Starmer to remain in Commons as backbench MP after resigning as PM, No 10 says
Keir Starmer’s political spokesperson has said that he will remain as a backbench MP for the rest of this parliament when he leaves No 10. He said that the PM was “going to remain”.
There had been some speculation about Starmer standing down as MP for Holborn and St Pancras. Tony Blair and David Cameron both left the Commons soon after resigning as PM. But, as explained in a post on the blog on Monday, Blair and Cameron did not have to worry about their party losing the seat in the subsequent byelection.
At a post-PMQs briefing, asked if Starmer might take another cabinet job if offered one by Andy Burnham, the spokesperson said Starmer told his ministers this week that “this is the end of my journey, but this is not the end of yours”.
Burnham plans to move parts of No 10 operation to Manchester
Andy Burnham is planning to move parts of the No 10 operation to Manchester as part of measures to devolve power away from London, Kiran Stacey reports.
Tories rebuked by statistics watchdog for wrongly saying welfare spending higher than income tax revenue for first time
Kemi Badenoch has been rebuked by the UK statistics watchdog over a “not wholly accurate” claim about government spending on benefits, the Press Association reports. PA says:
The Tory party released a document that said that “for the first time ever, the total welfare bill is now higher than total receipts from income tax” after the king’s speech last month.
In a letter to the Conservative leader, the UK Statistics Authority said that spending on social security does exceed income tax revenue, but that “this is not a recent or first-time occurrence.”
Figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggest this has been the case since at least 2011 and the gap has narrowed in recent years, with the positions forecast to reverse in 2026/27, the watchdog said.
“We have reviewed the published statistics and assessed that this claim is not wholly accurate,” interim chair Penny Young wrote.
The Conservatives also focused mainly on out-of-work and sickness benefits in their wider statement and should have made clear that the “total welfare bill” included other benefits like the state pension, it added.
Young said: “Overall, we are concerned that the inaccuracy of the ‘first time ever’ element of the claim, combined with the absence of this contextual explanation, could lead to misunderstanding among members of the public about welfare spending.”
She added: “Given the prominence of this claim, and the evidence that it is not accurate, we hope that you might consider how best to clarify it so that it fully supports public understanding of trends in taxation and welfare spending.”
A Tory source said this was a line in a document and that it would be corrected.
This is not the first time in recent week the UK Statistics Authority has reprimaned the Tories over welfare figures. Last month it wrote to Badenoch saying that a claim she had made at PMQs about universal credit (UC) claims rising by 1.5m since Labour took office was misleading because most of those cases were people migrating from a predecessor benefit to UC, the replacement benefit.
Here is video of Keir Starmer defending his record at PMQs.
‘Significant harm’: children’s watchdog decries Home Office plan to push out refused asylum seekers
Shabana Mahmood has been told that her crackdown on refused asylum seekers, including the forcible removal of children from the UK, will cause “significant harm”, in an intervention by an independent watchdog. Rajeev Syal has the story.
My colleague Alexandra Topping has more on the altercation that took place between Kemi Badenoch and ministers after PMQs that Jess mentioned earlier. (See 1.36pm.)
According to the Tory version, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, delivered “a barb” at Badenoch, and Badenoch replied: “I’ll fight you all the way. You’re destroying children’s lives.”
According to the Labour version, it was Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, who criticised Badenoch as they were leaving the chamber, telling the Tory leader that what she said at PMQs was “absolutely outrageous”. And Badenoch apparently replied: “You are spiteful. I will keep talking about how spiteful you are.”
Badenoch will 'absolutely not' apologise for her PMQs invective against ministers, spokesperson says
Kemi Badenoch will “absolutely not” apologise for the language she used during PMQs, her spokesperson told reporters at a briefing afterwards.
The spokesperson said said he thought Badenoch had been nice to Keir Starmer in the chamber and she felt sorry for him. He said:
There was very little aimed at the prime minister. This was about a cabinet which has let him down, about a group of Labour MPs who have let him down and now they’ve got rid of him.
See 12.16pm for the Badenoch comments that prompted Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, to reprimand her for her language.
And see 1.31pm for a summary of her most harsh remarks.
