Cooper says five grooming gang inquiries to go ahead after Tories claim they’ve been dropped in ‘cover up’ – UK politics live

Cooper says 5 native grooming gang inquiries nonetheless set to go forward, after Tories declare they have been dropped in ‘cover-up’

Throughout her BBC Breakfast interview Kemi Badenoch claimed that the federal government has dropped the plans for 5 native inquiries into grooming gang, or youngster rape scandals, that were announced in January. As she was attempting to fend of the questions on Adolescence, she mentioned:

One of many issues that I’m extra bothered by is the truth that simply yesterday, we had Labour telling us that they’re not going to be investigating the rape gang scandal, one thing which had occurred all throughout the nation. That’s actual. That’s taking place proper now. We’re not speaking about that.

And, in a subsequent interview with Sky Information, she advised that some form of cowl up was happening. She mentioned:

I’m completely astonished that Labour has dropped what it mentioned it might do in January. And, as I mentioned to Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions, if he didn’t have a full nationwide inquiry, folks will begin to suppose that there’s a cover-up.

They’re clearly uncomfortable with having inquiries which are wanting into this situation.

They mentioned that they may have a pot of cash for councils to bid in. However why would a council bid for cash to analyze itself?

(Badenoch might have forgotten that the grooming gang inquiry story solely grew to become a giant media controversy in January after GB News reported that the federal government had rejected a request from Oldham council for a public inquiry into the grooming gang scandal within the city previously.)

Different Tories have additionally claimed Starmer is engaged in a cover-up. Andrew Griffith, the shadow enterprise secretary, posed this on social media final evening.

As a rule I imagine in failures moderately than conspiracy.

But when true that Labour have shelved even probably the most restricted public enquiries into grooming gangs, it does recommend that highly effective Labour politicians have one thing to cover.

Why not search the reality?

The Conservatives have been claiming that the 5 native rape gang inquiries have been dropped on the premise of what Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, told MPs in an announcement on Tuesday. Phillips didn’t say the inquiries have been being dropped. However she couldn’t report any progress being made in direction of setting them up, and he or she set out what gave the impression of a prolonged course of which may result in inquiries turning into victims’ panels. She mentioned:

We’re creating a brand new finest observe framework to assist native authorities that need to undertake victim-centred native inquiries or associated work, drawing on the teachings from native impartial inquiries resembling these in Telford, Rotherham and Better Manchester. We are going to publish the small print subsequent month.

Alongside that, we are going to set out the method by means of which native authorities can entry the £5m nationwide fund to assist locally-led work on grooming gangs. Following suggestions from native authorities, the fund will undertake a versatile method to assist each full impartial native inquiries and extra bespoke work, together with native victims’ panels or regionally led audits of the dealing with of historic instances.

In the present day, in an interview with LBC, Yvette Cooper rejected claims that plans for the native inquiries have been being watered down. She mentioned:

There’s an enormous details about this. That is utterly flawed. We’re truly rising, not lowering, the motion being taken on this.

Little one sexual exploitation, grooming gangs – these are a few of the most vile crimes, issues like rape or exploitation, coercion. We’re rising the motion in opposition to that.

So we’ve already set out one native inquiry – that might be in Oldham. We’re drawing up the framework in the meanwhile for the additional native inquiries. We’ve acquired the Louise Casey audit that’s underway at the moment.

Requested if the 5 native inquiries promised in January would go forward, she replied: “Sure, there could also be extra.”

Despite the fact that a few of the worst grooming gangs scandals have been taking place as much as 20 years in the past, and even thought there have been a number of prosecutions and inquiries into these crimes over the previous decade or extra, the Conservatives and Reform UK are selecting up important public and media assist with their argument that the complete reality is being withheld and additional inquiries are wanted.

In accordance to Sky News, Phillips plans to carry a briefing for Labour MPs anxious about this situation at 5pm this afternoon.

Yvette Cooper on Sky News this morning — Yvette Cooper on Sky Information this morning {Photograph}: Sky Information

Key occasions

Keir Starmer becoming a member of law enforcement officials on patrol in Huntingdon this afternoon. {Photograph}: Joe Giddens/PA

Hospitals in England to get limitless ‘incentive funds’ for sufferers taken off ready lists

Hospitals in England will obtain limitless “incentive funds” to take away folks they determine don’t want remedy from their ready lists amid warnings that hundreds of sufferers most in want are nonetheless going through unacceptable delays, Andrew Gregory studies.

Angela Rayner urges Unite to droop strike and settle for ‘improved’ deal for bin staff in Birmingham

Jessica Murray

Jessica Murray is the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent.

