Starmer to face PMQs amid pressure to make Trump steel deal: UK politics live

Peers have inflicted a heavy defeat on the Government in backing moves to prevent the involvement of a new publicly-funded energy company with firms linked to modern slavery.

The House of Lords supported by 177 votes to 127, majority 50, a cross-party measure to ensure that the UK’s multi-billion pound green transition does not come at the expense of forced labour under repressive regimes.

The change to legislation would block taxpayer funding for Great British Energy if there was “credible evidence” of exploitation in its supply chain.

The setback for the Labour frontbench means the amendment to the Great British Energy Bill will have to be considered by MPs.

Peers rejected by 156 votes to 64, majority 92, a Liberal Democrat amendment regarding the Warm Homes Plan and emergency home insulation.

The amendment, tabled by Liberal Democrat energy spokesperson Earl Russell, would have required the Government to transfer responsibility for the Warm Homes Plan to Great British Energy, should it be requested.

It would also have required Great British Energy to introduce an emergency home insulation programme that would seek to reduce household energy bills and contribute to achieving climate targets.

Later, peers rejected by 195 votes to 148, majority 47, a Conservative amendment that would cap the level of funding that the Government could put into Great British Energy at its current allocation of £8.3 billion.

The amendment, put forward by backbench Tory Lord Petitgas and supported by his front bench, aimed to “ensure fiscal discipline and taxpayer protection”.

The Labour Party have suspended as many as 11 councillors all part of the “offensive” WhatsApp group that was leaked to the Daily Mail.

The members- from Tameside and Stockport councils – are understood to have been part of the private group named Trigger Me Timbers, which was set up to coordinate Labour’s campaigning in the local area.

They include Allison Gwynne, Andrew Gwynne’s wife, who is a councillor on Tameside council, and Brenda Warrington, its former leader.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour Party.

“As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was launched in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures and this process is ongoing.

“Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”

A minister has declined to say whether the Government could swerve US tariffs on British steel by throwing the Chagos deal “in the dustbin”.

Douglas Alexander described the suggestion as a “hypothetical negotiating strategy”, which Conservative MP Sir Julian Lewis had “ventriloquised” in the House of Commons.

Taking questions about Donald Trump’s plan for 25% tariffs on British steel exports to the US, Mr Alexander told MPs the US president had a “speciality in generating uncertainty”.

Here’s why Trump wants to implement the new tariffs — and what happened under the same policy during his last term:

More than a dozen MPs have called for a four-day working week to be considered by ministers as part of a new set of workers rights rules.

The MPs, 12 of whom are Labour and one of whom is from the Green Party, want the Government to set up a body to look into bringing in a four-day week across the economy.

A four-day working week with no loss of pay is becoming more popular in the UK.

More than 200 companies in January confirmed they had made the switch to the shortened work pattern permanently.

The majority of the companies said their employees work 32 hours a week or less over the course of a week.

Proponents of the new working pattern say people are happier and less likely to suffer from burnout when they work fewer days.

Peter Dowd, the Labour MP who put forward the amendment, said that with things like artificial intelligence enabling people to work more efficiently, the benefits “must be passed back to workers”.

“A four-day, 32-hour working week is the future of work and I urge my party to back this amendment so we can begin a much wider transition.”

Downing Street said the issue of changes to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill were a matter for Parliament.

Asked if the Government had any input into the proposed changes, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’ve said as the Bill progresses through Parliament, the Government has a responsibility to make sure any legislation that passes through Parliament is effective and enforceable.

“So the Government has provided legal policy and drafting support in the preparation of amendments.

“The amendments seek to give legal and practical effect to the sponsors and Parliament’s attempts, but ultimately it remains a Private Member’s Bill and amendments from the sponsor are a matter for MPs and it will be up to the committee to decide whether to accept each amendment.”

The UK has brought sanctions against a Russian organisation facilitating cyber attacks, as David Lammy pledged to crack down on “Russia’s lawless cyber underworld”.

Ministers have announced measures against six individuals as well as the firms ZSERVERS and XHOST Internet Solutions LP. Sanctions have also been announced by the US.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) described ZSERVERS as providing infrastructure for cyber criminals carrying out ransomware attacks against the UK.

A ransomware attack is when bad actors breach a system and access files, usually either stealing them or locking them on that system. Payment will then be demanded – often in cryptocurrency – under the guise of the files being released, although this is not always guaranteed.

Security minister Dan Jarvis has described ransomware “by Russian affiliated cyber crime gangs” as “some of the most harmful cyber threats we face today”.

Foreign secretary Mr Lammy said that ministers will work with others to “constrain the Kremlin”.

The HIV prevention programme will be extended to March 2026, as part of plans to end transmissions in England by 2030, a health minister has said.

The expansion is being backed by an extra £1.5 million in funding, newly-appointed minister Ashley Dalton told the Commons.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer became the first Western prime minister to take a public HIV test, in an effort to destigmatise testing for the virus.

Ahead of HIV Testing Week, which started on Monday, the Prime Minister took an at-home test at 10 Downing Street alongside soul singer Beverley Knight.

He said: “It’s really important to do it and I’m really pleased to be able to do it. It’s very easy, very quick.”

In a bid to boost HIV testing, more than 20,000 self-testing and self-sampling kits will also be made available, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

During health questions on Tuesday, Labour MP Matthew Patrick (Wirral West) asked: “Could (the Health Secretary) please set out his plans to ensure we have more HIV testing going beyond this important week?”

Ms Dalton replied: “Increasing HIV testing is a vital step towards meeting our goal, and will be a core element of our new HIV action plan, which will be published later this year.

“It’s why we are investing over £4.5 million to deliver a national prevention programme, and it’s why, today, I can announce that we will extend the programme to a further year, to March 2026, backed by an extra £1.5 million.”