Updated
Jessica Elgot says Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, and Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, confronted Kemi Badenoch about her comments (see 1.31pm) outside the chamber after PMQs.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson “spiteful” which Kendall said was outrageous. Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Labour sources say the Speaker’s intervention was about Badenoch’s comments about Phillipson.
Labour planning to complain to the Speaker and to the Tory whips - especially given Badenoch’s previous “Gestapo” comments
PMQs - snap verdict
Kemi Badenoch is probably very happy with that performance. But some of her MPs will worry that she crossed a line, and that she is finding it hard to differentiate between effective parliamentary attack and sheer nastiness.
When a PM stands down, it is normal for their opponents to show a bit of decorum, tone down the criticism a bit, say something complimentary and wish them well for the future. Given that this is not Starmer’s last PMQs, there was no need for Badenoch to do this today – although at least a nod in this direction was probably expected. Perhaps she will manage it on Wednesday 15 July (probably Starmer’s last PMQs), although you would not bet on it on the basis of today.
Badenoch was dismissive and patronising towards Starmer but what was striking was what she said about four of his colleagues. This may have be an indication that, with Starmer out of the way, she is now on the hunt for other targets.
Not for the first time, she was brutal about Rachel Reeves, the chancellor. Badenoch said:
Starmer wouldn’t be in this mess if his chancellor had found money for the defence investment plan. The prime minister gave her the second most important job in Britain, she was the first female chancellor, she lives next door to him, but wouldn’t even come out to stand by him during his resignation speech. She was too busy getting ready for a selfie with the new leader. Does the prime minister feel let down by his chancellor?
Next in line for attack was Ed Miliband, the energy secretary. Badenoch said:
The chancellor isn’t the only person who let him down, the energy secretary is putting up bills and killing jobs. He was a failed Labour leader, rejected by the electorate, brought back from the wilderness by this man, and when the going got tough, he jumped into bed with the mayor of Manchester. It’s not the first time he’s betrayed someone close to him, is it? Does the prime minister think that his treachery should be rewarded by being appointed chancellor?
These comments were harsh, but not unprecedented. More surprising was what Badenoch said when she lashed out at Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary who is not a particularly prominent figure in the government– but who is a hate figure in some Tory circles where people are having to pay VAT on their children’s private school fees. Badenoch said:
She taxed private schools to pay for more teachers, but the number of teachers has gone down. It turns out appointing a spiteful class warrior as education secretary was a disaster.
Badenoch then aimed her invective at the entire PLP, saying they had planted “400 knives” in Starmer’s back and that they were not Labour MPs but “welfare MPs”. At this point Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, had had enough and delivered a reprimand to Badenoch for her language. This is rare, and a sign that at least one influential parliamentary thought she went too far.
Andy Burnham was not in the chamber, but Badenoch also took a swipe at him in her final question describing him as little more than “a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt”. This was probably the worst of all her jibes – not because it was rude (imagine a male MP saying something like that about a woman), but because there is nothing more fatal, or stupid, in politics than underestimating your opponents, and Burnham’s record in Makerfield suggests the Tories should be taking him very seriously.
Starmer dealt with this splurge of vitriol with good grace. He did not win with any zingers, but he emerged from the exchanges as the better person.
Updated
Alistair Strathern (Lab) asks about Gareth Southgate’s TV documentary about young men, and asks what can be done to ensure there are more male teachers in schools to provide role models.
Starmer says the family hubs programmes will deliver more opportunities for young people.
Richard Foord (Lib Dem) asks if Starmer has any advice for his successor.
Starmer says his advice would be don’t deliver austerity. And, since Foord is a Lib Dem, he would also say don’t wear a wetsuit.
Becky Gittins (Lab) asks about a dance event in her constituency.
Starmer commends her for it, but says he was glad he was not asked to join in.
John Lamont (Con) asks if the PM will set up an inquiry into the SNP embezzlement case.
Starmer says the SNP has serious questions to answer. But it is not addressing them. That is totally the wrong approach, he says.
Alex Baker (Lab) says elderly Gurkha veterans were assaulted at an event in Aldershort. She asks the PM to condemn it.
Starmer says this attack was “utterly disgraceful”. He says the Gurkhas have made a great contribution.
Martin Wrigley (Lib Dem) asks if social media companies should be treated as publishers, not platforms, making them liable for their content.
