10.52am BST Environment minister: public anger over water bill rises is understandable
Environment minister Emma Hardy said she understands the public’s anger, after five water firms were provisionally granted permission to raise their bills by between 1% and 5%. PA Media reports Hardy said: “I understand the public’s anger over bill rises – that’s why I expect every water company to offer proper support to anyone struggling to pay. “We’ve made sure that investment cash goes into infrastructure upgrades, not bonuses, and we’re creating a tough new regulator to clean up our waterways and restore trust in the system. “We are laser focused on helping ease the cost of living pressure on households: we’ve frozen fuel duty, raised the minimum wage and pensions and brought down mortgage rates – putting more money in people’s pockets.” Five companies – Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South East Water, Southern Water, and Wessex Water – argued that Ofwat’s original decision left them unable to meet the regulatory requirements set out for them. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Anglian and Northumbrian should be allowed to increase their bills by a further 1%, Southern by 3%, South East by 4% and Wessex by 5%. Kirstin Baker, who chaired the independent group of experts appointed by the CMA to consider the price controls, said: “We’ve found that water companies’ requests for significant bill increases, on top of those allowed by Ofwat, are largely unjustified.” Meanwhile Mathew Lawrence, Director of the thinktank Common Wealth, said “Water bills are going up yet again. But how much of this will fund much-needed investment? “Almost a third of the typical bill currently goes to paying dividends or interest payments. Hard pressed households are paying more for basic essentials so investors can profit. Only public ownership can end the rip off and ensure bills fund investment.”
10.39am BST
Compensation schemes for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal will be improved, with a new appeals process and funded legal advice for post office operators, the government has announced. Responding to the first part of the findings from a two-year public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, regarded as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK legal history, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, said there would be a new appeals process for people who have accepted fixed-sum offers under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, one of several compensation schemes. Funded legal advice will also be offered. Read more of Julia Kollewe’s report here: Compensation schemes for Post Office Horizon IT scandal victims ‘to be improved’
Related: Compensation schemes for Post Office Horizon IT scandal victims ‘to be improved’
10.36am BST
Richard Adams is the Guardian’s education editor While 14 vice-chancellors are with Keir Starmer’s delegation in India, for what No 10 calls “a huge opportunity for UK universities seeking new funding streams,” Oxford university’s vice-chancellor was telling the BBC’s Today programme this morning that changes to student visas, including the introduction of a levy on international students, risked undermining higher education. Prof Irene Tracey said that international student income subsidised the cost teaching of UK students, and added: “There are definitely issues to address for some universities with international student coming in, [including] co-dependents and pressure on villages and towns, I totally get that, but you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” Yesterday the Welsh government said it would reject the levy on international students studying in Wales, with secretary for education Lynne Neagle telling the Senedd: “There will not be a levy in Wales … we are not seeking to moderate student demand in this way and indeed we really welcome international students. We want our international students to continue to feel welcomed for the positive social, cultural and economic contributions they make in Wales.”Prof Elwen Evans, chair of the Universities Wales group and vice-chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said it was welcome news: “The introduction of a levy – effectively an additional tax – would have had a detrimental impact on Welsh universities. The levy would have increased the financial pressure the sector is under, affecting universities’ capacity to contribute to their local communities and potentially reducing the number of places available for Welsh and UK students.”
10.34am BST
While in India, the prime minister says he has urged Narendra Modi to move India away from reliance on fossil fuels, and the two leaders have also discussed the war in Ukraine. Speaking at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Keir Starmer said:
The prime minister and I … discussed the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the need for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to cooperate in critical areas like climate and energy, including breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels. We sit together in the Commonwealth, the G20, and we want to see India taking its rightful place on the UN security council too.
Making a statement via a translator, PA Media reports that Modi said that Starmer had “significantly progressed” the relationship between India and the UK with the trade deal they had signed together. Modi added: “Your visit to India within just a few months of concluding the agreement and the fact that you have been accompanied by the biggest ever business delegation pay testament to the new energy in the UK-India relationship.”
10.18am BST Cooper: UK 'stands ready to play our part' in implementing Gaza peace plan
The UK “stands ready to play our part” in implementing the Gaza peace plan, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has said. Speaking to reporters at Hillsborough Castle, PA Media report she said: “Work will continue as nations across the world come together to support a just and lasting peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike. We have seen some of the images of relief and hope on the streets of Gaza and on the streets of Israel overnight, and all nations will want to make sure that that is turned into reality.” The Board of Deputies of British Jews has also welcomed the news, saying it is “time for peace.” Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said:
We can dare to hope for the release of all the hostages, and the conclusion of this terrible war. We convey our deep appreciation to President Trump, the mediators, and most of all, the indefatigable campaigning of the hostage families whose courage, resilience, and determination has been a beacon to the world. We will celebrate the return of those living and praying for their swift recovery and care, and we will mourn the returning dead, thinking of their loved ones in their time of grief. It is time for healing. It is time for peace.
