Farage steps in while parliament is out
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Nigel Farage is using parliamentary recess to grab the microphone - he's been out and about during the half-term holiday criticising the government and claiming Reform UK as the party for families.
Harriet and Ruth ask whether he's been smart in copying the tactics we're used to seeing from leaders of the Opposition.
It's just a week on from that EU debate he missed in the House of Commons because he was on holiday himself. So what are the rules for MPs going away in term time? Harriet has a tale of her own.
Plus we have a holiday treat in the form of an interview with legendary satirist Armando Iannucci - recorded at the ED Live show in London.
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Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kate Middleton pulls out of Royal Ascot: Princess of Wales will not join Prince William and mother Carole at horse racing meet as she continues phased return to duties after cancer battle
The Princess of Wales has pulled out of attending Royal Ascot at the last minute as she continues to 'find the right balance' following her battle with cancer. Kate is said to be 'disappointed' at not attending the famous social and sporting occasion in Berkshire with her husband Prince William and the King and Queen. Racegoers had been hoping to see the Princess after the Prince of Wales was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during the second day of the meet. Ascot officials had confirmed at 12pm that the Princess was due to be in the second carriage in the royal procession with William, in a published carriage list. But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending - and a revised carriage list was published by Ascot. MailOnline understands the Princess was 'disappointed' not to be in attendance 'but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements'. However, Kate's mother Carole Middleton did attend Ascot today, wearing a dress from luxury women's designer ME+EM - alongside her daughter-in-law Alizee Thevenet, the wife of Kate's brother James Middleton. The 43-year-old Princess has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January that she was in remission from cancer. But in the past week she has attended three high-profile events - Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London. The Royal Ascot carriage list was published at 12pm with Kate included (left), then a revised version was issued just after 12.30pm (right) when it was announced she would not attend Today, Charles and Camilla were all smiles when they arrived at racecourse in a carriage that now included William who had been due to travel in the following coach with Kate. The King and Queen will be hoping for better luck with their horses after their much favoured thoroughbred Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes yesterday. They have entered Rainbows Edge in the Kensington Palace Stakes, a fillies handicap, and their horse is favourite with a number of bookies. The Princess revealed in January she was in remission from cancer after making an emotional return to the specialist cancer institution, the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London, where she was treated to comfort fellow patients. She had been receiving chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer since late February last year with the King beginning his cancer care earlier that month following his diagnosis after treatment for an enlarged prostate. Announcing in September her treatment had ended, Kate described in an emotional video message how the previous nine months had been 'incredibly tough for us as a family' and 'doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus'. William later said in a separate interview how 2024 had been 'brutal'. Yesterday, the King and Queen enjoyed a day at the races at Ascot as they welcomed the girlfriend of the Princess Royal's son to the royal fold. Charles and Camilla hosted guests in the royal box on the first day of Royal Ascot including the King's nephew Peter Phillips and his partner, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling. Ms Sperling made an appearance for the first time in the carriage procession the Royal Family make onto the famous Berkshire racecourse to signal the start of the day. The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, a tradition begun during the reign of George IV in 1825 when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington. The King and Queen rode in the first carriage yesterday with Prince Faisal, a member of the Saudi royal family, and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen's official companions. Behind them travelled the Princess Royal with Camilla's sister Annabel Elliot and the Duke and Duchess of Wellington and they were followed by a coach carrying Anne's son Peter Phillips and his girlfriend. Other royals spotted among the crowds yesterday included Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah, Duchess of York and Zara and Mike Tindall. The head of state and his wife have continued Queen Elizabeth II's close association with the Berkshire race meet but they had no luck with the sport of Kings when their horse Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes. The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Charles and Camilla have taken on her stable of horses and enjoyed their first Royal Ascot winner in 2023 when their horse Desert Hero triumphed in the King George V states. Kate was last seen on Monday, joking and laughing when she made a return to one of the highlights of the royal calendar - a service celebrating the Order of the Garter. The princess, who missed last year's event during the period of her cancer treatment, was in good spirits when she watched the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George's Chapel. Kate was joined by the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the chapel's Galilee porch, a traditional vantage point to see the spectacle. The King and Queen followed convention and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order including the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh. Kate and Sophie burst into laughter just as the front of the procession passed by, with the elderly Military Knights of Windsor leading the way. William looked across at the porch as he approached the viewing spot but his wife was deep in conversation with the duchess and when Kate finally looked up William was chatting to Edward walking beside him. Kate and Sophie arrived together 15 minutes ahead of the procession and when two gentlemen ushers, who provide support at royal events, doffed their top hats one after the other at Kate and Sophie, the princess appeared to make a joke. The royal women looked stylish in wide-brimmed hats with Kate wearing an outfit by Self Portrait and a hat by Sean Barrett. The royals waved and smiled at the crowds as they were driven past just a few days after they took part in a carriage procession during Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
North Wales Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
UK must push for diplomatic solution following US strikes on Iran, says Swinney
The Scottish First Minister's response to the developments in the Middle East came after Sir Keir Starmer urged Iran to return to negotiations. UK minister Douglas Alexander said the Government 'has been putting contingencies in place' as the region braces for any potential retaliation from Iran. US President Donald Trump said three key nuclear sites in Iran were 'completely and fully obliterated' in the military strikes. The US is thought to have used B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on the sites – including the deeply-buried Fordo facility – as well as 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines. The US-UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is not thought to have been used in the operation. Posting on X, Mr Swinney said: 'The Middle East conflict has reached an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran. 'The conflict must be stopped by a diplomatic solution delivered through the international community. And the UK Government must insist on that now.' The Prime Minister had earlier said Iran should 'return to the negotiating table', noting the region remains 'volatile'. The Middle East conflict has reached an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran. The conflict must be stopped by a diplomatic solution delivered through the international community. And the U.K. Government must insist on that now. — John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) June 22, 2025 He said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.' Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf was critical of the Prime Minister's response. He posted on social media: 'An awful statement from the PM, which ignores our collective responsibility to uphold international law. 'Supporting illegal military action in Iran, and gas-lighting us about an imminent nuclear threat, is hauntingly reminiscent of the lies told in the run up to the Iraq war.' During a protest march in London, Mr Yousaf had earlier accused the UK Government of 'abusing' anti-terror laws against the Palestine Action group, which vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call… — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2025 Trade policy minister Mr Alexander, who is the MP for Lothian East and a former international development minister, spoke to the BBC's Sunday Show. He said: 'I understand that people have woken up this morning to the news that was breaking overnight with a real sense of concern. 'I want to assure your viewers that the British Government has been putting contingencies in place. 'There have been a whole series of meetings, I and other have been attending Cobra meetings in the course of the week.' He said plans are being put in place to move UK nationals in affected countries to safety, stressing the UK 'took no part in this military action'.
