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Liz Truss has said she is “completely committed” to the pensions triple lock at a make-or-break PMQs in the Commons on Wednesday.

That means state pensions should rise in line with inflation – currently running at a rate of 10.1%.

Ms Truss made the commitment in the Commons despite new chancellor Jeremy Hunt explicitly ruling out committing to any pledges, including the triple lock, ahead of 31 October when he will announce a medium-term fiscal plan.

But asked by the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford if she would break the triple lock promise, Ms Truss appeared to overrule Mr Hunt and committed to the policy.

“We have been clear in our manifesto that we will maintain a triple lock and I am completely committed to it, and so is the chancellor” she told the Commons.

Ms Truss’ spokesman then confirmed the PM and the chancellor had agreed their position on the triple lock today, despite Mr Hunt promising no new commitments just 24 hours ago.

The triple lock was introduced on state pensions in 2010 by David Cameron’s coalition government and guarantees pensions will not lose value in real terms by increasing by the greatest of these three:

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  • Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI
  • 2.5%
  • or the average wage increase.

In the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto, it said it would keep the triple lock in place but that was suspended during the pandemic due to the unusually large rise in average earnings after the government’s furlough scheme ended.

The government earlier this year pledged to restore the triple lock from April 2023 but after Ms Truss’ many U-turns on Monday this was in question.

Just hours before PMQs, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly refused to commit to the triple lock when asked by Sky News.

And shortly after PMQs finished Tory MPs started tweeting out a graphic that says: “Triple lock, triple lock, triple lock – PROTECTED.”

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‘I’m a fighter, not a quitter’

Today’s PMQs was the first since new chancellor Jeremy Hunt performed U-turns on Monday on almost all of the tax cuts announced in the mini-budget three weeks before.

It is also only Ms Truss’s third time facing opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer across the despatch box since becoming PM in early September.

The government’s position on several points have changed after Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked as chancellor and Mr Hunt replaced him, proceeding to ditch most of Ms Truss’ campaign pledges after the markets reacted badly to the mini-budget.

A growing number of Tory MPs and members are now clamouring for Ms Truss to resign over the crisis as they fear she will not be able to successfully lead them through a general election.

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‘Immediate action’ taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

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'Immediate action' taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.

The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.

The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.

Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.

The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.

A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”

The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is launching a sentencing review in a bid to ease the crisis.

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Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and  Keir Starmer, during a trilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Pic: PA
Image:
Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

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Putin warns US and UK over ‘escalation of aggressive actions’

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.

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Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting – as murder suspect arrested

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Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting - as murder suspect arrested

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.

Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.

One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.

Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.

Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.

Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.

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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.

“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.

“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”

Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.

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