Afternoon summary
Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, has been criticised for saying that some people claiming sickness and disability benefits are “taking the mickey”. (See 9.30am and 1.43pm.)
Eluned Morgan and John Swinney, first ministers of Wales and Scotland respectively, have been among those paying tribute to Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the former Plaid Cymru leader, who has died. (See 12.16pm and 2.44pm.)
Keir Starmer has been chairing a six-hour session with his cabinet, including official cabinet and political cabinet. It should be finishing around now. No 10 has not yet said what was discussed.
Updated
Lib Dems calls for schools bill to be amended so eligible pupils automatically enrolled for free school meals
The Department for Education has not made a formal assessment of how many pupils in England are eligible for free school meals (FSM) but not registered to receive them since 2013, a minister has admitted.
Stephen Morgan, an education minster, disclosed the gap in the DfE’s knowledge in an answer to a written ministerial question tabled by Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem education spokesperson.
Morgan said:
The department has not made a recent formal assessment of the proportion of children who are eligible for FSM but not registered to receive the entitlement. The last review conducted in 2013 suggested that 89% of eligible pupils were registered for FSM. We recognise the vital role played by FSM and encourage all eligible families to take their entitlement up and join the 2.1 million pupils currently registered to receive FSM.
In response, Wilson said the Lib Dems would seek to amend the children’s wellbeing and schools bill to make enrolment for free school meals automatic if children qualify. She said.
No child should go hungry in our country
I’ve heard from parents in my constituency who are giving up prescriptions so that they can afford to feed their children - with hundreds of thousands of families in poverty struggling to scrape together enough to send their children to school with a meal.
It’s unbelievable that Mr Morgan thinks that ‘encouragement’ is all that’s needed to fix free school meals uptake in this country. He’s wrong - we need proper reform to the system, so that eligible children automatically get the food they need.
That’s why we’ve tabled an amendment to auto-enrol eligible kids to receive free school meals - and why we’ll be urging MPs of all stripes to back my amendment.
Harman says Labour MPs in anti-Reform UK group pushing for tougher migration policies risk damaging government
Earlier this week Kiran Stacey revealed that Labour MPs whose seats are under threat from Reform UK have set up a pressure group that will urge Keir Starmer to take a tougher stance on migration and crime, amid growing concern about the rise of the rightwing populist party.
Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader who is now a member of the House of Lords, has described this move as “problematic”. As Sky News reports, she explained why on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast which she hosts with Beth Rigby, the Sky News political editor, and Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Tory leader.
Harman said:
I think it’s problematic for two reasons.
Firstly, because if you set up a group whose reason for formation is to press the government to do something, the implication is the government is not doing it.
And therefore, if you set up a group who’s wanting the government to be effective on immigration, then you’re immediately suggesting to your voters and your constituents that they’re right, that they’re thinking that the government is not doing enough. So I think it has the reverse effect than what they’re proposing it for.
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Eluned Morgan and John Swinney lead tributes to Dafydd Elis-Thomas
Here are more tributes to Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the former Plaid Cymru leader and first presiding officer of the Welsh assembly (now the Senedd) following his death. (See 12.16pm.)
From Eluned Morgan, the first minister
It is with profound sadness that I learned of the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas.
— Eluned Morgan (@PrifWeinidog) February 7, 2025
Wales has lost one of its greatest servants, and many of us have lost an irreplaceable friend.
My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time. pic.twitter.com/dhb64TSWF4
It is with profound sadness that I learned of the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas.
Wales has lost one of its greatest servants, and many of us have lost an irreplaceable friend.
My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.
From John Swinney, first minister of Scotland
Very sorry to hear of the death of former Plaid Cymru leader Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas. He was a great friend to Scotland and a fine servant of Wales. May he rest in peace and condolences to his family
From Elin Jones, the current presiding officer of the Senedd
It is hard to imagine Welsh political life without Dafydd Elis-Thomas. Since the early 1970s he has been omnipresent, having served in the House of Commons, the House of Lords and our Senedd.
