No 10 says Starmer has confidence in Morgan McSweeney after PM condemns attacks on cabinet members – UK politics live

4.54pm GMT The latest episode of the Guardian’s Politics Weekly UK podcast is out. It features John Harris, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talking about the Labour leadership, with Jane Martinson joining to discuss the BBC. Related: Why is the Labour party in such a mess? – podcast 4.35pm GMT Streeting claims 'cartel-like behaviour' of BMA is threat to future of NHS, ahead of 5-day resident doctors strike Most health secretaries end up getting fed up with the BMA, but for Wes Streeting the relationship has broken down unusually quickly. Speaking at the NHS Providers conference in Manchester, he described them as a threat to the future of the NHS. On Friday resident doctors in England (the hospital doctors previously known as junior doctors) are due to start a five-day strike over pay. Streeting has refused to negotiate on higher pay, arguing that resident doctors have already had a pay rise worth 28.9% since 2023, and an offer involving alternative concessions has been rejected. Related: Resident doctors’ strike to go ahead after Wes Streeting’s last-ditch offer is rejected In a Q&A after his speech, Streeting said he could think of “no precendent in British trade union history where, after that level of pay rise, people have then chosen to walk out on strike”. He also said the turnout in the ballot meant that more half of resident doctors did not vote for strike action. Streeting went on to say there were a “few things” the BMA should remember. The first is, I’m responsible for 1.5 million people in the NHS, not just resident doctors – many of whom have not had a pay rise anything like what resident doctors have had, and many of whom, at the height of their career earnings, will never earn as much as the lowest-paid doctor. The second thing I’d say is that this strike action causes untold misery and disruption to patients who could do without it. Thirdly, it is always true, and especially during winter, it puts untold pressure on other NHS staff who are picking up the pieces for the damage and disruption that resident doctors and the BMA are inflicting on the service. And finally, I think the leadership of the BMA need to really consider whether, at this time, with green shoots of recovery, they want to set the system back, because there isn’t a more pro-doctor, pro-NHS health secretary or government waiting in the wings. There is Nigel Farage and the Reform party. And finally, you look at the state of the public finances and the sorts of choices we’re making, especially for the NHS. Let me tell you, when we ask some of the wealthier to pay more, some of the most effective lobbyists against paying higher tax are the BMA consultants committee and the BMA pensions committee. So what they effectively do is say, ‘We want other people to pay the higher salaries for doctors’ and, as much as a cancer survivor I think my surgeon is worth his weight in gold, we have to be honest and realistic about the challenges in the system, the challenges of public finances and the challenges facing every family, and it’s time for the BMA to get real. One way or another, we’re not going to be held to ransom. We are going to plough on regardless. And I think it’s become increasingly clear that the BMA is no longer a professional voice for doctors. They are increasingly behaving in cartel-like behaviour, and they threaten not just the recovery of the NHS under this government, they threaten the future of the NHS full stop. And I think that is a morally reprehensible position to be in. Streeting was applauded, including by NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey. In his main speech, Streeting confirmed plans to cut the headcount in integrated care boards in England by 50%. He said this, and reintegrating NHS England into the Department of Health and Social Care, would save £1bn a year by the end of this parliament. 3.42pm GMT David Lammy leads tributes following death of victims' commissioner, Helen Newlove Helen Newlove, the victims’ commissioner, has died after a short illness. She was 63. In a statement, her office said: We are deeply saddened to share that Lady Helen Newlove, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, has passed away following a short illness. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time. Helen was a committed and passionate advocate for victims, drawing on her own experience of the criminal justice system. She was determined that all victims should be treated with compassion, decency and respect – and she consistently led by example. Under her leadership, the role of victims’ commissioner was transformed – growing in stature, influence and authority. She reshaped the office into a trusted voice and genuine force for victims: one that stands firmly on their side, champions their rights, and holds the justice system to account. Paying tribute, David Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, said: As both victims’ commissioner, and deputy speaker in the House of Lords, Helen brought unparalleled experience and dedication to her roles. She championed the rights of victims and witnesses and held agencies to account. Her leadership shaped the victims’ code, strengthened victims’ voices in the criminal justice system, and ensured that the Victims and Prisoners Act progressed with victims’ interests at its heart. 