Andy Burnham has said "nothing is off the table" as he vowed to take action against a vile grooming gang ringleader set to be released from prison.
Shabir Ahmed is set to be released from prison on Thursday but is unable to be deported due to a provision in the Immigration Act 1971 that exempts Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 from removal.
The 73-year-old, known to his victims as "Daddy", was jailed back in 2012 for multiple rape and child sexual offences in Rochdale.
Girls young as 12 were supplied with alcohol and drugs, gang-raped in rooms above takeaway shops and ferried to different flats in taxis where cash was paid to use the girls for sex.
Now Mr Burnham, the Makerfield MP and likely next Prime Minister, has vowed to take action as he issued a damning statement about the case.
He said: "Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first.
"I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options - and they should consider nothing is off the table."
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Keir Starmer accuses SNP of 'pretending' not to know about Peter Murrell crimes
Sir Keir Starmer has accused the SNP of "pretending" not to know that their former chief executive Peter Murrell was embezzling money.
Murrell, the ex-husband of former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, was jailed for five years and three months for embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over a 12-year period.
Responding to a question from SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir promised to deliver "some home truths".
He said: "Before he or any of them give any more advice to me or this House, let’s have some home truths. Their chief executive has just been jailed for five years for embezzlement.
"They’re all pretending they didn’t know anything about it. They couldn’t even see the motorhome parked in the driveway, apparently. And now they’re blocking an inquiry into the Scottish Parliament. Before they offer any more advice, they should look in the mirror."
Ministers 'in discussion' over ban on West Bank trade ban
Israeli military vehicles surround the Palestinian Solidarity Association building during a military operation in the West Bank
|GETTY
Ministers are “in discussion” over a trade ban on goods from Israeli West Bank settlements.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the UK was looking for "concrete steps" to counter settlement expansion, while “"settler violence remains at record levels".
He criticised the E1 project, which would see Israel build more than 3,000 homes in the Palestinian West Bank, which Mr Falconer said would divide the area"“in two" and "mark a serious breach of international law".
His comment came after Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said allies, including the Netherlands, Ireland and Norway, have introduced a “full trade ban on Israeli goods coming from illegal settlements”.
The Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury said those countries had decided it was "the right thing to do", asking when the UK would join them.
Mr Falconer responded: “In our discussions with our counterparts, there are a number of technical difficulties that people are encountering, particularly those in the European Union.
“But I would just be clear to the House, I am confirming today that we are in discussions about such measures.”
New-build homes 'should never house asylum seekers', says Home Office
The Home Office has said new-build homes "should never house asylum seekers" after it emerged that up to 83 migrants are set to be moved into a development in a rural Shropshire village.
Twenty-one homes in the Stoke Heath development have been acquired by outsourcing firm Serco for asylum seekers, prompting strong opposition from residents who say the properties should be for local people.
A Home Office spokesperson said robust processes had been introduced to ensure new-build sites "can never be considered again", though it is understood the Shropshire development pre-dates the new guidance introduced by the Home Secretary which discourages housing asylum seekers in new-build properties.
More on the story can be found here.
No10 does not rule out cutting hospital building budgets to pay for Defence Investment Plan
No10 did not rule out cutting hospital building budgets to pay for increased defence spending.
Asked whether hospital building projects would be protected from cuts to capital budgets, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Thanks to this Government’s record investment in the NHS there will be no impact to funding for frontline services.
“This will also not affect the timetable for delivery of the seven Raac-affected hospitals which we’ve prioritised or Wave 1 projects of the New Hospital Programme and we still plan to spend more than £15 billion on capital health investment.”
Asked about other hospital programmes, the spokesman repeated that the cuts would not affect the Raac-affected hospitals or the first wave of the Government’s new hospitals programme.
Lee Anderson demands Government to deport every illegal migrant following rape case involving Pakistani national
Reform MP Lee Anderson demanded Sir Keir Starmer and his successor detain and deport every migrant who arrives in Britain illegally, raising the case of a Pakistani national housed in Ashfield who went on to rape a young girl in a local park.
