Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed Brexit Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds will start attending Cabinet on a permanent basis as the Prime Minister looks to forge closer ties with the European Union.
Cabinet members were told that Mr Thomas-Symonds would join them for their Downing Street meeting this morning.
The Prime Minister spoke of the Brexit Minister’s “important work” striking a reset deal with the EU.
Brexit is expected to become a bigger part of Sir Keir’s premiership over the next few years.
An official No10 spokesman said: “The way Brexit was sold and delivered to the country was wrong.
“We have to keep moving towards a closer relationship with the EU.”
However, Sir Keir is expected to stick to his red lines about remaining outside the single market and customs union.
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New Bill passed as Shabana Mahmood continues tackle on illegal migration
| GETTYThe Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill has today received Royal Assent, becoming law as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood continues to crack down on illegal migration.
The Bill allows mobile phones to be seized without an arrest, while making it a criminal offence to supply or offer small boat parts (such as engines and pumps) to smuggling gangs, carrying a 14-year sentence.
It also makes it a criminal offence to put lives in danger during small boat crossings through physical aggression or refusing rescue attempts, while excluding foreign sex offenders from protections under the Refugee Convention and outlawing online material that promotes small boat crossings.
Ms Mahmood said: “This new Bill gives law enforcement stronger powers than ever the powers they need to intercept, detain and arrest people smugglers who bring illegal migrants to our shores.
“I will not stop until we’ve restored order and control at the border.”
Nearly 40,000 people have crossed the Channel illegally so far this year, more than in the whole of 2024, and is on track to equal Britain’s record year of illegal crossings, set in 2022.
Planning decision on China’s ‘super embassy’ delayed again
| PA
A decision on China’s application for a “super embassy” in central London has been delayed again, with an announcement now expected January 20.
A decision had been expected on December 10.
Downing Street suggested that the consideration of “particular security implications” meant that more time is required to consider the application.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “An independent planning decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in due course.
“The Home Office and Foreign Office have provided views on particular security implications, and have been clear throughout that a decision shouldn’t be taken until we affirm that those considerations have been completed or resolved.
“MHCLG [The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] considers that more time is needed for full consideration of the applications.”
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to travel to China in January, and is also said to be ready to approve the application.
But the plans are controversial due to national security concerns. Despite this, both MI5 and MI6 are said to have agreed to the plans, with the Home Office and Foreign Office also expected to give the plans the green light.
Green Party say Labour is risking ‘attacks from the far right’ amid jury trial reform
The Green party has criticised the plans to restrict jury trials, claiming Justice Secretary David Lammy is risking “attacks from the far right”.
In an official statement, Green MP Sian Berry said: “The focus on victims’ rights is appreciated, but this Labour government is taking the wrong steps to try to serve us better, and laying the groundwork for further crackdowns on dissent, whistleblowing and protest if it removes juries from so many charges that have state or corporate victims.
“Juries are also a safeguard against creeping bias and discrimination.
“Judges are not currently representative of our wider communities and, under these plans, individual decisions will be at risk of damaging politicisation, while individual judges who are women or from minoritised communities risk attacks from the far right.”
WATCH: Diane Abbott takes swipe at Labour’s plan for juries as Keir Starmer’s own words come back to haunt him
Reform UK MP warns against ‘politicisation’ of justice system
Runcorn MP Sarah Pochin
| PARLIAMENT.TV
A Reform UK MP has issued a dire warning against jury reform, suggesting it risks the “further politicisation” of the judicial system.
Runcorn and Helsby MP Sarah Pochin said: “Does the Secretary of State not agree that his policy to abolish trial by jury in all but the most serious of cases undermines the whole foundation of law and order in this country and risks the further politicisation of our judicial system, with judges acting alone as the state and no longer being held to account by the people in the form of a jury?”
Mr Lammy replied: “No, I do not.”
Labour backbencher issues stark warning against reforms – ‘Sends a chill through my heart’
A prominent backbench left-wing Labour MP has issued a dire warning against today’s justice reforms.
Leeds East MP Richard Burgon said: “I need to be honest.
“The prospects of citizens in our country being put away in jail for up to three years without the benefits of a trial by jury sends a chill through my heart.”