Starmer sums up actions already taken by the government on social media, but says there is “more to do”.
Ian Lavery (Lab) asks about a miners’ welfare organisation that he says is failing to support groups in miners’ communities.
Starmer says the Charity Commission is investigating this case.
Shockat Adam (Ind) says he is concerned about the safety of his Muslim children. He says there was no outcry in the Commons when a man was convicted of raping a woman because he thought she was Muslim, even though attacks on victims from other racial groups have been condemned.
Starmer says all attacks of this kind should be condemned.
Rachel Hopkins, the Labour MP for Luton South and South Befordshire, praises the emergency services for their work in response to the rail crash last week.
Starmer says they did an “outstanding job”. He says he found their work “humbling”.
Jack Rankin (Con) says defence is the first duty of the government. He says the UK must tell Nato allies what it will do. He asks about reports that Andy Burnham wants its publication delayed.
Starmer says defence of the realm was a duty the last government failed at. He says the defence investment plan will be published before the Nato summit.
Desmond Swayne (Con) asks if there will be time for PM to tell his party about the moral of the tale about Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.
Starmer ignores the question, but says he recalls the time that Swayne came to visit him when he was on holiday in Swayne’s New Forest West constituency, and he thanks him for his kindness.
Updated
Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader, at Westminster, says Labour losing power in Wales is part of Starmer’s legacy. She urges Starmer to leave a note for his successor saying he should treat Wales with more respect.
Starmer says he will leave a note saying he delivered the biggest devolution settlement for Wales in years, and removed 70,000 Welsh children from poverty.
Fleur Anderson (Lab) asks what the government is doing to improve resilience to climate change.
Starmer says the government is building up resilience. But the Tories want to rip up the Climate Change Act, he says.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says he knows how difficult it was for the PM to make the statement he did on Monday. He says MPs should remember that “we are all human”.
Saying we all know how hard it is when relationships break down, and when you cannot even speak to your neighbour sometimes, does the PM recognise the case for rebuilding relations with the EU?
Starmer says the UK has reset relations with the EU, and he says he is proud of that. He says Davey has reflected on his own career. Referring to Davey saying he turned down a job with MI6, he jokes about 00 Davey.
Davey says we are seeing travel chaos because of the weather. The Met Office says extreme weather will get worse. Will the PM advise Burnham to ignore parties that are ignoring the dangers of climate change.
Starmer says it used to be common ground in the Commons that action on climate change is needed. He says it is a shame that the Tories have abandoned this to chase Reform UK votes.
Badenoch says Starmer has made many mistakes. But he has been let down by his chancellor and his energy secretary and his MPs too. They have abandoned him for “a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt”.
Starmer defends his record, and says this was changed delivered by a Labour government.
Updated
Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker, urges Badenoch to tone down her language and show opponents more 'respect'
Badenoch says Labour MPs are cheering, even though there are “400 knives” in Starmer’s back.
She says Labour MPs blocked welfare reform. “They are not Labour MPs, they are welfare MPs.”
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, intervenes. He says MPs should think about the language they use.
Starmer says he is proud of his MPs. He inflicted the biggest loss on the Tories in the history of their party. Badenoch won’t talke about her party’s failure.
UPDATE: Hoyle said:
Please, can I just say, think about the language using, because when we leave this chamber, don’t be surprised when constituents feel they can use the same language against each other.
Let us show a little bit more decorum and respect to each other.
In the original version of this post, I said Hoyle was referring to the knives remark when he made this intervention. I have taken that out because another account says he was referring to what Badenoch said about Phillipson, and a third report says Hoyle did not like Badenoch saying Labour MPs “don’t like it up ’em”. It is not clear which of Badenoch’s various remarks was the trigger for his intervention; perhaps it was all of them.
Updated
Badenoch commends Starmer for standing by his ministers when they did not stand by him.
She asks how many MPs think Bridget Phillipson is doing a good job.
She claims a poll of teachers found 0% of them think that. She calls her a “spiteful class warrior”.
Starmer says Phillipson grew up in poverty. She is an example of social mobility. The Tories should recognise that. But they have fallen so far they don’t.