Mr Anderson said: "In Ashfield, four workers including two workers were kicked out of their HMO and Serco put four illegal migrants in this HMO.
"One of these illegal migrants was a Pakistani national. He went on to rape a young girl, a vulnerable young girl, on a park in Ashfield. He's now doing 14 years in prison. This was a monster allowed into this country by this awful Government."
Sir Keir said he was "very proud" of bringing net migration down by 82 per cent compared to the previous government.
He added: "Now asylum decisions are made at record levels, the backlog is down, removals are up 41 per cent and we're closing asylum hotels. They lost control of our borders, now small boat crossings are coming down and we deported 70,000 people with no right to be here."
Ed Davey questions Prime Minister on leaving Britain vulnerable to missile attacks
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, asked the Prime Minister why he has left the UK vulnerable to missile attacks, highlighting the ongoing war in Ukraine and the use of drones in the conflict.
He also said the Government has rejected Lib Dem proposals to use military bonds to fund defence.
Sir Keir Starmer responded: "Our defense investment plan gives our country what we need to fight now and into the future, the capability that has been assessed through the strategic review.
"Bonds, which we looked at very closely, are simply borrowing by another name.
"We are already borrowing in a way which requires us to spend £1 in every £10 on servicing the interest on that, and I would gently point out, before he carries on that he sat in a Cabinet that cut defense spending by 22 per cent."
Keir Starmer demands the Conservatives apologise for 'hollowing out' military
The outgoing Prime Minister swiped at the Conservatives over the lack of investment in defence, demanding they apologise for "hollowing out" the military.
In an aggressive exchange between the two leaders, Sir Keir said to Mrs Badenoch: "They cut defense 2.5 per cent down to 2.3 per cent in their 14 long years of what you do on welfare.
"They put the bill up by £88million, so no lectures from them. They failed in the first duty of Government, and they won't defend their record, will they?
"They won't stand here and defend it, because they know never do they stand here and defend their record, because they can't, 14 years of failure, they don't get up and apologise, which is what they should do, because they would admit what we all know, how much they failed, so they just sit there pretending it didn't happen.
"Well, it did happen. You hollowed out the armed forces, we're correcting you."
'Too weak to cut welfare when he had the chance' - Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch called Sir Keir Starmer "weak" over allocating the right funds for the Defence Investment Plan.
She said: "The reason that he is in this mess is because he was too weak to cut welfare when he had the chance. There are only three ways to find the missing £5billion: increased borrowing, increased taxes, cut welfare. Which one will he recommend to the member of Makerfield?"
Sir Keir responded: "They do not understand it because they lost control of the public finances. In addition to war on defense and security, we have taken control of the public finances."
The Defence Investment Plan was published yesterday, but explained £4.7billion of the required funding would be found in the Autumn budget.
This has been criticised widely as the outgoing Prime Minister leaves a funding blackhole for this successor.
Britain falling dangerously behind its allies on military investment, says Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch warned the Government is making Britain fall dangerously behind its allies in defence spending
She said: "Poland has increased their funding to 4.8 per cent, Germany has increased theirs to 3.7 per cent this year. Russia will spend 10 per cent of GDP on defence. Meanwhile, Britain is spending it all on welfare. Even the limited plan that he has announced has completely unravelled because he hasn't found the money to pay for it."
Sir Keir Starmer hit back, pointing to what he described as the biggest boost of defence investment since the 1980s.
He said: "Their [the Conservatives'] record is cutting defence spending. My record is raising it to £300billion pounds and rising. We have given our armed forces the biggest pay rise for 20 years and increased defence funding by £15billion a year. That's a record I'm proud to stand on."
Kemi Badenoch quizzes the Defence Investment Plan funding blackhole
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch questioned the Prime Minister over the Defence Investment plan's lack of funding, arguing the budget is half of what was required to get the military into full readiness.
Sir Keir Starmer responded: "I'm very proud that this Labour Government has delivered two major funding increases in just two years.
