Latest news with #HarrietHarman
Sky News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer could allow Trump use of British bases to attack Iran, says Harriet Harman
Sir Keir Starmer could end up allowing Donald Trump to use British bases to launch strikes on Iran, Harriet Harman has said. Speaking to Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said this was despite the prime minister being part of a generation "shaped" by opposition to the Iraq War. Baroness Harman was solicitor general when Sir Tony Blair decided to take Britain to war in Iraq alongside the United States in 2003. She said the decisions made by Sir Tony would be "burning bright" in Sir Keir 's mind. "He's part of the political generation of the Labour Party that grew up, which was shaped by its opposition to what Tony Blair was doing in relation to Iraq," Baroness Harman said. "So it would be a massive change for him." Asked if the UK could end up giving permission for US aircraft to use British military bases on Cyprus and Diego Garcia, but not go any further than that, Baroness Harman said: "Exactly". Sky News reported on Thursday that Attorney General Richard Hermer has raised questions over whether Israel's actions in Iran are lawful, potentially limiting what support he believes the UK could offer the US. Baroness Harman said that for Sir Keir, the "rules-based international order is the most important thing". "If the attorney general says that the government can't do something because it's illegal, it can't do it. So he's in a very crucial position," she added. But Baroness Harman said it would be difficult for Sir Keir to say "thank you for the trade deal" to Mr Trump and then deny the president use of the airbases.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
MI6 gets its first female chief - but here's 5 top UK jobs that a woman has never done
For the first time ever a woman has been appointed the head of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service. Career spy Blaise Metreweli will become the 18th chief of MI6 in the autumn when Sir Richard Moore steps down. Her appointment follows in the footsteps of the other main spy agencies, GCHQ, which currently has a female director, Anne Keast-Butler, and MI5, which has had two female directors. However, there are still a handful of powerful positions in the UK that have never been held by a woman. Here are five of some of the most high-profile. Leader of the Labour Party There might be more female MPs than ever in this current Parliament, but a woman has never been elected as head of the Labour Party. Margaret Beckett, who served as the first female foreign secretary under Tony Blair in the early 2000s, technically became the first ever female Labour leader after the death of John Smith in 1994. Likewise, Harriet Harman also had the role in a caretaker capacity twice, after the resignation of Gordon Brown in 2010 and Ed Miliband in 2015. But it remains that a woman has never been elected to lead the party. During the last Labour leadership election in 2020, two female candidates, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, came close, but it was Sir Keir Starmer who triumphed, denying a female MP the top job. Speaking on Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast - which Harman is co-host of - last year, the politician said it is "shameful" that her party has never had a woman in the top job. "It is sort of embarrassing and sort of shameful that we think we are the party of women and equality when we have never had a woman leader and the Conservatives have had three," Harman said. "I keep saying to the men in the Labour Party, be ambitious, that's a good thing, but strive to be deputy. "They all want to be leader, but they have got to just now strive to be deputy and support a woman leader. It takes a strong man to be leader, but an even stronger man to support a woman as leader." 49:15 Head of the Bank of England One of England's most important officials, the head of the Bank of England, has always been a man. The role, which also involves heading up the country's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), is currently held by Andrew Bailey. Before him, it was Mark Carney - who was the first non-Briton to be appointed to the role - and before him, Mervyn King. In its latest annual report on the gender pay gap, the Bank of England said only 35% of employees in the highest-paid quarter are women, with women on average earning 83p for every £1 that men earn an hour. However, after the appointment of Clare Lombardelli as deputy governor for Monetary Policy in July last year, five of the nine positions on the MPC are now filled by women for the first time in its history. Mr Bailey's term as Bank of England chief will come to an end in 2028, which could pave the way for the first ever woman leader. Archbishop of Canterbury Women have been ordained in the Church of England for a number of years. In fact in 2015 Bishop Libby Lane became the first woman to be consecrated (formally ordained). But no woman has ever been in the top role - the Archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the most senior bishop and is the spiritual leader of the church and worldwide Anglican Communion. After the resignation of Justin Welby in January, the chance for a woman archbishop is more likely than ever. Last year, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who has stepped in as Mr Welby's replacement, told The Guardian that he would welcome a woman in the top role, adding that he expects some of his "excellent female colleagues" to be put forward as candidates. However, Martyn Percy, a priest and theologian, told Catholic newspaper La Croix International that some members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC). which helps appoint the Archbishop of Canterbury, may oppose female bishops. Manager of England's men's football team The manager of England's men's team has always been a man. The only one to seemingly have come close is Sarina Wiegman, manager of England's women, who was hotly tipped as an outsider to succeed Gareth Southgate. But it was Thomas Tuchel who landed the job in the end. Wiegman has said in the past it is "only a matter of time" before women are coaching men's teams in the professional game, but some of her counterparts disagree. Former Chelsea women's head coach Emma Hayes, said last year there is still work to be done. She said: "I've said this a million times over - you can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker, but you can't find a female coach working in the men's game, leading men. It just shows you how much work there is to be done." Director-general of the BBC When Tony Hall stepped down as the BBC director-general in 2020, there were calls for his successor to be a woman, but the job went to Tim Davie instead. Speaking in April this year, former Newsnight presenter and BBC Radio 4 presenter Kirsty Walk said she thinks the reason why the job has never gone to a woman is because the corporation needs to "be a bit more adventurous". "It's definitely not because there hasn't been anyone good enough. I can think of three women who would be brilliant," she told The Telegraph. "We've got brilliant women running departments and running programmes, but I think we just need to be a bit more adventurous. "The BBC has so many other ways it's on the front foot - technology, iPlayer, BBC audio and other things - and I would really love to see a woman take hold of that."