As the Senedd’s first presiding officer, he was keen to establish a modern democracy from the start, learning from other parliaments what to do, and what not to do. He became the keeper of the Welsh constitution but was always prepared to think outside the box.
He can rightly be called our Senedd’s founding father. We mourn his loss and hold his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers.
From Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister and Torfaen MP
Sad to hear the passing of Dafydd Elis-Thomas.
He was a great public servant to Wales, and always championed Torfaen’s industrial heritage.
My condolences go to his friends and family.
From Darren Millar, the Welsh Conservative leader
Lord Elis-Thomas was a titan of Welsh politics; his passing is a great loss.
No one could ever argue that he didn’t have a deep love for Wales and Welsh people.
My prayers and sympathies are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
From ITV Wales’s Rob Osborne
Mr Wales has died.
Dafydd Elis-Thomas was a one-off—a nationalist who became the confidant of a King.
A former Plaid Cymru leader who served as a minister in a Labour-led government.
A radical who took his seat in the House of Lords.
Whatever you thought of his politics, he was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life.
Speaking personally - I’ll miss him.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the No 10 spokesperson was also asked if Keir Starmer welcomed President Trump’s decision to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, and if he would be doing the same in the UK. THe spokesperson replied
That decision is a matter for the US, and you wouldn’t expect me to comment on a matter of US policy.
But more broadly, this is a matter for domestic sporting bodies who have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women’s sports and the safety of all participants.
When it’s not possible to balance those factors with inclusion, our sports councils have produced transgender guidance which provides domestic sports bodies with a framework to help determine the right position for their sport.
And we support domestic sporting bodies maintaining the integrity of sports.
Here is our story about the Trump decision.
Former ambassador to Washingon Karen Pierce appointed special envoy to west Balkans
Former UK ambassador to the US Dame Karen Pierce has been appointed special envoy to the western Balkans, PA Media reports. PA says:
Pierce was appointed the UK’s top diplomat to Washington in 2020 and has just handed over to Peter Mandelson. She was also previously the UK’s ambassador to the UN in New York.
She will take up the position as special envoy to the western Balkans in the spring, taking over from Lord Peach.
The UK will host a major summit with western Balkans leaders in autumn this year.
Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “With her experience and expertise, Dame Karen Pierce is the ideal person to drive this important work forward. I would like to thank Lord Peach for his personal dedication and service in advancing UK interests in the western Balkans over the past three years.”
Turn2us, an anti-poverty charity, has criticised Liz Kendall for saying that some people claiming disability or sickness benefits are “taking the mickey”. (See 9.30am.) Shelley Hopkinson, its head of policy and influencing, said:
Language and headlines like this fuel fear, stigma, and suspicion, making it even harder for people to access the support they need. People tell us they’re scared of making a mistake, that they feel lost and helpless, and sometimes that they’ve given up on making a claim.
The focus should be on the experiences of those of us who rely on this support, not the few who exploit it. Instead of creating barriers, we need a system that offers security, dignity, and the support people need to get by.
No 10 defends 'independence' of international criminal court after Trump imposes sanctions on it
Downing Street has been reluctant to criticise decisions taken by President Trump, and it has said it will not be giving a running commentary on what it is doing. But it is not avoiding all comment entirely, and at the lobby briefing this morning a No 10 spokesperson confirmed that Keir Starmer won’t be withdrawing the UK from the international criminal court or, like Trump, imposing sanctions on its staff because of its stance on Israel.
Asked what Starmer thought about the US sanctions, the spokesperson said:
Ultimately, this is a matter for the US. But successive UK and US administrations have taken a different view on the ICC. For example, the UK is a signatory to the Rome statute, while the US is not.
As for the UK, we support the independence of the ICC and therefore have no plans to sanction individual court officials.
Our focus remains ensuring that the ceasefire [in Gaza] can be sustained, a surge of vital aid is able to reach Gaza and all remaining hostages are released and reunited with their families, and we’re working closely with the US at all levels on that, and will continue to do so.