3.11pm GMT A reader asks: According to the list of Qs, Farage isn’t down to ask a question. How come he’s being allowed to speak? The leader of the opposition (Kemi Badenoch) and the leader of the third largest party (Ed Davey) are the only MPs guaranteed a question at PMQs. But the Speaker also operates a policy of allowing leaders of smaller parties (the SNP, Reform UK, the Greens etc) a question roughly every four or five weeks, so they are not completely shut out. In addition, the smaller party leaders can enter the ballot for a question (though Nigel Farage often doesn’t bother.) The Speaker also has the discretion to call other MPs not on the list. Often he does this when there is constituency reason why it might be appropriate for an MP to get a question. If, say, there were a terrible tragedy in Clacton, and Farage told the Speaker’s office he wanted to raise it at PMQs, there is a good chance Lindsay Hoyle would squeeze him in. 2.34pm GMT Streeting brushes off question about whether he still wants to be PM Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has just delivered a speech to the NHS Providers conference in Manchester. In his main speech he did not mention the No 10 briefing controversy, but it came up briefly in the Q&A afterwards. Asked if he would be fighting alongside Keir Starmer as he takes on any attempts to oust him, Streeting replied: “Yes.” He described the briefing as “juvenile”, and he said that briefing that Starmer was fighting for his job was not just not helpful, but also not true. What Starmer was doing was fighting to turn the country around, Streeting said. Asked if he still wanted to be prime minister, as he said he did in 2024, Streeting said that he had “a harder job” already and that he was enjoying being health secretary. He said he would not say anything “that adds to the silly season going on down south”. Streeting’s ambitions to be PM go back far beyond 2024. The Spectator’s James Heale has today posted this intriguing video from 2018. Flashback to 2018 when MPs were asked who would be Prime Minister in ten years’ time pic.twitter.com/vpVQL4jiGm— James Heale (@JAHeale) November 12, 2025 2.18pm GMT Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has restated her apology for failing to meet “the highest ministerial standards” around the appointment of David Kogan as the chair of the new independent football regulator. Nandy proposed Kogan for the post before declaring that he had in the past donated money to her. She said she was not aware of this, but she was reprimanded by the commissioner for public appointments for breaching the governance code. In response to a Commons urgent question on this, Nandy said: The commissioner was clear that the breach around donations to my campaign was unknowing, but I recognise that the highest standards were not met. As the secretary of state for the department that ran the appointment, I take full responsibility for that, and it is for that reason that I wrote to the prime minister and apologised for this error. 2.07pm GMT Reform UK's only member of Senedd faces two-week ban over use of racial slur Reform UK’s only member of the Senedd faces a two-week ban over a racial slur she used in an exchange of messages, PA Media reports. PA says: In a report, the Senedd’s standards committee has recommended Laura Anne Jones, who defected from the Conservatives earlier this year, is given a 14-day ban from the Siambr (Senedd debating chamber) over the remarks. MSs (members of the Senedd) will have to rubber stamp the suspension next week. Jones used a slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp group, during a discussion of the Chinese-owned app TikTok in August 2023. She has previously apologised for the remark but the Senedd standards committee said her conduct “fell far below the standards expected” of an MS. In its report, members of the committee said: “The committee is clear that inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd, or society more widely. These messages were contained within an office group WhatsApp chat, rather than a public forum. However, the code is clear that it applies to members at all times.” The committee also looked into allegations that Jones had fraudulently made false expenses claims but found “no breach of the code of conduct” in relation to that. In a statement released after the committee’s report was published, Jones said: “I am delighted to have finally been cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to the malicious accusation of fraudulent activity. I am now looking forward to drawing a line under this after nearly two years of being hounded over it, and the detrimental impact that it has on both me and my young family. “I have apologised, and I apologise again, for the regrettable comments that I made in a private message. I never meant to cause offence to anyone. “I would like to thank both the police and standards commissioner for their thorough investigation, and I accept their conclusions.” 1.52pm GMT No 10 says Starmer does have confidence in Morgan McSweeney At the post-PMQs lobby briefing the PM’s press secretary said that Keir Starmer does have confidence in Morgan McSweeney, his chief of staff. The press secretary also said that Starmer was not contemplating standing down. She said: He has always been very clear that he will continue to serve as prime minister at the next election, that this is a project which is about a decade of national renewal, because that’s what it takes to turn the country around after 14 years of failure from the Tories. She also said Starmer valued the views of Labour MPs. Our Labour MPs are fantastic champions of the work that the government is doing to deliver for the British people. They are fantastic representatives of their communities, and the prime minister highly values hearing their perspectives. Asked if anyone would be sacked for the briefings against Wes Streeting, the press secretary said: “As he set out previously, any unauthorised briefing against cabinet ministers would