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK could boost growth by radically reshaping the Treasury: Peacock
LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - UK finance minister Rachel Reeves insists higher economic growth is her top priority, but the government's current plan to address the country's chronically low investment is unlikely to be ambitious enough. What may be needed is a structural rethink of the finance ministry itself. Reeves has adjusted her fiscal rules to allow for an extra 113 billion pounds of investment over five years, while remaining committed to ensuring debt falls as a proportion of national income within five years. In the UK government's latest spending plan unveiled last week, she started to allocate the extra capital to areas including defence, housing, transport infrastructure and a new nuclear power plant. Even so, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, an independent fiscal watchdog, UK capital spending will climb to a peak of 3.9% of GDP in 2027/2028 but then fall back in the following two years, continuing a limp public investment record stretching back to the global financial crisis. Reeves is searching for other growth levers, including deregulation and increased UK investment by British pension funds. Additionally, the government is seeking to streamline planning laws and taking steps – albeit small ones – to rebuild trade relations with the European Union. But the government is fundamentally hamstrung by its fiscal rules. Departments are currently required to go cap in hand to the finance ministry to learn what they can spend and then undergo frequent check-ins to see if the fiscal position has deteriorated, which could lead to spending cuts or tax rises. This is not a system that will produce a viable long-term growth strategy. The International Monetary Fund – not known for being a fan of unfettered state spending – said last month that the UK should consider taking a more pragmatic approach to avoid having to change policy too often. The IMF suggested minor breaches should not require instant corrective action and that assessment of the rules should be done no more than once a year. But something more radical is likely required for Britain to break out of the low growth, low productivity loop it has been trapped in for almost two decades. Over this period, debt as a proportion of GDP has almost tripled while the national tax take has held steady, suggesting that part of the problem might be with the way the finance ministry operates. The machinery of government needs recalibration to focus more systematically on productive investment that can ultimately help to drive debt down over time. Reeves is trying on this score. She has asked the OBR to assess the long-term impact of capital spending decisions to determine whether they could improve public finances. She is also changing the Treasury's "Green Book" rules that dictate approval of capital projects, shifting from a narrow cost-benefit analysis to an assessment of the impact on broader strategic goals such as lifting poorer regions of the UK. However, a fundamental issue remains. The Treasury still wields huge influence within the UK government, and when growth falls short, the impulse is typically to tighten the fiscal screws, thereby worsening growth prospects. The Institute for Government, a UK-based think tank, has argued that the economic heft of the prime minister's team needs strengthening as a counterbalance. EU nations – Germany, Spain and the Netherlands among others – have both a finance ministry and a separate, growth-focused economy ministry at the heart of government. Calls for a dramatic change in the Finance Ministry are growing. Maurice Glasman, who heads "Blue Labour", a campaign to reverse what it says is the Labour Party's abandonment of working-class communities, advocates abolishing the Treasury, scrapping fiscal rules and pursuing heavy infrastructure investment. While Glasman's prescription has little chance of being implemented in full, his ideas could gain influence within a government threatened by the rise of Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party, which is targeting traditional Labour voters. Recent opinion polls have given Reform UK 27%-32% public support compared with 22%-24% for Labour. Ensuring public finances do not spiral out of control is, of course, critical for any government. And less oversight by the Treasury could result in wasted taxpayer money spent on unproductive investments that appeal to the political base. Moreover, the bond market has not reacted well to perceived UK fiscal imprudence in recent years, as demonstrated by the rapid demise of Liz Truss's premiership of 2022. But bond investors are apt to respond more positively to a long-term, investment-led approach to reducing public borrowing, even if it involves some upfront spending. It helps that the UK currently faces less political uncertainty than some of its peers and is in the middle of the pack in terms of developed market debt burdens. Reeves appears to understand that an investment-led structural reset is required to jump-start the UK growth engine. But to make that a reality, the first change may need to be rethinking the relationship between the Treasury and the prime minister's office. The opinions expressed here are those of Mike Peacock, the former head of communications at the Bank of England and a former senior editor at Reuters. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), opens new tab, opens new tab, your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. 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