Here is our story about the US sanctions.
Grenfell Tower to be demolished, Angela Rayner confirms
The remains of Grenfell Tower, the west London tower block in which 72 people lost their lives in a fire, are to be demolished over a two-year period starting after the eight-year anniversary of the 2017 disaster, the government has confirmed. Jamie Grierson has the story.
And here is the full statement on this from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Christopher Hope, the GB News political editor, has posted these on social media about the long cabinet meeting taking place today (see 12.25pm), and Downing Street’s decision not to provide a readout.
It seems odd to me that Sir Keir Starmer has ordered his Cabinet to meet at a secret location today. The last Tory government (I don’t think) ever did this, even its lowest moments. I can’t imagine that a confident government, sure of itself, would do this either. And Labour’s landslide was only seven months ago …
UPDATE Sir Keir Starmer is meeting his top Cabinet ministers for six hours today at an undisclosed location in central London - two hours for the smaller political Cabinet and four hours for the official Cabinet. Number 10 traditionally gives reporters a read out of what is discussed at the Cabinet meeting. But a spokesman says there will be no official read out of this extended Cabinet meeting between midday to 4pm. Apparently the same happened in November. I think this secrecy is unacceptable.
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James Schneider, who was communications director for Jeremy Corbyn when Corbyn was Labour leader, has posted this comment on social media about Liz Kendall’s comments in her interview about sickness and disability benefits. (See 9.30am.)
This Labour Party will never defeat the elite’s anti-people agenda because its leading lights either agree with it or they are so stupid that they think they kill it by feeding it.
Blue tie or red tie govt, the job is to keep the people in check while billionaire wealth triples.
The Downing Street lobby briefing has just finished. The No 10 spokesperson told journalists that the extending cabinet meeting today is running from 10am to 4pm. Much of it is a political cabinet. But it seems we are not going to get a readout from Downing Street of what was discussed, which is unusual.
'Huge loss to Welsh politics' - colleagues pay tribute following death of former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Elis-Thomas
Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the former leader of Plaid Cymru, has died aged 78, his family has announced. As PA Media reports, Lord Elis-Thomas, who led Plaid between 1984 and 1991, died on Friday morning following a “short illness”. PA says:
In a short statement, Lord Elis-Thomas’ family said he died “peacefully at his home” and requested privacy at this time.
He represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency from the founding of the National Assembly – now Senedd – between 1999 to 2021 and was the first presiding officer.
He was also the MP for Meirionydd and then Meirionydd Nant Conwy between 1974 and 1992, before being appointed to the House of Lords in 1992.
He left Plaid in 2016 and sat as an independent, serving in both Carwyn Jones and Mark Drakeford’s governments.
In a tribute, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the current Plaid Cymru leader, said:
Dafydd’s passing will be a huge loss to Welsh politics and the civic life of Wales.
He was unquestionably one of the most influential figures of his generation, and as the presiding officer of the first assembly made a priceless contribution in laying the firm foundations of devolution.
We remember Dafydd as a groundbreaking MP when he became the youngest member of the 1974 UK Parliament before leading Plaid Cymru with passion and distinction.
Dafydd was a personal friend to my family and I, and was an influential figure during my formative years.
His love for our nation, its language and culture was unwavering.
On behalf of Plaid Cymru, I extend our sincerest condolences to Dafydd’s family.
Attorney general Lord Hermer criticised for past comments calling British empire racist
Lord Hermer, the attorney general, must be getting used to bad publicity, but there is an article in the Times today that ought to worry him more than others.
A long-standing friend and barrister colleague of Keir Starmer (Hermer was Starmer’s junior in countless cases), Hermer was a surprise choice for attorney general. Emily Thornberry thought she was lined up for the job. But Starmer appointed Hermer, who became the first person to be appointed attorney general in more than 100 years who was not already an MP or peer.