Sitting judge praises jury in apparent veiled swipe at David Lammy
Following Justice Secretary David Lammy’s announcement of plans to restrict jury trials, a judge at Winchester Crown Court said she believed juries were necessary for their “objectivity.”
Thanking the jury which sat on a rape trial, Judge Jane Miller KC, who is sitting in retirement, said: “Those of us who sit in this court think the only way cases like this could be tried is by a jury, and not just these types of cases.
“We think a jury brings an objectivity to cases like these which those involved in cases like this all the time cannot do.”
What has been announced today?
- Defendants in so called “either-way” offences with likely sentences of three years or less will no longer be able to choose a jury trial
- Jury trials will be reserved for the most serious crimes only
- Magistrates’ court sentencing powers will be increased from one year to 18 months
- A new tier of “swift” courts will be created to hear cases without a jury
Liberal Democrats blast David Lammy over ‘historic upheaval’ of court system
Jess Brown-Fuller speaking in the House of Commons
| PARLIAMENT.TV
The Liberal Democrats have said it is “not true” for David Lammy to argue there is no alternative to his jury trial reforms.
The party’s justice spokeswoman Jess Brown-Fuller told the House of Commons: “The announcement today of the government’s plan to reduce the use of trial by jury would be an historic upheaval of our court system, with profound consequences. But the Justice Secretary has not stood up and argued in favor of judge only trials on their own terms.
“Instead, he has made arguments that there is no alternative. That is simply not true.
“We have heard many within the legal profession argue that removing trial by jury is a misdirection for the multitude of problems that are actually underlying the backlog.
“These problems caused by years of conservative mismanagement have resulted in countless wasted hours of sitting times and victims failed time and time again.”
David Lammy defends jury trial reforms as he aims to ‘clear up misconceptions’
David Lammy has said he wants to “clear up misconceptions” over today’s jury trial reforms.
The Justice Secretary said: “In England and Wales, magistrates have long done the vast majority of criminal cases. Today, magistrates hear about 90 per cent of criminal cases.
“In fact, only three percent of trial cases in England and Wales will ever go before a jury, and almost three quarters of all trials go into the crown court will continue to be heard by them under our changes.”
David Lammy confirms jury trial reform
Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced the abolition of jury trials for cases that could have a likely sentence of three years or less, by will create new “swift courts.”
Mr Lammy said the new system would get cases dealt with a fifth faster than jury trials. He said it was necessary as with current projections, case loads will reach 100,000 by 2028.
He said: “Investment is not enough.”
Announcing his criminal court reform in the Commons, Mr Lammy said: “I will create new swift courts within the crown court with a judge alone deciding verdicts in trial of either way cases with a likely sentence of three years or less as Sir Brian (Leveson) recommends.
“Sir Brian estimates that they will deliver justice at least 20 per cent faster than jury trials, and whilst jury deliberations remain confidential, judges provide reasoning for their verdicts in open courts, so this will hardwire transparency in our new approach.”
David Lammy warns court delays ‘deny justice’ to victims of crime
Justice Secretary David Lammy said court delays “deny” justice to victims of crime
The Justice Secretary told the House of Commons: “We’re all proud of our justice system, rooted in the Magna Carta, but we must never forget that it implores us not to deny or delay justice.
“When victims are left waiting for years, justice is effectively denied, and this is a betrayal of our legal heritage, and it’s a betrayal of the victims themselves.”
David Lammy confirms last minute adjustment to justice system reform plans
Justice Secretary David Lammy has confirmed changes to the jury system, including the scrapping of juries for trials where the sentence is likely to be three years or less.
So called “Either way” offences that magistrates send to crown courts below this threshold will be heard by a single judge, rather than a jury.
David Lammy addressing House of Commons on justice plans
David Lammy is addressing the House of Commons
| GB NEWS
David Lammy is on his feet in the House of Commons as he updates MPs on his plans to scrap juries for the majority of cases.
We’ll bring you the latest as it happens.
Kemi Badenoch demands Labour to scrap plans to scale back jury trials
Labour should abandon plans to scale back jury trials, Kemi Badenoch has said.
The Conservative leader told broadcasters that reducing the right to trial by jury was “not necessary to deal with the backlog” of court cases.
She said: “This is an ancient right that we have had in this country for centuries. We should not be getting rid of jury trials. Labour just need to pull their finger out. Everything they touch is a shambles.”
