No 10 won't comment on Trump posting sketch mocking Starmer on social media, saying PM 'entirely focused on job'
Downing Street has chosen not to respond to Donald Trump posting a TV sketch on social media mocking Keir Starmer. At the lobby briefing, when asked how Starmer reacted to Trump posting the sketch on his social media platform yesterday, prior to their phone conversation, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson stated:
The prime minister is entirely focused on the job in hand. He obviously had a good conversation with the president. They discussed the conflict and the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister has repeatedly been clear that we’re not going to be drawn into this wider war. We’re taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, but we are not going to be dragged into this wider war.
When asked if Starmer found the sketch amusing, the spokesperson said he was not aware if Starmer had seen the clip. The Prime Minister was "entirely focused" on responding in the British national interest.
The spokesperson avoided answering whether Trump’s decision to post the clip on social media indicated he was not entirely focused on the job at hand.
Starmer says antisemitic arson attack an attack 'not just on Jewish community', but on everyone who values tolerance
Keir Starmer began with a comment about the overnight attack on the Jewish ambulance service.
The idea that ambulances could be considered a target is simply horrendous. And I know the impact that that will have had on so many individuals, not just those, in the area …
He noted the impact on the whole Jewish community across the country, emphasizing that this is not an isolated incident and that the rise of antisemitic hatred is evident.
He confirmed the government will replace the ambulances and added:
That is the right thing to do. But it also underscores what I think is a really important principle that this is not just an attack on the Jewish community, but it’s an attack on all of us, on everyone who holds the fundamental British values of tolerance and respect.
Starmer said he had also discussed the issue with Sarah Sackman, the constituency MP, and with Jewish leaders.
Meg Hillier, the committee chair, opened the session by noting that Emily Thornberry, the foreign affairs committee chair, was absent due to a long-planned trip with her committee to Greenland.
Starmer to face questions from Commons liaison committee
Eleven MPs from the Commons liaison committee will question Starmer during his appearance at 2:30 pm. The committee has 31 members, but not all attend these sessions. The attendees today include the chair, Meg Hillier, and the following MPs:
Debbie Abrahams, work and pensions
Sarah Champion, international development
Bill Esterson, energy security and net zero
Patricia Ferguson, Scottish affairs
Bernard Jenkin MP, statutory instruments
Chi Onwurah, science, innovation and technology
The committee indicated that questions are likely to cover defence, the Middle East, the UK’s economic security, and the economic impact of the conflict. There may also be interest in issues relating to Palestine and defending democracy.
Badenoch admits Tory 'lower taxes' pledge in local elections does not necessarily mean council tax cuts
Kemi Badenoch acknowledged that when the Conservatives campaign promising “lower taxes” at local elections, this does not necessarily imply actual tax cuts.
In an interview with Kit Bradshaw from ITV Meridian, Badenoch explained that “lower taxes” means people would pay less than they would under other parties in local government.
EXC: Kemi Badenoch has denied that a local election slogan to 'lower taxes' meant council tax would actually go down. The Conservative Leader told me: "Council tax goes up with inflation… We’re not saying people are going to have less [tax] than they paid before." @itvmeridian pic.twitter.com/zudnGOyczp
Bradshaw asked why Tory-run West Sussex county council was increasing council tax by 4.99%, the maximum allowed, despite the Conservatives campaigning on “lower taxes.”
Badenoch responded that council tax rises are due to various factors, including inflation, and that the Tory slogan promises lower rates than would apply under other parties.
Labour party chair Anna Turley commented on the interview:
Both Reform and the Tories are proving their promises have no meaning.
Farage and Reform pledged to cut taxes and waste but are hiking taxes and cutting services. Now Kemi Badenoch has let slip she’ll do the same, admitting a Tory promise on tax isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. They’re both trying to play the public for fools and you can’t trust a word they say.
Keir Starmer stated the government will consider “every lever” to assist people with the cost of living during the Iran war. Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, suggested specific measures Starmer could implement.
Keir Starmer has said that he will look at every lever available to deal with this crisis. I’ve set out how this government can prevent an unbearable rise in the cost of living for households across the UK: a guarantee that the price cap will not rise past June, paid for using a rise in capital gains tax and a tightened windfall tax; ending the price of gas artificially inflating all energy costs; and rent controls as the Spanish government have brought in. Will he now apply those levers?