Hermer has been under constant attack from the Tories. One of his past clients was Gerry Adams, the former Sinn Féin president (and former IRA leader in the eyes of almost everyone – although he denies it), and this has been a major source of criticism. The Conservatives have also complained about Hermer for not saying when he has had to recuse himself from government decisions over conflicts of interest. And they condemn him for his leftwing views. Only today the Telegraph is running a story with figures criticising him for describing the British empire as racist (which it was). The story is based on Hermer telling a Matrix Law podcast in 2022 that: “Racism impacted almost every element of [the British Empire].” He also said that Britain was a country where empire was assumed to be a good thing and that this was premised on a “deeply racist assumption” that the other nations are “not as good as us”. The Telegraph quotes Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, as saying Hermer has a “classic, nasty, leftwing view of life”.
Much more difficult, though, is what Patrick Maguire is saying about Hermer in his column in the Times. Maguire has impeccable Labour contacts (although he is probably in the dog house at the moment because of some of the revelations in his new book about Starmer, Get In, written with Gabriel Pogrund). Expanding on concerns reported by the Times last week, Maguire says ministers are unhappy with Hermer because he is holding up decisions. He says:
On Chagos, the popular critique is simple. Hermer, an actual lefty lawyer who would wear that pejorative as a badge of honour, is putting international law — already an ephemeral and often disregarded thing even before the return of Donald Trump — before domestic politics …
One puts the case against the attorney-general like this: “Richard seems to be under the impression that the government needs objective legal advice.” Another senior figure now butting heads with Hermer adds: “He genuinely doesn’t realise that he is our lawyer.” Trying to govern for voters who would otherwise be drawn to the radical right is proving much harder with Hermer laying down the law: pushing back, warning that this or that initiative can’t go ahead for fear of judicial reviews ministers would happily fight to prove a political point.
Maguire says Starmer is expected to hold a government reshuffle around May. Because of the close friendship between Starmer and Hermer, it was generally assumed his position was safe as long as Starmer remained PM. Maguire argues that is not a safe bet.
This week I asked a minister who knows Starmer well whether he might one day move Hermer if the politics of the moment demanded it. They answered yes, without hesitation. If my co-author and I have learnt anything about the PM from studying his leadership in often microscopic detail, it is that he is capable of moving hard and fast when political reality changes …
The legal architecture he and his radical contemporaries helped to build — Starmer at Doughty Street, Hermer at Matrix Chambers — is beginning to look distinctly old-fashioned. If it no longer serves his government, is this shapeshifting prime minister really prepared to lash himself to the mast of a sinking ship?
Fishing rights will not derail EU-UK security pact, says European Council president
The EU will not let the question of fishing rights derail a pact with the UK on security and defence, António Costa, the president of the European Council has said. Jennifer Rankin has the story.
Miliband says government considering backing Acorn project to help support Grangemouth workers
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has said the government will “consider” fast-tracking a carbon capture and storage project in Scotland that he says could help secure a future for workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery.
As PA Media reports, the site, which is Scotland’s only oil refinery, is due to close in the coming months, with owners at Petroineos having already sent out redundancy notices to some of the 400 workers there. But with a pipeline connecting the site there to the proposed Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire, fast tracking that development could help secure a future for Grangemouth.
This would take climate damaging CO2 emissions from Grangemouth’s industrial processes, and transport them to Acorn – from where they would be sent to be stored in subsea rock formations underneath the North Sea.
The UK government has already provided funding for two similar carbon capture clusters, in Merseyside and Teesside – with Scottish first minister John Swinney criticising ministers in London for their lack of support so far for the Acorn scheme, PA says.
In an interview on Times Radio, asked if he would commit to fast-tracking the project to help secure “some sort of future for Grangemouth”, Miliband said he would “obviously look” at such a proposal. He said:
We are determined to have a future for that Grangemouth site and for the Grangemouth community.
That’s what we’re working on, actually, alongside the Scottish government, something called Project Willow, which is a whole project which will be published later this month or early next, on looking at how we can … make the most of the potential resources at Grangemouth.
