Labour needs to make its priorities clear to everyone | Letters

Martin Kettle quotes a former Whitehall mandarin saying that “the government has still not made clear what kind of Britain it is trying to create” (Rachel Reeves seized her moment – whatever the future brings, Labour’s economic course is now set, 12 June). He has a point, not wholly answered by Rachel Reeves. It’s the vision thing, and the ability to communicate it. It’s about describing what Labour is for, in a general sense, beyond a list of policy deliverables. Growth is important, but only as a means, not an end

Keir Starmer in diplomatic push to head off Middle East crisis before G7 summit in Canada

Keir Starmer is beginning an urgent diplomatic push to try to head off the crisis in the Middle East, as the Foreign Office warned Britons not to travel to Israel after further retaliatory attacks by Iran.Downing Street did not rule out the possibility of having to evacuate UK nationals from Israel if matters deteriorated, saying officials were keeping all contingency plans “under constant review”.The prime minister discussed the continuing clashes between Israel and Iran with the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, in Ottawa before heading to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, in the western province of Alberta.While Starmer’s programme for meetings at the summit has yet to be set out, it is likely he will hold bilateral talks with leaders such as President Donald Trump, President Emmanuel Macron of France and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, all of whom Starmer has talked to by phone since the strikes began.“Our priorities, as we’ve repeatedly said, is de-escalation,” Starmer’s deputy spokesperson told reporters in the Canadian capital, before the prime minister met Carney for talks

Rachel Reeves accused of leaving devolved nations in red after NICs rise

Rachel Reeves has been accused of shortchanging the UK’s devolved nations after leaving the Welsh, Scottish and northern Irish governments with multimillion-pound funding gaps.The chancellor said the Treasury would fully cover the 1.2% rise in national insurance contributions for employers on salaries above £5,000, which came in on 6 April.However, Reeves has calculated the amount of money needed by using the Barnett formula, which ensures funding increases proportional to England in terms of population.Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast – which all operate larger public sectors than England – now say they have been left in the red

Rachel Reeves defends Starmer’s delay in launching grooming gangs inquiry

Rachel Reeves has defended Keir Starmer’s decision to launch a national inquiry into historic child sexual exploitation after months of pressure, saying that victims of grooming gangs have always been the government’s priority.The chancellor said the prime minister was not concerned with “grandstanding” and had instead wanted to “assure himself” that a full public inquiry was necessary. She insisted that ministers had “never dismissed the concerns of victims”, even as Labour previously resisted calls for a wide-ranging investigation.“I think Keir Starmer … has always been really focused, as he was when he was director of public prosecutions, on victims – not grandstanding,” Reeves told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. “But actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again

China considers lifting sanctions on UK parliamentarians as relations warm

China is considering lifting the sanctions it imposed on UK parliamentarians in 2021 in the latest sign of warming relations between London and Beijing.The Chinese government is reviewing the sanctions, which it introduced four years ago, in response to what it called “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, according to two UK government sources familiar with the conversations.Asked to comment, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said: “China has always attached importance to developing relations with the UK. Currently, UK-China relations are showing a positive momentum.”“Exchanges and dialogues between the UK and China at all levels and in all fields will help enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, and will also help promote the continuous development of bilateral relations and practical cooperation, which benefit the two peoples

Keir Starmer to launch national inquiry into grooming gangs

Keir Starmer will launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs after receiving the recommendations of an independent report on the scandal.The prime minister said a new statutory inquiry was “the right thing to do” based on the findings submitted by Louise Casey, who has carried out a months-long inquiry into the abuse of young girls.Speaking to reporters travelling with him to the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said Casey recommended “a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen”.“I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit,” he said