Defence secretary John Healey to make statement to MPs about Iran war
At 3:30 pm, John Healey, the defence secretary, will make a statement to MPs regarding the Iran war.
Following this, likely around 5 pm, Dan Jarvis, the security minister, will make a statement about the arson attack against the Hatzola Northwest Jewish ambulance service.
No 10 won't say if Starmer explicitly urged Trump to shelve his power plants bombing ultimatum to Iran
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson declined to confirm whether Keir Starmer explicitly urged Donald Trump to abandon his threat to bomb Iran’s power plants during their conversation yesterday. The spokesperson preferred not to go beyond the details provided in the readout issued the previous night.
But he said the UK had “obviously been speaking for some time now that we want to see a swift resolution to the war”. He also said Starmer had been clear about the need for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.
Earlier that day, Trump suspended his threat to bomb Iran’s power plants if the strait had not reopened by midnight GMT.
No 10 defends delay in disclosing Iranian missile attacks aimed at Diego Garcia in Chagos Islands
During the Downing Street lobby briefing, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson defended the government’s decision not to immediately disclose that Iran had fired two missiles toward the Diego Garcia US/UK military base in the Chagos Islands. This information had first emerged in the United States.
On Saturday, Kemi Badenoch issued a statement saying:
Now we find out, from the media and not the prime minister, that the British base on Diego Garcia has been the target of Iranian missile attacks. As we saw with Peter Mandelson, Starmer’s first instinct is always to cover up the truth.
When asked why the government had not informed the public earlier, the spokesperson responded:
The government has always been clear about the threats that Iran’s indiscriminate attacks pose to British nationals, British interests, and our partners, and that is why we have been conducting defensive operations in the Middle East since the beginning of this conflict.
We do not routinely comment on the detail of these threats due to the nature of intelligence sharing.
We also do not immediately confirm events in a fast-moving conflict, particularly where doing so could risk the safety of our military personnel, or compromise ongoing operations.
When asked if the attack indicated a risk of Iranian long-range missile attacks on Britain, the spokesperson said:
To be clear, and to reassure people, we have got the military capability we need in the UK to keep people safe from any kind of attacks, whether it is on our soil or from abroad.
He explained that air and missile defence is provided by Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force assets with advanced capabilities, working alongside NATO allies, and that this area has been a government priority.
He also stated there is no assessment that Iran is attempting to attack Europe with missiles, adding:
Even if they did, we have the military capability we need to keep the UK safe.
No 10 says 'productive talks' between US and Iran welcome in response to Trump suspending threat to bomb power plants
Downing Street gave a cautious welcome to Donald Trump’s announcement that he had suspended plans to bomb Iranian power plants to allow negotiations to continue.
At the No 10 lobby briefing, when asked about the president’s statement, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said:
Any reports of productive talks are welcome. We’ve always said that swift resolution to the war is in global interests and that the Strait of Hormuz specifically needs to be reopened. You will have seen, with the joint statement that we released with partners last week, that’s a priority for us.
When asked if the UK was aware of or involved in the “very good and productive conversations” the US has had with Iran over the past two days, the spokesperson said he had nothing to add beyond the readout issued the previous night about Keir Starmer’s call with Trump.
Housing minister said the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies
In an interview with LBC this morning, Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, stated the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies amid global price increases. This stance has been consistently expressed by ministers since the war began.
In his article for the Financial Times, Stephen Bush argued that such rhetoric is unfair to oil companies, explaining:
When ministers talk about “profiteering”, do they understand that in part, what they are seeing as “increased profits” are the result of Europe bidding up the price of oil and gas that would previously have been sold in the Indian subcontinent?
Now, you can make an absolutely watertight case, morally, that it is a bad thing that in an energy market with reduced supply, the rich world is going to outbid the poor world. I just don’t think that politicians in any rich world democracy – which the UK still is, for now – can make this argument successfully …
I can’t work out which I think is worse: that the government genuinely believes some of the things it has said about profiteering and energy costs over the past few weeks, or if the government is simply being cynical, feels it can’t openly blame Donald Trump for increased costs but thinks it can get away with blaming the energy companies and petrol stations for them.
Graeme Wearden, on his business blog, noted that the FTSE 100 share index rose and oil prices fell following Donald Trump’s latest reversal this morning.
The Downing Street view is expected shortly as the lobby briefing is underway.