Carbon capture and storage could be part of it, sustainable aviation fuel could be part of it.
Updated
In her ITV News interview Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, claimed that the government’s drive to cut hospital waiting lists would help to bring the rising bill for working-age sickness and disability benefits under control. (See 9.30am.) But in a recent letter to Kendall on the findings of its inquiry into this issue, the Lords economic affairs committee said there was “no convincing evidence” that cutting waiting lists would make much difference. It said:
Given we received no convincing evidence that the main driver of the rise in these benefits is deteriorating health or high NHS waiting lists, the government should instead focus on the benefit system itself; and whether the system is dealing effectively with protecting those with health problems while providing support in helping them back into employment. The danger is that people have incentives to claim health-related benefits; and, once in receipt of them, have neither the incentive nor support to find and accept a job.
This week Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, travelled with David Lammy, the foreign secretary, to Ukraine. She talks about it here in a special edition of our Politics Weekly UK podcast.
Miliband says he will abide by 'collective responsibility' on Heathrow expansion – but won't say he's personally in favour
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, reportedly argued against the government’s decision to back a third runway at Heathrow at a cabinet meeting the day before Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, confirmed the move in a speech.
In an interview this morning, he said he would abide by “collective responsibility” with regard to the decision – but he would not say he was personally in favour.
Asked if he backed the plans, or if he was just “going along with the crowd”, Miliband told BBC Breakfast:
I’m part of a government that has said it wants to invite applications from Heathrow for a third runway and it’s got to pass strict environmental conditions and meet our carbon budgets.
Obviously I’m part of the government and I abide by collective responsibility.
Asked again if he was in favour of the plans, Miliband said:
I’m part of a government that has that position …
I was part of the decision-making process and the decision is as Rachel Reeves set it out, that’s the collective decision of the government.
In all administrations there are some ministers who, on some issues, don’t agree with what the government is doing. Normally they don’t make it quite as obvious as this, but there was nothing improper or disloyal in what Miliband was saying.
Asked to defend the Heathrow decision in the Commons earlier this week, Miliband said:
Any aviation expansion – this is the point the chancellor made last week – has to take place within carbon budgets and within environmental limits.
What I would just say to her also is that in six months, this government has achieved certainly more than the last government did in 14 years.
We’ve lifted the on-shore wind ban, we’ve consented nearly 3GW of solar, GB Energy, the National Wealth Fund, the most successful renewables auction in history. This government is delivering on clean power.
Some Labour MPs strongly committed to the net zero agenda are not speaking out strongly against the Heathrow decision because they believe in practice the third runway will never be built.
Updated
Goverment says plans to force landlords to improve energy efficiency could save renters £240 per year
Landlords will have to meet decent energy efficiency standards in homes they rent out by 2030, under plans put out for consultation by the government, PA Media reports. PA says:
All private landlords in England and Wales will be required to meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C or above by the end of the decade, up from the lower EPC E level currently required.
The government said the proposals could save renters £240 a year on average on their energy bills, and lift up to half a million households out of fuel poverty, as they will not have to spend so much heating cold, draughty homes.
Under the plans, landlords will have the choice of how to meet energy efficiency standards, with options such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing.
They will also then have further options such as solar panels, batteries and smart meters, or low carbon heating such as heat pumps.
The government is proposing a maximum £15,000 cap beyond which landlords will not have to spend to meet the EPC C rating, with potential for a lower £10,000 cap if renters are charged lower rents or homes are in a lower council tax band.
Officials pointed to support for heat pumps from the boiler upgrade scheme and the warm homes: local grant programme which will provide funding for measures including insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps.
And with 48% of rented properties already meeting the EPC C grade, the government wants to see the standard introduced across the board, and believes the move will not lead to increased rents for tenants.
It is estimated that the average cost to landlords of complying with the proposals will be £6,100 to £6,800 by 2030.
Previous proposals requiring landlords to meet EPC C standards for private rented homes by 2028 were axed by then prime minister Rishi Sunak when he watered down a series of green policies in September 2023.
