While Sir Keir Starmer continues efforts to rally allies in support of Ukraine, the Conservative leader has been launching her party’s local elections campaign. And meanwhile, protesters have made their presence felt in the House of Lords.
Thursday 20 March 2025 15:54, UK
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As we mentioned earlier, former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared in a police investigation looking into the SNP’s finances.
We’ve now received comments from Sturgeon, who says being cleared is “the outcome I would have always expected”.
Speaking outside her home near Glasgow today after she was cleared in relation to the police probe, Sturgeon said: “I am completely in the clear, that is the outcome I would always have expected.
“As I have said to all of you many times, I have done nothing wrong, so I was confident of reaching at this point and getting to this outcome.”
“I wish none of that had happened,” she added. “And I look forward to getting on with my life. I’ve got a year to go in parliament. I look forward to representing my constituency.”
Watch Sturgeon’s comments in full here…
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has just been speaking at the annual conference of the British Chambers of Commerce.
He tells business leaders in London that British growth “requires a new partnership between government and business”.
“You all are the lifeblood of our economy. You are the difference between stagnation and growth, and you are the energy on which the economy depends.”
He says the Labour government is banning “the culture of frivolity” and replacing it with one of “seriousness and purpose”.
“Because, let me emphasise, stability has to be in this government’s DNA,” he adds.
‘Three great geo-economic challenges’
The first of those challenges, Lammy says, is that the institutions built to manage the global economy are “clearly under deep stress and threat”.
He says the UK will “continue to support” World Trade Organisation rules but will also form a “new coalition of the willing” to build momentum behind initiatives that play to the British economy’s “present and future strengths”.
The second challenge, Lammy adds, is that industrial activism is “on the rise” and the “laissez-faire approach” to globalisation from 1989-2008 is “dead and buried”.
He says the UK must “turbocharge the relationships which will generate the greatest return on investment”, with the EU, China and US at “the top of that list”.
The third challenge is about tech. Lammy says the UK’s future success depends on its ability to harness changes in emerging technology like AI.
He says the UK must work with its partners to win the “technology race”.
Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared in a police investigation into the SNP’s finances.
Sturgeon and former party treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested in 2023 but released pending further investigation in the probe – named Operation Branchform by Police Scotland.
Both are no longer under investigation, police said.
The news comes after Sturgeon’s estranged husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell appeared in court charged with embezzlement.
In a statement, Police Scotland said: “Following direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, criminal inquiries into two people arrested as part of the investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party have now concluded.
“The 73 year-old man arrested on April 18 2023, and the 54 year-old woman arrested on June 11 2023, have not been charged and are no longer under investigation.”
Sir Keir Starmer was also asked about welfare, after a Labour MP yesterday said there was “nothing moral” about his government’s reforms.
The prime minister was asked if he is comfortable with the changes Labour is making to the benefits system.
He told Sky News he understands the concerns, “but I do think it’s morally indefensible that a million young people are going essentially from education on to benefits.”
“Nor do I think it’s morally defensible to have a system that makes it really difficult for people who are out of work to get into work,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted his “coalition of the willing” should turn political momentum into “military plans” ahead of a meeting on Ukraine today.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “We’ve seen important talks between the US and Russia just a few days ago, more talks on Sunday.
“That’s why it’s important today that we’re turning the political momentum that we had at the weekend in the meeting that I convened of nearly 30 political leaders… into military plans.
“Those plans are focusing on keeping the skies safe, the seas safe, the borders safe and secure in Ukraine.
“We’re working at pace because we don’t know if there will be a deal, I certainly hope there will be.
“But if there’s a deal, that we’re able to react straight away.”
The House of Lords had to pause proceedings this afternoon when a group of protesters shouting “Lords out, people in” arrived in the chamber.
The group threw papers, some of which read “never mind the Lords”, from the public gallery, calling for the abolition of the unelected chamber.
At the time, Baroness Twycross was addressing peers in a statement on the 80th anniversaries of victory in Europe and over Japan.
‘Aristocrats and oligarchs out’
The leaflets thrown by the small group had written on them: “Never mind the Lords here’s the House of People.”
On the other side it stated: “Aristocrats and oligarchs: Out.
“Posties, mums, nurses and neighbours: In.
“Replace the House of Lords to save the UK.”
The protesters said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the House of Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens’ assembly.
As they were escorted out, the protesters sang a song encouraging people to “take back the Commons” and “raise a glass to Thomas Paine”.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has just confirmed that a British aid worker was wounded in a strike on a United Nations compound in Gaza.
He noted that 18 March appears to have been “the deadliest single day for Palestinians since the war began”.
Lammy says at least 400 Palestinians were killed in strikes, “the majority of them were women and children”.
“This is an appalling loss of life.”
He adds: “We strongly oppose Israel’s resumption of hostilities.
“We urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. More bloodshed is in no one’s interest, Hamas must release all the hostages and negotiations must resume.”
Over to the House of Commons, where Foreign Secretary David Lammy is addressing MPs on the conflict in the Middle East.
It comes after Israel said it has launched a “limited ground operation” to retake part of a key land corridor in Gaza.
The move appeared to deepen a renewed Israeli offensive that shattered a ceasefire with Hamas that had begun in January.
We’ll bring you any key updates – and watch below:
Over in Buckinghamshire, our deputy political editor Sam Coates just attended the launch of the Conservative Party’s local elections campaign.
He says this was a rather striking event, because party leader Kemi Badenoch appeared very defensive.
Sam explains: “It’s quite a small set of local elections, probably just as well.
“One of the most striking features of the Conservative launch here is just how bluntly defensive it is.
“It began with an address from Badenoch, that started by saying look, these elections are the first elections of this kind of council since 2021.
“And in 2021, the Tories did incredibly well.
“And now, we’ve just had the biggest defeat in the party’s history for decades. There is an expectation lowering exercise by the relatively new leader.
“She wants to fight this election on the understanding that if you vote Conservative, they’ve got a track record in local government.
“They would say a good track record of stewardship of local councils.
“She was trying to detach the question of voting Conservative from the big picture, like ideology and policy.”
Sam Coates, our deputy political editor, asks Kemi Badenoch what the policy differences are between the Conservative Party under her leadership and Reform UK.
She says the Tories “don’t just make announcements, we have a plan”.
“A lot of other parties just tell people what they think they want to hear,” Badenoch adds. “We think through and make sure that we are providing a credible plan that can be delivered.”
“This is not show business, this is not a game,” she continues, echoing previous criticism of Nigel Farage’s appearance on reality TV shows (as discussed in today’s Politics At Sam And Anne’s podcast).
“This is about people’s lives.”
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