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has urged putting bin staff in Birmingham to just accept an “improved” deal, as she met volunteers clearing garbage that has piled up on town’s streets since staff commenced an all-out strike final month.

Rayner and the native authorities minister, Jim McMahon, visited Birmingham right this moment to fulfill employees concerned in clearing the backlog and volunteers clearing up their space. Rayner mentioned:

The folks of Birmingham are our first precedence – this dispute is inflicting distress and disruption to residents and the backlog should be handled shortly to handle public well being dangers.

She mentioned the federal government was working with Birmingham metropolis council to “speed up clearing the backlog and quickly enhance the scenario on the bottom”, whereas neighbouring native authorities have been offering further autos and crews.

I’ve pressed each side to barter at tempo to urgently discover a decision. There’s now a greater supply on the desk and I’d urge Unite to droop the motion and settle for the improved deal so we obtain equity for each staff and residents of this metropolis.

The Times has reported there are inside ructions inside Unite, which is representing the putting staff, over the justification of the strikes, with one union supply describing the motion as “vexatious”. The council has acknowledged simply 17 staff will see their pay affected, which Unite has disputed.

Greater than 100 refuse assortment autos, staffed by company staff, have been positioned on prolonged shifts every day because the council ramps up efforts to clear piles of garbage within the metropolis.

On Tuesday, the well being secretary Wes Streeting mentioned the scenario was “not good for public well being” and mentioned he thought the “dispute had escalated approach out of hand”.

Angela Rayner speaks to employees and staff at Doncaster Sheffield airport earlier right this moment. {Photograph}: Ian Forsyth/Getty Photographs

Reopening Doncaster Sheffield airport ‘makes no financial sense’, says Inexperienced MP

The Inexperienced MP Siân Berry has mentioned reopening Doncaster Sheffield airport doesn’t make financial sense. In posts on social media, she mentioned:

Reopening Doncaster airport makes no financial sense. It was deemed not financially viable in 2022 with airways selecting to fly from the three airports that lie inside 60 miles of Doncaster. How lengthy earlier than it closes once more, and extra jobs are misplaced?

This Govt ought to spend money on enhancing transport hyperlinks between Doncaster, the East Midlands, Manchester and Leeds, to generate sustainable jobs and a approach to attain them with dependable, inexperienced public transport, in addition to serving to folks entry current airports for current flights.

Berry additionally posted a hyperlink to a Yorkshire Publish leader article expressing doubts in regards to the plan. It says:

The massive query now might be whether or not the airport could be a monetary success within the fingers of the general public sector.

DSA made losses in each monetary 12 months of its operation between 2005 and 2022 underneath personal possession, collectively including as much as virtually £180m.

Council officers have mentioned they imagine they’ll entice as much as 5 airways to make use of DSA and quadruple its earlier freight visitors figures. It now seems they may get the chance to show that imaginative and prescient right into a actuality.

Starmer rejects suggestion Trump isn’t taking his calls over tariffs

Keir Starmer has rejected a suggestion that President Trump isn’t taking his calls over tariffs.

In an interview with ITV’s Carl Dinnen, who requested if Starmer had spoken to Trump because the president imposed 10% tariff on all British exports to the US, Starmer mentioned his crew was speaking to Trump’s “on daily basis”, discussing what could possibly be accomplished to cut back the tariffs.

When Dinnen put it to the PM that it sounded as if Trump was not taking his calls, Starmer replied:

No, by no means.

You need to perceive that, for the UK and the US, our groups discuss the entire time, whether or not that’s on defence, on safety, on intelligence and on commerce, on a deal. So that’s continuously happening. That’s what you’d anticipate of two very shut allies.

However, on the identical time, I’m clear that it is a change which isn’t, in my opinion, non permanent, and due to this fact we’ve acquired to do the onerous yards of constructing certain we’re turbocharging our personal financial system … additionally speaking to to different world leaders about what we will do to decrease commerce obstacles.

ITV has posted the clip on social media.

‘With respect prime minister, it appears like Trump’s not taking your calls…’@carldinnen grills Starmer on whether or not he is spoken to Donald Trump since he put 10% tariffs on the UK

The PM insists ‘my crew are involved with the President’s crew on daily basis’ pic.twitter.com/ZsABY10wkw

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) April 10, 2025

Why purdah guidelines have not stopped Starmer saying Doncaster airport reopening simply earlier than metropolis’s mayoral election

In the present day Keir Starmer has been publicising two doubtlessly widespread authorities bulletins.

