Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, says she has detected “deep, deep concern” from colleagues over expected changes to the welfare system, amid risks of a rift between the government and the backbenches.
Monday 10 March 2025 07:05, UK
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The UK is advising Ukraine on handing peace talks with the United States, it is understood.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will shortly fly out to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Mohammed bin Salman before talks between Ukrainian and American officials begin.
President Zelenskyy himself will not attend these talks – weeks after a fiery Oval Office exchange with US President Donald Trump – but his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will.
We understand that Jonathan Powell, Sir Keir Starmer’s national security adviser, travelled to Ukraine this weekend to brief Zelenskyy before talks with the US on Tuesday.
Powell is understood to be advising Zelenskyy to make clear he is “responding to American requests in order to highlight to Trump that Russia is the main obstacle to peace”, the Times reports.
Zelenskyy said talks with Powell were “highly productive”.
Starmer is also trying to convince Trump to resume intelligence sharing with Ukraine, after this was closed off suddenly last week.
The UK is also said to believe this is a more feasible request to make to the US than the resumption of military aid to Ukraine.
By Tim Baker, political reporter
Phone centre waiting times for public services could be cut in half by using AI, a minister has suggested.
Speaking to Sky News, Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the technology was “win-win” as it will save the taxpayer money and make the public experience better.
“I am determined to drive this technology through the government,” he added.
Long waiting times has long blighted those trying to access services like Citizens Advice, HMRC and the DVLA.
But with the government talking of an AI revolution, one trial has used the tech to drastically reduce the volume of minutes spent on hold.
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) teams in Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford have managed to cut the average phone call length from eight minutes to four in a months’ long trial.
A Labour MP has warned ministers against “draconian cuts” ahead of expected changes to the welfare system.
Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, said she had detected “deep, deep concern” from colleagues in the Commons, amid risks of a rift between the government and the backbenches.
Reforms to the welfare system are expected ahead of the spring statement at the end of this month, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely look to make a raft of public spending savings given tighter fiscal headroom.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Maskell said she has had a “flurry of emails” from people who are “deeply concerned” about the prospect of changes to the system.
She said: “We recognise the economic circumstances that we’re in and the hand that we were given and of course it is right that the chancellor has oversight over all those budgets but not at the expense of pushing disabled people into poverty.
“There’s got to be a carrot approach not a stick approach.
“We’ve got to make the right interventions and that doesn’t start with the stick.”
She said she had “picked up […] deep deep concern” from colleagues and called for a “compassionate system and not taking just draconian cuts”.
Good morning!
Welcome back to the Politics Hub for the start of another week in Westminster.
Reaction will likely continue on Monday after Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe was reported to the police over alleged threats of physical violence against the party’s chair.
On Friday, party chairman Zia Yusuf and chief whip Lee Anderson MP disclosed accusations that two female workers had complained of “serious bullying” in Mr Lowe’s offices, and said he had been reported to police over allegations he threatened Mr Yusuf with physical violence.
Mr Lowe, who has been suspended by the parliamentary party, denied the claims.
Meanwhile, a Labour MP is today warning of “draconian cuts” ahead of expected changes to the welfare system.
Rachael Maskell says she has detected “deep, deep concern” from colleagues in the Commons, amid risks of a rift between the government and the backbenches.
Labour will also today set out new reforms to strip out processes holding back the planning system, in a bid to deliver the government’s 1.5 million homes target.
And this evening, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to address the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
We’ll be discussing all of that and more with…
Follow along for the very latest political news.
Another week of Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips has come to an end.
Join us again next week at 8.30am.
The Latvian president has urged European countries to “absolutely” introduce conscription, as he conceded the continent was “quite weak” militarily.
Edgars Rinkevics told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that European countries should increase defence spending amid the “ups and downs” in relations with the US.
Latvia introduced conscription for men in 2023 and has pushed defence spending to 4% of the country’s GDP.
“Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that,” Mr Rinkevics said.
“A lot of people are a little bit nervous. People are following the news. Of course strong reassurances [are] one thing, but another thing is other European governments [have] to make sure that we all get stronger.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, is speaking to Trevor Phillips this morning on behalf of the Conservatives.
He reiterates his party’s position that they want to see government spending come down on the back of civil service cuts and reducing welfare bills.
On the latter, Trevor asks if there is a “danger here of a rather cruel race between you and the government, to see who can be more cruel to disabled people?”
Philp says that people who are “genuinely disabled” and unable to work should be “looked after”, but the number of people getting welfare is “far, far too high”, and the thresholds to make claims are “too low and too easy”.
On the civil service, Philp says the Conservative plan is to reduce the size of the bureaucracy to the size it was before the pandemic, rather than taking back to the “ice age”.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice is speaking to Trevor Phillips as a row engulfs the insurgent party.
Rupert Lowe was suspended from the party on Friday amid bullying and threat investigations. Lowe denies the allegations.
But it came the day after Lowe challenged Nigel Farage’s leadership in the media.
Tice tells Trevor that the decision to suspend Lowe was “unfortunate” and “difficult”.
But he says it is important to be transparent about the allegations.
Asked about the timeline of events, Tice says that an “additional threat” was made by Lowe against party chairman Zia Yusuf and it was decided that they couldn’t “tolerate this any more”.
He says there were also “behind the scenes” a “number of difficulties and challenges” with Lowe.
But Tice does not get drawn into a debate over what the challenge means for Farage’s leadership of Reform.
He says that all parties get involved in factionalism, not just ones led by Farage.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden is asked about proposed cuts to welfare and benefits.
While he does not explicitly state cuts are coming, he confirms a “package of welfare changes” are on the way.
McFadden points out that there are more than nine million people of working age not in work, and close to three million of those are on long-term sickness.
The cost of this has risen by roughly £20bn in the past few years, he says.
The minister goes on to say that by doing nothing, another one million people will be on long-term sickness benefits by the end of the decade.
He points out that this is “not fair” on those on the benefits, nor the taxpayers having to fund the benefits.
“We do have to act on this to make sure that we give everyone in the country the opportunity to work,” he says.
“We are the Labour Party. The clue is in the name.”
Civil service cuts coming?
Another area the government may be looking to save money in is the civil service.
While McFadden won’t say bluntly that cuts are coming to government bureaucracy, he says he wants a “more productive” civil service.
This might involve “fewer” civil servants in some areas.
But McFadden adds that “we can reduce the cost of the government overhead with a smart application of technology, with the right incentives for the vast majority of civil servants who are doing a good job”.
The UK is not considering conscription, according to senior cabinet minister Pat McFadden.
It comes after the president of Latvia called on European nations to have mandatory military service.
McFadden told Sky News: “We’re not considering conscription, but of course, we’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago – and we do have to recognise that the world has changed here.”
Asked if the UK’s military will increase in size, McFadden says it’s best to wait for the strategic defence review before nailing down where the spending increase will go.
But he notes that “you would not spend that money today on the same things as you would 10 years ago”.
Asked if fiscal rules might be changed to help with defence spending, McFadden says the increase will need to be accounted for somehow.
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