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Union leaders have urged Sir Keir Starmer to be bolder with his vision for the country if he wants to win the next election and lead Britain out of decline.

In a message to the potential future incumbent of Downing Street, union chiefs said the Labour leader needed to offer a more positive message than simply being “better than the Conservatives”.

The choice words were delivered at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual conference in Liverpool, where issues like workers’ rights, the state of public services and the cost of living crisis are being hotly debated.

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Paul Novak, the new general secretary of the TUC, delivered a rousing speech on Monday, claiming the Conservatives have “broken Britain” and calling for change in the form of a Labour government.

But while Labour traditionally enjoys the support of unions, the party’s perceived move to the centre, with a focus on fiscal Conservatism, has attracted anger among the movement.

Sharon Graham, leader of Labour’s biggest union donor Unite, has accused the party of becoming a “1990s tribute act” to former prime minister Tony Blair.

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Despite winning three elections, she told Sky News that Sir Keir’s leadership needs to be more radical than then because there is less money in the public coffers to spend – and options such as wealth taxes and nationalising energy should be considered to raise capital.

In a reference to the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee, which founded the NHS, she said: “Britain is in crisis. And what we need to do now is not to look back to 1997.

“What we need to do is be more like in 1945. The country needs a reboot and Labour needs to put policies forward that give it that reboot.”

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Sharon Graham calls on Labour to be ‘like 1945’

That sentiment was echoed by the leader of the PCS union that represents civil servants.

Mark Serwotka, a Labour member, said Sir Keir needs to offer a vision for people to vote for Labour “that is more than just ‘we’re better than the Conservatives'”.

He told Sky News: “Britain is in crisis. We’ve got people waiting for 15 hours in ambulances, schools being shut through crumbling concrete, a 180,000 backlog of asylum cases because of lack of staff and incredibly £45bn in uncollected tax because we don’t have enough staff in tax offices. A crisis needs urgent and radical action.”

Mr Serwotka called on Labour to offer things like free school meals, a record investment in public services and a clamp down on tax evasion.

He denied “singing from a different hymn sheet” to Mr Nowak, who urged the trade union movement to unite behind Labour “to kick this rotten government out”.

Mr Serwotka insisted: “I want to see a Labour government, but I don’t want to see a Labour government that comes in and tells people that they’ve ‘still got to live in poverty, there’s nothing much we can do about it’.

“The point of a Labour government is to offer hope to those currently in despair. And the way to do that is to say ‘we will be bold, we will invest in our communities’.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC speaking at the TUC congress at the ACC Liverpool. Picture date: Monday September 11, 2023.
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Paul Nowak accused the Tories of having ‘broken Britain’

In a direct challenge to the Labour leader, he added: “If I had the chance to talk to Keir Starmer, I would say to him, enthuse those voters who didn’t vote Labour last time. Tell them why you would make a difference to their lives and you can win an election. But if you only rely on not being a Conservative, you risk winning the election. So be bold.”

Starmer: Labour ‘absolutely focused on future’

After more than a decade out of power, Sir Keir is hoping to become the first Labour prime minister to win at the ballot box since Mr Blair – who secured two more terms after his landslide victory in 1997.

He has sought to rebuild the party focusing on a more centrist style than his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, and has stressed the need for fiscal Conservatism amid bleak warnings about the state of the UK economy.

In recent months, he has rowed back on a number of big spending commitments, arguing Labour will only get into government if they are trusted to handle the public finances.

However, he insisted there is still “a lot of common ground” with trade unions when asked about the criticism.

Speaking ahead of a dinner with union leaders in Liverpool tonight, Sir Keir said: “The Labour Party is absolutely focused on the future, not the past, and the challenges that we will inherit if we’re privileged enough to go into government.

“The central challenge will be growing the economy. Within that is dignity and respect for working people in their working environment.”

Asked how he plans to keep unions on side, he added: “The Labour Party and the trade unions have had a long relationship together and we had a big session at the beginning of the summer where we agreed policy going forward.

“So what you’ll see here is a lot of common ground as we go towards what we know will be really huge challenges.”