"The first, which was funded by overseas aid, took us to £270billion over the spending review period. That is a record. The Defense Investment Plan gives us capability we need for the future that sets a new record of £300billion pounds over the next four years.
"That will be invested in drones and autonomous weapons, the largest ever investment. Strength for UK's nuclear capability and naval bases in the most significant way for 45 years, and confirming our commitment to the next generation of fighter jets. That is what is needed to keep our country safe."
Keir Starmer opens PMQs for the second-to-last time
Sir Keir Starmer, the outgoing Prime Minister addressed MPs in the Commons today, expressing his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the earthquake last week, the NHS's 78th birthday and the Defence Investment Plan's (Dip) publication.
On the Dip, he said: "Our defense investment plan commits more to investment on our armed forces. It delivers the modern keep and capabilities our personnel need to keep us safe, meaning we buy British to create jobs here at home and strengthen our international leadership."
Andy Burnham assures Defence Secretary military will get the funding it needs
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said he had “assurance” that Andy Burnham would ensure investment in the military.
During a visit to Cambridge Aerospace, Mr Jarvis said: "I absolutely have the assurance that, as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham will make sure that we’ve got the investment coming into defence.
"That is good for our nation, good for our national security, but it’s also good for economic prosperity and its companies and workers in this part of the country that I think will benefit very well from the new investment that we’ve announced."
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis defends £4.7billion blackhole in Defence Investment Plan
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said he will have "conversations" with the next Prime Minister about defence investment while insisting it was "not unreasonable" to leave the £4.7billion blackhole for the next "major fiscal event".
Speaking at missile manufacturer Cambridge Aerospace, he said: "I think, though, it is not unreasonable to accept the basic point that when you are committing billions and billions of pounds of investment, that in the normal order of business those kind of commitments are made in the context of a major fiscal event.
“There will be a spending review next year. I will be making the case for defence. I’m sure that that is a case that will be supported very closely by the Chiefs.
“Obviously, there will be conversations that will have to be taking place with the person who’s going to be the next prime minister, but fundamentally, my job is to fight hard for defence.
“That’s what I’ve done for the past two weeks, and that’s what I intend to keep doing.”
John Swinney hits back at Andy Burnham after comments over Scots feeling distant to Holyrood
Scottish First Minister John Swinney has rejected Andy Burnham's claim that parts of Scotland feel as distant from Holyrood as they do from Westminster, saying the presumptive Prime Minister is not in a "strong position to lecture" him.
Mr Burnham has pledged to redistribute power across the UK, saying his plans for a "No10 North" would make "power flow into places like Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Paisley and Easterhouse".
But Mr Swinney dismissed the remarks as "polemics", saying: "I don't agree with them that areas feel distant from Holyrood. The city of Dundee just re-elected SNP members of the Scottish Parliament and the Labour Party got terrible results in the city."
He added: "If Andy Burnham is going to become the Prime Minister, he should have a substantive discussion with the Scottish Government and me about how we empower and strengthen the powers of the Scottish Parliament, and I'll be a willing partner in doing that."
Road budgets cut to fund defence rather than welfare
Defence minister Luke Pollard has confirmed £700million is being diverted from the roads budget to help fund the increase in defence spending, acknowledging the decision would affect some programmes and local communities.
Speaking to GB News, he said the unprecedented scale of the defence spending increase meant difficult choices had to be made elsewhere.
He added: "When it comes to it, I know the threats we're facing as a nation are real, and they are growing."
He said the investment would mean "more money for our armed forces, more kit and equipment, and importantly, an end to the scandal of our military personnel living in appalling accommodation", pointing to £9billion earmarked to rebuild or refurbish nine in ten military homes.
Mr Pollard dodged questioning on why the Government was not reforming welfare budgets to fund defence spending.
£4.7billion blackhole 'fairly common Government practice', says defence minister
Luke Pollard Minister for Defence Readiness said the £4.7billion funding for the Defence Investment Plan (Dip) which has been left for the autumn budget to fill is "fairly common Government practice".
