Keir Starmer is abroad again – this time in Estonia for the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit, where he will meet with fellow leaders. It comes as the government’s China policy is a topic of debate after an alleged “spy” was named. Listen to Politics At Jack and Sam’s as you scroll.
Tuesday 17 December 2024 08:19, UK
The prime minister has arrived at the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in Estonia, where he will discuss defence with his fellow leaders.
He spoke to cameras on arrival, saying that he and his fellow leaders have “the chance today to have important strategic discussions on matters of mutual concern and interest, and Ukraine will be amongst those”.
He went on: “We had a good informal discussion last night about our perspectives, and so today is a real chance to take that together with our allies and share our thinking, and share our development of ideas as we go forward.”
Sir Keir Starmer was asked by a reporter if the UK is prepared to reach spending of 3% of GDP on defence, and if 2.5% is a realistic goal for his allies.
He replied: “The starting point here is the first duty of all governments, including my government, is obviously the safety and security of our people, national security. And that’s why we’re having this important discussion
“The world is more volatile now than it has been for some time, and that’s why we made a big commitment to defence spending in the budget that we passed just a few weeks ago, and we will set out a pathway to 2.5% in due course.”
Asked for his reaction to the news that a top Russian general was killed in a blast in Moscow, the PM did not respond.
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.
As Sir Keir Starmer makes his final foreign trip of the year to Estonia, Jack and Sam discuss foreign policy and Trump’s possible plans for Ukraine, and his views on what’s happening in Syria.
Plus, Sam reveals Labour’s controversial plans for AI regulation, and explains why the creative industries are very concerned.
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Naming an alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew has triggered a much wider row about the UK’s relationship with China.
This government faces the same question as its predecessors: how close is it safe to get to the regime and at what cost?
Sir Keir Starmer has already given clear signals about his positioning, meeting with President Xi last month at the G20 summit.
It was the first time a British prime minister has done so since 2018 and marked a thawing of relations.
And this is set to continue with the Chancellor Rachel Reeves planning to visit in January for an economic summit, another olive branch that Number 10 has said today will still go ahead.
It’s clear the new government is taking a pragmatic approach, described as one of co-operation and engagement, but with room for challenge on issues such as human rights and climate change.
It’s still much more cautious than the friendly David Cameron era, which included a memorable trip to the pub with the Chinese president.
But despite this it is still drawing criticism from long-standing China sceptics like Iain Duncan Smith, who has warned that the Yang Tengbo case is just the “tip of the iceberg”.
By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter
The right to home schooling will no longer be automatic for parents of the most vulnerable children under new government proposals.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, will unveil a new bill in parliament on Tuesday – the same day that Sara Sharif’s killers will be sentenced – that aims to address some of the safeguarding concerns prompted by the high-profile case.
Under the proposed legislation, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, local councils will be given the power to intervene and demand school attendance if they deem a child’s home environment unsuitable or unsafe.
It will also remove the automatic right for parents to home-school their child if their child is subject to a protection investigation or is under a protection plan – meaning they are suspected of being at risk of significant harm.
New registers will also be brought in to identify children not in school, as well as unique identifier numbers to record any issues and prevent children from “falling through the cracks”.
Last week Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, were convicted of her murder.
Her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing her death, prompting the prime minister to say there were “questions that need to be answered“ on protections for children.
Read the full details below – and hear from education secretary Bridget Phillipson on Sky News at 8.10am.
A suspected Chinese spy – described as a “close confidant” of Prince Andrew – has been publicly named as Yang Tengbo.
Mr Yang, who was known only as H6 until a High Court judge lifted an anonymity order which was shielding his identity on Monday, is barred from entering Britain.
He was first excluded in 2023 by then home secretary Suella Braverman after the Home Office said he was considered to have engaged in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The case against Mr Yang has recently been thrust back into the limelight after he argued his exclusion from the UK was unlawful and made an appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
Last week, the specialist tribunal in London upheld the ban and ruled that Ms Braverman had been “entitled to conclude” that he “represented a risk to the national security”.
MPs have since expressed concern about the level of access allegedly gained by the businessman, after he also met former prime ministers Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
Below, Sky News take you through everything we know about Mr Yang so far…
UK average regular earnings growth rose to 5.2% in the three months to October.
It was 3% higher after taking Consumer Prices Index inflation into account, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
That data also shows that the rate of UK unemployment remained unchanged at 4.3% in the three months to October.
The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was estimated at 4.3% in August to October 2024.
This is above estimates of a year ago, and up in the latest quarter.
The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 years was estimated at 74.9% in August to October 2024. This is largely unchanged on a year ago, but up in the latest quarter.
In response to the figures, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP said: “Today’s figures are a stark reminder of the work that needs to be done.
“To get Britain growing again, we need to get Britain working again – so people have good jobs which pay decent wages and offer the chance to progress.
“Through our Get Britain Working Plan we will do just that – transforming Jobcentres, making sure every young person is earning or learning and properly joining up work, health and skills support to drive up employment and drive down poverty in every corner of our country.
