Starmer faces final Cabinet and PMQs as Burnham nears Labour leadership finish line
Good morning. Today marks Keir Starmer’s final parliamentary engagements, including his last cabinet meeting and Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Leaving events often bring a mix of emotions—whether colleagues are admired or not, farewells offer moments of thanks and reflection. In politics, final PMQs are rare occasions where even adversaries tend to show politeness and respect, a dynamic appreciated by observers outside the political arena.
Starmer will chair his last cabinet meeting this morning and take his final PMQs at noon. It is likely he has studied how previous leaders managed their final appearances, including reflections from Tony Blair, whose words remain relevant for those who view politics as a noble pursuit.
"Some may belittle politics but we who are engaged in it know that it is where people stand tall. Although I know that it has many harsh contentions, it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. If it is, on occasions, the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes. I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. That is that. The end."
In his memoirs, Blair described his final PMQs as a day when advancing issues or criticism was pointless. However, Starmer’s experience may differ, particularly with Kemi Badenoch in the opposition, who is known for her pointed questioning. The Conservative party sought to use an opposition day debate today to call for a vote on delaying the parliamentary recess, allowing Andy Burnham to address MPs before the six-week summer break. However, the government insisted MPs debate Iran instead, a move perceived by some as an attempt to silence the Tories on this matter. Burnham appears content with the recess starting tomorrow.
Speculation about the composition of Burnham’s forthcoming cabinet is widespread, with announcements expected on Monday.
Today's agenda includes:
- Morning: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet.
- 10.30am: Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, holds a press conference.
- 11.30am: Matt Brittin, BBC director general, and Samir Shah, BBC chair, provide evidence to the Lords communications committee on BBC charter renewal.
- 2pm: Bev Craig, Labour’s Greater Manchester mayoral candidate, launches her manifesto.
- Afternoon: Dan Jarvis, defence secretary, visits Yorkshire.
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Labour urged to reconsider triple-lock pensions promise, says OECD
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has recommended that Labour abandon its triple-lock pensions commitment to address the UK’s challenging public finances. Heather Stewart reports on this development.
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Starmer receives carriage clock from cabinet ministers
Patrick Maguire reports that cabinet ministers have presented Keir Starmer with a carriage clock as a farewell gift. David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, organized a ministerial collection for the departing leader, who will receive a bespoke timepiece at his final cabinet meeting.
"The gift, engraved with a tribute from his cabinet, has been crafted especially for his departure by Dent London, the clockmakers who furnished the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben."
Ken Skates confirmed as Welsh Labour leader
Ken Skates has been confirmed as the new leader of Welsh Labour following the party’s historic defeat in the Senedd election, according to the Press Association. Skates, a former journalist for the Wrexham Leader and BBC, had served as interim leader since Eluned Morgan’s resignation in May after the election.
Labour had governed Wales since the Senedd’s establishment in 1999 and was the largest party for over a century. However, in May, it won only nine Senedd seats, becoming the third largest party.
Nominations for a permanent leader opened last week, and Skates was confirmed after receiving unanimous support from Labour MSPs.
"I am deeply honoured to have the unanimous backing of my colleagues in the Senedd in seeking the leadership of Welsh Labour.
"I joined the party as a 14-year-old, and my belief still stands that no child’s future should be determined by their background.
"That no young person should be judged on anything other than the efforts they make and the decency they show to others.
"The Labour movement for me is a movement for fairness, justice, security and liberty.
"It is a movement that seeks to empower people and communities, to fight against injustice, intolerance, nepotism and cruelty."
Skates was first elected in 2011 and has held several Welsh government roles, including transport secretary and economy and infrastructure secretary.
Britain claimed as 'safest place' for young people online by minister
In media interviews this morning, Kanishka Narayan, the online safety minister, asserted that government policies have made Britain the safest place for young people online. He stated:
"The big thing I’d say is this is part of an overall package that means Britain is now the safest place for young people in their experiences online.
[We’ve] banned it for under-16s, the first country in the world to ban romantic and explicit content on chatbots for young people.
Now the first country in the world to do mandatory breaks on AI chatbots as well, limiting harmful features on gaming. And today, yes, support for 16 and 17-year-olds as well.
So this is but one part of an overall package, which means Britain is now firmly on the side in terms of regulation of families and parents, not tech platforms."
Minister defends voluntary social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds
Labour plans to encourage 16 and 17-year-olds to observe a midnight social media curfew as part of efforts to protect the next generation from online harms, including sleep disruption caused by late-night scrolling. Robert Booth reports that critics argue a voluntary curfew, implemented as a default setting that can be easily disabled, may be ineffective.
Online safety minister Kanishka Narayan addressed these concerns during an interview with :
"I wouldn’t belittle that because when we have seen evidence on this sort of stuff. In October, for example, some platforms introduced these defaults of this sort – 90%-plus teenagers said to us that they’ve maintained those defaults as well.
And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear and I wouldn’t do the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re all going to switch it off."
Andy Burnham urged to overhaul ‘timid and limited’ elections bill
Rushana Ali, a former minister involved in drafting the elections bill, has criticized the government’s approach as "timid" and "incremental." She has called on incoming prime minister Andy Burnham to pursue more substantial reforms.