be dealt with.” 1.25pm GMT Here is Peter Walker’s story from PMQs. Related: Keir Starmer says any No 10 briefings against ministers ‘unacceptable’ 1.20pm GMT PMQs - snap verdict At one point during PMQs the Labour MP Gill German invited Keir Starmer to visit Rhyl, a seaside town in Wales where, he said, the PM would find “miles of golden sand”. Starmer said that was “a very appealing invitation just at the moment”, which was one of the most candid things he said during the whole session, and a clue as to how awkward things are for him. PMQs is roughly 70% context, and 30% performance, and Starmer arrived in the Commons today with Labour backbench opinion running against him and the media on the warpath. He presented an easy target for Kemi Badenoch, and she bashed it effectively. Her critique of the No 10 operation was fair, and her joke about Wes Streeting and waiting lists was a good one. She also ellicted a half interesting non-answer from Starmer about having full confidence in Morgan McSweeney. At the post-PMQs briefing No 10 did express full confidence in Starmer’s chief of staff, but these answers can be formulaic, not meaningful, and Labour MPs may be left wondering if some sort of reshuffle may be on the cards. Starmer did not make his position much worse with PMQs, but he did not improve it either, and it was obvious why Badenoch was enjoying herself so much. Her only possible mistake was not to stick with the No 10 briefing wars for longer than she did. One other notable feature of PMQs was Rupert Lowe calling for the return of the death penalty (for foreign and domestic offenders, not just foreign as I misheard and posted earlier – see 12.34pm.) It won’t happen any time soon, of course. But that fact that this is even being raised is an indication of the extent to which liberal norms are being eroded. Lowe said he wanted a referendum on this topic. And only two days ago Reform UK was proposing a mechanism that would allow people to trigger referendums on exactly this sort of populist proposal. 12.34pm GMT Rupert Lowe, who was elected as a Reform UK MP but who now sits as an independent, asks if Starmer would support holding a referendum on the return of the death penalty for foreign criminals and domestic criminals where the guilt is “undeniable”. Starmer says the UK had the death penalty in the past, and it did not work. He says there must be a criminal justice response. UPDATE: Lowe said he was proposing the death penalty for both foreign and domestic criminals. The original post just said foreign criminals. (There was quite a lot of jeering when he got to this point of his question, and I did not hear the line about domestic criminals.) I’m sorry for the mistake and I have corrected the sentence above. Updated at 1.42pm GMT 12.31pm GMT I have updated the post at 12.07pm with a direct quote from Keir Starmer’s reply when asked by Kemi Badenoch if he had full confidence in Morgan McSweeney. You may need to refresh the page to get the update to appear. 12.26pm GMT Rebecca Paul (Con) says the supreme court ruling on trans people and the Equality Act must be implemented. She says in her area there are five biological men in the women’s prison, mixing with women unsupervised. Starmer says the supreme court ruling must be enforced in full. He invites Paul to write to him about her concerns. Updated at 12.29pm GMT 12.23pm GMT Starmer condemns Farage after Reform UK leader refuses to condemn Reform councillor who called care leavers evil Darren Paffey (Lab) mentions a Reform UK councillor who described care leavers as “evil”. Will the PM condemn them? Starmer does condemn that comment, and he urges Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, who has the next question, to condemn the comments. Farage stands up. As MPs call for condemnation, he says he only has 30 seconds. He does not refer to the councillor’s remark, and instead asks about the closure of a hotel used by migrants. Starmer says the government is closing migrant hotels. He says, just as Farage did not condemn the councillor, he would not condemn the racist comments of one of his own MPs (Sarah Pochin). He accuses Farage of lack of leadership. 12.17pm GMT Starmer declines to agree to Ed Davey's call for him to tell Trump to drop his $1bn against BBC Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says President Trump “is trying to destroy our BBC”. Will the PM tell Trump to drop his demand for a $1bn settlement from the BBC. Starmer says he will always stand up for a “strong, independent BBC”. Davey says the Tories also undermined the BBC. They put two cronies on the BBC board. One, Robbie Gibb, is still there. Will the PM sack him now? Starmer says he agrees the last government undermined the BBC; they undermined almost everything, he says. But he says he won’t go into the internal workings of the BBC. 12.13pm GMT Badenoch says all ministers are failing, mentioning David Lammy and Lisa Nandy in particular. Unemployment is at its highest level since Covid. And the cabinet is weak. This prime minister has lost control of his government. He’s lost the confidence of his party. Starmer says interest rates have been cut, and wages are going up. 12.11pm GMT Badenoch says the government is in a tax doom loop. So why is he promising more welfare giveaways. Starmer says the government had to raise national insurance to clean up the mess by the Tories. And he says the Tories have not yet said if they would reverse this. 12.10pm GMT Badenoch says Starmer is trying to cling to his own job. He should be worried about other people losing their jobs. Starmer says the government is transforming job centres. 