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
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
Suella Braverman admits Farage’s Reform could kill off the Conservative party
Suella Braverman has admitted Nigel Farage’s Reform could kill off the Conservatives after party candidates managed to win 820,745 votes per each of the five seats.
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.
She told The Telegraph: “We don’t have a God given right to exist...we face an existential crisis with Reform.”
Ms Braverman added: “The idiotic strategy of intermittently and inconsistently making ‘Tory Right’ noises which disintegrated when set against our liberal Conservative record”.
“I say again, whatever some of my colleagues think, the voters aren’t mugs: they saw what we did in office and ignored what we insincerely said while campaigning.”
Removal vans spotted to clear out 10 Downing Street
A piano and a sofa were among items removed from Downing Street in the aftermath of Labour’s landslide.
On Sunday, a bright yellow lorry from the Bishop’s Move firm was parked around the back of Downing Street, with a steady flow of items being carried out of the famous street.
A mattress, a bright red sofa and an upright piano were carefully stowed in the back of the lorry by a team of workers.
Zahawi urges next party leader to ‘unite' Tories
Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said “the biggest challenge is unity” for the next leader of the Conservative Party following the General Election.
The former MP, who did not stand in the election, admitted the result for the Tories was “pretty catastrophic” but said the party still had “some serious talent” in Parliament.
Asked by Trevor Phillips on Sky News who he would like to see as the new party leader, Mr Zahawi said: “At this stage, I think the most important thing, whoever comes forward, is they come up with a plan of how to unite the party, (to) bring us back together.
“I think the biggest challenge for us is unity, and I think that the lesson – if we haven’t learnt it yet then we really will be in trouble – is that we have to present a united front to the country.
“Rishi (Sunak) suffered badly in the campaign because there were voices from his own party coming out against (him).”
Mr Zahawi said the electorate had reacted with their votes after the Conservative Party had “formed a circular firing squad”.
Revealed: The moment Keir Starmer found out he will be prime minister
Sir Keir Starmer’s biographer has revealed the moment the Labour leader found out he would become the next prime minister.
Labour won a landslide in Thursday’s general election, which saw former premier Liz Truss and a dozen Tory cabinet members lose their seats.
Sir Keir became the new PM after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, following the resignation of Rishi Sunak.
Tom Baldwin, a former Labour advisor and author of Keir Starmer: The Biography, described the moments after the exit poll released at 10pm on Thursday night.
Mr Baldwin, who spent the evening with Sir Keir, said a handful of Labour aides joined the Labour leader with his wife Victoria and their two teenage children.
Our reporter Jabed Ahmed has the full story:
Hugs, kisses and no wi-fi: Moment Keir Starmer found out he would be prime minister
The Labour leader has previously said his greatest fear about becoming prime minister is its impact on his children
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