Stephen Kinnock stares into the abyss as he carries can for welfare U-turn | John Crace
You could have heard the cries of despair coming from Stephen Kinnock’s house from the other end of the street.He had been safely tucked up in bed when he got the message from No 10 that the government was doing the mother of all U-turns on the welfare bill.The third U-turn in a month or so and by far the biggest yet.It was Kinnock’s bad luck that he had been booked to do the government’s morning media round.He had been told it would be a doddle.
A chance to talk about better provision for people with poor mental health.The sort of good news slot a minister dreams about.Now he could forget it.No journalist would be interested in anything but the latest crisis.He would be the one left to carry the can.
Even though it was really nothing to do with him.It was the price of being halfway up the food chain.Little power, but all the responsibility for the coming hours.This had better not become habit-forming.He didn’t want the No 10 communications team to get ideas.
He wasn’t about to become Labour’s Mel Stride.On Radio 4’s Today programme, Nick Robinson could barely contain his excitement.Nick lives for these days when everything a government tries to do comes crashing down around it.This was his idea of fun.The highlight of his Glastonbury weekend.
Like headlining the Pyramid stage,He glanced into Stephen’s eyes and saw only an abyss of human misery,Better and better,“So,” said Nick, not bothering with any niceties,Like, would you like some Valium? Or intravenous morphine? This late-night U-turn was a complete shitshow, wasn’t it? The sign of a government in complete disarray.
Stephen took a deep breath and mouthed the platitudes he had been coached to say by No 10.The U-turn wasn’t a U-turn.Rather it was a sign of a positive and constructive debate.Even as the words escaped his lips, he could feel something inside him die a little.He felt grubby.
Compromised,But he couldn’t stop now,He was committed,His career depended on it,His ambition and self-worth on a fatal collision course.
Here was the moment of weakness.Nick loved the smell of bullshit in the morning.Made it worth the 3am start.Time to go in hard.So let’s think this one through, he continued.
For months, No 10 had ignored the Labour backbenchers.Then it had panicked when it realised that 126 could kill off the welfare bill at second reading.First calling the backbenchers “noises off”.Then caving in.How much worse could things get?There was a pause.
Stephen was about to say “hold my beer”.Instead, he stared balefully at the miserable script he had been given and carried on.The chaos was a sign of order, he insisted.This was how grownup governments operated.Normally, all the arguments took place at the committee stage.
By having them now, they were streamlining the process,Efficiency savings in action,A government delivering on its promises,Would that do?It wouldn’t,Nick started to sound a little bored.
This was all too easy.He had been hoping for more resistance.But Kinnock had all but caved in immediately.Still, there was more time on the clock so he might as well fill it.This wasn’t about reform, it was about cost-saving.
The changes in personal independence payments had been inserted by the chancellor to balance the budget.“This is about dignity and respect,” sobbed Stephen.Only, just not for him.He had lost both at about the time the interview had started.So this was a pure Freudian slip.
As if realising the hole he had dug for himself, he chose to throw Rachel Reeves into it as well.If he was going down then she could go down with him.However much he was being paid to make himself look a halfwit, it wasn’t nearly enough.Over to you, Rachel.You can explain where you’re going to fund the £3bn that the changes are going to cost.
Nothing to do with me.By now, the script that Kinnock had been given was drifting in and out of focus as his heart rate and blood pressure rocketed.Nothing to do but continue.The reforms would now be staggered.Another Freudian slip.
He was losing control,The person doing the staggering was him,By now only semi-conscious,Stephen Timms would be doing a review so why not ask him what he thought in a year’s time,Nick went for the kill.
This was the third U-turn after the winter fuel allowance and grooming gangs.Keir Starmer was more of a pushover than a leader.By now, Stephen was on autopilot.Keir was amazing.Had done great things.
Was a fantastic listener,Positive and constructive,“You’re smiling,” said Nick,Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotion“I always smile when I come on your programme,” Kinnock replied,Especially when he had visions of doing unspeakable things to Nick.
No hard feelings? Only a few …Earlier on Today, Meg Hillier had had her own mini-embarrassment as she tried to explain how she was now delighted with the changes the government had made.Meg is not one of parliament’s natural troublemakers and had always been desperate for the government to meet her halfway.She had never wanted to cause a scene unless absolutely necessary and was thrilled that a compromise had been found.Only, halfway had turned out to be somewhat arbitrary.One rule for those already receiving benefits, another for those who may need them in a year or so.
It all made sense to Meg.If no one else.In Megworld, the people with current disabilities are all that count.They should get the dosh.But it was quite right that future stroke victims should be made to suffer.
The threat of less money would make them try that bit harder to dress themselves.Create aspiration in a demoralised nation.It all smacked a bit of desperation.The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, sent a letter to all MPs, the subtext of which was: “Help! I don’t know what I’m doing.” Meanwhile, No 10 declared it was a listening government.
