Key events
Health secretary Wes Streeting has given a blunt one word answer on social media to a call by the Institute of Economic Affairs to “abolish the NHS” and replace it with a form of social insurance. “No,” said Streeting.
Jess Phillips: Starmer has lived by the rules and is breathing down people’s necks to make sure everybody does
Jess Phillips has defended prime minister Keir Starmer over accusations that he has taken too many gifts while being a politician, saying he has lived “entirely by the rules” and was breathing down the necks of his ministers to make sure they were doing the right thing.
The Home Office minister and MP for Birmingham Yardley told Times Radio this morning:
The prime minister has lived entirely by the rules that have governed every single member of parliament, certainly since I’ve been there – he received gifts and things, and he declared them. Let me tell you, it feels like he’s breathing down my neck to make sure that we’re doing things right in my department.
We get invited to theatre performances and things, and you go along and you support the arts, and people want you to go to their things because they want it supported.
So if you can find me a politician who has never done anything like that, has never ever, you know, gone to their local theatre to watch something then, well, I think they’re lying to you.
Asked whether she would accept similar gifts to the prime minister, Phillips rather jokingly replied “I don’t like the Arsenal.”
There is also more news on troubled water company Thames Water. Some of the companies biggest lenders are considering easing repayment terms as it fights for survival.
It has said it has enough cash to keep its operations running until the end of May next year, but has announced it was seeking fresh repayment terms.
Thames Water was privatised by the Margaret Thatcher Conservative government in 1989. The company has continued to pay out dividends to shareholders in recent years despite accruing a debt exceeding £14bn.
You can read a report on the latest development from Anna Isaac here: Thames Water lenders ponder easing repayment terms as it fights to survive
Graeme Wearden
The UK government has borrowed over £6bn more than forecast so far this financial year, after a jump in borrowing last month.
The Office for National Statistics has reported that the UK borrowed £13.7bn in August, which is £3.3bn more than in August 2023.
It’s the third highest borrowing for any August since 1993, and more than £1bn higher than the £12.4bn City economists had expected.
Read more on our business live blog: UK consumer confidence tumbles as households fear ‘painful’ budget; UK debt hits 100% of GDP – business live
PA Media is carrying some more quotes on the threat that financial penalties might be applied to Serco for a failure to electronically tag all of the prisoners released in England and Wales as part of the new Labour government’s attempt to deal with the prison overcrowding crisis it inherited from Rishi Sunak in July.
It quotes a Ministry of Justice spokesperson saying:
We are holding Serco to account to address delays in fitting some offenders with tags, and will apply financial penalties against the company if this is not resolved quickly. While this issue is ongoing, we have prioritised tagging domestic-abuse offenders to make sure their licence conditions, such as staying away from their victims, are strictly followed.
For its part, Serco has said:
Since we took over the electronic monitoring contract in May we have been working hard to reduce the number of people waiting to have a tag fitted. We work closely with the MoJ and the probation service to fit tags swiftly and prioritise cases based on risk profiles.
Where an individual is not at home when we call to fit a tag the time taken can be longer. We prioritise making another visit so that people are tagged as soon as possible.
Minister: Serco could face ‘penalties’ for delays in fitting released offenders with tags
Jess Phillips has suggested that Serco could face “penalties” for delays in fitting some offenders with electronic tags after they have been released from prison.
PA media reports she told LBC News radio “It’s not the Government who has made the backlog in tags, it is a contract signed with Serco in May this year.”
Yesterday it was reported that prisoners freed early to ease overcrowding in jails have not been fitted with electronic tags despite it being a condition of their release, prompting criticism from a parliamentary watchdog.
Phillips said:
I have been in meetings with regard to ensuring that … any perpetrators of domestic abuse, are put to the top of the list, to ensure that they are being fitted with those tags.
The prisons minister, I believe, has had some pretty robust meetings, and is meeting with Serco today, but the contract certainly has in it the allowances for there to be penalties.
I’m almost certain that in this case, that unless something massively improves very, very quickly, that all of those things will be considered.
Officials have declined to say how many of the 1,700 prisoners in England and Wales who were allowed out after serving 40% of their sentences last week were not given tracking devices. It is understood to be “hundreds” rather than “dozens”, a source told the Guardian.
Welcome and opening summary …
Good morning, welcome to our live UK politics coverage for Friday. Here are your headlines …
The main “on diary” event today is the Reform UK conference in Birmingham. The party had the third-highest vote share in July’s general election, and all five of its MPs are expected to speak today. Events will begin shortly after midday and run until around 5pm.
It is Martin Belam with you. The best way to get in touch with me, especially if you spot typos, errors and omissions is by email: [email protected].