Starmer claims he is handing over country in 'better shape' than he found it, unlike his Tory predecessors
Badenoch asks why Labour MPs are cheering; if it is going so well, why is the PM resigning.
She asks about Miliband, saying that Starmer gave him a cabinet job, but Miliband has now jumped into bed with Burnham. It is not the first time he has betrayed someone close to him, she says.
Does the PM think Miliband should be chancellor?
Starmer defends his record. He says he and Reeves turned their party around. He says the test for every PM is handing over the country in better shape than you found it. He says he knows he can do that. His Tory predecessors did not, he says.
Badenoch asks if Starmer feels let down by his chancellor for not supporting more defence investment. And Rachel Reeves did not turn out for his resignation speech; she was too busy getting read for a selfie with Andy Burnham, she claims.
Starmer says Reeves is the chancellor who has ended austerity, and is cutting child poverty.
Kemi Badenoch starts by congratulating Starmer as being the other party leader who won a byelection last week. But she is more happy with his new MP than he is, she says.
She asks about defence spending.
Starmer says he is pleased with his new MP.
He says the Tories only got 2.2% of the vote in Makerfield, but that was up from the 1.9% of the vote in Gorton and Denton.
He says the defence investment plan will be published before the Nato summit.
Updated
Lee Baron (Lab) asks about a young constituent with a brain tumour. Why are so many of these undiagnosed? Does the PM agree the government must do much more?
Starmer says the thoughts of all MPs must be with Max (the constituent) and his family. He says the government will make cancer affecting young people a priority.
But he says as a parent he cannot imagine what the family is going through.
Clive Jones (Lib Dem) says Starmer can be really proud of the government’s cancer action plan.
Starmer says he is very proud of this. For example, it will pay the costs of children who need to travel for treatment.
Keir Starmer started by saying his thoughts are with all those injured in last week’s Bedford rail crash. And he expresses condolences to the relatives of the driver who died.
And he condemns the anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh.
To mark armed forces week, he thanks those in the services.
Labour MPs cheered as Keir Starmer arrived for PMQs.
Back to Darren Jones, and this is from the Labour MP John McDonnell on Jones hinting he might stand against Andy Burnham for the leadership – before later ruling it out in a Sky News interview.
Call me cynical but it’s pretty obvious to most observers that the kite flying over possible candidatures is a negotiating ploy to secure a job.
More than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed at ‘toxic’ Nottingham NHS trust, report finds
More than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care in Nottingham, an inquiry into the NHS’s biggest ever maternity scandal has revealed. Denis Campbell has the story.
Donna Ockenden is speaking at an event to mark the publication of her report now. Taz Ali has live coverage on a seperate live blog.
Farage tells conference for social conservatives 'family breakdown pretty much same as community breakdown'
Ben Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.
Nigel Farage has made an explicit pitch for support from an international gathering of thousands of social conservatives and hard-right activists, likening “family breakdown” to “community breakdown” as populations grew more diverse.
The Reform UK leader was speaking a day after the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference, which is backed by influential right-wing funders including including donors to Donald Trump.
“I think family breakdown is pretty much the same as community breakdown,” Farage said in an interview on the event’s main stage with Philippa Stroud, the Tory peer who set up ARC with others including the controversial Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and Paul Marshall, one of the backers of GB News.
Farage went on:
When people live together in the same communities and they all speak the same language and they all have something in common and they all know their neighbours’ christian names and they all take part in community events ... And when that starts to break down what happens? People become more individualised, more selfish.
They don’t know the names of their next door neighbours and I think downstream of that a similar thing has happened in families and I am not pretending that government can on its own wave a magic hand. But we can at least start to make the argument that living in a family, living in a genuine sense of community, is a better way of life and start unashamedly champion that.
But Farage, who had two children with his first wife, from whom he is divorced, and two with his second wife, from whom he separated, also admitted that he was not necessarily the best person to make the case for marriage.
Farage also drew applause from attendees at the event by saying that his first action, if he were to enter Downing Street, would be to call South Korean nuclear engineers and get them to come to Britain to rapidly boost the role out of nuclear energy.
Here is our report on yesterday’s speech at the ARC conference.
