Author: MoorningTimes

‘Inaccurate, insulting, inflammatory’ – Andy Burnham condemns Ratcliffe over UK being ‘colonised’ by migrants claimAndy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, has joined those criticising Jim Ratcliffe over his claim that the UK is being “colonised” by immigrants.Burnham said in a statement: These comments go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood: a place where people of all races, faiths and none have pulled together over centuries to build our city and our institutions, including Manchester United FC. Calling for curbs on levels of immigration is one thing; portraying those who come here as a hostile invading force…

The UK economy expanded by 0.1% in the final three months of last year, according to official data, despite signs that tax speculation around Rachel Reeves’s budget had dampened spending.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy grew at the same rate of 0.1% as the previous three months. Economists had been expecting a rise of 0.2%.The economy grew by 1.3% in 2025, an improvement on growth of 1.1% in 2024. The ONS said it grew by 0.1% on a monthly basis in December, slowing from 0.2% in November – a figure that was revised down…

Labour will end the use of “dodgy front companies” that hide the source of dark money for political donations as part of its sweeping elections bill, which will give votes to 16-year-olds and pave the way for “opt-out” voter registration.Gifts and hospitality for politicians sponsored by foreign states or companies will also be severely curbed, the Guardian understands.The government also intends to put new restrictions on cryptocurrency donations and the size of foreign donations, a key concern of Labour MPs about money that may be funnelled to Reform UK.Elon Musk, the billionaire X owner, was once reported to have been…

A former top civil servant has urged No 10 to do “more due diligence” as it prepares to replace the cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald, with Antonia Romeo, the frontrunner for the role.Sir Simon McDonald, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, said he had tried to warn No 10 the process needed to start from scratch and it was vital that the prime minister followed a thorough procedure given the importance of the role.He told Channel 4 News: “The due diligence needs to be thorough. If the candidate mentioned in the media is the one, in my view, the…

Rachel Reeves has insisted Labour can win the political argument for a closer relationship with the EU, calling it the “biggest prize” for UK economic growth.Some Labour strategists have been wary of making the case for stronger alignment with the EU, believing it could alienate pro-Brexit voters.But Reeves said on Wednesday: “I am confident this is a political argument, as well, that we can win.” She pointed to the recent agreement to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme, calling it “one of the most popular things that we’ve done.”Underlining the overriding importance of EU trade for the health of the…

After his worst week ever, could Keir Starmer be about to have a season of renewal? Quite possibly, if he learns from his near-death experience.When most leaders stumble, they don’t get a second chance: they are too exposed and their rivals pounce. As the saying goes, in politics your enemies are all on your own side – the opposition are merely opponents. But this isn’t a late third-term government running out of road with a slim majority and no new ideas. It’s only about a year and half in, with a radical manifesto and a landslide majority. As prime minister,…

Lib Dems call for ‘anti-growth Treasury’ to be split up, and replaced with big growth department, and smaller spending departmentCooper says that some people wanted the Treasury’s powers to be tweaked, and others said the PM should have more power over economic policy.But the Lib Dems were proposing a different plan, she said. Today I can announce that we Liberal Democrats don’t just want to get rid of this anti-growth chancellor. We want to get rid of this anti-growth Treasury. And as part of our plan for government, we would break up the Treasury and replace it with a new,…

Westminster time is counted in scandals, resignations, rebellions, U-turns and leadership crises. All the things that aren’t good government age a regime. Keir Starmer has presided over a lot of woes in 18 months, making a young government look old.The premature decrepitude is more advanced, and more disturbing to Labour MPs, because it feels like continuity from the turbulent Tory regime that came before. The policies and personnel are different, but to the casual passing voter the sound of screaming and breaking crockery around Downing Street is familiar as a sign of a political problem family in residence.All the more…

The UK government needs to eradicate “unsustainable” gaps in the policing of franchise businesses after a series of scandals to hit the sector, a parliamentary committee has found.The conclusion forms part of the business and trade committee’s small business strategy report and follows a Guardian investigation in December which revealed claims that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to become a franchisee in 2018, drowned after becoming convinced his deal with the multinational company would prove financially disastrous.The cross-party committee highlighted further allegations from Vodafone franchisees of an imbalance of power in their agreements, which prompted them…

Allies of Wes Streeting expect him to try to depose Keir Starmer within weeks, despite the health secretary insisting he backs the prime minister and is not intending to move against him, the Guardian has been told.Starmer attempted to regain authority over his party on Tuesday after a tumultuous day in Westminster during which he was denounced by the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and lost his director of communications.The prime minister said on Tuesday he would “never walk away” from his task of changing the UK, and was bolstered further by public displays of support from both Streeting and…