Labour must ‘choose issues up’ after ‘powerful’ first yr in energy, Sadiq Khan warns
Good morning and welcome to our dwell protection of UK politics. Regardless of successful an enormous majority finally yr’s basic election, Labour knew it had a number of work to do to regain voters belief and present authorities may work for bizarre folks.
The duty was made tougher because the get together inherited a weak economic system and crumbling public companies underinvested in by earlier Conservative administrations.
Up to now, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has did not win reputation with voters, in accordance with many polls, with a seeming lack of political course and fixed strikes to appease Reform voters whereas Labour’s base quietly slips away.
Starmer’s proposed cuts to winter gas funds, his sluggishness over adopting a firmer stance on Israel’s warfare on Gaza and his controversial welfare reforms had been out of line with a lot of the general public’s attitudes.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, informed an viewers on the Edinburgh pageant fringe final night time that Labour must “actually choose issues up” after a “powerful” first yr in authorities.
Khan, who has been crucial over the federal government earlier than, notably over disability benefit cuts and ministers’ plans for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, mentioned there was a sense that individuals “lent” Labout their vote final summer season (in a bid to get the Conservatives out).
He mentioned:
These those who say it has been an awesome first yr … I feel they’re letting the get together down.
It hasn’t been an awesome first yr. There have been nice issues which have occurred on this first yr, across the rights for renters, across the rights for staff, round vitality safety, and I may go on. However as first years go, it has not been an awesome first yr.
Khan mentioned Labour may nonetheless flip round because it has one other 4 years and are outfitted with a “nice group” in No 10 led by Starmer, who he insisted he was not being crucial of, though he conceded that the prime minister and people round him might be performing higher.
Khan – who’s a Liverpool FC supporter – mentioned if Labour was in a soccer match, they’d be “two-nil down”.
However persevering with his analogy, he mentioned that solely 15 or 20 minutes of the match had gone, with minutes nonetheless to play and to “win this recreation”.
He defined:
It’s actually necessary now we actually choose issues up as a result of I feel we’re two-nil down.
However the nice information is now we have turned it spherical earlier than, now we have received video games earlier than the place we’re two nil down, we will do it once more.
After over a decade out of energy at Westminster, Khan additionally mentioned that the get together had “misplaced the reminiscence of operating issues”.
“It has taken a while for the Labour get together, the Labour authorities, to know how the equipment of presidency works,” he mentioned.
Key occasions
Rachel Reeves to slash environmental protections in a bid to hurry up infrastructure tasks – report
The Occasions is reporting that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is getting ready to strip again environmental protections that block infrastructure tasks from getting beneath approach, in an effort to spice up Labour’s constructing pledges and financial development.
Labour’s Planning and Infrastructure invoice is already within the committee stage on the Home of Lords however the Treasury is reportedly getting ready for one more planning reform invoice, with officers contemplating ripping up key elements of European environmental guidelines that builders say are obstructing key infrastructure tasks.
In accordance with the Occasions, Reeves has mentioned the pursuits of “bats and newts” are being allowed to stymie infrastructure and improvement tasks, and officers are contemplating putting limits to judicial evaluate that can imply folks with environmental objections received’t be capable of delay tasks so simply.
The chancellor, restricted by a set of stringent self-imposed fiscal guidelines, is determined for financial development and infrastructure is seen as a key a part of that ambition. She is getting ready for a troublesome autumn funds amid mounting hypothesis over tax rises, as a weaker development outlook, higher debt interest payments and a collection of U-turns on welfare cuts contribute to an enormous deficit within the authorities funds.
Sufferers in England given extra entry to essential well being checks out of hours

Nicola Davis
Nicola Davis is the Guardian’s science correspondent
Sufferers in England now have higher entry to necessary exams resembling MRI scans and endoscopies within the evenings and weekends, the federal government has mentioned, after growing the variety of group diagnostic centres (CDCs) providing out of hours companies.
There are 170 CDCs working in England, which are sometimes in buying centres, soccer stadiums and on college campuses. Sufferers can entry them by way of a referral from their GP or medical groups at hospitals.