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Starmer facing growing backbench rebellion over planned disability benefit cuts

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Starmer facing growing backbench rebellion over planned disability benefit cuts

A senior Labour MP has said the government needs to take “corrective action” over planned disability benefit cuts – as Sir Keir Starmer faces a growing backbench rebellion.

Tan Dhesi, chair of the influential Commons defence committee, told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge the “disappointing” local election results show the government must listen and learn, particularly over welfare reforms.

The government has proposed tightening the eligibility requirements for the personal independent payment, known as PIP.

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A claimant must score a minimum of four points on one PIP daily living activity, such as preparing food, washing and bathing, using the toilet or reading, to receive the daily living element of the benefit.

Mr Dhesi, the MP for Slough, said “corrective action” needs to be taken but insisted if the government changed tact, it would not be a U-turn as the disability cuts were only proposals.

Tan Dhesi said the government should take 'corrective action' over disability cuts
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Tan Dhesi spoke to Sky’s Sophy Ridge

“A government which is in listening mode should be looking at what the electorate is saying,” he said.

“And we need to make sure that it’s our moral duty, responsibility, to look after the most vulnerable within our community, whether that’s in Slough, whether that’s elsewhere across the country.

“So, I hope that the government will be taking on board that feedback and many of us as MPs are giving that feedback in various meetings happening here in Westminster and then we need to take corrective action.”

Alex Davies-Jones said the government is just consulting on cutting benefits
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Alex Davies-Jones said the government was seeking to ‘protect the vulnerable’

Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the Politics Hub a Labour government “will always seek to protect the most vulnerable” and it wants to “listen to people who have got real lived experience”.

She added she has the “utmost respect for Tan, he’s a great constituency MP and he’s doing exactly what he should be doing, is representing his constituency”.

Sir Keir is facing a rebellion from Labour MPs, with about 40 in the Red Wall – Labour’s traditional heartlands in the north of England – reposting a statement on social media in which they said the leadership’s response to the local elections had “fallen on deaf ears”.

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Starmer defends winter fuel cut

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Starmer defends winter fuel cuts

Several backbench Labour MPs also spoke out against the plans during a debate on PIP and disabled people in parliament on Wednesday.

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, said he would “swim through vomit to vote against” the proposed changes and said: “This is not what the Labour Party was formed to do.”

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, said she feared tightening PIP eligibility would cause deaths, adding: “Lest we forget that study that attributed 330,000 excess deaths in Britain between 2012 and 2019 to the last round of austerity cuts [under the Conservative government].”

Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP, accused the government of putting forward “contradictory arguments”.

“On the one hand, they insist they are helping the disabled by putting them back to work,” she said.

“But on the other hand, they say this cut will save £9bn. Well, you can’t do both.”

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‘I’ll struggle if I lose disability support’

However, fellow Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, said MPs cannot “ignore this issue” of health-related benefit claimant figures rising at “twice the rate of underlying health conditions”.

Responding for the government, social security minister Sir Stephen Timms said PIP claims were set to “more than double, from two million to over 4.3 million this decade”.

“It would certainly not be in the interests of people currently claiming the benefits for the government to bury its head in the sand over that rate of increase,” he added.

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US Treasury Secretary expresses support for crypto bills at hearing

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US Treasury Secretary expresses support for crypto bills at hearing

US Treasury Secretary expresses support for crypto bills at hearing

Speaking at a hearing, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent toed the party line in suggesting support for two crypto-related bills moving through Congress.

Bessent addressed lawmakers at a May 7 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, saying that the United States should be the “premier destination for digital assets” in response to a question about American dominance over China in crypto-related innovation. The Treasury Secretary added that “good market structure” and “stablecoin legislation” could help ensure this outcome.

Cryptocurrencies, Law, Government, Stablecoin
US Treasury Secretary speaking at a May 7 hearing. Source: Scott Bessent

Bessent’s remarks echoed those of other Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump, who initially claimed he wanted to make the US the “crypto capital of the world” during his 2024 campaign. The Treasury Secretary was likely referring to the draft of a digital asset market structure bill released by House Republicans on May 6 and the GENIUS bill to regulate stablecoins, expected to be taken up for a vote in the Senate on May 8.