10.14am BST
In other political reaction in the UK to the prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, the Green party of England and Wales’ Westminster leader, Ellie Chowns, described it as a moment of “real hope”. Posting to social media, the MP for North Herefordshire said “News of the ‘first phase’ of a ceasefire in Gaza is a moment of real hope. This must be the first step of many, including release of all hostages, full humanitarian access to Gaza, and self-determination for Palestinians.” Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda and Ogmore and minister for trade, said “Let’s hope this can deliver long lasting peace with justice for all.” Speaking on Times Radio, PA Media reports Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:
I think we’ve got more hope this morning than we’ve had for a long time. I think it opens up potentially big possibilities, not just as I say in the immediate few days, but for the longer term future. And that takes us back to the 20-point plan that was released by the US about a week ago, which has the support of the UK Government, as the prime minister made clear at our party conference last week. So it’s a very hopeful moment, and as I say, let’s hope that the hostages are released in the next few days, and hope that the suffering of the people of Gaza can stop and we can get the humanitarian aid that’s needed and then rebuild from there.
10.08am BST Badenoch: Gaza ceasefire deal 'hugely welcome' and will be 'enormous relief' to hostage families
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said that a ceasefire deal in Gaza was “hugely welcome” and would come as an “enormous relief” to the families of Israeli hostages. In a post to social media, Badenoch wrote:
The ceasefire deal in Gaza is hugely welcome. It will be an enormous relief to the families of Israeli hostages, so cruelly captured by Hamas two years ago. President Trump deserves credit for brokering this deal, with the support of Arab partners and Turkey. Hamas must now fully disarm and return all hostage, so the suffering in Gaza is eased and the war ends as swiftly as possible.
10.06am BST Ed Davey: peace plan must be first step to two-state solution
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has said that a ceasefire in Gaza must be a “first step” to a two-state solution in the region. In a statement, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton said:
News of a ceasefire deal in Gaza brings real hope. The UK and our allies must do all we can to get the hostages home, get aid in to starving people, and finally end this horrific violence. This must be the first step towards a two-state solution and a lasting peace.
10.03am BST Cooper to head to Paris to discuss Gaza peace plan implementation
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has said that later today she will travel to Paris for discussion about the implementation of a peace plan for Gaza. Speaking at Hillsborough Castle, where she is hosting a summit on the western Balkans today, she said:
The agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace initiative is a moment of profound significance, relief and hope. And I want to pay tribute to the negotiators. After two years of the most devastating suffering, with tens of thousands of lives being lost, with the pain of hostages held for so long, and with the humanitarian crisis taking place, the agreement now to a ceasefire, to the restoration of humanitarian aid and to the release of all the hostages is immensely important and must be implemented as swiftly as possible. Later today I will be travelling from here with the German foreign minister, my colleague, to Paris for the discussions later today about how all nations can support the immense work that has been done thus far on President Trump’s peace initiative, but also how we make sure that we take it forward.
10.00am BST Starmer: Gaza peace plan a moment of 'profound relief' for the world
Israel and Hamas’ agreement to the initial phases of a plan to end fighting in Gaza is a “moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world”, the prime minister has said. Responding to the news during his trip to India, Keir Starmer said:
I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years. This agreement must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza. We call on all parties to meet the commitments they have made, to end the war, and to build the foundations for a just and lasting end to the conflict and a sustainable path to a long-term peace. The UK will support these crucial immediate steps and the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan.
I welcome the news that a deal has been reached on the first stage of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. pic.twitter.com/LIlo8103aJ— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 9, 2025
9.52am BST Welcome and opening summary
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics for Thursday. Here are the headlines:
The prime minister has said that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas will be seen as a moment of “profound relief”. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has echoed Keir Starmer’s sentiment, saying the UK “stands ready to play our part” in implementing a peace plan, whe she said should be “implemented as swiftly as possible”. Starmer said he and India’s prime minister Narendra Modi discussed the need for a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, as well as “breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels” during the Labour leader’s visit to the country. Environment minister Emma Hardy said she understands the public’s anger, after five water firms were provisionally granted permission to raise their bills by between 1% and 5%. Cabinet ministers have been told they will not be able to use the Treasury reserve to fund public sector pay rises and cannot access it unless there are exceptional circumstances. Justice secretary David Lammy has ruled out reintroducing charges for employment tribunals after a backlash from unions over the proposals.
It is Martin Belam back with you today – long time no see. Do drop me a line via email if you spot typos, errors or omissions to martin.belam@theguardian.com.
