.
19% of the respondents were still undecided at the time of the poll, which was conducted from August 6-15.
Kemi Badenoch is the frontrunner in our new poll of Tory members for the 2024 leadership contest
— YouGov (@YouGov) August 23, 2024
% saying is their preferred candidate…
Kemi Badenoch: 24%
Tom Tugendhat: 16%
James Cleverly: 14%
Robert Jenrick: 12%
Priti Patel: 11%
Mel Stride: 2%
Don’t know: 19%… pic.twitter.com/ubGRLBUCUh
Badenoch has long been considered the frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest. She has said the Conservatives “will speak the truth again” and return to its roots if she wins it. The MP for north west Essex has argued for leaving the European convention on human rights, a major dividing line within her party.
The former business secretary previously ran for the Tory leadership after the resignation of Boris Johnson and came fourth.
Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister and current leader of the opposition, will hand over to his successor on 2 November after an extended Conservative leadership contest.
Updated
Hundreds of Jobcentre security guards are to stage a wave of fresh strikes in a long-running dispute over pay.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 400 of its members employed by G4S for the Department for Work and Pensions will walk out for seven days from 9 September and again from September 23 (here is the PCS’ press release).
They have already taken 22 days’ strike action and will begin another four-day walkout action from Tuesday.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said:
When will G4S get the message that our members will not sit back and accept a pay rise that is just 23p above the “National Living Wage” while G4S rakes in millions?
Our members risk their safety every day to protect Jobcentre workers and visitors. G4S can afford to pay them a decent wage, so why don’t they?
Taxpayers face estimated £200m bill because HS2 trains are too high for station platforms - report
The i reports that HS2 trains are too high for some existing station platforms, meaning taxpayers will have to spend nearly £200m on the infrastructure project, which has been beset by issues and spiralling costs. The stations with platforms of concern are: Oxenholme, Penrith, Motherwell, Runcorn, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan, Lancaster, Macclesfield, Stockport and Glasgow Central, according to the i.
Originally planned as a Y-shaped line linking London with Manchester and Yorkshire, HS2 has been progressively cut back and downgraded. Boris Johnson’s government cancelled plans for HS2 to reach Leeds in November 2021.
Rishi Sunak axed the second leg of HS2, the UK’s largest infrastructure project, and scaled back plans for London Euston station in October last year. HS2 said there were over £2bn in costs linked to Sunak’s decision to downgrade the high-speed rail line.
This report, published earlier today, is from the i’s chief political correspondent, Richard Vaughan:
As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves mulls tax rises and spending cuts to balance the UK’s books, taxpayers will have to find another £200m to refit HS2 train carriages because their doors are too high for ordinary station platforms.
Industry sources told i that Network Rail and the Office for Rail and Road were unwilling to allow the 225mph trains to run on the existing network because of fears that the gap between the train and the platform will be too great, making them unsafe.
“There are grave concerns regarding the rolling stock,” a source told i, claiming that Network Rail was unlikely to allow the trains to run on their network due to safety concerns.
Insiders say that the decision by former prime minister Rishi Sunak to scrap the scheme north of Birmingham, means the trains have a greater exposure to the existing network, heightening concerns that they are unfit for use on Network Rail platforms.
HS2 Ltd, created to deliver the £57bn project, said the trains were still in the design phase, and would now be fitted with a “two-step” solution to manage concerns around the gap on conventional platforms.
The news comes just days after it emerged that the trains will require a separate redesign to have extra doors added on each carriage to shorten the time the trains are sitting on the platforms – known as “dwell times” – to allow passengers to alight.
Updated
Amelia Gentleman is a reporter for the Guardian
The UK must act to curb a sharp increase in the use of racist hate speech by British politicians and high-profile public figures, a UN body has said.
Ministers must “adopt comprehensive measures to discourage and combat racist hate speech and xenophobic discourse by political and public figures” and ensure that such cases are “effectively investigated and sanctioned”, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended in a report.
The UN officials declined to name which politicians or public figures had made comments triggering the committee’s concern, but added there were “so many credible reports” of racist comments by high-profile individuals that there was “no doubt that the issue is a serious one in the UK”.
Presenting the report on Friday based on a four-year review into Britain’s record on tackling race discrimination, the committee highlighted “very troubling” manifestations of racism within the UK, flagging particular concern about racial profiling in stop and search practices, and the “excessive and deadly” use of force by law enforcement.
