Attorney general urges Nigel Farage to apologise over alleged racism and antisemitism

The UK’s top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish government ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who claim the Reform UK leader racially abused them while at school.The attorney general, Richard Hermer, said Farage had “clearly deeply hurt” many people judging by their descriptions of his behaviour, and that his “constantly changing” denials had been unconvincing.Speaking to the Guardian, Hermer said: “Throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions put to him, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism.”A Guardian investigation last month reported the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage at Dulwich College, in south London.They included Peter Ettedgui, who said a 13-year-old Farage “would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”

Starmer has little choice but to bind himself closer to his chancellor

When Keir Starmer was mounting the case for the prosecution against Boris Johnson for his Partygate antics, it took almost two months and a police investigation for him to formally call for the prime minister to resign. He was of the view there was no point calling for things until they were likely to happen.This is not the philosophy of the current leader of the opposition. Since October, Kemi Badenoch has called on Starmer to sack his chancellor three times, once over a mishap with her rental licence, then for considering raising income tax, and finally because she did not in fact raise income tax.It is unclear whether Badenoch genuinely believes Reeves may be forced out because of how she spun the forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility to help her step back from the brink of a manifesto breach

Your Party faces proxy war despite avoiding leadership race, insiders warn

Your Party faces a potential proxy war between supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana after members opted for a collective model of leadership, insiders have warned.Members voted narrowly in favour of an initial period in which the new leftwing party is guided by a 16-strong central executive committee at its inaugural conference at the weekend. The decision avoided a direct and possibly brutal contest between Corbyn and Sultana to be sole leader, the other option available.The pair have fallen out over a series of issues in the party’s brief history, including Sultana unilaterally announcing its formation and launching a membership drive, and a complex battle over transferring money from members to the party.The conference in Liverpool saw signs of continued disagreements, with Sultana, the former Labour MP who now sits as an independent, boycotting the first day in protest over some of her supporters being expelled for being members of other political parties

UK politics: OBR chief resigns, saying budget leak was ‘technical but serious’ error – as it happened

Here is the letter from Richard Hughes to Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury committee, offering his resignation.Richard Hughes, the chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, has quit after the findings of an urgent inquiry by the watchdog into how it inadvertently published Rachel Reeves’s budget 40 minutes early. In response, Reeves said in a statement.I want to thank Richard Hughes for his public service and for leading the Office for Budget Responsibility over the past five years and for his many years of public service.This government is committed to protecting the independence of the OBR and the integrity of our fiscal framework and institutions

Why it’s silly to focus on Labour’s manifesto pledges | Letter

Martin Kettle is right to describe as “irresponsible” Labour’s manifesto commitment not to raise any of the main revenue-raising taxes (Rachel Reeves’s budget has inflamed, not calmed, Britain’s febrile mood, 27 November). This was like sending an army into battle with its most effective weapons removed. It was also quite unnecessary, as Labour was going to win anyway because people just wanted the Tories out.It would have been possible for Labour to say that it had no desire or intention to raise taxes while also saying that it all depended on the economic circumstances in which it found itself. That would have been the sensible position and would have removed the straitjacket that the government is now in

Does Labour have a death wish or does it secretly enjoy the agony of self-sabotage?

Freud has a word for it. Thanatos. Up till now it’s been tempting to give Labour the benefit of the doubt. That being in opposition for 14 years has made them ring-rusty. That they’ve forgotten how this government thingy works