First, the federal government is backing plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield airport.

Based on the information launch, the Division of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities is supporting the choice by Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire mayor, “to take a position £30m devolved funding in crucial infrastructure to assist the creation of a sustainable aviation hub, propelling regional prosperity and driving personal funding into Yorkshire”. Starmer put it extra bluntly on social media:

As a part of our Plan for Change, Doncaster Sheffield Airport will re-open: turbocharging financial development and placing a reimbursement within the pockets of working folks throughout communities like Doncaster, Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley.

Doncaster is without doubt one of the six locations in England the place mayoral elections are happening on 1 Might. Labour received simply 4 years in the past, however Reform UK is hoping to do properly on this contest.

And, second, the Residence Workplace has introduced particulars of new rules to beef up neighbourhood policing. Starmer has been speaking about these this afternoon. (See 3.19pm.)

It’s possible you’ll marvel why that is allowed. Underneath so-called “purdah” guidelines, the federal government is meant to carry off saying something celebration political throughout an election marketing campaign. It’s allowed to hold on governing, however it’s not supposed to make use of authorities assets to announce issues (like new airports) which may confer electoral benefit.

The dates are usually not mounted. A Commons library briefing note says:

For UK and devolved authorities departments the pre-election interval for native elections isn’t mounted to any specific date. The final conference is that particular care ought to be taken within the three weeks previous the elections. For native elections in England in 2025 that’s 10 April to 1 Might.

The Doncaster Sheffield airport announcement, and the neighbourhood policing announcement, have been each dated 9 April.

Starmer says 3,000 additional neighbourhood law enforcement officials and PCSOs might be in place by March subsequent 12 months

In a information launch issued in a single day the Residence Workplace introduced that “each neighbourhood in England and Wales could have devoted groups who will spend their time on the beat with assured police patrols on the town centres and different hotspot areas at peak occasions resembling Friday and Saturday nights”.

On a go to to Cambridge, Keir Starmer has gone a bit additional, saying that 3,000 of the 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and PCSOs (police group assist officers) that the federal government is pledged to recruit by the tip of this parliaemnt might be in place by March subsequent 12 months.

Addressing law enforcement officials, Starmer mentioned:

I would like you to have the instruments that it is advisable to do the job that we ask you to do.

With our neighbourhood policing assure, we’ll ship 13,000 new neighbourhood officers by 2029.

And right this moment I can announce step one, 3,000 new neighbourhood officers by the beginning of subsequent 12 months – all of them seen, on the beat and serving their communities, not caught behind a desk, or taken away to plug shortages from elsewhere.

And from this July, so a number of months time, each neighbourhood could have a named contactable officer.

They’ll have assured police patrols on the town centres and sizzling spots, significantly at peak occasions like Friday and Saturday nights.

Folks will have the ability to go surfing and measure how their native neighbourhood crew is performing. There might be a spread of the way for native residents and companies to boost their issues and to demand change from their neighbourhood policing crew.

Kemi Badenoch doesn’t at all times get write-up within the Economist, however here’s a second Economist political correspondent applauding her response to complaints on BBC Breakfast this morning about her not watching Adolescence. (See 11.23am.) That is from Matthew Holehouse on Bluesky.

If she may channel it higher, Badenoch’s scarcely-concealed view that a lot of politics is foolish bullshit could possibly be fairly widespread.

Farage rejects Badenoch’s suggestion of Tory-Reform coalitions on the town halls

Nigel Farage has rebuffed a suggestion from Kemi Badenoch that Conservative and Reform UK councillors may type coalitions on the town halls after the native elections, Eleni Courea studies. The Reform chief mentioned his celebration had “no intention” of forming coalitions with the Tories at any degree after 1 Might.

Tories dismiss Cooper’s assurance native rape gang inquiries going forward, saying solely nationwide inquiry will suffice

The Conservatives have accused the federal government of doing a U-turn over grooming gang inquiries.

In a press discover headed “Conservative response to Labour’s grooming gangs U-turn”, prompted by Yvette Cooper’s feedback this morning (see 12.17pm), Katie Lam, the shadow Residence Workplace minister, mentioned:

The federal government thought that they may quietly cancel these inquiries on the final day of parliament.

The general public is rightly outraged and now ministers are panicking, making it up as they go alongside.

The Telford inquiry alone value £8m. How precisely are they going to carry “greater than 5” correct impartial inquiries for under £5m?

And what number of greater than 5? Why not fifty? Why shouldn’t all victims get the justice that they deserve?