12.09pm GMT Badenoch says Starmer did not express full confidence in McSweeney. She says Starmer has lost control of No 10. Starmer says: This is a united team and we are delivering together. UPDATE: Badenoch said: He says these attacks aren’t authorised. That means he’s lost control of Number 10, because that’s where they’re coming from. The real scandal is that two weeks from a budget, the government has descended into a civil war, instead of fixing the economy the mess they’ve made of the economy. The prime minister’s advisers have been reduced to briefing that MPs can’t get rid of him, and I’m not making this up, because it would destabilise international markets. Starmer replied: The Bank of England has upgraded growth today, we’ve secured £230bn of private investment. Updated at 12.45pm GMT 12.07pm GMT Starmer does not say he has full confidence in Morgan McSweeney after being challenged to by Badenoch Badenoch says there is only one waiting list Streeting is interested in. She says the attacks are coming from No 10 staff. Does the PM have full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney? UPDATE: Badenoch said: What we heard the health secretary say this morning is that he wants to cut waiting lists, but we all know that there’s only one waiting list that he really wants to cut. But the prime minister is not going to do anything about the toxic culture. This is his responsibility. Just last night, his allies accused not just the health secretary but the home secretary and even the energy secretary of launching leadership bids. These attacks came from Number 10, nowhere else, his toxic Number 10. The person responsible for the culture in Number 10 is his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney. Does the prime minister have full confidence in him? And Starmer replied: Morgan McSweeney, my team and I are absolutely focused on delivering for the country. Let me be clear, of course, I’ve never authorised attacks on cabinet members, I appointed them to their post because they’re the best people to carry out their jobs. Updated at 12.46pm GMT 12.06pm GMT Starmer says briefing against cabinet ministers 'completely unacceptable', and Streeting doing 'great job' Kemi Badenoch associates the Tories with what Starmer said about remembrance week, and veterans. Was Wes Streeting right to say there is a toxic culture in No 10? Starmer says any attack on any member of his cabinet is “completely unacceptable”. He says Streeting is doing a “great job”. UPDATE: Starmer said: My focus each and every day is on rebuilding and renewing our country. But let me be absolutely clear, any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable … [Streeting] is doing a great job, as is the whole of my cabinet. Updated at 12.42pm GMT 12.03pm GMT Lincoln Jopp (Con) picks up the remembrance reference, and says when he was in the army in Africa he survived a coup. He offers to give advice to the PM. And he says PMQs was a “binfire” last week. He asks Starmer to promsie not to go away again on a Wednesday. Starmer defends his trips abroad. 12.01pm GMT Keir Starmer welcomes the Canadian Speaker to the public gallery, and a war veteran who was one of the troops who liberated the Belsen concentration camp. He says SSE will spend £33bn on clean energy projects in this country. That is a vote of confidence, he says. 11.58am GMT Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs PMQs is about to start. Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question. 11.56am GMT One of the arguments used by those in No 10 who have been briefing about the dangers of a leadership challenge has been that this would alarm the financial markets. This echoes the argument made by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, when she was interviewed by Andrew Marr on LBC last week and asked if she would resign if she broke the manifesto promise on taxes in the budget. Reeves replied: "And what do you think would happen in financial markets if I did that?” In an interview on the Today programme this morning, Luke Tryl, the More in Common pollster, said that arguments like this were very damaging to the political parties making them. He explained: I think there’s a real risk to that argument, because what it does is it reinforces what we call ‘the politics of can’t’. So rather than government being seen to be in control and have a proactive agenda, it’s instead the government constantly saying, ‘We can’t do this because of the bond markets’, or ‘We can’t do this on migration because of things like the European court of human rights.’ And what that does in turn is it makes people turn to politicians who are doing the “politics of can’. And what you see is people like Nigel Farage in Reform or Zack Polanski in the Greens are saying ‘No, no, we’ll do something totally different and put government back in control.’ 11.43am GMT Lib Dems says better Brexit deal would lead to growth that would help fund their budget plans Peter Walker is the Guardian’s senior political correspondent. Growth from a better Brexit plan would help fund billions of pounds of tax cuts and other fiscal measures, the Liberal Democrats have said ahead of the budget. Answering media questions after her speech at a central London pub to unveil the party’s proposal for help to reduce energy bills and a cut in VAT for hospitality businesses (see 10.40am), Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson, denied that she was being unrealistic in promising this and other plans while also criticising Labour for its expected rise in income tax. Cooper said a rise in income tax at the budget in a fortnight, which would break the Labour manifesto, “would be incredibly damaging, not just for the Labour party, but for trust in politics.” Answering a series of questions, Cooper committed the Lib Dems to ending the two-child