Starmer says Labour has made ‘significant progress’ on antisemitism despite Diane Abbott letter – UK politics live

Key events

Diane Abbott's letter to Observer submitted twice, with no changes, report says

When Diane Abbott issued an apology on Sunday, after the Observer published a letter from her implying the racism experienced by Irish, Jewish and Traveller people was not as serious as racism experienced by black people, she said that she had made a mistake and that this was partly due to “an initial draft being sent”.

But a report for the Jewish Chronicle challenges this account. In his story David Rose says Abbott submitted the letter to the paper twice, three hours apart. Rose reports:

The letter was identical each time it was sent, three hours apart, and the suspended Labour MP made no efforts to revise it in the seven days after it was sent.

The fact that it was sent from her own email address – not from one controlled by an aide – suggests that she was entirely in control of the process.

The first time the email was sent, the JC understands, Abbott received an automatic reply asking her to send it again but this time with the addition of a postal address. She did this, leaving the text of the letter unchanged.

Rose says Abbott was approached for a comment.

Sunak eyes deal to allow UK passport holders to use e-gates at EU airports

Rishi Sunak is seeking to capitalise on his improved relations with the EU with hopes of an agreement to allow British passport holders to use e-gates when travelling in the bloc, Lisa O’Carroll reports.

On small boats, Starmer told This Morning that he wanted to stop the boats. Labour would focus on two policies in particular, he said.

First, it would target the criminal gangs. And, second, it would cut the backlog of asylum claims, he said.

Starmer was also asked to defend Labour’s controversial anti-Sunak attack ad in his This Morning interview.

When it was put to him that David Blunkett, a former Labour home secretary, had criticised the ad as gutter politics, Starmer said he agreed with Blunkett on many things, but not this.

He said Labour was right to attack the government on crime because the system was broken. And he said the Tories should not be allowed to argue that, because there was a new prime minister, they did not have to defend their 13-year record.

Asked about the government’s decision to go to court to try to stop the latest strike by the Royal College of Nursing, Starmer said this approach was “completely wrong”.

He said the government should negotiate with the RCN to reach a solution.

Asked what pay rise he would be willing to offer nurses, he refused to give a figure. But he said there would have to be a compromise. He favoured a reasonable agreement, he said.

Starmer says Labour would make spiking drinks specific offence

Keir Starmer told ITV’s This Morning that Labour would make spiking drinks a specific offence.

That would encourage people to report spiking incidents, and make it easier for prosecutions to happen, he said.

When it was put to him that the government thought the creation of a new offence was not necessary, because the crime can be prosecuted under current offences, Starmer said he disagreed.

This was a crime that struck “real fear” into people, he said. He said his daughter was only 12, but he was already worried as a parent about her safety.

Starmer claims Labour has made "significant progress' on tackling antisemitism under his leadership

Keir Starmer has been on ITV’s This Morning, and the first question he got was about Diane Abbott.

He said that party took “swift action” over her letter to the Observer, and that it was “very important to me” that it did.

Labour will not tolerate antisemitism, he said.

Asked if there was still antisemitism in the pary, Starmer said what Abbott said was antisemitic. But he said the party had changed a lot in the past three years.

Jewish organisations would say the party has made “significant progress”, he said.

Asked if it was “frustrating” that this story had distracted attention from his local election campaigning, he said it was. He said he wanted to focus on violence against women and girls this week.

Here is my colleague Aletha Adu’s story about plans on this topic Starmer discussed at an event yesterday.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary (left), and Alex Chalk, the new justice secretary, arriving for cabinet this morning. Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

'We cannot borrow forever,' says Hunt, as year-on-year government borrowing rises by £18bn

The rocketing cost of energy bills support and soaring debt interest saw UK government borrowing jump by more than £18bn in the year to March, PA Media reports. PA says:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the public sector borrowed £139.2bn in the past financial year – the fourth highest since records began and £18.1bn more than in 2021-22, according to official figures.

But the figure was lower than the £152.4bn predicted last month by Britain’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

This comes despite the government forking out £41.2bn over the past six months to support households and businesses with energy costs.

Sky-high inflation also pushed debt interest payments on public sector debt to £106.6bn – 47% higher than the previous year as painful rises in retail prices index inflation have increased the interest payable on index-linked gilts.

Commenting on the latest borrowing figures, Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, said:

These numbers reflect the inevitable consequences of borrowing eye-watering sums to help families and businesses through a pandemic and [Vladimir] Putin’s energy crisis.”

We stepped up to support the British economy in the face of two global shocks, but we cannot borrow forever.

We now have a clear plan to get debt falling, which will reduce the financial pressure we pass on to our children and grandchildren.

Jeremy Hunt watching Rishi Sunak give a speech at the Business Connect event yesterday. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

UK to begin evacuating British nationals from Sudan

James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has announced that the government is evacuating British nationals from Sudan.

Patrick Wintour and Dan Sabbagh have the story here.

And there is more coverage on our Sudan live blog.

Conservatives face ‘judgment day’ on sewage crisis as Labour forces Commons vote

Good morning. Water quality used to be a niche concern for environmentalists, rather than a mainstream political issue. But that has changed in recent years, as people have become increasingly angry about water companies continuing to allow sewage to be discharged into rivers. Today Labour will seek to exploit that by challenging Tory MPs to vote down a bill that would do something about it.

Today has been set aside for opposition day debates – Commons debates on a Labour motion. Normally these are used for declarative motions (“This house believes that the government is rubbish …” etc) and the government often tells its MPs to abstain, because nothing happens if the motion passes. But increasingly Labour is using these slots to debate procedural motions, that would have an effect if passed, and the government cannot ignore these without consequence.

Using a technique used by MPs determined to stop a no-deal Brexit before the 2019 election, Labour has tabled a motion today that would allow it to take control of Commons business one day next month to pass a water quality (sewage discharge) bill. My colleague Peter Walker has written about it here. As he points out, the last time Labour tried this, to create time for a bill to ban new fracking, the Tory dissent this created was instrumental in finishing off the Liz Truss premiership.

No one expects today’s debate to have quite the same impact, but Labour is assuming that Tory MPs will vote against, and that it will be able to go into the final days of the local elections campaigning saying the Conservatives have voted down a move to stop sewage being discharged into rivers.

Jim McMahon, the shadow environment secretary, said:

It is clear that we have a Tory government that has run out of ideas, only regurgitating old announcements that do nothing to end sewage dumping. That is why Labour has brought forward legislation to clean up our water system.

Today, Tory MPs have an opportunity to support Labour’s water quality bill which will put an end to sewage dumping once and for all. Their constituents will be watching to see if they will put the best interests of our country before their party.

The Lib Dems are supporting Labour and Tim Farron, the Lib Dem environment spokesperson, said:

This vote will be judgment day for Conservative MPs on the sewage crisis plaguing our coastlines and rivers.

Conservative MPs have spent the past year blocking tough new laws on water companies. They are trying to take the British public for fools with tough talk and no action.

Communities across the country have had enough of Conservative MPs who would rather protect water firms over their local environment.

There is a lot else on too. Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.

9.45am: Chris Philp, the policing minister, gives evidence to the Commons home affairs committee on policing.

10.05am: Keir Starmer gives an interview to ITV’s This Morning.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

11.30am: Steve Barclay, the health secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

12pm: Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, gives a speech to the Policy Exchange thinktank.

After 12.30pm: MPs debate a Labour motion that would allow the party to control Commons business on Tuesday 2 May to pass a bill to limit sewage discharges into rivers.

2pm: Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, gives evidence to the Commons defence committee.

2.30pm: Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, gives evidence to the Northern Ireland affairs committee.

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