Then the move was welcomed by landlords, but drew criticism that it was locking in tenants to years of higher bills.
Commenting on the plans in interviews this morning, Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said: “If you rent a home and you pay your rent, you have a right to live in a properly insulated home”.
He also said:
I think landlords are going to have to foot at least some significant part of this bill.
We think that’s fair and right to ask landlords to do that.
Boris Johnson one of most damaging PMs in history, says Reform UK chair
Boris Johnson was “one of the most damaging prime ministers in this country’s history”, according to Zia Yusuf, chair of Reform UK. Jamie Grierson has the story.
Keir Starmer chairs cabinet meeting as government faces rising cost of working-age people on sickness and disability benefits
Good morning. Keir Starmer is chairing an extended meeting of cabinet today. There will be a normal cabinet meeting, and then a political cabinet, where ministers will discuss the many challenges facing the government in a party political context. They won’t be in Downing Street, and it has been described by some people as an away days, but it is not one of those away days that involves a spa hotel in the countryside. They will be somewhere in Whitehall apparently, but being out of Downing Street should provide a change of scene.
One of the problems the government needs to address soon is what to do about the rising cost of working-age people on sickness and disability benefits. A recent inquiry by the Lords economic affairs committee found that that there are 3.7m, people of working-age on health-related benefits – up 1.2m on the figure five years ago – and that incapacity and disability benefits are costing almost £65bn, more than the government spends on defence.
The Department for Work and Pensions is due to publish a green paper on plans to reform this soon and, in an interview with Anushka Asthana from ITV News, Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, fleshed out some of the thinking behind what she is planning. Kendall was at pains to stress that she wanted to help more people into work, but some of her language is likely to alarm some of those currently claiming these benefits.
Kendall said that some people on sickness and disability benefits who think they could not do a job probably could work with the right support. Asked about a DWP survey saying 49% of people on these benefits think they will never be able to work, Kendall said:
I don’t blame people for thinking that they can’t, because they’re stuck on a waiting list for treatment. They haven’t had the proper support that they might need from the job centre or the skills that they need to get the jobs, we’ve also got to create more jobs in the areas that need them most. So I’m under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that we’ve got.
I believe more of those people could work. But even if we just start with those who say they can, we need to do more to get them back into work.
She said that the government’s drive to cut waiting lists would make a difference. She said:
When 2 in 5 of people on sickness and disability benefits are stuck on an NHS waiting list, we’ve got to drive those down. That’s why health secretary Wes Streeting has got a big plan to drive down that backlog, get people the help they need.
She said there were some people claiming sickness and disability benefits who were “taking the mickey”. Asked if she agreed with people who think that too many claimants are just pretending they cannot work, she replied:
If you speak to people here today, you will know that many of them have either just lost jobs that they desperately miss, or really want to get back into to work once they’ve got their health condition under control. So I think that there are many more people who want to work.
I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough - we have to end that.
She suggested that some young people might have to adjust more to having to work. Asked if she agreed that some conditions were being over-medicalised, and that people were taking time off for anxiety when in the past that might just have been regarded as normal worry, she replied:
I think there is genuinely a problem with many young people, particularly the Covid generation. But we can’t have a situation where doing a day’s work is in itself seen as stressful.
But she also accepted the situation was not straightforward.
I went to visit one of my local supermarkets recently to see the brilliant work they’re doing with the charity to get young people into work. And we saw two things.
One was young people with genuine mental health problems who the supermarket was doing great stuff to help them get work and stay in work.
But also the managers saying there were some young people who felt just turning up on time or working the day that they needed to, not always taking breaks - they had to understand that that was the world of work, that was just the nature of life and that isn’t stress or pressure.
So I think there’s no easy headline about it’s all one or all the other. And as ever, life is more complex.
It is not clear yet how much we will learn about what was said at the extended cabinet, but there will be a lobby briefing at 11.30am. Also, at some point today the government is expected to confirm that Grenfell Tower will be demolished.
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