benefit cap, looking at how to compensate “Waspi women” with extra pension payouts, and maintaining the so-called triple lock on pensions. As revenue-raising ideas, she proposed a windfall tax on banks, and new taxes on tech giants and gambling firms. Asked if it was disingenuous to promise so many billions of pounds in extra spending in exchange for largely untested and seemingly pain-free taxes, Cooper denied this. She said: If we’re going to have an honest conversation about tax, let’s also have an honest conversation about growth. Brexit has been a disaster for this country. It has wrapped up small businesses in red tape. It’s all very well for the Labour government to say, well, Brexit is part of the problem, but if they’re going to say that, we have to say how they’re going to fix that and what the solution is. We’ve given them the solution. We need them to go further and adopt our proposals for a UK-EU customs union. At the end of the Q&A, as is mandatory for political events in pubs, Cooper was photographed pulling a pint of beer. After a slightly shaky start, the foam-heavy pint gradually settled, and looked acceptable. 11.16am GMT Starmer to face PMQs as reports suggest No 10 briefing about leadership threats has backfired There is a lot of commentary around this morning about the No 10 briefing reported by the Guardian last night, and the reaction it has triggered. Among journalists who have been sounding out Labour MPs, the consensus is that the briefing has backfired, and weakened Keir Starmer’s standing in his party. Henry Zeffman, the BBC’s chief political correspondent, has written an analysis headlined “Efforts to shore up Starmer’s leadership may have backfired”. He says: The key question this morning is whether the briefings have made Sir Keir more or less vulnerable. Judging by the rancour of the messages I have received from various corners of the Labour Party, the definitive answer is: more vulnerable. One senior Labour figure questioned why Sir Keir’s allies had “legitimised what was a taboo” by publicly entertaining the prospect of a leadership challenge … An MP said the approach was “utterly unhinged and self-destructive,” adding: “They’re in the bunker shooting everyone who’s outside the bunker guarding it. And poor oblivious Keir doesn’t even realise he’s in the bunker.” Jessica Elgot, the Guardian’s deputy political editor, says Labour MPs are staggered by the No 10 approach. Have had at least 10 messages from Labour MPs overnight all on the same theme. “What on earth are they doing?” George Eaton in New Statesman says that, although there are people in No 10 claiming to have hard evidence that Wes Streeting was plotting against Starmer, Labour MPs are not convinced. Streeting’s activities, as Morning Call has long reported, have certainly attracted much attention in recent months. Whether calling for the UK to immediately recognise a Palestinian state back in June or denouncing claims that the far right is merely exercising “free speech”, he has been happy to go beyond the government line. His praise for New York mayor Zohran Mamdani (“lessons for progressives the world over”) also raised eyebrows and was seen as part of a conscious effort to woo the soft left. But none of this, of course, amounts to active disloyalty – and here’s the question No 10 will have to answer today: if it has hard evidence that Streeting is plotting against Starmer, why is he still sitting in the cabinet? The danger for Downing Street is clear: it has dramatically elevated the leadership question, giving every MP and journalist in the country a new excuse to pose it. Rather than shutting down speculation over Starmer’s future – as it managed in the aftermath of Labour conference – it has fuelled it. And far from uniting the party around the Prime Minister it risks only achieving the reverse. Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, says some MPs may boycott PMQs today out of protest. From a Labour MP who tries hard to be loyal to the PM and Downing Street, but feels badly let down by the internecine politics of the team around Starmer: “Some Labour MPs are planning on boycotting PMQs today in protest at the briefing. If the PM thinks we are feral and too stupid to understand economics, then why on earth would we go out and cheer him on?” Patrick Maguire, the Times’s chief political commentator, says Streeting is benefiting. Senior Labour source writes: “They have achieved the impossible: they have made Wes popular with the backbenches. In a post on his Substack blog, he also explains the background to today. That, then, is what’s going on. From my conversations it seemed that critical mass of Labour MPs had agreed on that what at September’s party conference – that Starmer was probably finished. Now the conversation has turned to the how, when and who. Each question is as yet unsettled. So, by the way, is the most important question of all: why? Anyway, inside No 10, that’s all academic. All that matters is that they know Starmer will be challenged in the near-to-medium term. So what will he do? As I say on the podcast, tell them to come and have a go if they think they’re hard enough. He won’t accede to one minister or a dozen backbenchers’ demands for his head. This isn’t the morning after the Hartlepool by-election, when Starmer had no proof point of electoral success and had to be talked out of resigning by Morgan McSweeney. The prime minister now feels that he has a mandate – still a reasonably fresh one, as it happens – and should be allowed to fulfil it. So he will invite any challenger to trigger a leadership election and face the consequences of contesting it against him and whoever else. Ben Riley-Smith, the Telegraph’s political editor, says MPs have been