Committee members were “particularly concerned about the high number of strip-searches carried out on children, especially children of African descent, by law enforcement officials, and at the increase of police presence in schools with higher proportions of ethnic minority children”.
The government should “take steps to address the over-policing of schools with higher proportions of ethnic minority pupils and adopt and strengthen legislation and other measures to explicitly prohibit strip-searches on children,” the report advised.
As was mentioned in the post at 11.02, as of Friday, the prison population in England and Wales stood at 88,234.
The PA news agency has analysed MoJ figures and says this figure is the highest end-of-week number since weekly data was first published in 2011.
The previous weekly high, reached on 13 October 2023, was 88,225. The latest figure is higher than the peak reached in the aftermath of the 2011 summer riots, 88,179 recorded on 2 December that year. It is also more than 9,000 higher than three years ago, when it stood at 78,832 on 20 August 2021.
The MoJ said:
The new government inherited a prisons crisis, and this is yet another sign of the pressures our justice system is facing. The changes coming into force in September will bring it under control.
Independent judges decide when to schedule court hearings and do so in the interests of justice, including to ensure the effective operation of the criminal justice system.
John Swinney has said Scotland will “always support” an independent Ukraine, as he addressed a ceremony in Edinburgh to mark Ukrainian independence day on 24 August.
The first minister also offered his support to Ukrainians who have come to Scotland for “sanctuary” from the fighting in their homeland.
The ceremony, held outside the City Chambers, saw members of the Ukrainian community come together to commemorate those who have been killed in the conflict, while also marking the anniversary of the signing of Ukraine’s declaration of independence on 24 August 1991.
Speaking at the event, Swinney said:
Please know that my thoughts are with you – your friends, your families, your neighbours in Ukraine – today and every day.
Those fighting on the frontline, those who have given their lives defending the outcome of the 1991 referendum, and all those innocent lives that have been upended, or lost, as a result of Russia’s unlawful, barbaric and wasteful invasion of Ukraine.
Scotland’s thoughts remain with you, and will be reflected in our deeds, for as long as takes.
Until there is enduring peace in Europe, until we regain Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity once more, we stand with Ukraine.
Swinney’s comments come only days after a spokesperson for Keir Starmer reassured Kyiv of Britain’s support for Ukraine, in response to comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who said London’s support was weakening.
Zelenskiy said at the weekend that although Britain’s leadership had saved thousands of lives since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, support had recently “slowed down”.
“The prime minister remains absolutely resolute in his support for Ukraine,” Starmer’s spokesperson said. “In terms of our support, again, it is unwavering.”
Updated
Organisers of a cycle race in Wales have been forced to change and shorten its route because of the introduction of the 20mph speed limit in parts of the country.
Three of the five stages of the Junior Tour of Wales, which starts on Friday, have been changed because support vehicles would not have been able to keep up with the riders without breaking the limit.
Last September Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph in built-up areas, although councils have the power to exempt certain regions.
Last month the Welsh government published figures showing the number of people injured and killed on 20 and 30mph roads from January to March had fallen by more than a quarter.
The Welsh government also says cutting the speed limit will protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92m a year. It predicts the change will save up to 100 lives and prevent 20,000 casualties in the first decade.
A petition against the law, on the Welsh parliament webpage, was signed by nearly 470,000 people.
You can read the full story by my colleague Sammy Gecsoyler here:
Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson has reacted to Lord Justice Green telling magistrates to delay sentencing offenders likely to be jailed until at least 10 September.
Emmerson said the plan, first reported by the Times, shows the depth of the crisis in the justice system and has called for urgent funding to reduce delays for both victims and defendants.
He said:
This is another clear indicator of the scale of the crisis in our justice system and there are no easy solutions after decades of neglect.
The government and judiciary are having to make difficult choices to try to mitigate the emergency in the short term.
An urgent injection of funding is needed across our justice system. Otherwise, justice will continue to be delayed for victims and defendants.
Unless investment is forthcoming to ensure we have a functioning justice system, victims will continue to lose faith and deterrence for criminals will diminish.
Here is court of appeal judge Lord Justice Green’s listing direction (see post at 09.58) – telling magistrates to consider not jailing some convicted criminals until next month – in full.