The Treasury Secretary, a Trump nominee, has stood by the president for significant announcements in crypto-aligned policy, including an executive order to establish a sovereign wealth fund and as a member of a working group to explore federal regulations for stablecoins and a national crypto stockpile. He suggested during a confirmation hearing that he would oppose the creation of any US-issued central bank digital currency while in office.

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Even before announcing that he intended to hold an exclusive dinner and VIP tour for some of his top memecoin holders, Trump faced scrutiny from many lawmakers over allegations of conflicts of interest surrounding his crypto ventures. However, the dinner announcement seemed to galvanize some Democrats against any crypto-related legislation.

Representative Maxine Waters, ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, led a walkout of a hearing addressing the Republican-drafted crypto market structure bill on May 6, citing the need to explore “Trump’s crypto corruption.” A group of nine Democrats in the Senate likewise said they will not support the GENIUS stablecoin bill in its current form, suggesting stronger Anti-Money Laundering, foreign issuer, and national security safeguards.

It’s unclear at the time of publication whether Republicans, who control both chambers, will still have the votes to pass either bill.

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Reform threat presents us with ‘fight of our lives’, admits top minister

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Reform threat presents us with 'fight of our lives', admits top minister

Sir Keir Starmer sent his chief cabinet “fixer” to attempt to calm down jittery Labour MPs in a mutinous mood after last week’s elections drubbing by Reform.

But instead of calming nerves, cabinet office minister Pat McFadden warned Labour were now facing “the fight of our lives” against Nigel Farage and his party.

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Rebel MPs claimed Mr McFadden, who spoke to up to 100 Labour MPs in a Commons committee room for an hour, was acting as a “human shield” for the embattled prime minister.

The showdown came as the fury of Labour MPs over winter fuel payment cuts reached a crescendo, after Sir Keir emphatically rejected demands for a U-turn.

The emergency meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, called at just a few hours’ notice, was officially billed by the party’s high command as a briefing on their “plan for change”.

But it was also intended to head off a mutiny by Labour MPs after shock victories by Reform UK last week in county council polls, mayoral elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

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Key moments from local elections

No sign of a winter fuel U-turn

Some Labour MPs were privately critical of Sir Keir for not facing his backbench critics. Others stayed away, claiming the meeting was pointless because the government was not listening to their concerns.

As a result, many of the party’s most high-profile rebels on winter fuel payments, benefit cuts and other issues were absent. Veteran left-winger Diane Abbot attended but left before the end, refusing to talk to journalists.

Many of those attending were younger MPs elected last July and so the mood was not as acrimonious as the leadership might have feared. Mr McFadden was applauded at the end of the meeting.

Speaking with Treasury ministers Darren Jones and James Murray alongside him but no Rachel Reeves, who was visiting Scotland, Mr McFadden gave no hint of concessions on controversial policies.

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Starmer defends winter fuel cuts

‘Battle for the future’

Instead, he launched an attack on Mr Farage’s Reform, which senior cabinet ministers acknowledge is now a real threat to Labour and may become the party’s main rivals.

According to a government source present at the meeting, Mr McFadden began his speech by saying: “The big point I want to make to you is that a new fight is taking shape.

“It’s a fight between our values and a nationalist politics of the right. It’s a battle for the very future and the heart and soul of our country.”

Mr McFadden was said to have criticised Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the new mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, who in her victory speech vowed Reform would “reset Britain to its glorious past”.

Pat McFadden delivers a keynote speech to the CyberUK conference.
Pic: PA
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Pat McFadden gave a speech on cybersecurity this morning. Pic: PA

‘We have to win’

“That is not our project, and it won’t be our project,” Mr McFadden said, as he said Labour was focused on the country’s “glorious future”.

He added: “Labour is always at its best when we look to the future. This is the fight of our lives, this is the generational fight in this new political era.

“I want to tell you we have to take on this new fight for the future – and we have to win.”

Mr McFadden addressed Labour MPs after Sir Keir dismayed many Labour MPs in a clash with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch at PMQs by refusing to admit he was wrong to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners.

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