The federal government has revealed that 100 CDCs are open 12 hours a day, seven days per week – a rise of 37 CDCs with such opening hours in contrast with July 2024 – with the hope that the service will enable sufferers higher and speedier entry to prognosis.
The transfer to offer extra handy care is a part of the federal government’s plan for change which, it says, goals to rework healthcare and make the NHS match for the longer term, with an growth of community-based companies a key a part of the method.
Jack Straw urges Labour to not panic about risk of Nigel Farage
The previous dwelling secretary Jack Straw has urged Labour to not panic about the specter of Reform, who’re driving excessive within the polls as Nigel Farage capitalises on the “small boats” and asylum backlog concern. Right here is an extract from the write up of the interview he gave to the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Jessica Elgot:
In an interview with the Guardian, he praised Starmer’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state after an ultimatum to Israel – however defended the house secretary, Yvette Cooper, saying he would even have proscribed the direct motion group Palestine Motion.
The British political veteran mentioned he believed Starmer and his cupboard had been “head and shoulders” above opposition politicians and would reap the rewards of a gradual enchancment within the economic system and public companies, which might not come instantly.
And he mentioned the ballot lead of Reform UK shouldn’t be taken as a foregone conclusion. “Now we have been right here earlier than by way of an rebel get together main within the polls. So I feel it’s the well-known phrase – don’t panic,” he mentioned.
The previous cupboard minister mentioned Labour confronted not solely a horrible financial inheritance, however elementary harm to the material of democracy by the earlier Conservative governments, primarily Boris Johnson.
Labour must ‘choose issues up’ after ‘powerful’ first yr in energy, Sadiq Khan warns
Good morning and welcome to our dwell protection of UK politics. Regardless of successful an enormous majority finally yr’s basic election, Labour knew it had a number of work to do to regain voters belief and present authorities may work for bizarre folks.
The duty was made tougher because the get together inherited a weak economic system and crumbling public companies underinvested in by earlier Conservative administrations.
Up to now, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has did not win reputation with voters, in accordance with many polls, with a seeming lack of political course and fixed strikes to appease Reform voters whereas Labour’s base quietly slips away.
Starmer’s proposed cuts to winter gas funds, his sluggishness over adopting a firmer stance on Israel’s warfare on Gaza and his controversial welfare reforms had been out of line with a lot of the general public’s attitudes.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, informed an viewers on the Edinburgh pageant fringe final night time that Labour must “actually choose issues up” after a “powerful” first yr in authorities.
Khan, who has been crucial over the federal government earlier than, notably over disability benefit cuts and ministers’ plans for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, mentioned there was a sense that individuals “lent” Labout their vote final summer season (in a bid to get the Conservatives out).
He mentioned:
These those who say it has been an awesome first yr … I feel they’re letting the get together down.
It hasn’t been an awesome first yr. There have been nice issues which have occurred on this first yr, across the rights for renters, across the rights for staff, round vitality safety, and I may go on. However as first years go, it has not been an awesome first yr.
Khan mentioned Labour may nonetheless flip round because it has one other 4 years and are outfitted with a “nice group” in No 10 led by Starmer, who he insisted he was not being crucial of, though he conceded that the prime minister and people round him might be performing higher.
Khan – who’s a Liverpool FC supporter – mentioned if Labour was in a soccer match, they’d be “two-nil down”.
However persevering with his analogy, he mentioned that solely 15 or 20 minutes of the match had gone, with minutes nonetheless to play and to “win this recreation”.
He defined:
It’s actually necessary now we actually choose issues up as a result of I feel we’re two-nil down.
However the nice information is now we have turned it spherical earlier than, now we have received video games earlier than the place we’re two nil down, we will do it once more.
After over a decade out of energy at Westminster, Khan additionally mentioned that the get together had “misplaced the reminiscence of operating issues”.
“It has taken a while for the Labour get together, the Labour authorities, to know how the equipment of presidency works,” he mentioned.