The judge, who is the deputy senior presiding judge for England and Wales, said:
The following direction is made in the context of the current challenges in our prisons, and order to assist the magistrates’ courts in the management of lists over the next few weeks pending the coming into force of the new early release arrangements which will begin to come into effect on 10 September 2024.
Courts are responsible for the proper administration of justice. It is therefore appropriate that the judiciary have regard to the wider functioning of the criminal justice system.
Whilst listing is a judicial responsibility and function, the Criminal Practice Direction (at 5.14.5.a) states that the practical operation of the listing process in the magistrates’ courts is the responsibility of the local Head of Legal Operations (HoLO).
In the discharge of the listing responsibility the HoLOs should review all cases listed for sentence up to and including Friday 6 September where the defendant is currently on bail.
Where it is assessed that a custodial sentence is a possible outcome, consideration should be given to rescheduling the hearing for the shortest possible period of time, but not earlier than 10 September.
Every case must be considered on an individual basis and decisions must be made on the basis of the interests of justice. It follows that this needs to be a careful process.
Updated
Downing Street has issued a readout of Keir Starmer’s call this morning with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping (see post at 11.19).
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
The prime minister spoke to President Xi Jinping of China this morning. The prime minister began by setting out his priorities for his government, including national security, secure borders and economic stability.
The leaders discussed areas of shared collaboration, and potential areas of cooperation between the UK and China, including on trade, the economy and education.
As permanent members of the UN security council, the leaders agreed on the importance of close working in areas, such as climate change and global security.
The prime minister added that he hoped the leaders would be able to have open, frank and honest discussions to address and understand areas of disagreement when necessary, such as Hong Kong, Russia’s war in Ukraine and human rights.
The leaders also agreed on the need for a stable and consistent UK-China relationship, including dialogue between their respective foreign and domestic ministers. They agreed to stay in touch.
Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes said his organisation had already interviewed “several suspects” under caution and continued to speak to witnesses and gather documentary and electronic evidence.
He said:
We clearly appreciate the level of public interest there is in this investigation but in order to protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure a fair and just outcome, we are unable to comment further at this time, including the name of any person who may be under suspicion, or the total number of suspects.
The Guardian revealed in June that Craig Williams, who was Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary was a Tory MP before losing his seat in July, placed a £100 bet on a July election three days before the prime minister named the date.
The Conservatives eventually withdrew support for Williams as their candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, along with Bristol North West candidate Laura Saunders, who was also alleged to have placed a bet.
Saunders’ husband, Tony Lee, the Conservative party’s director of campaigning, and Tory chief data officer Nick Mason took leaves of absence during the campaign after being implicated in the scandal, while Senedd member Russell George stepped back from the shadow cabinet in the Welsh parliament after being placed under investigation.
Updated
Met police end probe into election gambling scandal with no charges made
The Metropolitan police has ended its involvement in the criminal investigation into the placing of bets on the date of the general election.
The force previously said it was probing whether a “small number” of bets on the 4 July poll had involved more serious offences including misconduct in public office.
A number of Conservatives have been caught up in the Gambling Commission inquiry, including Rishi Sunak’s former parliamentary aide, Craig Williams.
But the Met said after a review of evidence with the CPS that “it was determined that the high bar for misconduct in public office to be proven was not met”.
The investigation by the Gambling Commission into whether offences were committed under the Gambling Act continues.
In a statement, Det Supt Katherine Goodwin said:
These allegations caused a significant dent in public confidence during the election campaign and it was right that they were investigated to explore all possible offences.
While our involvement in the criminal investigation now ceases, it’s important that is not misinterpreted as an all clear for those whose cases were looked at. There are still Gambling Act offences to consider and it is appropriate that they are taken forward by investigators from the Gambling Commission who have particular expertise in this field.
Seven police officers who are alleged to have placed bets are still among those being investigated by the Gambling Commission. They also remain under investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
Updated
Keir Starmer to today pass the time Liz Truss spent in office as PM
Keir Starmer will today pass the time Liz Truss spent in Downing Street as prime minister. Truss became PM on 6 September 2022, replacing Boris Johnson after defeating Rishi Sunak in a Tory leadership contest. It took 45 days between her arriving in Downing Street and announcing her resignation after her mini-Budget, which included £45bn of unfunded tax cuts, triggered economic turmoil. She spent 49 days in office overall. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on 8 September 2022, aged 96. A period of national mourning followed her death.