She added: “They don’t know how to clear the backlog, so they’re going to do something that’s really silly and very harmful for our country. They should stop this plan.”
WATCH: Scrapping jury trials will make ‘no difference’ to justice system backlog, Sir Michael Ellis says
David Lammy’s plans to reform Britain’s justice system have been branded a “grotesque infringement of our fundamental rights”.
Speaking to GB News, ex-Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis took aim at the proposal put forward by Justice Secretary, declaring any solution to the backlog has “nothing to do” with the jury.
Kemi Badenoch hits back at Nigel Farage after Reform defections
Kemi Badenoch has hit back at Nigel Farage, as she accused the Reform UK leader of being “worried” of her Conservative Party after a trio of defections.
Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North, Lia Nici, who served as Grimsby MP, and former Bolton West Tory MP Chris Green, have all joined Nigel Farage’s party “on their own accord online.”
Ms Badenoch told GB News: “On the same day as [Mr Farage] is trying to recruit as many Conservative MPs as possible, he’s saying don’t trust the Tories…it’s a very confused message.
“I’m not really interested in what he said…we are the only party who are interested in fiscal responsibility and I think people can see and and that’s why they’re paying more attention to us.”
Office for Budget Responsibility issued warning to Chancellor ahead of Budget
David Miles, a member of the OBR budget responsibility committee speaking earlier today
| PARLIAMENT.TV
The Budget watchdog raised concerns with the Treasury about the amount of information being leaked ahead of Rachel Reeves’ statement.
The Office for Budget Responsibility raised the briefings with senior Treasury officials.
Budget responsibility committee member Professor David Miles told MPs: “I don’t think there was any formal complaint. We were obviously aware that information seemed to be getting into the press.”
He told the Commons Treasury Committee: “There was lots of information appearing in the press which wouldn’t normally be out there and this wasn’t, from our point of view, particularly helpful.”
Asked if the OBR raised it with the Treasury, he said: “I think it was clear that we didn’t find this helpful. We made that clear.”
Labour trusted less than Liz Truss and Jeremy Corbyn in damning new polling
Damning new polling has suggested Britons trust Liz Truss and Jeremy Corbyn to handle the economy more than Labour.
Asked who they would trust with the economy, Labour is now on 10 per cent.
The Conservatives lead the polls on 17 per cent, with Reform UK second on 13 per cent, Greens on eight per cent and the Liberal Democrats on just five per cent.
WATCH: Senior Lib Dem MP tells GB News David Lammy’s jury reforms are ‘about-face’
David Lammy has been condemed over his plans to scrap the majority of jury trials.
Speaking to GB News, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire Helen Morgan hit out at the Justice Secretary for attempting to remove a “cornerstone of democracy”.
Robert Jenrick slams ‘Calamity Lammy’ after accidental prisoner release
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick accused David Lammy of failing to be straight with the public, after a series of accidental prisoner releases, dubbing him “Calamity Lammy.”
“[He] is utterly clueless,” the Tory frontbencher said.
He added: “The public are consistently being put at risk because of his shambolic management. When will this fiasco end?”
Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Jess Brown-Fuller said: “The public deserves a full explanation about how this has happened again, and how the Government are going to get a grip on this dangerous level of incompetence within our justice system.”
She added: “Both the Government and the Prison Service must own up to their failures and guarantee that these mistakes will stop happening once and for all.”
WATCH: Labour spending £91billion extra on welfare is ‘staggering’, says former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith
Senior Labour figures could lose out to the Greens as Zack Polanksi’s party could win up to 50 seats
The Green Party has surged in the polls since election of leader Zack Polanski (right)
| PA
Senior Labour figures, including Deputy Party Leader Lucy Powell and Business Secretary Peter Kyle, could lose their seats to the Green Party.
Polling by Britain Predicts for the New Statesman revealed Zack Polanski’s party would win 23 seats, coming second in 31 seats, and less than 10 points behind the winning party in almost 30.
According to the data, Mr Kyle would lose his Hove and Portslade seat he has held since 2015 and Ms Powell would lose in her Manchester Central constituency.
Also losing their seats to the Greens are former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott in Hackney North & Stoke Newington and former Rural Affairs Minister and Cambridge MP Daniel Smyth.