impressed by Streeting’s performances this morning. The irony this morning: If the Starmer ally briefings were an attempt to sap the energy out of a Wes Streeting below-the-radar leadership campaign it appears to have done the opposite for some people. Streeting’s central selling point is his strength as a communicator and breezing through the morning round with humour (jokes about Traitors and JFK conspiracies when asked about plotting) may have just underscored that point. “Wes is now more popular because he is so self-assured,” says one minister. “He took my breath away in answering every question directly and with humour.” Another minister agrees Streeting’s performance has just reminded people what a strong media performer he is. George Parker, the Financial Times’s political editor, says in an article this morning No 10 has triggered a crisis. One minister called it the “one of the weirdest briefing decisions I have ever seen” and on Wednesday recriminations were flying in Downing Street after Sir Keir Starmer’s team conjured up a leadership crisis out of nowhere, just two weeks ahead of the Budget. Tuesday’s briefing from inside Number 10 that Starmer would fight any leadership challenge propelled low-level Westminster gossip into a political crisis, as the prime minister advertised the weakness of his own position. Updated at 11.19am GMT 10.40am GMT Lib Dems call for windfall tax on banks in budget to fund 5% VAT cut for hospitality and fuel bills reduction The Liberal Democrats are calling for a 5% cut to VAT for hospitality businesses in the upcoming budget to make going out to the pub and restaurants more affordable, PA Media reports. PA says: The party is also proposing the main renewable levy be removed from energy bills under the £12bn support package it is putting forward ahead of the chancellor’s statement on 26 November. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the plan aims to return “small joys” like a restaurant meal or family day out to those for whom they have become an “unaffordable luxury” with measures that the party says will save the average family around £270 over the next 18 months. The plan would be an “emergency” package to come into immediate effect in November this year and expire at the end of the next financial year in April 2027. It would cut VAT from 20% to 15% for hospitality, accommodation, and attractions in a bid to boost high streets and slash prices for families. They estimate that around half of the VAT cut would be passed on to consumers – giving each household around £135 during that time period. And it would remove the “renewables obligation” levy from people’s bills, which the party said would slash the typical energy bill by £90 annually. Cuts to VAT would cost some £7.5bn, while funding the levy would be around £4.5bn, the party estimates. Both would be funded by a temporary windfall tax on big banks. The Lib Dems said this could raise around £30 billion between now and 2030, pointing to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The influential think tank said earlier this year that hiking a levy on profits from major firms such as Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and NatWest could raise up to £8bn a year for public services. Cooper said: “High street businesses have been hammered by the jobs tax and higher business rates bills, so it’s no wonder that so many treasured pubs, restaurants and cafes are boarding up their shopfronts, taking with them vital jobs and local community spaces. “Our plans to cut VAT on hospitality and energy bills for households would put £270 back into people’s pockets, making it more affordable to heat their home and allowing them to spend more on occasional extras. “This would help to drive economic growth, restore our high streets and give the country a much-needed morale boost.” Updated at 10.41am GMT 10.07am GMT Reform UK pulls out of BBC film amid Trump speech edit row The No 10 briefing row is not the only story around this morning. Amy Sedghi is writing a live blog about the ongoing turmoil at the BBC and she has details of Donald Trump saying he has an “obligation” to sue the BBC. Related: Donald Trump says he has ‘obligation’ to sue BBC over speech edit – latest updates In a related development, Reform UK has pulled out of a BBC documentary about the party amid a row over the broadcaster’s editing of the Trump speech. Robyn Vintner has the story. Related: Reform UK pulls out of BBC film amid Trump speech edit row 9.58am GMT Streeting says Starmer should sack aides responsible for hostile briefings - but also suggests trying to find them waste of time In his Sky News interview this morning Wes Streeting said whoever was briefing against him from No 10 would not have been doing it with the support of Keir Starmer. (See 8.25am.) In subsequent interviews he elaborated on this, saying Starmer would be furious about the briefings. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: That’s the other thing I know about this prime minister: nothing grinds his gears more than this kind of like Westminster bubble stuff and the briefings to newspapers. You don’t see him angry often, but at cabinet meetings, the only time I’ve seen him really angry is when there have been briefings against colleagues. On ITV, and also on the Today programme, Streeting said that Stamer should sack any aides responsible. “If I [knew who was responsible], I would tell the prime minister and the prime minister would sack them,” he told ITV. But, on the Today programme, he added: But [Starmer’s] got to find them first and I wouldn’t expect him to waste loads of time on this. Asked if Starmer had contacted him about the story since the Guardian’s report was published last night, Streeting said: No, and I think he’s got better things to do with his life and I wouldn’t expect him to. In fact, if he does, I’ll tell him ‘why are you bothering with this’. On ITV, asked if he thought the briefings were a sign that Starmer had lost control of Downing Street, Streeting replied: I wouldn’t put it like that, I would say there are some people in Downing Street who evidently do not model the behaviours and style of leadership that the prime minister models. 