Starmer vows to govern Scotland with ‘mandate for change’ as Braverman warns of Reform threat to Tories - live
Sir Keir Starmer said his Labour government would ‘deliver for Scotland’ as he visited Edinburgh
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Sir Keir Starmer kicked off his UK-wide tour with a speech from Edinburgh alongside Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar.
The new prime minister vowed to govern all four nations with a “mandate for change” and to deliver for the people of Scotland, where he secured 37 Labour MPs.
He met Scottish first minister John Swinney in an effort to “turn disagreement into cooperation” with the SNP.
Sir Keir has also begun work to improve relations with Europe, with foreign secretary David Lammy meeting leaders in Germany, Poland and Sweden.
After the Tories suffered a historic election defeat, Suella Braverman said Reform UK could kill off the Conservatives. Nigel Farage’s party won five seats in parliament.
The former home secretary claimed the Tories are experiencing an “existential crisis with Reform” and blamed Rishi Sunak’s “idiotic strategy” for their worst-ever defeat in the general election.
On the third day of a Labour government, Labour cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds ruled out introducing digital ID cards after Tony Blair called for their use to help control migration.
The business secretary initially said the government would be “looking at all sorts of things” and that he did not want to pre-empt the plan, but in a later interview he ruled it out.
Who has Sir Keir Starmer picked to be in his Cabinet?
After the serial winners succumbed to their worst ever defeat, what next for the Tories?
How Nigel Farage took over my hometown – and why Keir Starmer should be worried
For Keir Starmer’s new cabinet, stability is the change
Once Britain was the laughing stock of Europe, derided as a ‘clown country’ – not any more
Lib Dems back electoral reform - even if it means losing seats to Reform
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the party has “long argued for electoral reform” as “our politics is broken”, but added it “might mean that there’ll be people who are elected who we don’t agree with”.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme if it was fair that Reform UK got many more votes than the Lib Dems but have ended up with far fewer seats, Sir Ed said: “Well, you know Laura that the Liberal Democrats have long argued for fair votes and long argued for electoral reform and proportional representation. We want to improve our democracy, our politics is broken and so we’re going to continue to make that case.
“It might mean that there’ll be people who are elected who we don’t agree with but by the way, that’s been the case in the first past the post, there are many people in the Conservative Party who seem to share the values and ideas of Reform, and they’re already there.”
Asked if the voting system was reformed under proportional representation, would he be happy to see Reform UK being the third biggest party and not the Liberal Democrats, he said: “Well, I believe in democracy, and I believe in taking forward your ideas for political reform.
“People will get voted in who you don’t agree with, under first past the post people in Reform have got elected too and people in the Conservative Party who were very close to Reform have got elected. That’s democracy, that’s allowing the people to express their will.”
Conservatives no longer a ‘viable entity’, former Tory MP says
Former Conservative MP Marcus Fysh has claimed the Tories are no longer a “viable entity” after the disastrous result of the general election.
Mr Fysh believes the party is unwilling to do what is needed to become electable again in 2029.
He told Times Radio: “I just don’t think it is a viable entity any more. I think with the current composition or the new composition of the party in parliament I don’t think there is any chance that it will do the things that are required to actually be electable again.
“So whether it’s making the most of actually being outside the EU, I don’t think the current crop of MPs will ever want to do that, and I don’t think it is possible for a centre right party that doesn’t want to do that ever to be elected in the UK again.”
He added MPs are “wasting theit time” and they should wind it up, adding: “I just don’ think it works any more. I don’t think there is political space for where the current crop of MPs want to be, which is on the centre left, SDP side of politics, the old SDP. They are centre left politicians, and that is where Labour is.”
Nigel Farage took over my hometown – Keir Starmer should be worried
With the highest leave vote in the country, Boston and Skegness became known as Farageland, so it was no surprise to Zoe Beaty that it was where Reform’s Richard Tice won a seat. It is also why Labour needs to stop treating Farage like a joke.
How Nigel Farage took over my hometown – and why Keir Starmer should be very worried
With the highest leave vote in the country, Boston and Skegness became known as Farageland, so it was no surprise to Zoe Beaty that it was where Reform’s Richard Tice won a seat. It is also why Labour needs to stop treating Farage like a joke
Starmer vows to ‘deliver for Scotland'
Sir Keir Starmer said his Labour government would “deliver for Scotland” as he visited Edinburgh.
