Tag Archives: Politics

No.10 Dismisses Wes Streeting’s Thinly-Veiled Attack Against ‘Technocratic’ Starmer

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No.10 has downplayed speculation that Wes Streeting had attacked Keir Starmer after warning against the government’s “technocratic” approach.

The health secretary is rumoured to be considering throwing his hat into the ring to replace Starmer, as his premiership looks increasingly unsteady – although Streeting has repeatedly denied any such accusations.

But, the cabinet minister still told the New Statesman he was “pretty frustrated” right now, and believes that the “huge amount” of work Labour has done since getting into office is “not reflected in the polls” or their storytelling.

He added: “I think we sell ourselves short.”

The health secretary claimed Labour is at risk of presenting itself as the “maintenance department of the country”, too.

He added: “The problem with that kind of practical, technocratic approach is that if someone else comes along and says, ‘Well, I’ve got a maintenance company too, and mine’s cheaper,’ why wouldn’t people go, ‘OK, well, we’ll give that maintenance team a try’?”

He notably did not mention his boss by name in the interview, but Starmer has been criticised for being too technocratic in the past.

Streeting also insisted he would not to “indulge” in questions about potentially becoming the prime minister in 2026, responding only with a pantomime style answer: “Oh no, he’s not.”

Starmer’s official spokesperson then side-stepped questions about Streeting’s dig during Thursday’s press briefing.

“I think what the health secretary is setting out is that the public voted for change. That’s what they want to see delivered, and again, that is exactly what the government is focused on doing. The government is united behind a manifesto of change,” he said.

When pushed again on the PM’s thoughts over Streeting’s interview, the spokesperson said: “The inheritance is clear, the public services are on their knees, a stagnant economy and families facing a cost of living crisis.

“That’s what the government is determined to do in terms of the action we take,” he said.

Asked if Starmer was embarrassed about the cabinet briefing against him, his representative insisted: “The government is focused on delivering change.”

Streeting is known for being outspoken about the direction of the government.

He caused a stir in October when he piled more pressure on the PM in the wake of Labour’s by-election defeat in Caerphilly, comparing the loss to a day in 2021 when Starmer almost quit as Labour leader.

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Trump’s ‘Absolutely Crazed’ Threat To Those Who Question His Health Sparks Outrage

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Donald Trump flipped out in a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday as he issued an ominous warning to anyone who questions his health, suggesting “it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous” and libelous.

Trump – apparently still fuming from an article in The New York Times that highlighted his recent lightened workload and asked about his energy levels – insisted in a furious, lengthy screed there “has never been a President that has worked as hard as me” with his hours “the longest” and results “among the best.”

Trump touted some of his administration’s purported accomplishments that he claimed had “created an ‘aura’ around the United States of America that has led every Country in the World to respect us more than ever before.”

On his health, he then wrote:

“In addition to all of that, I go out of my way to do long, thorough, and very boring Medical Examinations at the Great Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, seen and supervised by top doctors, all of whom have given me PERFECT Marks — Some have even said they have never seen such Strong Results. I do these Tests because I owe it to our Country. In addition to the Medical, I have done something that no other President has done, on three separate occasions, the last one being recently, by taking what is known as a Cognitive Examination, something which few people would be able to do very well, including those working at The New York Times, and I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know. I have been told that few people have been able to ‘ace’ this Examination and, in fact, most do very poorly, which is why many other Presidents have decided not to take it at all.”

“Despite all of this, the time and work involved, The New York Times, and some others, like to pretend that I am ‘slowing up,’ am maybe not as sharp as I once was, or am in poor physical health, knowing that it is not true, and knowing that I work very hard, probably harder than I have ever worked before. I will know when I am ‘slowing up,’ but it’s not now!”

The president then warned:

“After all of the work I have done with Medical Exams, Cognitive Exams, and everything else, I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.’ They are true Enemies of the People, and we should do something about it.”

Critics on social media slammed the post as “absolutely crazed” and pointed out the hypocrisy, given Trump’s repeated attacks on the health of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

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‘Lammy Must Ditch Plan To Scrap Jury Trials Or Face Embarrassing Defeat’, Warns Senior Labour MP

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David Lammy’s forced announcement last week after the apparent accidental leak of his plans to scrap some jury trials came as a shock to Labour backbenchers.

