Politics latest: Starmer says he has uncovered more Tory 'mess'; Robert Jenrick joins Tory leadership race (2024)

One of the Labour government's first actions in government was to announce plans to reduce the starting point for prisoners to be released from 50% of time served to 40%.

This, they said, was due to a severe lack of spaces, with the blame for the "crisis" being laid at the feet of the last government.

While it was announced shortly after the election, the measure has only just been approved in the Commons by a ratio of 323 to 81.

As well as 314 Labour MPs, the motion was also backed by the seven recently suspended members of the Labour Party, who were kicked out of the parliamentary party for at least six months following their rebellion on the King's Speech.

Three Green Party MPs also voted with the government.

The motion was opposed by 78 Tory MPs - including all the main candidates running to replace Rishi Sunak, although the former PM himself did not vote.

A handful of DUP and Reform MPs also opposed it

In his speech this morning, Starmer tried to hammer home Labour's message that they have been dealt a bad hand by the last Conservative government.

The prime minister said the Tories left a "rot of short-sightedness and self-service" for Labour to clear up.

Starmer said "every day" his is finding "more mess" that the Tories left behind.

"The hard graft of rebuilding this country has well and truly started, and it is vital that we begin immediately because the last government dropped the ball," he said.

"They left us the worst inheritance since the Second World War, and every day – every day – we’re finding more mess that they’ve left for us to clear up.

"The rot of short-sightedness and self-service that has weakened the foundations of our country."

Sir Keir Starmer also said he will not be telling people what to do with their boilers.

Asked if people should ditch their gas boilers and whether the Government would help them to do so, the prime ministersaid: "I’m not going to tell people what to do with their boilers.

"This is not about bearing down on individuals imposing a disproportionate burden on them. I don’t think that’s the way that we take anybody through a transition.

"So this is not about a government that’s going to go around the country saying ‘you can do this. You can’t do that.'"

He said the best approach is to "put in place the difficult decisions to make sure that renewable energy is a reliable source of energy and meet our mission which is to have clean power by 2030."

The best selling point for the general public is that "their bills will go down and they will go down not just for a short time, but for the long term", he said.

The Senedd will be recalled on August 6 to allow Eluned Morgan to become the next first minister of Wales, the Presiding Officer has said.

It follows outgoing First Minister Vaughan Gething requesting the Welsh Parliament be brought back.

The Llywydd (Presiding Officer) of the Senedd Elin Jones MS, said: “I received a request from the First Minister to recall the Senedd for Members to nominate the next person to take on the role of first minister of Wales.

"I have agreed to the request and I have written to Members of the Senedd to inform them of the recall."

This morning,Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said an officer had been suspended after footage shared on social media showed a suspect being kicked in the head and stamped on at Manchester Airport.

Asked about the incident during the Q&A at the GV Energy launch, Starmer said he understands the "concern".

He said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is meeting Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to discuss the video.

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Sir Keir Starmer, speaking at the launch of GB Energy, said the public "paid the price" for the Tories’ negligence on energy.

The prime minister said the last government left the UK "more exposed" than other countries when Russia invaded Ukraine which led to higher bills.

"Every family and every business has felt the impact of that. We’ve lost a decade of opportunity, missed chances to boost our energy security to cut bills and create good jobs," he said.

"People up and down the country have literally paid the price of that short sightedness.

"And we should be in no doubt. For as long as we remain reliant on foreign dictators for fossil fuels, this country will be exposed to future energy shocks like the one that we’ve just had."

He added: "But now there is a massive prize within our reach. And make no mistake the race is on to get there. Until now I feel like we’ve been sort of tying up our link laces in the changing room."

Lucy Powell, the Commons leader, has told MPs that legislation designed to help nationalise the UK’s railways will be fast-tracked.

The Passenger Railway Services Public Ownership Bill will undergo its committee stage and remaining stages in the Commons on September 3.

The Bill, which was included in the King’s Speech, is due to be debated for the first time at second reading on July 29.

Powell added the Budget Responsibility Bill, due to be debated at second reading on July 30, will also complete its remaining stages in the Commons on September 4.

The Great British Energy Bill will receive its second reading on September 5, Ms Powell said in the weekly business statement.

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The new government has committed to meeting infected blood compensation deadlines set out under the previous Conservative administration.

Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds told MPs just now: “The infected blood scandal is one of the gravest injustices in our history and it’s vital that we get final compensation to victims as soon as possible.”

He said that, as of June 30, more than £1bn in interim payments had been made to patients infected with contaminated blood products and bereaved partners – a total of 4,606 recipients.

“The days of Government ministers waging culture wars against civil servants are over,” Pat McFadden has said.

Speaking in the Commons, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said:

"Yesterday I met the Civil Service unions together with my colleague, the new minister (Georgia Gould). We had a very positive discussion covering a whole range of issues.

“I made it clear that the days of government ministers waging culture wars against civil servants are over.

"Instead, we want a Civil Service that’s motivated, valued and helps the government deliver its priorities."

Former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick has joined the Tory leadership race.

His campaign manager, Tory MP Danny Kruger, said Jenrick's nomination papers were submitted this morning.

The form includes Jenrick’s proposer, seconder, and eight supporting MPs.

"To have any path back to government we must win back those voters we have lost - across the board but particularly to Reform," Kruger said.

"At the same time we have to bring our party together, united behind one set of coherent Conservative principles.

"The British people need to be convinced that we are the most responsible and competent party of government for us to have any chance of winning in 2029, especially when we know Labour are set to fail on so many important issues for our country. Rob Jenrick will do that. He has the energy, temperament and policy agenda to take on our rivals and lead us back to power in 5 years."

Jenrick joins Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly in the contest to replace Rishi Sunak.

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