The Daily Star set up a webcam on the lettuce to see if it would have a longer shelf-life than Truss. The lettuce won.
Starmer entered Downing Street as Labour prime minister on 5 July 2024, after sweeping to power in a Labour landslide at the 4 July general election. With it, Labour ended 14 years of Conservative rule, with the worst ever performance for the party that ushered in Brexit and delivered often chaotic government.
Truss – whose premiership was blamed by many Conservatives for the historic defeat – was among prominent (former) MPs – who lost their seats last month. She lost her South West Norfolk seat by 640 votes to Labour.
The former prime minister has recently been trying to promote her memoir, Ten Years to Save the West. She has become vocal on US politics, last month addressing Republican supporters and urging them to learn lessons from her brief time in No 10. She said: “I’ve learned how powerful the unelected bureaucracy is. You have to win in November … you have to dismantle the leftist state … they are devious, they are ruthless and they are out to get you.”
Updated
Newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest that UK households cut their real-terms spending on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the year to March 2023.
While nominal spending on the category increased over the period, there was a 7.5% real-terms drop when accounting for inflation, making it the area where households made the biggest cutbacks, the ONS said.
Average weekly household expenditure was £567.70 over the year, a nominal increase of £38.90, or 7%, on the previous 12 months.
However, after accounting for inflation, this was a real-terms decrease of £21.10, or 4%, the agency said.
Average UK household spending was £567.70 a week in April 2022 to March 2023 - after allowing for inflation that’s down 4% on the previous year in real terms👛
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) August 23, 2024
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/HzN3hPx6zp pic.twitter.com/djIOSV4vcX
A temporary ban on the sale or supply of puberty blockers has been extended to cover Northern Ireland.
BBC News has this report:
Puberty blockers work by suppressing the release of hormones and are often prescribed to children questioning their gender.
In May, the Conservative government tightened rules on the drugs, introducing an emergency ban on them being prescribed by private and European prescribers.
This ban, which has been renewed, will come into effect in Northern Ireland from 27 August.
BBC News NI understands the matter was dealt with by way of urgent procedure, with the order signed off by the first and deputy first ministers without wider Executive approval.
Plan to delay jailing convicted criminals merely a 'sticking plaster' to hold 'crumbling' justice system together, magistrates association says
Tom Franklin, the chief executive of the Magistrates’ Association, has responded to reports that magistrates have been told to consider pushing back court sentencing hearings because of concern about overcrowding in prisons (see post at 09.58).
The Times reported that Lord Justice Nicholas Green, who sits on the court of appeal, has issued a “listing direction” to the managers of magistrates’ courts in England and Wales saying that offenders who are on bail and likely to be jailed should have their sentencing hearings postponed until at least 10 September.
Franklin said the plans are insufficient to tackle the deep-rooted issues in the justice system, including courts, the probation service and the police.
He said:
Another day, another sticking plaster to hold our crumbling justice system together. This latest emergency measure – while it may be necessary to deal with prison overcrowding until the big release of prisoners on 10 September – demonstrates the need for an injection of more resources at every stage of the justice process.
As well as investment in the whole criminal justice system, we need a long-term joined-up plan, where all parts of the justice system – including police, courts, probation and prisons – are considered together. We also need a grown-up discussion about the purpose of prison, and indeed other types of sentences such as community sentences.
Every delay in magistrates’ work adversely affects the timely delivery of justice and impacts victims, witnesses and defendants. The Magistrates’ Association stands ready to work with all stakeholders to improve the system for all. We have identified six areas for improvement and shared them with the new Lord Chancellor.
The overall prison population has ballooned over recent decades largely because of longer sentences and court backlogs. The probation service is underfunded and underresourced. A senior official from Napo, the probation officers’ union, said its members were trying to prepare for the early release scheme – when up to 2,000 prisoners will be released in the second week of September- but the government was unable to maintain staffing levels, let alone recruit more, as required. Many police forces are contending with severe funding pressures, cash shortfalls and a loss of public confidence, while facing higher policing demands as the nature of crime evolves with new technologies.
Updated
This is the link to the readout of the 2022 call between Boris Johnson and Xi Jinping for anyone who is interested.