There was reference in our election manifesto to addressing the Crown Court backlog which grew exponentially under the previous government, but there was never any suggestion that we, the Labour Party, would ever consider doing away with the rights of those accused of serious crimes to be tried by a jury of 12 good men, women and true.

Not least when current justice ministers, including the Lord Chancellor, have made very public statements pleading the case for juries in criminal proceedings, to be maintained. After all, juries have existed in the English (and Welsh) legal system for over 800 years.

Threatening to restrict jury trials is both a dereliction of duty and an ineffective way of dealing with a crippling backlog of cases. The erosion of jury trials not only risks undermining a fundamental right, but importantly, will not reduce the backlog by anything like enough to speed up justice for victims and those that are accused and prosecuted by the Crown.

If this ever comes to the House of Commons, I will rebel and vote against it, and I think the government would be defeated on this issue. The House and the public will not stand for the erosion of a fundamental right, particularly given that there are more effective ways to reduce the backlog.

Sir Brian Leveson is a well-respected figure whose words carry much weight but even Sir Brian is not wedded to this idea. But the outcry from stakeholders in the criminal justice system must not be ignored.

Our system rightly prevents the judiciary from speaking out on such matters, but when you have the Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association united in their opposition to these destructive plans, then it is easy to work out what judges and recently-retired judges are saying to lawyers when they are speaking privately.

Karl Turner MP
Karl Turner MP

Houses of Parliament

These warnings need to be heard and acted upon before it is too late. Let’s be honest now, the problem (which is massive) was not caused by juries and it will not be solved by their removal. If this is not ditched, then the government risks another embarrassing defeat.

Labour MPs deserve better from the prime minister to have us marched up the proverbial hill to be marched back down again and then have us pretend that we were never asked to do the unthinkable in the first place. Parliamentarians from across the political divide recognise the constitutional importance of trial by jury and the danger of their erosion from public life.

Backbench MPs see this as a step too far, and no responsible parliament can allow a cornerstone of justice and our democracy to be savagely attacked on the basis that the government is actually doing something to fix the problem when in fact anybody that is anybody, practitioners, academics or the judiciary itself know full well that these plans will not do what it says on the tin and will most definitely not protect and promote the interests of victims of crime.

“If this is not ditched, then the government risks another embarrassing defeat.”

The Lord Chancellor would be better promising less and doing more. There is much to do. The government chief whip is a good and well-respected MP, but he isn’t Paul Daniels – the chief whip’s best magic trickery cannot magic the inevitable rebellion away.

One of the primary causes of the backlog is the restriction on ‘sitting days’, the number of days Crown Courts operate a year. Around 130,000 sitting days are available to the courts, but, despite a capacity crisis, sitting days are restricted by around 20,000 a year.

While the government has rightly announced that it is increasing the number of sitting days by 5000, this is still a substantial shortfall. This inexplicable misuse of court time needs to be rectified.

The parliamentary timetable for these wrongheaded proposals is most likely to be the second half of next year, perhaps October or November. If the emergency is now, then why isn’t the justice secretary arguing for time on the floor of the House now?

Why, if it is so very urgent and just about reducing the backlog, won’t David Lammy put in a sunset clause on the face of the bill so that this policy can be scrapped once the backlog is down to a manageable number? At which time he himself would revert to saying that “criminal trials without juries are a bad idea, you don’t fix the backlog with trials that are widely perceived as unfair”.

And why not start using the promised £550 million for victims support service immediately? The government doesn’t need primary legislation for that. There isn’t a backlog in every court centre. Certain courts have managed to delete any backlog to manageable numbers by proactive case management. Let’s look at the model before we throw out the baby with the bath water. The government should reconsider this now, before lasting damage is done to public confidence in our courts, the justice system and this government.

Karl Turner is the Labour MP for Kingston-upon-Hull East

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European Leaders Can’t Hide Their Grim Expressions During Ukraine Peace Talks

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European leaders are rarely upbeat when discussing the devastating war in Ukraine, but Monday’s talks seemed to take the despondence to the next level.

Despite rolling out the red carpet for Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside No.10 Downing Street, and embracing the embattled Ukrainian president tightly, Keir Starmer looked more than just a little concerned as he hosted the small delegation.