Updated
Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
PMQs starts at noon.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
Reaction to Burnham choosing Purnell as his chief of staff
Younger readers may not have have heard of James Purnell, but the news this morning that he will be Andy Burnham’s chief of staff is quite a big deal. This is one appointment that can make a big difference. Tony Blair had a highly competent, but low profile, chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, and both of them stayed in their jobs for 10 years. Boris Johnson appointed the high-risk, madcap disruptor Dominic Cummings, and Cummings delivered a big election victory before walking out after generating months of chaos. The sacking of Sue Gray was an early sign that Keir Starmer’s operation was flawed, and her replacement, Morgan McSweeney, probably contributed to Starmer having to resign because he was instrumental in Peter Mandelson being appointed US ambassador.
James Purnell was a Blairite cabinet minister who resigned from Gordon Brown’s cabinet after he lost faith in Brown. As Stephen Bush writes in his Inside Politics briefing for the FT, New Labour people are thrilled.
It’s an impeccable appointment because it ticks not only the essential boxes for a chief of staff (he is qualified to do the job, knows the principal well enough to act as his vicar on earth, has a political sense of his own and experience of working in large organisations) but also because it offers further reassurance to MPs who are worried about Burnham’s plans for the economy. One Blairite described the appointment as “the first bit of good news since the exit poll” last night.
Another New Labour veteran and something of a Burnham-sceptic texted just the words “James Purnell. Thank God!” The biggest thing worrying the minority of Labour MPs with doubts about Burnham is what he might do on the economy, and no one in that group thinks that Purnell is going to pull together some kind of leftwing Liz Truss administration.
But the appointment can’t just be seen in ideological terms; a big factor is that Purnell and Burnham are very close friends. In Head North, the book he published with Steve Rotheram (part memoir, part manifesto – now essential reading in Westminster), Burnham thanks Purnell in the acknowledgements “for believing in me and seeing things others didn’t”.
Here is some more reaction to the appointment.
From Joshi Herrmann, founder and editor of the Mill, the online Manchester news website
If like me you’re a bit sceptical about Burnham’s heart being in his new “ending 40 years of neoliberalism” thing, appointing a big Blairite as CoS is another clue.
Burnham wants to bring utilities under “public control”. Purnell advises water/energy firms on “regulatory risk”.
From Sonia Sodha, the Times columnist
James Purnell would be a good/interesting pick for Burnham’s chief of staff:
-a grown up who’s run things - including but not limited to government departments
-his politics while an MP were v much Blairite
From Kevin Maguire, the former Daily Mirror political editor
Andy Burnham appointing corporate lobbyist James Purnell his No 10 chief of staff would strain the Left of the Labour alliance currently behind the PM-in-waiting.
Purnell was a Blairite ultra who quit Brown’s cabinet in 2009 as part of a failed coup to make David Miliband PM.
Grooming gangs inquiry to focus first on London, Oldham, Bradford and Keighley
London, Oldham, Bradford and Keighley are to be the first towns and cities investigated by the grooming gangs inquiry, the Press Association reports. PA says:
The £65m probe is investigating how grooming gangs operated and how police, councils, health services, social care services and schools responded.
The announcement confirmed which areas will first face so-called local investigations – where serious failures have been identified in response to child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs.
Former children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield is heading up the inquiry, which has the legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence and require organisations to hand over documents.
Any evidence of crimes uncovered will be referred to Operation Beaconport, the national police operation launched last year to review hundreds of previously closed investigations.
Nearly a quarter of voters in Europe now back far-right parties
Almost one in four voters in Europe now cast their ballot for far-right parties, research shows, a proportion that has grown nearly fivefold since the mid-1990s and climbed particularly steeply over the past three years. Jon Henley has the story.
Back to Ed Miliband, and Caroline Wheeler in the i has a report saying that the energy secretary is preparing to approve the application for the new Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea as part of a move that would held clinch the case for Miliband becoming Andy Burnham’s chancellor. Wheeler says:
[Miliband’s] determination to pursue strict net-zero targets at all costs – and his stalling of fossil fuel projects – have come under fire from the unions and business leaders.
Now allies say he is prepared to give ground and is “winning the argument” to become Burnham’s chancellor.
They claim he is preparing to approve plans for the first major North Sea gas field project in almost 10 years in a bid to burnish his pro-business credentials and answer some of the concerns of the unions.