Xi Jinping and Keir Starmer speak in first official phone call – reports
China’s president Xi Jinping discussed cooperation in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence during his first official phone call with Keir Starmer on Friday, Chinese state media reports.
Xi – who congratulated the prime minister for winning his election landslide last month – told Starmer that the world’s second-largest economy was “willing to maintain exchanges with the United Kingdom at all levels,” the readout added.
The call was reportedly made at Starmer’s request and is the first between Xi and a British prime minister since March 2022, when the Chinese leader spoke with Boris Johnson, the then Conservative prime minister.
China was Britain’s fifth-largest trading partner as of 2023, according to official UK statistics, but diplomatic relations have been icy in recent years as the countries sparred over Beijing’s tightening control over former British colony Hong Kong.
Labour has said it will take a “clear-eyed” approach to China and has committed to conducting a cross-government audit of UK-China relations.
The foreign secretary, David Lammy, met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in July, on the sidelines of an association of southeast Asian nations event in Laos. During their talks, which were painted as constructive by his team, Lammy urged China to stop its companies from supporting Russia’s military.
The statement that the British Foreign Office issued after Lammy’s meeting hints at the strategic positioning towards Beijing the new Labour government is adopting.
The statement said:
He set out that the government would cooperate where we can, compete where needed and challenge where we must.
He made clear the UK would always stand firm in prioritising our national security, as well as supporting human rights.
Updated
Prison population increases by nearly 350 over last week after more rioters jailed
As we reported in the opening summary, magistrates have been told to consider pushing back the sentencing of some criminals because of mounting concerns about overcrowding in prisons.
The prison population has increased by 341 over the last week, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Justice.
It means there are now 88,234 people in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales (84,596 people in men’s prisons and 3,638 in women’s prisons).
For comparison, between the 9 August and the 16 August 2024, the prison population in England and Wales increased by 397 people. You can see a breakdown of weekly prison estate figures here.
The jailing of hundreds of rioters has pushed prisons towards full capacity, with there now being only 1,149 spare places across all jails, according to Danny Shaw, a crime, justice and policing commentator and former adviser to the home secretary, Yvette Cooper.
To get to grips with the overcrowding crisis, HM Prison and Probation Service has been forced to prepare Operation Early Dawn, a contingency plan that allows defendants to be held in police cells until prison places become available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice.
NEW Prison population has increased by over 300 in 7 days as impact of riot sentencing & remand cases continues.
— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) August 23, 2024
Latest @MoJGovUK figures for England and Wales:
Population: 88,234 up 341 on last Friday...
…that’s up 872 in 3 weeks.
Only 1,149 spare places across ALL jails
Updated
The boss of Gatwick said he “hopes and expects” the government will back the airport’s plans for a second runway, adding that its proposals would bring extra air capacity to the south-east more quickly than a third runway at Heathrow.
Stewart Wingate, the airport’s chief executive since 2009, said the £2.2bn plan to create a fully functioning second runway by the end of the decade had strong economic credentials and could “chime” with the government’s growth agenda.
Gatwick, which is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, is planning to move the centre line of its northern runway, which is used largely as a taxiway, 12 metres (39ft) north in order to allow planes to take off while others land on the existing runway.
A six-month public examination of the scheme will end next week, with the planning inspectors submitting a recommendation to the government before ministers make a decision in the first half of next year.
You can read the full story by my colleague Jack Simpson here:
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, acknowledged the rise in the price cap will worry lots of people across the country. He blamed the cap increase on the “toxic legacy” of the Conservative governments over the last 14 years, which he said failed to “secure” the UK’s energy system, instead leaving it at the “mercy” of international markets “controlled by dictators”.
In order to help households struggling with bills, Miliband said Labour plans to reform Ofgem so it is a “consumer champion”, work to make standing charges fairer and introduce a Warm Homes Plan, which will give devolved administrations the power and the resources to bring every home in their area up to EPC standard C or higher within a decade.
Miliband has said that building new renewable energy generation, which would result in cheaper energy, and installing thousands of pylons in unspoilt rural areas to deliver a “clean power” revolution, is key to tackling the cost of living crisis.
He added in his post on X:
The only long term solution to achieve energy independence is to sprint towards clean, homegrown power. That’s why we are moving at pace to deliver on our mission for clean power, by lifting the onshore wind ban, consenting solar and getting more renewable projects built.