9.47am GMT Streeting says Labour must 'keep our promises to the public' In his BBC interview Wes Streeting also said: The only pressure I feel sat here this morning is the pressure to make sure we keep our promises to the public, turn our NHS around, and we make sure the National Health Service is always there for all of us when we need it, as a publicly funded public service free at the point of delivery. In at least one other interview Streeting also talked about the importance of Labour keeping its promises. He told Sky News: I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is also self-defeating. Some journalists are interpreting that as veiled criticism of the probable decision in the budget to raise income tax, in defiance of a tax pledge made in Labour’s manifesto. If that was Streeting’s intention, it was subtle. Streeting did not labour the point, and the main impression he gave in all his interviews this morning was one of loyalty to Keir Starmer. 9.39am GMT Streeting says he 'cannot see circumstances' in which he would challenge Starmer for Labour leadership In his BBC Breakfast interview, Jon Kay asked Wes Streeting if he would ever stand against Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Streeting replied: I cannot see circumstances in which I would do that to our prime minister. And, look, the thing I’ve said about the prime minister constantly and consistently is from the moment he became leader of the Labour party, he has had an extremely difficult job. He took us from the worst defeat since 1935 to winning a general election that many people thought he could never win. We have now got enormous challenges we’re facing as a country. I know there are people who are doubting and saying, well, can he deal with those challenges? He will confound his critics again. Those things have never been in doubt. Kay put it to Streeting that, in saying he could not see circumstances in which he would not challenge Starmer, he was not ruling it out. Streeting said he was just making a statement of “the bleeding obvious”. When Kay said Streeting was not ruling out running against Starmer, Streeting replied: “I just did … I literally just did.” Streeting’s comment is reminiscent of Michael Heseltine saying that he could not “foresee any circumstances” in which he would challenge Margaret Thatcher – a line he used for some years in the 1980s after he resigned from cabinet. Eventually his foresight proved faulty, and in 1990 he did challenge Thatcher. But the circumstances then were very different. Streeting sounded like someone trying to play down the prospect of a leadership challenge one day, not play it up. Also, the question is not always relevant. Often, when a leader gets replaced, it’s not because there has been a challenge; it’s because they resign having lost the confidence of their party. Updated at 9.40am GMT 9.21am GMT Streeting says Labour's 'toxic' briefing culture needs to change - but that it doesn't come from Starmer In his interview with BBC Breakfast, Wes Streeting expanded on what he said to Sky News about Lucy Powell being right about the need for Labour to change its culture. (See 8.25am.) Standing for deputy leader, Powell criticised the briefing culture in No 10, of which she felt she had been a victim. Streeting said: This silly briefing is water off a duck’s back. We’ve seen this before against other cabinet colleagues. I think our deputy leader, Lucy Powell, was absolutely right about that toxic culture that needs to change. I don’t think these people are speaking for the prime minister. I don’t think this is the sort of behaviour he expects from people who work for him and for the government. So on all that, I’m not worried. 'I'm not challenging the Prime Minister, I'm not standing against him'On #BBCBreakfast Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticised 'silly briefing' and 'a toxic culture' from allies of Keir Starmer that he is plotting against the PM https://t.co/AFAobdZO2h pic.twitter.com/qLIoDHgkTa— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) November 12, 2025 9.08am GMT Jo White, chair of Red Wall group of Labour MPs, says No 10 'barking up wrong tree' briefing against Streeting The Labour MP Jo White, who chairs the Red Wall group of Labour Mps and who represents Bassetlaw, told the Today programme this morning that those in No 10 who were briefing against Wes Streeting were making a big mistake. She explained: Our enemies love nothing more than when we start fighting like dogs in public, and my message to those MPs who are running around with their tails held high: That this is neither the time or the place. This is a group of people who think they’re much cleverer than the rest of us, who spend their time selectively briefing journalists and stirring the pot. I want to simply say: We’re not having it … I’d like to say to No 10, I think they’re barking up the wrong tree, briefing against Wes. I’ve known Wes since he was NUS president. He’s one of the tiny handful of MPs who came up to Bassetlaw to help me with my election. He’s only just recently written a really kind letter to one of my members who lost her husband. And I think I’d know – he’d tell me if he was manoeuvring. 