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Ministers on ‘resignation watch list' over benefit cuts, Harman reveals
The government is keeping a watch-list of potential ministerial resignations over Sir Keir Starmer 's benefit cuts, a Labour grandee has revealed. Harriet Harman said she is bracing for resignations over the controversial move to slash billions from the welfare bill. The Labour peer, a former minister and deputy leader of the party, said resignations would not be at the top level - meaning those who attend weekly cabinet meetings. But she told Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast 'there are people on a watch list at the moment'. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is already set to introduce additional protections to the Welfare Reform Bill which will implement the cuts, an important concession as fears grow of a major backbench rebellion over the measures. More than 100 MPs – understood to comprise primarily those who won their seats for the first time in 2024 – signed a recent letter to the chief whip warning that they are unable to support the proposals in their current form. The package of welfare cuts is aimed at reducing the number of working-age people on sickness benefits, which grew during the pandemic and has remained high ever since. While the government hopes the proposals can save £5bn a year by the end of the decade, there are fears they could push thousands of disabled people into poverty. A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned some 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales, could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes. The proposals have received strong criticism from charities and campaign groups since they were announced by Ms Kendall in March. Recent research from Trussell found that around 340,000 more people in disabled households could face hunger and hardship by the end of the decade as a result of the changes. Helen Barnard, director of policy at Trussell, stated that their calculations paint a more severe picture than previously anticipated "because we have looked at how many people are going to be pulled, not just into overall poverty but into the severest form of hardship." She added that while Trussell supports the government's objective to reform employment support and facilitate more people entering the workforce, "these proposed cuts will utterly undermine this goal," adding that "slashing support will damage people's health and reduce their ability to engage in training and work." Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told The Guardian there will be extra protections added to the Bill when it is published next week. She said: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.'
Sky News
13-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Ministers on resignation 'watch-list' over welfare reforms
A watch-list for potential ministerial resignations over Labour's welfare reforms is in place, Harriet Harman says. Speaking to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman reckons there could be resignations over the matter. While this week's spending review was taking up most of the headlines, the government told their MPs that controversial reforms to disability benefits would go ahead. The measures - headed up by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall - have proved mightily unpopular in Labour circles. More than 100 MPs from government benches are thought to have concerns about the plans to cut nearly £5bn from the welfare bill by restricting personal independence payments (PIP) and the health top-up to Universal Credit. Spiralling welfare costs, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, have been singled out as an area where the government could save money. Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants more people returning to the "dignity" of work. Asked by Beth if resignations could be on the cards, Baroness Harman said: "There might be. But I don't think, not cabinet." She added: "There is people on a watch list at the moment, but not cabinet ministers." A report released by a House of Lords committee earlier this year revealed that around 3.7 million people of working age get health-related benefits, 1.2 million more than before the pandemic. It also found that the government spends more (£65bn as of January) on incapacity and disability benefits than on defence. It added that if 400,000 people out of the workforce were able to find employment, it would save the government around £10bn through tax income and lower spending on benefits.
Sky News
06-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'A policy Labour never liked - but may not be able to scrap'
Labour may announce tweaks to the two-child benefit cap so that it exempts certain families, Harriet Harman has suggested. It follows ministers, including the prime minister, repeatedly refusing to rule out whether the government will scrap the policy altogether. The cap means families are restricted so that they only receive benefits for their first two children in most households. It is meant to encourage families not to expand beyond their means and become reliant on welfare. But critics say the cap worsens child poverty by leaving the poorest families with a lack of support. Sir Keir Starmer avoided answering Kemi Badenoch's questions about whether he is in favour of removing or altering the cap at PMQs on Wednesday. Baroness Harman has suggested the issue is "not binary" and that the government might tweak it instead of scrapping it or leaving it as it is. "The question is whether Labour can afford to get rid of it. But actually, it's not binary - 'do Labour keep it or do they scrap it?'" 2:37 Instead, the former deputy Labour leader said ministers may be looking at "ways they could cut it down". She continued: "For example, they could remove the two-child benefit policy for families with disabled children. They could remove the two-child benefit policy for families who are working, or something like that. "So, it might be that what they're trying to work out is not scrapping it altogether." The Labour peer said "narrowing it down a bit" might be the policy the government go with, as this would allow them to seem more generous and dedicated to tackling child poverty, while minimising the extra strain on the Treasury. Speaking on the podcast, Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby said she understands that Sir Keir's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is against changing the two-child benefit cap. This is because "it apparently does poll well, with voters, people, people around the country quite supportive of the policy", she said. What are the other parties saying on the cap? Kemi Badenoch has ruled out lifting the cap, saying it is "fair" and ensures that families receiving welfare make choices within their means. On the other side of the argument, Nigel Farage has called for the cap to be scrapped and has said Reform UK would like to see more people in the UK having larger families. The party leader said lifting the cap would be just one of several measures he would introduce to encourage Britons to have more children. But these suggestions have been roundly criticised by the leaders of both Labour and the Tories for being unfunded policy commitments. On Wednesday, Sir Keir refused to answer questions directly about the spending cap during a visit to a school in Essex. He was in the classroom to drive home the government's expansion of free school meals, which will mean 500,000 children are now eligible for them. He called this a "statement of intent" and said he is waiting on his child poverty taskforce, which will report back with recommendations for the government to follow.