Everything was going entirely to plan,So that’s all right then,
US reaches deal with China to speed up rare-earth shipments, White House says
The US has reached an agreement with China to speed up rare-earth shipments into America, officials confirmed on Friday. The news sent US stock markets to fresh highs amid news of wider efforts to end the trade wars between the US and the world’s biggest economies.Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US had signed a deal with China the previous day, without providing additional details, and that there might be a separate deal coming up that would “open up” India.But the trade news was complicated on Friday afternoon when Trump announced he had called off talks with Canada over a digital sales tax. The S&P and the Nasdaq turned negative before recovering their losses
M&S boss slams ‘bureaucratic madness’ of products requiring ‘not for EU’ labels
The boss of Marks & Spencer has called on the government to rapidly reset relations with the EU and criticised new rules which demand extra checks and labelling on products headed from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland as “bureaucratic madness”.Stuart Machin, the chief executive of M&S, which has 25 stores in Northern Ireland, said that from next week the retailer would have to label 1,000 more products destined for the UK country with “not for EU” while another 400 items would require “additional checks”.The “not for EU” labelling is designed to prevent products intended for sale in Northern Ireland being moved to the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member.In a post on X, he said the change in rules added “yet another layer of unnecessary costs and red tape for food retailers like M&S”.“Quite frankly it’s bureaucratic madness, confusing for customers, and completely unnecessary given the UK has some of the highest food standards in the world
Lotus plans to end UK sportscar production, putting 1,300 jobs at risk
Lotus is planning to end production of its sportscars in the UK and shift it to the US, a move that would put 1,300 jobs at risk and represent a major blow to the British car industry.The carmaker’s Chinese owner, Geely, is looking at options including manufacturing its Emira sportscar in the US, and permanently stopping production at its factory in Hethel, Norfolk, according to a person with knowledge of the company’s thinking. No final decision has been made.Workers at the factory, in a former second world war bomber facility, have not been informed of the plans. Lotus declined to comment on “rumours and speculation”
Wall Street hits record high on trade deal hopes; UK car exports to US halve due to tariffs – as it happened
UK car production has slumped to a 76-year low, as Donald Trump’s trade war hurt the British auto industry.Shipments to the US fell by 55.4% last month, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.The SMMT says:This was primarily due to the imposition by the US administration of a supplementary 25% Section 232 tariffs on cars from March which depressed demand instantly forcing many manufacturers to stop shipments.However, with the trade agreement negotiated by government due to come into effect before the end of June, this should hopefully be a short-lived constraint
Barclays and Jes Staley face fresh lawsuit in US over Epstein link
Barclays and its former chief executive Jes Staley are facing a class action lawsuit in the US over claims they defrauded and misled investors over Staley’s relationship with the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.A judge in a Los Angeles court denied Staley’s request to dismiss the case this week, paving the way for a fresh hearing that continues a long-running legal saga emanating from Staley’s statements to regulators and investors over the nature of his ties to the disgraced financier.It is a bruising outcome for the American banker, who lost a legal challenge in the UK on Thursday against the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which in 2023 had banned him for life from holding senior management roles in the City for misleading the watchdog over his history with Epstein.The US class action suit, led by pension funds in New York and Missouri, alleges that Barclays, its chair, Nigel Higgins, and Staley repeatedly misrepresented Staley’s history with Epstein to media and investors, starting in July 2019, weeks after Epstein was arrested on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.Court documents allege that this was done in an attempt to protect Barclays’ reputation and share price
Superdrug to add more stores as demand for weight loss drugs soars
An increase in demand for weight loss drugs, including Mounjaro and Wegovy, as well as demand among its generation Alpha customer base for beauty products is driving expansion at Superdrug.The retailer plans to add 25 more stores to its 800-plus strong chain this year as well as extending existing outlets, despite troubles across the high street that have led to the closure of hundreds of stores at its rival Boots and downsizing at chains from Poundland to River Island.Superdrug is bouncing back from difficult times during the coronavirus pandemic as demand for its weight-loss services almost 300% in the first half of this year compared with last year.While many of the drugs are ordered online via its private GP service, the retailer is looking at how it can adapt and expand in-store services to cater for demand so that its team of nurses can offer help with the potential side-effects, such as hair loss, for example. More serious problems, including with the pancreas, have also been flagged up in some cases
A clear set of actions is needed to improve NHS maternity services | Letters
‘I don’t think my brain should have gone through that’: five young people on their experience of smartphones as teens
Felicity Whittaker obituary
Triple threat of smoking, drinking and weight ‘puts a million in England at risk of early death’
As a carer, I’m not special – but sometimes I need to be reminded how important my role is | Natasha Sholl
People dying early of cancer costs UK economy £10.3bn a year, study finds