“And from April, someone working full time on the minimum wage will be £1,400 better off, meaning more money in people’s pockets, delivering on the plan for change to improve living standards and make people better off.”
By Jon Craig, chief political correspondent
David Cameron and George Osborne made a “massive mistake” in courting China from 2010 to 2016, Sir Iain Duncan Smith has told Sky News.
The former Tory leader said the Yang Tengbo spying row proves that aspects of national security were overlooked and the UK is now paying the price.
Sir Iain, who served in Lord Cameron’s cabinet from 2010 until 2016, spoke to Sky News after his urgent question in the Commons on China and spying allegations.
Asked if Lord Cameron and Mr Osborne’s courting of China was to blame for some of the problems of national security the UK is facing now, he said: “It was a massive mistake.
“I made that pretty clear at the time. I was in government at the time, I was very uneasy about what they were doing. I didn’t think this would work. It turns out that it didn’t work.
“I thought it was a big mistake because President Xi is smart enough to know that we’re coming to court him. Well, we have to pay a price for that. And the price we pay is to overlook aspects of national security.”
Sir Iain also said he believes Sir Keir Starmer’s government is now bowing to pressure from MPs to bring in a foreign influence registration scheme (FIRS), initially proposed by the Conservatives before the election.
By Faye Brown, political reporter
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “concerned” about the challenge China poses in his first comments on an alleged spy with links to Prince Andrew who has been barred from the UK.
Speaking during a news conference in Norway, the prime minister said he could not comment on whether the government has discussed the situation with Buckingham Palace.
He said there is “a long-standing convention” in the UK that talks between Downing Street and the Royal Family are “never spoken about”.
However, he said that “of course we are concerned about the challenge China poses”, as he defended his push for a “pragmatic” relationship with Beijing.
Sir Keir said: “Our approach… is one of engagement, of co-operating where we need to co-operate on issues like climate change, to challenge where we must and where we should particularly on issues like human rights, and to compete when it comes to trade.”
Tory MP and China hawk, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, has warned there are “many, many more” like H6 in the UK.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’re dealing with the tip of the iceberg.
“The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place. The reality for us is very simple – China is a very clear threat.”
Tom Tugendhat, the former Conservative security minister, echoed those warnings, telling Sky News there has been “a pattern” of attempts to influence or change British policy, and also attempts to steal economic secrets and intellectual property.
He criticised Sir Keir for having a summit with China’s premier Xi Jinping, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves for planning meetings in China in the new year – saying closer ties are not appropriate.
Mr Tugendhat also called for Labour to continue with the foreign influence registration scheme, which was established under the Conservatives but is yet to be implemented.
The scheme would require those involved in promoting the interests of other countries to declare themselves.
Good morning!
Welcome back to the Politics Hub on this Tuesday, 17 December.
The government’s China policy is very much a topic of debate in Westminster after the identity of the alleged spy who was close to Prince Andrew was revealed.
China hawks are being critical of Sir Keir Starmer’s recent engagement with the country’s senior leadership, right up to President Xi Jinping, and are calling for much more distance in the relationship to protect national security.
The PM has remained firm in defence of his desire for a “pragmatic” relationship with China, only going so far as telling reporters that “of course we are concerned about the challenge China poses”.
But China will be on the back burner for the PM today as he jets to Estonia for the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit, where he will meet with world leaders and UK forces stationed in the region. We’ll bring you coverage of what he says and does here in the Politics Hub throughout the day.
Kemi Badenoch has made a headline by saying that a flat rate of tax for individuals and businesses is “very attractive” to her – in response to which Labour accused her of “bringing out the ghost of Christmas past with these Truss-style tax cuts for millionaires”.
We will see her out in front of parliament this morning as she and the remaining Tory MPs protest against the changes to inheritance tax for farmers.
And the government is unveiling legislation to remove the automatic right from parents of the most vulnerable children to homeschool them, and new registers will also be brought in to identify children not in school.
Over in parliament…
Ed Miliband and his team will face questions on their energy and net zero brief in the Commons from 11.30am.
Possibly more interestingly… Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will face scrutiny from the Home Affairs Select Committee on the work of her department from 2.30pm.
And Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will face similar questioning from the Justice Committee, also from 2.30pm.
We’ll be discussing all of that and more with…
Follow along for the very latest political news.
It’s probably not worthy of being adapted into a blockbuster film franchise, but allegations of spying and espionage in Westminster and beyond has given the Politics Hub a different flavour today.
To catch up on the case of Yang Tengbo and his links to senior British figures from Prince Andrew to former prime ministers, tap through the key points above or read our latest bulletin post.
We also discussed it all on the Daily, which you can find below:
Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge was also dominated by the story, along with the government’s plans to reform local councils.
You can watch that in full below, if you missed it live:
That’s all from us – and our terrible James Bond puns – for today.
Thankfully, tomorrow never dies – hope to see you then.
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