UK politics live: Rosie Duffield slates Labour ‘sleaze and nepotism’ as Badenoch warns of Tory ‘stitch-up’

University tuition fees will rise with inflation, hitting £10,500 in the next five years, it has been reported.

The government is drawing up plans which will see university tuition fees, which have been frozen since 2017, rise by 13.5 per cent over the next five years according to The Times.

The fees will rise with inflation, however, ministers will reportedly introduce maintenance loans of £3,500, which were abolished under the Conservative government.

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Rosie Duffield has quit as a Labour MP, attacking leader Sir Keir Starmer’s “cruel and unnecessary policies” such as means-testing the winter fuel payment, and the freebie row engulfing the party:

James Cleverly has said that no taxpayer should have to hand over more than half their earnings to the state, and warned against Labour’s tax-raising plans which could see people leave the UK.

The shadow home secretary is one of the four final contenders for the Tory leadership, is set to lay out his vision for the party during their annual conference in Birmingham this week. In an article with The Telegraph, he said the party had to restore its reputation for tax-cutting and deregulation.

“Instead of putting people off we should be attracting them, with a low, fair, and simple tax rate. We should send the signal that Britain is open for work, not that you work for Britain.

“Ensuring that no one pays more than half of any pound that they earn to the government should be a common Conservative aspiration.”

With a leadership contest looming and the Conservatives facing tough decisions on the party’s strategy, join John Rentoul, The Independent’s chief political commentator, for a live Q&A.

If you have a question on the Conservative Party conference, submit it now here, or join live at 4pm on Monday 30 September for the “Ask Me Anything” event.

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This could be the moment that the Labour government started to find its feet. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is “ready to water down” her tax raid on non-doms because the Treasury fears that it may “fail to raise any money”, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The timing of this realisation is interesting, the day after the end of the Labour conference at which the news might have been greeted with howls of “betrayal” from the marginalised, but still vocal, usual suspects.

But what is important about this U-turn is that it means the cold light of realism has been allowed to penetrate the pie-in-the-sky slogans of Labour’s pre-election economics.

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Sir Keir Starmer is still open to agreeing a deal with the EU on free movement for young people – but does not want to give away his negotiating hand too early as he prepares to head to Brussels next week.

The Independent understands that the Labour government has a “three pillar” blueprint to reset the relationship with the EU in painstaking talks.

The main talks will be headed by European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is based in the Cabinet Office and has been handed some of the most complex and sensitive tasks in the Starmer government.

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Security measures have been ramped up around Birmingham city centre as the Conservative Party Conference gets under way.

The annual conference is an opportunity for the four candidates in the Tory leadership race to convince members to pledge their support. Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are all hoping to take over from Rishi Sunak, with MPs due to vote for the final two after they return to parliament.

Armed police and high-visibility patrols are visible around the International Convention Centre (ICC), with access to roads around the centre blocked until Friday, 4 October.

Access to Broad Street, Great Charles Street, Street, Sandpits, Parade, Clement Street, St Vincent Street, Sheepcote Street and Oozells Way will be restricted so those travelling in via bus or tram are being encouraged to allow more time for journeys.

Bus services affected include 9, 12, 12A, 13, 13A, 126, X8, X10, 23 and 24.

Securing a closer trading relationship with the European Union will not be easy but it is possible, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Prime Minister will head to Brussels next week for talks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen as he pushes for a “reset” in the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Sir Keir also believes more can be done on defence and security and tackling the migrant crisis.

“I want to ensure that we’ve got a closer trading relationship if we can,” the Prime Minister said.

“I think it’s possible. I’m not going to pretend it’s easy, but I think it’s possible.”

Dazed, confused, but with more than a hint of defiance (foolish or otherwise), the Conservatives meet for their party conference in Birmingham with some important business to transact.

The members and MPs will see a great deal of the four remaining leadership candidates, and naturally there will be much discussion about what went wrong for the party in the general election (and before). Robert Jenrick is now the bookies’ favourite, having overtaken Kemi Badenoch, with James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat the outsiders – but that could all change.

The official theme is “Review and Rebuild”, which sounds about right. Given their fratricidal tendencies, however, and the spectral presence of Boris Johnson through the medium of his memoir Unleashed, it could easily descend into acrimony. The Tories may not be too relevant right now, but it will be entertaining...

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