9.01am GMT Starmer 'is not fighting for his job', Streeting says In an interview with LBC, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that some of the comments being made about the situation in government were “ridiculous” and that Keir Starmer was “not fightint for his job”. Streeting said: I’m laughing because I just think this is ridiculous. And no, the prime minister is not fighting for his job this morning. In fact, the last time I saw the prime minister, on Monday evening with a small group of cabinet colleagues, was to talk about how we’re going to fight the scourge of violence against women and girls. So I think this is daft, to be honest. 8.56am GMT Streeting says Starmer will be 'horrified' by reports of No 10 briefing Wes Streeting told Sky News that he thought Keir Starmer would be “horrified” to read the front page reports this morning about the briefing coming out of No 10. He said that was not how Starmer conducted himself, and he said he thought people should follow the PM’s example. 8.43am GMT UK government borrowing costs rise slightly after reports suggest PM's position not secure UK government borrowing costs ticked higher this morning, as the price of gilts – UK government bonds – slipped in value amid speculation over a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer, PA Media reports. PA says: Yields on 10-year-gilts, which move counter to the price of the bonds, rose by 3 basis points to 4.42% in early trading. The yield on the longer-term 30-year-gilt also rose by a similar amount. The rise come after yields had dropped significantly on Tuesday after rising unemployment and falling wage growth prompted predictions of interest rate cuts. The value of the pound also moved 0.02% higher to 1.315 against the dollar. It came after a flurry of late-night briefings from No 10 in which allies of the prime minister came out fighting on his behalf amid fears his job could be under threat after the budget in two weeks’ time. 8.25am GMT Wes Streeting condemns No 10 bid to ‘kneecap’ him, denies plotting against PM, but says Labour needs 'culture change' Good morning. All governments are collections of people who don’t always agree, and don’t always get on, but who largely keep their disagreements in private. But sometimes the disputes get quite serious, and sometimes they become public. The Guardian is today leading on a report by Pippa Crerar, the political editor, who has discovered that Keir Starmer’s most senior aides are so worried that he could face an imminent leadership challenge that they have started briefing against potential rivals. Related: Starmer allies issue warning to PM’s rivals as fears grow over leadership challenge Starmer’s allies are saying that getting rid of the PM would be would be a “reckless” and “dangerous” move that could destabilise the markets, and they seem to be particularly worried about the threat from Wes Streeting, the health secretary. Some lobby stories like this, based on people speaking anonymously, get ignored, because other journalists either don’t believe them, or can’t stand them up. But this morning all other mainstream news organisations are following this story, and running it quite hard, because they know Pippa is right. Streeting has been doing a media round this morning. Here are some of the main things he said in his interview with Sky News. Streeting denied plotting to oust Keir Starmer. Asked if he was planning a leadership challenge, he replied: No, and I think whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors, and this is just about the worst attack on a faithful I’ve seen since Joe Marler was kicked out and banished in the final. He said that he would not challenge Starmer after the budget. Asked if he would rule out demanding Starmer’s resignation after the budget, he replied: Yes, and nor did I shoot JFK. I don’t know where Lord Lucan is, had nothing to do with Shergar, and I do think that the US did manage to do the moon landings. I don’t think they were fake. He claimed the Downing Street briefing against him was “totally self-defeating”. He said: It’s totally self defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the prime minister either … I do think that, you know, going out and calling your Labour MPs ‘feral’ is not very helpful. I do think that trying to kneecap one of your own team when they are out, not just making the case for the government, but actually delivering the change that we promised, I think that is also self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour. I also think whoever did this doesn’t speak for the prime minister. I speak for the prime minister. He said the No 10 briefing showed that Lucy Powell was right when she called for a change of culture in the Labour deputy leadership contest. When Lucy Powell stood to be deputy leader of the Labour Party and said there needed to be a culture change in how we lead and how the party is managed, I think she has been vindicated. Powell, who won, defeated Bridget Phillipson, who was seen as No 10’s preferred candidate. Powell stood after being sacked by Starmer from cabinet. Streeting has been doing a full interview round. I will post more from what he is saying soon. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.45am: Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, gives a speech about her party’s budget proposals. Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs. After 12.30pm: MPs debate two Tory opposition day motions, one saying taxes should not go up in the budget, and another saying the government should remove green levies on energy bills. 1.45pm: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech to the NHS Providers conference. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), 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 at 8.55am GMT