Rachel Reeves is in China for economic talks – rejecting pressure from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to cancel the trip over her domestic troubles. Elsewhere, the government is considering capping the price of resold concert tickets.
Friday 10 January 2025 15:10, UK
You can scroll through the page below to catch up on all of Friday’s political action.
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By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter
Teachers have been told it is “not the right time to strike” after the largest education union said it will ask its members to reject the government’s pay rise offer.
The National Education Union (NEU) will launch an indicative ballot of its members from 1 March until 11 April over the government recommendation of a 2.8% pay rise for teachers in England.
Speaking to Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy urged teachers not to strike, arguing that the new Labour government has taken “more action than the Conservative government took in the last 14 years”.
In an appeal to teachers, she said: “I would just say to the teaching workforce, I know it’s been tough, but we need to work together in the interests of children. We’re confident that we’ve got the right answers working together with them.
“Now is not the time to strike. Now is the time to move forwards.”
The threat of teacher strikes comes after the government recommended a 2.8% pay rise for public sector workers, including NHS staff, some of whom were critical of the offer.
Sir Keir Starmer has today spoken with the leaders of Finland and Estonia about undersea cables and the Russian shadow fleet.
It comes after the cutting of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea – with many pointing the finger at Russia.
According to Downing Street, Sir Keir and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb spoke about “the subsea cable damage that took place on Christmas Day”.
The pair “agreed to share findings on the source and intent of this incident and to work together with NATO allies to prevent sabotage activity against undersea cables in future”.
And the UK PM also spoke to Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal.
Downing Street said they “discussed recent damage to subsea cables and Estonia’s response, and the prime minister underscored the UK’s commitment to security in the Baltic Sea region”.
The statement added: “On a related point, they raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of the Russian Shadow Fleet and the risk of oil spills.
“They agreed upon the importance of continued collaboration.”
With child sex gangs once again in the news, there has been much discussion about the Jay report.
This report was authored by Professor Alexis Jay, who was chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
The IICSA investigated child sex abuse and existed between 2015 and 2022, with a report published at the end and 20 recommendations made.
None of them have been implemented.
The current government has said these should be put in place before they would consider a new inquiry into grooming gangs.
Professor Jay will give evidence – alongside John O’Brien, who was secretary to the IICSA – to the Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday 21 January.
Dame Karen Bradley, the chair of the committee, said: “We have a responsibility to ensure that the results of comprehensive public inquiries set up by government are acted upon. For too long, children were failed by those who should have been protecting them.
“We are holding this session to understand how the government and the different institutions within the remit of the inquiry have responded to its findings.
“We want to see if there has been progress in the wide-ranging change needed to implement a comprehensive child safety framework and what more needs to be done.”
There’s been reports the counter-terror unit has been monitoring Elon Musk’s social media accounts following his posts about grooming gangs.
We asked the Home Office about this, and while they did not directly address Mr Musk, a spokesperson said: “While we can’t comment on operational matters, we routinely use open-source monitoring to be informed of what is being shared and discussed online.”
It seems like the idea the counter-terror division were looking into it might have been overblown.
Instead, it appears more like routine monitoring from the Home Office of things being posted on social media.
It’s been well publicised that Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have met and exchanged phone calls.
However, no such meetings have taken place between anyone else in the UK’s trade department and the incoming Trump team.
Dame Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative shadow business minister, wrote to the business and trade secretary to ask: “whether (a) he, (b) ministers in his department and (c) officials in his department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump?”
Trade minister Douglas Alexander replied: “The incoming US administration is still in the process of appointing senior staff.
“The prime minister had a warm introductory call with President-Elect Trump on 6 November.
“During this call, the prime minister offered his congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with President-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship.
“The prime minister spoke to the president-elect again on 18 December.
“Neither the secretary of state, ministers, nor officials in the department have had meetings with President-Elect Trump’s transition team.”
By Ali Fortescue, political correspondent and Hannah Woodward, political producer
The first minister of Wales has revealed she is expecting more money from the prime minister for rail infrastructure in the country.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Eluned Morgan hailed HS2 as “unfair” and said she is “expecting to see some uplift in terms of rail infrastructure and financing”.
A UK government source said the government would “signal a direction of travel” on transport in Wales in the coming days, and the issue will be a “priority” in the spending review in the spring.
The source said the government is making efforts to “fix” the “historic underinvestment in rail in Wales, exacerbated by HS2”.
The first minister said she hopes to see additional funding before the Senedd elections next May, but it is unclear how much cash Sir Keir Starmer is willing to give his colleagues in Wales.
Despite no plans for HS2 infrastructure to run through Wales, the project was categorised as an England and Wales project by the previous Conservative government.
A torrent of posts from X owner Elon Musk has thrown an unexpected spotlight on the issue of historical grooming gangs in the last week.
In the early 2010s, dozens of men, the majority of British Pakistani origin, were convicted of crimes including rape, sex trafficking, and child sexual exploitation that had gone undetected for years.
On the Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our home editor Jason Farrell and Lucy Duckworth, from The Survivors Trust, herself a survivor of child abuse, to explain why the recommendations of numerous inquiries have still not been implemented.
The Survivors Trust runs a free, confidential national helpline 7 days a week for survivors of rape or sexual abuse and violence aged 16+.
You can call 0808 801 0818 or text 07860 022 956 for support.
By James Sillars, business and economics reporter
The pound is treading water this Friday morning as a brutal week for values nears its end.
Sterling was trading at $1.23 and €1.19 after investors suddenly turned on the chancellor’s stewardship of the public finances due to the deteriorating outlook for the UK economy.
Dollar strength, a consequence of separate anxieties over a Trump presidency curbing the US central bank’s ability to cut interest rates, has been another factor at play in the squeeze on sterling.
The declines for the pound have left the UK currency trading at 14-month lows.
The other area of financial markets to have displayed worries about the UK’s fortunes has been the bond market.
Investors there have demanded a higher risk premium to hold UK government debt.
Yields (the effective interest rate) on long-term bonds, which are known as gilts, have struck levels not seen this century.
This provides a particular problem for the chancellor because it means Rachel Reeves will have to spend more money servicing the cost of government debt.
It is widely believed that she is considering imposing cuts to public services to help manage the upwards shift in bond yields to avoid breaking the spending rules she has set herself.
Rising yields reflect jitters over the impact of budget tax hikes on businesses and the knock-on effects for their employees.
Corporate lobby groups have widely warned that investment, jobs and wages will plunge, with customers facing higher prices too, to help offset the hefty new tax bill.
Bond yields have also been rising more widely abroad due to fears surrounding the impact of threatened Trump trade tariffs.
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