1/ Today’s announcement from Ofgem will be worrying news for families across the country.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) August 23, 2024
The expected rise in the price cap is yet another consequence of the toxic legacy left by the previous government.
Updated
There has been lots of reaction to Ofgem confirming the energy cap will rise to an average annual £1,717 from October, a 10% a year – or £12 a month – leap in the typical amount households face paying for their gas and electricity when using direct debit.
While this is a rise on the period from July to September, the new cap will be about £117 cheaper compared to the same period in 2023, when the typical bill was capped at £1,834.
Ofgem, the energy regulator, revealed the price cap weeks after the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, set out plans to restrict the winter fuel allowance, which will affect millions of pensioners. She said the move was necessary to help plug a “black hole” in the public finances left by the Conservatives.
Winter fuel payments are worth between £100 and £300 – tax-free – with the basic rate paid automatically to anyone claiming the state pension. The higher sums are available to those who get other benefits, such as pension credit. You can read more about the payments in this useful explainer here.
Reacting to Ofgem’s energy cap announcement, shadow energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, accused Labour of not being honest about its plans.
She said:
Instead of prioritising cheap energy, the new Labour government are pursuing Ed Miliband’s reckless net zero targets with no thoughts to the costs.
And far from their promise of saving families £300 off their energy bills, one of their first acts in office is to remove the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners this winter.
Because they weren’t honest about their plans, that means millions of pensioners will have made no plans to deal with higher energy bills this winter.
Gillian Cooper, director of energy at Citizens Advice, said:
We’ve braced ourselves for a challenging winter but today’s price cap increase will no doubt see even more people fall behind on their energy bills.
We’re particularly concerned about households with children and young people and those on lower incomes, who are most likely to struggle with their heating costs.
Magistrates ‘asked to stop jailing criminals’ for several weeks to ease pressure on prisons
Good morning and welcome back to our rolling coverage of UK politics.
Magistrates have been asked to stop jailing criminals for several weeks in an attempt to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons, according to reports.
The Times reported that Lord Justice Nicholas Green, who sits on the court of appeal, has issued a “listing direction” to the managers of magistrates’ courts in England and Wales saying that offenders who are on bail and likely to be jailed should have their sentencing hearings postponed until at least 10 September.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the guidelines did not apply to high-risk offenders who were already on remand.
“Every delay in magistrates’ work adversely affects the timely delivery of justice and impacts victims, witnesses and defendants,” Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates Association, told The Times.
He said Green’s direction was “the latest sticking plaster to try to get through until the big release of prisoners on 10 September but just highlights the crisis that the justice system is in”.
There were already plans in place, from 10 September, for thousands of prisoners to start being released 40% of the way through their sentence as part of emergency measures announced last month.
Pressure on prisons increased with riots across England – that broke out after the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport – which led to more than 1,000 arrests. We will bring you reaction to the Times report throughout the day.
Here are some of the other main headlines:
The average household energy bill is to increase by £149 from October after Ofgem said it was increasing its price cap as homes approach the winter months. The regulator announced it is hiking its price cap by 10% from the current £1,568 for a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,717 (about £117 cheaper than the cap last October). You can read more on the energy price cap rise in our business live blog here.
Another two MSPs – Brian Whittle and Alexander Stewart – have backed the shadow security minister, Tom Tugendhat, as the next leader of the UK Conservative party, bringing his total MSP support to 10. It comes after eight other MSPs backed Tugendhat on Monday, saying he would be a “help, not a hindrance” north of the border.
Rachel Reeves has insisted there will be “no blank cheques” for public sector unions amid Conservative claims that the government’s attempt to end long-running strikes has made it a soft touch. The chancellor said there had been no caving in to train drivers and junior doctors, and defended her decision to accept recommendations of pay review bodies for real-terms increases for the police, teachers and the armed forces on the grounds that they were needed to recruit and retain staff.
NHS workers are being urged to accept a 5.5% pay increase offer from the Scottish government, a rise in line with that proposed in England. Unite, one of a number of trade unions which represent NHS staff in Scotland, is to ballot its members on the offer, but is recommending they accept.
It is Yohannes Lowe here with you today. Please do email me on yohannes.lowe@theguardian.com if you spot any typos or omissions.
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