Yesterday a reader asked.
Do you think there will be some polling to gauge public opinion about whether Andy Burnham should just become PM or should there be a contest?
I said I was fairly sure polling like this would turn up, and it has. Here is polling carried out by Ipsos between Friday and Monday showing that a plurality of voters would prefer Labour to have a leadership contest.
James Purnell tells staff at his lobbying firm reports he's leaving to be Burnham's chief of staff 'basically correct'
Kitty Donaldson from the i has posted on social media a copy of the note that James Purnell sent to staff at Flint Global, the lobby company where he works, confirming that he will leave to serve as Andy Burnham’s chief of staff at No 10.
Updated
Jones declines to say whether Ed Miliband would be good choice as Burnham's chancellor
Here are some more extracts from Darren Jones’ interview with Beth Rigby from Sky News. Jones spoke to Andy Burnham on Monday seeking reassurance about his economic plans, and the interview is interesting because Jones, a fiscal hawk in Labour terms, came away satisfied by what he was told. (See 9.46am.)
But Jones would not go as far as saying he wanted to see Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, as the next chancellor. Miliband is thought to be Burnham’s preferred option. But Burnham is under pressure from the Tories and the rightwing press (eg today’s Mail splash) who are trying to convince the public that Miliband is some sort of fiscally irresponsible, far-left version of Liz Truss (he isn’t) and that appointing Miliband would ruin the government’s economic credibility.
Here are some more quotes from Jones in the interview.
On why some Labour MPs who were urging him to stand were worried about Burnham’s economic policies
We all want to build more council houses. We want to see more control over public utilities. We want to be able to devolve more, to get more development and investment in infrastructure in and around the country. But there is a route to doing that in line with the fiscal rules, in a way which continues economic stability as opposed to moving too quickly. And just saying you’re going to borrow lots of extra money – because the risk of doing that – borrowing isn’t free. I mean, if you just say you’re going to borrow lots of extra money, you could probably sell the debt. But it’s increasingly expensive, and it means you take money away from doctors and nurses and police officers of the armed forces in order to pay debt interest payments, predominantly now to American hedge funds.
On why Jones thinks “a little bit more borrowing” would be possible within the fiscal rules
I think there’s room to borrow a little bit more, and there’s room to do things in a different way. So let me give you an example. We all want to see more council houses built. You could just say I’m going to borrow tens of billions of pounds, put it into Homes England will give it to councils and say build. That’s just not going to work. Because the problem is that we don’t have enough builders, we don’t have enough bricks, and we can’t plug these things into the electricity grid. So I’m all for investing into new towns and mayoral development corporations that give apprenticeship opportunities, that support British business, that can help fix our energy system. But you can do that without kind of broad brush borrowing and spending, which actually doesn’t really deliver the outcomes that you want to achieve.
On whether he thinks Burnham understands and is committed to the government’s fiscal rules
I think he does. And I think the people around him do. And I think it’s important he’s committed to those fiscal rules.
On whether he would be happy to see Ed Miliband as chancellor
I’m not going to get into personalities, but maybe I can answer that by saying what I think the tests are for who should be chancellor. I think the next chancellor needs to be able to have a clear view about the political economy and understand how the Treasury works. I think they need to have an important relationship with the prime minister, because, quite frankly, in many circumstances, the chancellor in the Treasury is more powerful than the prime minister in Downing Street. So you have to have someone that’s going to enable the delivery of the prime minister’s priorities and not not try to control the prime minister. And that relationship is really critical. And you also need a chancellor that can reassure the markets, reassure the trade unions and reassure the parliamentary Labour Party and by extension the public.
In response to this answer, Rigby put it to Jones that he seemed to be implying Miliband would fail that test. Jones replied: “I will let you mark those tests, but those are the tests I think need to be met.”
Updated
Darren Jones says he has been 'reassured' by what Andy Burnham has told him about his economic plans
Good morning. There are very few upsides for Keir Starmer for his current situation, but one of them is that soon he will no longer have to worry about taking PMQs. In his memoir, Tony Blair described PMQs as “the most nerve-racking, discombobulating, nail-biting, bowel-moving, terror-inspiring, courage draining experience in my prime ministerial life, without question”. Today’s could be Starmer’s third last. Including today, there are four Wednesdays between now and Friday 17 July, when Andy Burnham is due to become PMQs, but one of them coincides with the Nato summit, and Starmer should be away for that.