Speaking to GB News, he said: "£4.7billion of that increased defence budget will be set out in the autumn budget, which, as you will know, is fairly common Government practice - something done by previous Governments that announce the policy intent and the detail of how that is afforded at the next budget, or the next fiscal event."
The budgetary blackhole has been criticised due to the Dip's delay and is seen as Sir Keir Starmer leaving the issue for his likely successor Andy Burnham and his not-yet-known Chancellor to deal with.
Andy Burnham and defence ministers kept in dark over Defence Investment Plan budget
Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham was only informed about the £4.7billion blackhole in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), a defence minister has said.
Luke Pollard told Sky News: "Downing Street have a close dialogue with Andy’s team … I understand they’ve been keeping him close to the process, and told him yesterday when the Treasury published the statement and the breakdown of the financial costs."
He continued to say he only saw the budget breakdown from the Treasury when the Dip was published yesterday.
'Keir Starmer has left toxic legacy' - Chris Philp condemns Defence Investment Plan blackhole
Chris Philp Shadow Home Secretary has condemned the Defence Investment Plan (Dip) which was published yesterday, after a six-month delay, describing Sir Keir Starmer's legacy as "toxic".
Speaking to GB News, he said: "When the government announced yesterday, the total amount of extra money [for the Dip] - £5billion of it, a third of it was totally unfunded.
"They've got no idea at all where it's going to come from. So Keir Starmer has left a toxic legacy there, but even accounting for that, the amount of money they're giving is only about half of the military need to fund that defense properly."
Chris Philp: Reduction in small boats crossings not sign of genuine progress
Chris Philp Shadow Home Secretary said the small boat crossing is "far from being solved" despite a reduction in those making the journey this year, compared to the last, arguing the smaller number is down to the weather.
Speaking to GB News, he said: "I'm afraid to say the numbers in the first few months of this year were down to the weather in the Channel.
"In the last two or three weeks, when we had good weather, as we've all seen, numbers have been flooding across - about 3,000 illegal migrants have crossed the in the last three weeks."
He added: "So, I'm afraid to say the ruth is this problem is far from being solved."
Robert Jenrick speculates Tories will call for general election at PMQs today
Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has speculated the Conservatives will call for a general election at PMQs today.
Writing on X this morning, he wrote: "Kemi Badenoch said there should be an election if Andy Burnham doesn’t fund defence properly.
"Yesterday Burnham’s spokesperson said the matter is now ‘settled’. It clearly isn’t - there’s still a massive hole in the Defence budget.
"Will the Tories call for an election today?"
The long-awaiting Defence Investment Plan was published yesterday, however, it left a £4.7billion blackhole for Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham to fill once he succeeds.
Keir Starmer's penultimate PMQs today
Sir Keir Starmer will face his penultimate PMQs this lunchtime before he leaves No10.
The following MPs have been selected to pose questions to the Prime Minister today.
- Dr Al Pinkerton — Liberal Democrat, Surrey Heath
- Rachel Hopkins — Labour, Luton South and South Bedfordshire
- Mark Sewards — Labour, Leeds South West and Morley
- Alex Ballinger — Labour, Halesowen
- Kevin Bonavia — Labour, Stevenage
- Michelle Welsh — Labour, Sherwood Forest
- Catherine West — Labour, Hornsey and Friern Barnet
- Sarah Russell — Labour, Congleton
- Lewis Atkinson — Labour, Sunderland Central
- Luke Taylor — Liberal Democrat, Sutton and Cheam
- Sir Desmond Swayne — Conservative, New Forest West
- Mr Joshua Reynolds — Liberal Democrat, Maidenhead
- Lee Anderson — Reform UK, Ashfield
- Carla Lockhart — DUP, Upper Bann
Labour told to abandon plan to place migrants in £250k homes after GB News reveals new-build ban
Mark Pritchard, MP for the area, said residents of the town were 'being kept in the dark' | HOUSE OF COMMONSLabour must "abandon plans" to place 83 asylum seekers at a new-build development and release an immediate public statement on the Stoke Heath site, local MP Mark Pritchard has told GB News.