Will native councils — a lot of which stand accused of protecting up these vile crimes — nonetheless have the ability to select whether or not they’re investigated?

We want a nationwide inquiry. And any native inquiries should be genuinely impartial and correctly funded. Till the federal government can decide to that, these bulletins aren’t well worth the paper they’re written on.

The declare that there was a U-turn relies on the hole between Cooper’s feedback right this moment (she mentioned “we’re truly rising, not lowering, the motion”, and claimed there could possibly be greater than 5 inquires) and Jess Phillips’ feedback on Tuesday (when she didn’t cancel the native inquiries, however did recommend the entire course of was being slowed or watered down).

An alternate concept (more likely to attraction to Danny Shaw – see 1.27pm) could be that, having overstated the significance of what Phillips mentioned on Tuesday, the Tories have now backed away from saying the native rape gang inquiries have been cancelled.

John Healey says ‘coalition of prepared’ has ‘properly developed’ plans to assist Ukraine and ‘we’re stepping up’

In Brussels John Healey, the defence secretary, has opened a gathering of defence minister from the 30 international locations which are a part of the UK/France-led “coalition of the prepared” making army plans to assist assure the safety of Ukraine within the occasion of a peace deal.

In remarks that have been broadcast reside, Healey mentioned:

Our plans are properly developed, and we have now clear goals for Ukraine.

First, to safe protected skies.

Second, to safe protected seas.

Third, to assist a peace on the land.

And fourth, to assist the Ukrainian armed forces to grow to be their very own strongest doable deterrent.

Our reassurance pressure for Ukraine could be a dedicated and credible safety association to make sure that any negotiated peace does convey what President Trump has pledged – a long-lasting peace for Ukraine.

Healey mentioned the ministers could be briefed by the British and French defence chiefs. They might concentrate on “how operational planning of the coalition may work, and the way we ensure that we’re absolutely ready for the second a peace settlement is reached”.

However the conflict is constant, he mentioned. Help for Ukraine should proceed. And he mentioned a lot of these attending right this moment could be at tomorrow’s meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, after they would pledge extra army assist to bolster Ukraine on the battlefield.

Healey ended:

There are 30 international locations right here right this moment, 30 international locations certain by a easy perception – that peace is feasible and we should be prepared for when that peace comes.

That’s why the work of this coalition is so important. We’re stepping up. We’re severe.

John Healey talking in Brussels on the ‘coalition of the prepared’ assembly {Photograph}: BBC

Jakub Krupa is protecting the assembly in additional element on his Europe reside weblog.

About 1,200 jobs to go at Cupboard Workplace in civil service effectivity drive

The Cupboard Workplace will shrink in dimension by a couple of third, with about 1,200 jobs to go and one other 900 transferred to different departments, Rowena Mason studies.

Visa functions from migrants wanting to come back to UK down greater than a 3rd over previous 12 months, figures present

The variety of migrants making use of for key visa routes to the UK has dropped by greater than third in a 12 months, PA Media studies. PA says:

Functions protecting a complete of 772,200 folks have been submitted throughout the principle visa classes within the 12 months to March 2025, down 37% from almost 1.24 million within the earlier 12 months, Residence Workplace data shows.

The decline is more likely to mirror modifications in authorized migration guidelines launched early in 2024 by the earlier Conservative authorities, together with a ban on abroad care staff and college students bringing household dependents, and a steep rise within the wage threshold for expert staff to £38,700.

The figures have been printed by the Residence Workplace and canopy the principle employee, examine and household visa classes.

The drop has been pushed by a pointy fall in functions by international well being and care staff and their relations, which decreased by 78% from 359,300 in 2023/24 to 80,700 in 2024/25.

There was an excellent steeper fall in functions by relations of these wanting to come back to the UK on a sponsored examine visa, down 83%, although the variety of major candidates for this visa dropped by simply 11%.

The earlier authorities launched a change in January 2024 that stopped college students bringing relations aside from these finding out postgraduate analysis programs or these with government-funded scholarships.

Researcher on the Migration Observatory on the College of Oxford, Dr Ben Brindle, mentioned: “The tightening of immigration guidelines underneath the earlier authorities has led to a pointy decline in visa functions over the previous 12 months.

“This was pushed primarily by a fall in functions from well being and care staff and college students’ relations – most of whom now can not come to the UK.

“Primary functions from well being and care staff additionally fell, probably reflecting fewer vacancies and authorities concentrate on exploitation within the sector.

However Dr Brindle mentioned that functions from migrants recruited for jobs outdoors well being and care had fallen lower than anticipated, and that with the rise in wage thresholds “it seems that many employers are merely paying staff extra”.

