UK politics live: Badenoch’s shadow cabinet shows Tories ‘learned nothing’ from Truss chaos, says Labour
Top roles for Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick as new shadow cabinet revealed
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Your support makes all the difference.Kemi Badenoch’s new shadow cabinet shows the Tory party has “learned nothing” from the chaos of the Liz Truss and Boris Johnson years, Labour says.
Most of Ms Badenoch’s new team “went AWOL for the vote on Boris Johnson’s antics at Partygate”, Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said in a statement.
The majority of them were ministers for Liz Truss “as they crashed Britain’s economy”, Ms Reeves added.
“Instead of turning the page on 14 years of Tory government, Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet shows that the Conservatives have learnt nothing.”
It comes as Ms Badenoch said she will “win back the trust of the public” after announcing her shadow cabinet, which includes Dame Priti Patel as foreign secretary and Robert Jenrick as justice secretary.
“The process of renewing our great party has now begun,” Ms Badenoch said in a speech which echoed the rhetoric employed by Sir Keir Starmer after he took the Labour Party reins in 2020.
Ms Badenoch called for a “team effort” from her colleagues, but she already faces dissent after one anonymous senior Tory told the BBC Dame Priti’s appointment had “destroyed” any chance of a “respectable foreign policy”.
Kemi Badenoch’s new shadow cabinet to hold first meeting this morning
The first meeting of Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet is planned to take place around 10am, the new Conservative Party co-chair has said.
Nigel Huddleston told GB News he expected most of the key roles to be officially announced ahead of the meeting.
But he said reports of the appointment of Robert Jenrick as shadow justice secretary “might be jumping the gun”.
Tobacco and vaping legislation to be introduced later today
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is set to be introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday, bidding to create the “first smoke-free generation” in the UK.
It will prevent anyone born after 1 January 2009 from legally smoking by raising the the age at which tobacco can be bought. The bill will also introduce restrictions on vape advertising and will restrict flavours.
Separate environmental legislation will see disposable vapes banned from June 2025.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: ”Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS. Prevention is better than cure.
“This Government is taking bold action to create the first smoke-free generation, clamp down on kids getting hooked on nicotine through vapes, and protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of secondhand smoke.
“This historic legislation will save thousands of lives and protect the NHS. By building a healthy society, we will also help to build a healthy economy, with fewer people off work sick.”
Good morning, and thanks for joining us on The Independent’s politics live blog.
We’ll be bringing you the latest updates as the government’s new Tobacco and Vapes Bill is introduced the House of Commons, and Westminster watchers warily turn their gaze to the US election.
Tuition fee hike will not fix universities’ financial crisis, sector leaders say
The hike on tuition fees will not be enough to alleviate the “severe” financial pressures facing universities, sector leaders have said.
This is because the rise in national insurance contributions will squeeze the institutions’ budgets further, they say.
On Monday, education secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that undergraduate tuition fees would rise to £9,535 next year, having been frozen at £9,250 since 2017.
But Professor Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, says the rise in line with inflation will only stop their real-terms value declining further than they have already.
“It may help to prevent things getting progressively worse, but does not entirely alleviate the severe financial pressures facing the sector, which increased this month with the increases to national insurance employer contributions,” he said.
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