Mr Pritchard, who was first elected as the MP for The Wrekin in 2005, put pressure on Shabana Mahmood immediately after the Home Secretary confirmed asylum seekers were banned from new-build accommodation.
Speaking to The People's Channel, Mr Pritchard said: "With so many empty public buildings available, where asylum seekers could be housed, and with so many of my constituents struggling to find suitable rental housing in their own local villages and towns, a ban on migrants being allowed to move into new-builds, would be a late but welcome development.
"The Government now needs to abandon plans to put asylum seekers into Stoke Heath's new build housing."
'Built on FANTASY MATHS!' Read Ed Davey's brutal takedown of Andy Burnham's looming funding gap
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey unleashed a blistering attack on the "massive funding gap" yesterday in a brutal takedown of Sir Keir Starmer's legacy.
Sir Ed said: "This is Keir Starmer's legacy: A political choice to undermine our security and safety in the world. A political choice to leave our military heroes in mouldy homes and barracks, and a political choice to put jobs and business investment at risk across the country.
"Andy Burnham must now listen. There is another way. Liberal Democrat plans for defence bonds would raise £20billion of secure, ring-fenced investment to urgently rebuild our military capabilities. The brave men and women who put their lives on the line for our country deserve more than this late, underfunded offer."
He added: "The small print is out, and it looks like Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan is built on fantasy maths - leaving a massive funding gap for Burnham to fix. Liberal Democrat plans for Defence Bonds would deliver the real, secure cash boost our forces need."
Yesterday Sir Keir warned against issuing new "defence bonds" - even though some of his allies have urged to do exactly that.
"Defence bonds are just borrowing by another name," he said. "We've looked at this very carefully, but the fact is doing this through borrowing will push interest rates higher at a time when £1 in every £10 already goes on paying their interest."
Defence Secretary shoots down talk of £4.7billion 'poison pill' - 'Of course we've been talking to Andy Burnham!'
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis last night denied the "poison pill" £4.7billion funding gap was a hand grenade for Andy Burnham, insisting it was in fact "absolutely the opposite".
Mr Jarvis repeatedly dodged questions on whether it had been made clear to Mr Burnham that he was being left with a funding gap.
“Of course we’ve been talking to Andy Burnham and his team about this plan,” he told the BBC, and pointed to Sir Keir Starmer’s alleged focus on a “smooth transition” of power.
“Andy Burnham has an absolute commitment to safeguarding our nation and ensuring that we’ve got the resources in place to defend our nation in the way that we think is necessary.”
Mr Jarvis then told Sky News that given the “massive expenditure” required to meet the commitment to increasing defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, it was “not unreasonable” that “those kinds of decisions are done in the context of a spending review”.
Defence plan sparks already sparks Cabinet rebellion as minister demands urgent meeting over £700m roads cuts
Ministers have criticised the Government for its plans to slash roads funding by a staggering £700million to fund the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that some road and energy projects would not be progressing forward as originally planned to boost defence spending.
The Department for Transport is expected to save £700million by cancelling road projects, including the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass.
East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has slammed the plans, saying that her region was facing the largest hit from the proposed defence spending cuts.
The potential moves have also been criticised by Lincoln MP - and Middle East Minister - Hamish Falconer and Mid Derbyshire MP Jonathan Davies.
Both said they were "disappointed" given the lack of clarity, in addition to the risk of it putting a "brake on economic growth".
Mr Falconer took to social media to publicly chastise Sir Keir - with the plans set to target the A46 Newark Bypass widening scheme.
He said: "I support further funding for the DIP, but the A46 upgrade programme is well advanced, long-awaited, excellent value for money and of strategic importance to both Lincoln and the region."
He also warned he would be seeking an "urgent meeting" with the incoming Prime Minister, Chancellor and Transport Secretary following the Labour leadership contest.