Dominic Raab news – live: Sunak to hire independent investigator to probe bullying claims

Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden did not discuss a UK-US trade deal in their bilateral meeting at the G20, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister’s press secretary told reporters in Bali: “There wasn’t specific talk about a trade deal, but our relationship is not just about trade and they are our closest trading partner even without a trade deal.

“But you know, it goes beyond that, whether that’s security, whether it’s dealing with the economic challenges that we face.”

Asked if that meant a trade deal was not a priority for the PM, she said: “Obviously our close relationship and as one of our biggest trading partners that is a very important part of our relationship.”

She also declined to comment on the timing of a potential agreement.

Rishi Sunak said it was important to remain calm and to establish the facts after a missile hit Poland close to the border with Ukraine.

Speaking at the start of a session on digital transformation at the G20 summit in Bali, the prime minister said it was “critical” to protect the international order.

“It is important that we remain calm and focus on establishing the facts,” he said.

“I spoke to President Duda this morning to express my sympathy and pledge our support.

“As I said yesterday, it is critical we protect the international order and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.”

Downing Street has declined to comment on reports that the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile, saying that the facts needed to be established first.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Certainly the incident was looked at and discussed at the G7, I think, on all sides there’s agreement there needs further investigation before any conclusions are drawn.

“It’s important to look at the facts and establish the facts in the first instance before coming to any conclusions.

“None of that changes what we know has happened which is a substantial missile attack into Ukraine from Russia targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“It’s a barbaric attack, particularly coming at a time when world leaders are meeting shows the continued contempt Putin shows towards international order.”

Four in 10 (40 per cent) single mothers say they are not a member of a pension, compared with three in 10 (29 per cent) women generally, according to a report.

Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of single mothers are concerned about running out of money in retirement, as are 61 per cent of women generally and 52 per cent of men, Scottish Widows said.

Lone parent households with dependent children have £29,000 of assets on average, covering all wealth, including pensions, it said.

This compares with over £275,000 for the average couple with dependent children.

Read the details here:

Rishi Sunak’s meeting with China’s president Xi Jinping at the G20 summit has been called off, Downing Street has said.

The bilateral talks were scheduled in the afternoon, but were scrapped due to timings changing after an emergency morning meeting of G7 and Nato leaders over missiles crossing into Poland, according to the prime minister’s official spokesperson.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt blamed the impact of the pandemic and war in Ukraine for the spike in prices as he warned that “tough” decisions on tax and spending would be needed in Thursday’s autumn statement.

“The aftershock of Covid and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is driving up inflation in the UK and around the world,” he said.

“This insidious tax is eating into pay cheques, household budgets and savings, while thwarting any chance of long-term economic growth.

“It is our duty to help the Bank of England in their mission to return inflation to target by acting responsibly with the nation’s finances. That requires some tough but necessary decisions on tax and spending to help balance the books.

“We cannot have long-term, sustainable growth with high inflation. Tomorrow I will set out a plan to get debt falling, deliver stability, and drive down inflation while protecting the most vulnerable.”

Inflation has reached a new 40-year-high of 11.1 per cent amid soaring energy bills and food prices.

The rate of Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation hit the peak in October from 10.1 per cent in September, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed.

Liam James is reporting on this breaking story below:

The NHS needs to be put on a better footing to deal with future storms, the health secretary is expected to say.

Steve Barclay will tell the NHS providers conference in Liverpool the health service is about to experience a tough winter.

He will say: “We face the twin threats of Covid and flu, external pressures around energy and cost of living, and we enter the colder months without the breathing space that we might have usually had due to Covid pressures over the summer.”

Read the details here:

If the UK had deployed heat pumps at the same rate as some other European countries, our dependence on gas would be significantly lower this year, analysis suggests.

An assessment from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that if the UK had already installed the same amount of heat pumps per 100,000 people as Estonia has, domestic gas use would be 34 per cent less than in 2021.

Gas imports in 2021 could have been cut by a fifth, the analysis found.

Report:

Councils in England would need to increase council tax by a fifth over the next two years to plug a gap in government funding, analysis suggests.The shortfall in funding is too big to be tackled by rising council tax alone, warns the Local Government Association (LGA).

LGA analysis suggests councils will face a £3.4bn funding gap in 2023-24 rising to £4.5bn in 2024-25.

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