Category: News Story

STORY

International Development Committee chair Sarah Champion has criticised the Government for failing to give a firm commitment on aid spending. She had sought reassurance that official development assistance would remain at 0.3% of gross national income for the duration of the spending review period.

Development Minister Baroness Chapman said the Government’s commitment to international development remained important and that FCDO allocations had been set out for three years. However, she also said future plans remained subject to revision because of changing global needs and other allocation decisions.

Champion said the response did not fill her or the committee with confidence. She argued that if the UK wanted to deliver its new approach to global partnerships, it needed to ensure aid spending did not fall below 0.3% of GNI.

STORY

Members of the House of Lords have debated the Sporting Events Bill at second reading. The legislation is intended to give the UK Government and devolved administrations a legal framework to fund and deliver major sporting events.

The Bill is linked to future events including Euro 2028 and support for the bid to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. Peers used the debate to raise concerns and discuss areas where amendments may be needed.

Baroness Twycross opened the debate for the Government and responded to contributions from members including Lord Addington, Baroness Davies of Devonport and Baroness Grey-Thompson. Committee stage has been scheduled for 22 June.

STORY

The Cabinet Office has accepted a recommendation from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee to amend the Ministerial Code. MPs had examined whether major Government announcements were being made to Parliament first, as required by convention.

The committee said the existing code did not adequately capture the relationship between ministers and Parliament. In its response, the Government accepted that the general principle should be rewritten to remove ambiguity over ministerial responsibilities during major announcements.

PACAC chair Simon Hoare said the current situation had been untenable and welcomed the Government’s willingness to adapt the code. The committee said it would monitor the changes to ensure Parliament continued to play a central role in the process.

STORY

The Regulator of Social Housing has announced that Pivotal Housing Association is to be removed from the register of social housing providers. The regulator said the decision followed persistent and long-standing failures against governance and financial viability requirements.

RSH said Pivotal had failed to show effective governance and had not demonstrated that it was managing its affairs properly in the interests of tenants. The regulator also said Pivotal had failed to meet the Rent Standard and had incorrectly reported some homes as social housing.

Pivotal, a small supported accommodation provider operating mainly through leases in the West Country, may continue as a private landlord. RSH said de-registration was not a step taken lightly but that the landlord had failed to resolve serious weaknesses despite enforcement action.

STORY

The Government has agreed to seek the creation of a new House of Commons committee to scrutinise Defence Nuclear Enterprise spending and programmes. The committee would examine expenditure relating to the UK’s nuclear deterrent and associated programmes.

The move follows a recommendation from the Public Accounts Committee and was also linked by the Government to the recent Strategic Defence Review. Ministers said the committee would provide a formal parliamentary route for considering National Audit Office reports on the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

The proposed committee would be appointed by the Prime Minister and established under House of Commons Standing Orders, subject to approval by the House. The Government said the arrangement would need appropriate controls because of the sensitivity of the material involved.

STORY

Business Secretary Peter Kyle has criticised what he described as a sense of entitlement among potential Labour leadership challengers. His comments came as speculation continues over Keir Starmer’s future and possible bids from senior Labour figures.

Kyle argued that British politics too often rewards the wrong behaviours and said leadership should be based on substance rather than assumption. He pointed to Government work on trade, industrial support and business policy as examples of serious delivery that risk being overlooked.

The remarks were a clear intervention in Labour’s internal debate as the party faces poor polling, leadership speculation and the political impact of Reform UK’s rise. Kyle said leadership was a collective responsibility and rejected the idea that changing the person at the top would solve the party’s problems on its own.

STORY

Reform UK has led the latest political fundraising figures after receiving £9.3 million in donations in the first quarter of 2026. The party raised more than Labour and the Conservatives, with major support from cryptocurrency investors.

Reuters reported that Christopher Harborne gave more than £3 million and Ben Delo donated £4 million. Labour raised around £4 million in the same period, while the Conservatives received around £4.2 million.

The figures will intensify debate over party funding, overseas-linked wealth and the political influence of large donors. Farage is also under scrutiny over a separate £5 million gift from Harborne, while Reform says the party’s funding reflects growing public support for its political programme.

STORY

Keir Starmer has called on Elon Musk to stop interfering in British politics after comments made by the owner of X about the Henry Nowak case. The Prime Minister said the killing should not be exploited to inflame division or hatred.

The case has become a major political flashpoint after the fatal stabbing of the teenager and the emergence of footage showing police handcuffing him as he lay dying. Musk used his platform to criticise the handling of the case and wider political debate around policing and race.

Starmer’s remarks place the Government in another confrontation with Musk, whose interventions in UK politics have repeatedly provoked controversy. Ministers are also facing pressure from opposition parties over policing, public order and the Government’s response to the unrest linked to the case.

STORY

Keir Starmer has held talks with mayors from across England as the Government seeks to accelerate housebuilding, infrastructure delivery and local transport reform. Downing Street said the meeting was intended to maximise the opportunities of devolution and support projects that have been delayed or watered down.

The Government said it would back mayors in pushing through homes, infrastructure and jobs, with particular attention on schemes that could benefit younger generations. Ministers also pointed to discussions with the Mayor of London over bringing services from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage under Transport for London control.

Starmer said Britain had been held back for too long by a system that delayed projects and blocked growth. The intervention comes as Labour seeks to show delivery on housing and living standards at a time when the Government is under pressure over its wider political direction.

STORY

The Government has announced more than £20 million to improve prostate cancer research and treatment. The Department of Health and Social Care said the funding would include work to improve access to a major trial for Black men, who are at higher risk from the disease.

Ministers said the programme would expand research and support earlier and more effective treatment. The announcement sits within a wider NHS reform agenda focused on prevention, faster diagnosis and reducing inequalities in health outcomes.

The policy has a clear political dimension because health remains one of the Government’s most important domestic battlegrounds. Ministers will hope that targeted research funding can demonstrate practical progress, although wider NHS waiting times and workforce pressures will continue to dominate public judgement.