Newslinks for Friday 27th June 2025 | Conservative Home

Keir Starmer’s screeching U-turn – and the likely taxes to follow

“Sir Keir Starmer has caved to a Labour rebellion and offered major concessions to his backbenchers on his planned benefit cuts. In a screeching £1.5bn U-turn, people currently receiving personal independence payment (PIP) will be protected in a move the prime minister hopes will spare him a humiliating defeat on Tuesday. Adjustments to Universal Credit will also see existing claimants’ incomes protected, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall confirmed in a letter overnight. The U-turn followed crisis talks with backbenchers, with some 126 Labour MPs within the party having signed an amendment that would have killed the flagship welfare bill. It cuts £1.5bn from the £5bn the government had hoped to save through the changes, and blows a hole in Labour’s spending plans that economists warn will need to be filled with either tax hikes or spending cuts elsewhere.” – The Independent

• No 10 climbs down over welfare bill in move to win over Labour rebels – The Guardian
• Reeves ‘set to raise taxes’ to fund Starmer benefits surrender that will not strip ANYONE of their handouts and blows another hole in UK finances – Daily Mail
• Stealth tax on middle earners ‘would be needed’ to pay for welfare U-turn – The i
• UK spends more on disability than defence — how did we get here? – The Times
• How ‘Never Here’ Keir’s lack of face-time whipped up biggest rebellion of his career – Daily Telegraph
• Why is Morgan McSweeney now a lightning rod for Labour rebels? – The Times

Comment:

• Reform’s plans for taxes and pensions are a joke – Hugo Gye, The i
• Starmer has turned himself and Labour into a laughing stock – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• Rachel Reeves close to the end as Bank of England rips apart her bogus claims – Harvey Jones, Daily Express
• Backbench revolt shows Labour hasn’t changed – Patrick Maguire, The Times
• Knives out for ‘the real deputy PM’ as Sue Gray seeks revenge on the man who helped oust her – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail
• With this surrender to Leftist rebels, Starmer’s days as PM are numbered – Sherelle Jacobs, Daily Telegraph

>: Yesterday: Callum Price: However the Government handles its Welfare cuts ‘rebellion’ it’s just tinkering at the edges

John Oxley: Labour in office is turning on itself at historic speed – Conservatives must exploit it

One in one out asylum exchange attacked by Tories

“The Conservatives have blasted a ‘pathetic’ plan being drawn up by Labour to send small boat migrants back to France in exchange for other types of asylum seekers. Ministers are reported to be on the cusp of announcing a deal with president Emmanuel Macron’s government which would see France accept returns of Channel migrants for the first time. But for each migrant returned back across the Channel the UK would accept another asylum seeker in a ‘one in, one out’ exchange, it is understood. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded it ‘pathetic’ and said Labour should never have scrapped the previous government’s Rwanda asylum scheme, which was designed to deter Channel crossings. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the new agreement within days, in the run-up to the first anniversary of Labour’s return to power, which falls a week tomorrow.” – Daily Mail

• EXC: Starmer to Agree One in One Out Asylum Exchange With France for Labour Anniversary – Guido Fawkes
• ‘One in, one out’ migrant deal with France to tackle Channel crossings – Daily Telegraph
• UK and France discuss ‘one-in, one-out’ migrant returns – The Times
• Tory MP slams Sadiq Khan as he is flabbergasted by illegal migrant camp on Park Lane – Daily Express

Comment:

Palestine Action plans more attacks

“Palestine Action is preparing to attack targets across the country including RAF bases and a drone factory. In a meeting recorded by Telegraph reporters, the group outlined a list of new targets after its members damaged planes during a break-in at RAF Brize Norton last week. Palestine Action has launched a major recruitment drive just days before it is officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation, putting it on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The Telegraph was able to access one of its online meetings and can, for the first time, disclose details about the group’s secretive structure, its new focus on covert action, and advice given to members on exploiting the legal aid system following any arrest. The meeting’s organiser boasted that its activists ranged from “nursery teachers to surgeons”, aged from 18 to 80. Tactics discussed included breaking into factories and hitting “everything you can find with a sledgehammer”, as well as how to set up autonomous cells able to target military bases without detection.” – Daily Telegraph

• ‘Damage as much as possible’: undercover with Palestine Action – The Times
• Palestine Action ‘terror’ group behind RAF Brize Norton raid ‘plots attacks on three more air bases and drone factory’ – The Sun
• Palestine Action targets mapped: New hitlist includes key British military sites and firms – Daily Express

Comment:

• Let’s set the record straight on Sally Rooney and Palestine Action – Kate Maltby, The i
• Treasonous scrotes Palestine Action did £15m damage to RAF planes – so why do Labour bigwigs think they’re so lovely? – Rod Liddle, The Sun
• Branding Kneecap terrorists makes a mockery of justice – Sean O’Neill, The Times

Reform puts 18-year-old in charge of County Council

“With a population of around 600,000 and an area spanning nearly 2,000km², running Warwickshire County Council would be a challenge for anyone. Not least, the 18-year-old recent school leaver, Cllr George Finch, who has taken on the role after Reform UK councillor Rob Howard resigned, citing health reasons. Finch, his deputy, was voted alongside Howard at the local elections in May, when Reform made unprecedented gains, adding 23 councillors to become the largest party in Warwickshire, forming a minority administration. The 18-year-old will now serve as interim leader until a new council leader has been chosen, but the teenager could make a bid to stay in the job permanently.” – The i

Comment:

• Reform has failed a basic test of political organisation in Warwickshire – William Atkinson, Daily Telegraph

> Yesterday: Better to be feared than forgotten?

News in brief:

• Is Trident sunk? – Paul Ingram, Unherd
• Starmer’s ‘one in, one out’ migrant plan will end in failure – Gavin Mortimer, The Spectator
• The House of Lords should block the Leadbeater Bill – Henry Hill, The Critic
• The West is being blindsided by Chinese AI – M. Dane Waters, CapX