His counterparts, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, wore similarly glum expressions.

Their hastily-arranged meeting came after Ukrainian negotiators failed to make any headway with their US opposites over the latest draft of Donald Trump’s peace deal.

The American president, who is desperate to secure an end to the war by any means possible, was accused of offering up a plan which would reward Russia for its aggression last month.

European allies then watered it down – but the Kremlin deemed some elements of that altered draft unworkable.

Trump has since blamed Zelenskyy for the hold-up, alleging that he has not even read the latest plan.

The US also published its National Security Strategy over the weekend which notably failed to list Russia as a threat, and instead called out European allies.

Amid wider fears that Washington would be happy to give away even more of Ukraine’s sovereign territory just to placate Putin, Starmer invited Zelenskyy, Merz and Macron to the UK to reiterate their support for the beleaguered country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, attends meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron at 10 Downing Street, in London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, attends meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron at 10 Downing Street, in London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

via Associated Press

While the four leaders did not hold a press conference and only spoke for a few moments in front of the media, there were clear signs that all was not going well.

Merz, famously pro-America, was the first to publicly express his concerns about Trump’s plan, saying from Downing Street that he is “sceptical” about “some of the details coming in the documents from the US side”.

Meanwhile Macron said Europe has a “lot of cards in our hands” – a throwaway remark which could be seen as a reference to Trump’s infamous attack on Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February.

The US president told the Ukrainian leader “you don’t have the cards” when it comes to the war, and that Kyiv needed to “make a deal or we’re out”.

Zelenskyy painted an equally bleak picture by claiming: “We can’t manage without Americans… we can’t managed without Europe.”

Starmer mainly reiterated his support for Ukraine during today’s meeting in front of the cameras – but his facial expressions spoke for themselves.

Both Merz and Macron left after a short stay in Downing Street.

Starmer and Zelenskyy spoke in private about what they can do next to keep the US on side – while not giving too much to Russia – for an hour before parting ways – and looking rather glum.

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Exclusive: Labour Rebels Believe They Can Defeat Starmer’s Plan To Scrap Jury Trials

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Labour rebels believe they can defeat their own government’s controversial plans to scrap some jury trials, HuffPost UK has learned.

Justice secretary David Lammy provoked a major backlash when he unveiled the policy last week.

Under the reforms, jury trials will be scrapped for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years.

Those cases will be heard by a lone judge in a newly-created Crown Court Bench Division.

The most serious offences such as murder and rape will continue to be dealt with by juries.

Lammy said the changes, which are backed by Keir Starmer, would help to clear the huge backlog of cases in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.

But critics say it would undermine the right of accused people to be tried in front of a jury, and will not clear the courts backlog either.

Labour rebels are confident that, when it comes to a vote in the House of Commons, they would be able to overturn the government’s majority of around 160.

One MP told HuffPost UK: “Even normally-loyal MPs are deeply uncomfortable with it.”

Another rebel said: “There’s no way this ridiculous policy will ever get on the statute book. The PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) will not wear it.”

Former frontbencher Karl Turner, who is a lawyer, posted on X: “I’m confident there enough of us to stop this utterly ludicrous proposal. Numbers are growing from those that are not considered the ‘awkward squad’.”

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I’m confident there enough of us to stop this utterly ludicrous proposal. Numbers are growing from those that are not considered the “awkward squad”. I am also aware that the PM has had others write to him that are not on my list. But they will be in the event that we need them. https://t.co/Ysnw5qDEuJ

— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) December 7, 2025

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I’m confident there enough of us to stop this utterly ludicrous proposal. Numbers are growing from those that are not considered the “awkward squad”. I am also aware that the PM has had others write to him that are not on my list. But they will be in the event that we need them. https://t.co/Ysnw5qDEuJ

— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) December 7, 2025

Despite Labour’s landslide victory at last year’s election, Starmer has struggled to force through unpopular policies because of opposition from his own MPs.

The government was forced to ditch plans to slash £5 billion from the welfare bill in the face of a huge backbench rebellion.

Pressure from Labour MPs also forced No.10 to U-turn on the decision to axe winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners, while Rachel Reeves announced in the Budget that the two-child benefit cap is being scrapped, despite previously claiming it was unaffordable.

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