David Lammy admits another 12 prisoners accidentally released in last month – and two STILL at large
David Lammy has confirmed another 12 prisoners were accidentally released in the last month, with two still at large.
The Justice Secretary said he could not give details of the circumstances of the two prisoners or which prison they were mistakenly released from.
Mr Lammy told Sky News the data should be released “in the way it’s always been released.”
WATCH: Sir Mel Stride blasts decision to scrap majority of jury trials
Prominent Labour backbencher issues dire warning to party – ‘Directionless and hollowed out’
A prominent left-wing Labour backbencher has warned the party “looks directionless and hollowed out” as he accused the party of laying the path for Nigel Farage to become Prime Minister.
Writing in The New Statesman, Norwich South MP Clive Lewis said: ” The current Labour leadership is, knowingly or not, preparing the ground for a Reform Government, not through malice, but because its strategy reinforces the vulnerabilities authoritarian movements exploit.
“A party that once embraced debate now suspends first and asks questions never. Members purged on flimsy grounds. MPs briefed against for insufficient enthusiasm. Activists silenced.
“You can draw a line from that to a policing culture where a grandmother in a Palestine Action T-shirt finds herself arrested. A political machine afraid of dissent produces a state afraid of dissent.”
David Lammy blasts OBR report as ‘shocking and surprising;
David Lammy has slammed the report’s finding
| PA
Justice Secretary David Lammy said it was “shocking and surprising” that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report revealed last week’s Budget leak was not the first time its sensitive forecasts had been accessed early.
The forecast for the last spring statement in March was also “accessed prematurely” on one occasion, the fiscal watchdog said.
Mr Lammy said it was important to support the OBR after its chairman Richard Hughes resigned over the early publication of forecasts.
Mr Lammy told Times Radio: “Clearly, what was set out yesterday was incredibly serious and I think it was shocking and surprising that, in fact, this wasn’t the first time it had happened.
“It had indeed happened before in March and I think it’s for that reason that he has decided to stand down, but I thank him for all that he has done, and I absolutely think it’s important that we continue to support the OBR as they reform in this particular area.”
Mel Stride says Kemi Badenoch was ‘on fire’ on Budget Day
Sir Mel Stride lavished praise on Tory leader Kemi Badenoch as she said the Conservative leader was “on fire” on Budget Day.
He told GB News Kemi has a “good understanding of economics”, adding: “the more she got into it and the more she heard what Reeves was saying the more nimble she became.
“She’s going from strength to strength.”
Mel Stride says Rachel Reeves ‘must resign’
Sir Mel Stride on GB News this morning
| GB News
Sir Mel Stride has called on Rachel Reeves to resign, suggesting the Chancellor’s position had become “untenable.”
The Shadow Chancellor told GB News: “The real story here not to get distracted by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is of course the Chancellor called that press conference on November 4 and told the public there was a huge black hole in the public finances.
“The previous forecast by the OBR on October 31 actually showed she was in surplus. It was a complete misrepresentation of the true position.”
Yvette Cooper to pledge global action to end online abuse of women and girls
Yvette Cooper is set to announce new British efforts to deal with online abuse as she said abuse of women and girls is “crossing borders at unprecedented scale and speed.”
The Foreign Secretary is expected to announce a £4.85million package from the UK’s integrated security fund to support, among other things, the expansion of an online platform that helps websites block the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
Ms Cooper will say: “Numbers alone are inadequate but they should shock us nonetheless.
“One in every three women and girls worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, 140 women and girls killed every day by a partner or close relative.”
She will add: “So I pledge to go all in as Foreign Secretary, working to ensure that women and girls around the world can thrive and flourish, free from violence and free from fear.”
RECAP: Keir Starmer admits China is a ‘national security threat’ to Britain
The Prime Minister said it would be “a dereliction of duty” not to engage with China | REUTERSSir Keir Starmer has acknowledged that China represents a “national security threat” to Britain, despite the Government’s efforts to strengthen ties with Beijing.
At the Lady Mayor’s Banquet in Guildhall on Monday, the Prime Minister said it would be “a dereliction of duty” not to engage with China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Sir Keir said that establishing a cautious relationship with the East Asian country would give Britain a boost on the world stage.