And listed here are three graphs from the Home Office report illustrating the figures.

Expert employee and well being and care employee visa figures {Photograph}: Residence Workplace

Examine visa figures {Photograph}: Residence Workplace

Household visa figures {Photograph}: Residence Workplace

Danny Shaw, the house affairs commentator and former BBC journalist who labored as an adviser to Yvette Cooper for a brief interval when she was in opposition, has been posting messages on social media arguing that claims that the federal government is backpedalling on grooming gangs (see 12.17pm) are flat flawed.

NEW Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper says there’s “misinformation” re Govt motion on grooming gangs. I’d say it’s a wilful refusal to grasp what they’re doing. Probably the most fearless Whitehall troubleshooter, Baroness Casey, is doing an audit – she received’t pull any punches, by no means has.

Casey is wanting on the: ‘scale, nature & drivers of group-based youngster sexual exploitation at a nationwide & native degree’… together with an.. ‘evaluation of the info across the ethnicity of victims & perpetrators, in relation each to Pakistani-heritage & different grooming gangs’… She’ll report in June

As for native inquiries.. Residence Workplace says there stays a: ‘£5m fund to assist native impartial inquiries & associated native work to sort out grooming gangs supported by observe framework drawing on studying from native inquiries like Telford’

Govt can be making grooming an aggravating consider sentencing & ordering inspections of the work police forces do on this. On youngster sexual abuse extra broadly Residence Workplace has introduced a range of measures – greater than some other space of crime

Listed below are some extra photos from Keir Starmer’s go to to Doncaster Sheffield airport this morning.

Keir Starmer talking throughout a go to to Doncaster Sheffield airport. {Photograph}: Danny Lawson/PA

Angela Rayner talking on the airport. {Photograph}: Ian Forsyth/Getty Photographs

Ed Miliband listening to Starmer communicate. {Photograph}: Ian Forsyth/Getty Photographs

Starmer says authorities will not simply ‘sit again and hope’ in response to Trump’s insurance policies

Keir Starmer has mentioned the federal government is not going to simply “sit again and hope” in response to President Trump’s tariff insurance policies.

In his first public remarks since President Trump abruptly U-turned on his tariffs coverage final evening, Starmer mentioned the federal government would “rise to the second”.

Starmer didn’t criticise immediately Trump over his insurance policies, and he didn’t give any recent element as to how the federal government would reply. During the last week or so he has repeatedly mentioned that the world is coming into a brand new financial period and that, in response, the federal government should redouble efforts to guard UK business, enhance development and strengthen commerce hyperlinks with like-minded, free commerce economies.

Chatting with reporters at an occasion in Doncaster, Starmer mentioned:

This authorities is formidable for Britain.

I’m not going to face right here and faux that tariffs are excellent news. That isn’t true, and also you wouldn’t imagine me if I mentioned it, however simply as we’ve seen lately on defence and safety throughout Europe, and with Ukraine, they do make one factor very clear, and that’s that the world is altering, and we as a rustic should change with it.

In different phrases, we’ve acquired to rise to the second right here, recognise the place our future lies, renew Britain and ship safety for working folks.

Starmer additionally mentioned his Labour administration was “not a authorities that’s simply going to sit down again and hope” however would ship “elementary change”.

Keir Starmer on a go to to 2Excel Aviation at Doncaster Sheffield airport, this morning. {Photograph}: Ian Forsyth/Getty Photographs

Tory peer helped safe assembly with minister for Canadian agency he advises

Ian Duncan, a Conservative peer, helped to safe a gathering with a minister for a Canadian firm he was advising whereas it was searching for authorities funding value tens of millions of kilos, Rob Evans and Henry Dyer report.

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, has described the federal government’s stance on the grooming gang native inquiries (see 12.17pm) as “cowardly”, Sky News reports.

He additionally claimed a nationwide inquiry could be launched on Monday. He mentioned:

I’m instructed there might be a improvement approaching Monday, led by anyone who performed a really distinguished position in exposing the grooming gangs, that might be approaching Monday.

In January Farage mentioned, if the federal government didn’t arrange its personal nationwide inquiry, Reform would arrange its personal. After the native inquiries have been introduced, the celebration shelved its personal plans. However Rupert Lowe, the MP lately expelled from Reform, needs to run his personal model and he has raised more than £500,000 through crowdfunding to pay for it.

Nigel Farage with Reform UK candidates on the Denby Lodge in Ripley, Derbyshire this morning. {Photograph}: Jacob King/PA

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