While we will hear from Starmer at PMQs, interest in what he has to say may be limited. Power is like water on a surface with a slope; it very quickly heads in one direction and, despite only being sworn in as an MP on Monday afternoon, Andy Burnham is already the most powerful figure in Westminster, and most of the political class is focused on what sort of administration he might lead. There have been three developments overnight.
-
It has emerged that Burnham will appoint James Purnell, who served in cabinet with him under Gordon Brown, as his chief of staff. Here is our story, by Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot.
-
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the PM, has announced that he will not stand as a leadership candidate against Burnham. He had been refusing to rule this out, and some Starmer loyalists were urging him to run. Ben Quinn has the story.
-
Burnham has decided not to keep on Rachel Reeves as chancellor, the BBC is reporting. This has not been officially confirmed, but it does not come as a big surprise and the BBC has had a briefing that means they are reporting this with some confidence.
Jones announced his decision in an interview with Sky’s Beth Rigby. The idea that he might launch a leadership challenge never seemed particularly likely in the first place and what is perhaps most interesting about the interview is the fact that Jones now seems confident that a Burnham government won’t abandon fiscal responsibility. Jones was Reeves’ deputy at the Treasury until last autumn, he supported her drive to keep borrowing under control and in the interview he says he was being encouraged to stand by Labour MPs worried about Burnham’s economic policies. He also says he spoke to Burnham on Monday – which means he probably has a better idea of how Burnham would run the economy than most people.
Jones suggested that Burnham might raise borrowing a bit, but that he would do so in line with the fiscal rules, which Burnham has said he will keep. Jones said it was possible to “to borrow a little bit more” within the fiscal rules.
Here is the key exchange between Rigby (BR) and Jones (DJ).
BR: So you would be happy for [Burnham] to borrow more, to invest in specific projects.
DJ: And I think that’s what the market and the trade unions and the parliamentary Labour party wants. Because if you’ve got a credible plan for how investment can stimulate economic output, then that is something we’ll do well.
BR: And did he say to you that’s what he intended to do?
DJ: Yeah, we talked about a lot of these details, and he was interested in the ideas I was putting forward – the ways in which the Treasury works well and sometimes doesn’t work well. Some of the delivery challenges I’ve been trying to tackle across government as chief secretary to the prime minister. And I think Andy just wants to bring the party together, come in and show delivery for the public as we gear up for the next general election.
BR: To be clear, he said to you in these conversations where you were seeking reassurances over economic policy that he was looking to borrow more to invest in certain infrastructure investment projects.
DJ: We talked about the things that I had read about in the media. So, for example, council house building, and we had that conversation. I mean, he didn’t go into specifics with me about particular spending priorities, but as I say, there is a route to doing that in a way which is in line with the fiscal rules and maintains economic stability.
Later Rigby asked Jones if he thought the bond markets would be happy with a Burnham government (ie – they would not raise borrowing costs out of concerns spending was about to get out of hand), or if he thought it would all depend on who he appointed as chancellor. Jones replied:
I think I think they can be content and I think this can be done in the right way. Andy’s going to have to set out who his team is and what the policy platform is. But that’s the discussion we had today on the fundamental principles around that.
Rigby asked Jones if he was “reassured”. And Jones replied:
I was reassured, yeah.
I will post more from the interview soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Louise Casey, chair of the independent commission on adult social care, gives evidence to the Commons health committee about her review. Stephen Kinnock, the care minister, gives evidence at 10.30am.
10am: The grooming gangs inquiry makes an announcement about the next phase of its work.
10.15am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leaders, takes part in a Q&A at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference.
11.45am: Donna Ockenden’s report into failings at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust is published. Later there will be a ministerial statement in the Commons.
Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
2.20pm: Bridget Phillipson, the women and equalities minister, gives evidence to the Commons women and equalities committee.
Afternoon: Starmer flies to Berlin for a meeting of the E5 (the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Italy) to discuss need for more European and Nato support for Ukraine and the Middle East. A press conference is expected at 5pm (UK time).
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
Updated