The Prime Minister was in Scotland at the start of a two-day trip which will also take in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Appearing alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Sir Keir said there were 37 Labour MPs from Scottish seats.
Sir Keir said that during the campaign he wanted “Scotland to send a government to start delivering for Scotland”.
“We have this team to be part of a government, sitting on the government benches, all working to deliver for Scotland,” he said.
“This team here, the whole of the Labour Party in government and myself, delivering for Scotland.”
SNP admits Scottish independence is ‘a hard sell’ after losing 38 seats
The SNP has just 18 months to save the case for Scottish independence after suffering a drubbing in the general election, its Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has admitted.
The nationalists lost their position as Scotland’s dominant party in the House of Commons, losing 38 of 47 their seats – mostly to a resurgent Labour – and dealing a huge blow to their hopes of securing another independence referendum.
It’s their lowest number of seats at Westminster since 2010, and means they have dropped from the third-largest party, with a question every week at PMQs, to the fourth-largest.
With all but one of the 57 Scottish seats declared, Labour hold 37, the SNP nine and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats each have five; a recount in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat will not restart until 10.30am on Saturday.
Our Political Editor David Maddox has more:
Independence is ‘a hard sell’ after huge election losses, SNP admits
Nationalists lose 38 of their 47 seats, threatening to kill off the independence debate for a generation
‘Botched’ Brexit deal
Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants better trading and security relationships with Brussels – vowing to rip up the “botched” deal struck by Boris Johnson.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has already travelled to Europe for talks with key players.
Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh, Sir Keir said: “We intend to improve our relationship with the EU and that means closer trading ties with the EU, it means closer ties in relation to research and development and closer ties in relation to defence and security.
“Obviously, there are many discussions to be had and negotiations to be had.
“But I do think that we can get a much better deal than the botched deal that Boris Johnson saddled the UK with.”
He added that it depends on “respectful relationships”.
Alba party leader voted SNP in general election
Alex Salmond has revealed he voted for the Scottish National Party at the general election.
The former Scottish first minister and Alba party leader said his party did not have a candidate in his Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.
He told LBC: “I’m one of the few people in Scotland who can say I voted for a successful SNP candidate because in this seat, because of the shenanigans of the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, who stabbed one of his colleagues in the back, metaphorically.
“Many people here decided that’s not the sort of person they wanted representing the north east of Scotland.So, this was the SNP’s gain of the election and I and Alba supporters contributed to it, so I’m glad to give the SNP their saving grace.”
Mr Salmond created the Alba party with a pro-independence stance three years ago after a public dispute made him resign from the SNP.
Defence secretary visits Ukraine and pledges military support package
The MoD says new defence secretary John Healey has directed officials to ensure a package of support pledged in April by the last government should be delivered in full within the next 100 days.
Artillery and 90 Brimstone missiles are included in the package announced by Mr Healey during a visit to the port city of Odesa.
He held talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Jenrick blames election result on lack of ‘tough decisions’
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he was being “painfully honest” about what went wrong, adding the Tories “didn’t have a good enough diagnosis of just how broken some of our public services were”.
Mr Jenrick added the election result reflected voters’ dissafection with the lack of tough decisions taken by the Tory governmnet.
He told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “And we didn’t have the willingness to take the tough decisions that were necessary to deliver for the British public; when we said, for example, on immigration that we would do whatever it takes, we didn’t do whatever it takes.”
Mr Jenrick suggested “migration was at the heart” of the defeat, adding: “Two-thirds of the constituencies that sadly we lost at the General Election, the majorities, the margin of defeat was less than the Reform vote – and that was the case in the north, the south, in Scotland, Wales, everywhere including, for example, in seats that we lost to the Liberal Democrats.”
What happens now to the Tory party? Another leadership race of course
A fight for the soul of the Conservative Party is erupting – and the fallout could be brutal.
Even before a single vote had been counted, senior Tories had turned their attention to what they consider the pressing question - what happens to their party now?
Many feel it is no exaggeration to say it is in a fight for its very survival. And the decisions it makes in the next few weeks and months could decide whether it lives or dies. The battle will focus on the choice of a new leader.
Under the current rules, the party’s remaining rump of MPs get to decide which of the eventual leadership candidates will make it to the final two.
Our Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin has the full story:
What happens now to the Tory party? Another leadership race of course
The battle to replace outgoing Rishi Sunak has already begun as Conservatives look to pick up the pieces after a humiliating election drubbing
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