UK politics live: Keir Starmer defends Chagos Islands return as Argentina demands Falklands back

In a rebuke, David Davis has criticised Boris Johnson’s stance on the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

The Conservative MP accused the former prime minister of being “at best ill-informed” over the topic.

Mr Johnson recently suggested a referendum on the UK’s ECHR membership should be brought forward as it fails to offer unique protections.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Davis didn’t hold back.

He compared Mr Johnson’s remarks and those of leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick, whose recent campaign video sparked widespread backlash.

The Tory veteran said: “I am afraid Boris Johnson’s comments that the European Convention on Human Rights does not ‘provide people with protections that they wouldn’t otherwise have’ are, much like Robert Jenrick’s unwise video earlier this week, at best ill-informed.”

Gender equality in the workplace has stalled as women report experiencing many of the same challenges as they did nearly 30 years ago, a new survey of high-flyers suggests.

The group is calling for higher salaries and more effort to tear down the ‘glass ceiling’, the invisible barriers that hold women back, saying it was “deeply concerning” that many felt too little had changed since the Nineties.

Our Whitehall correspondent has the full story below:

Sir Keir Starmer’s £22 billion carbon capture investment is being framed as a cornerstone of the UK’s green future, with promises of safeguarding jobs in industries like glassmaking.

But the prime minister faces a tough challenge in convincing a skeptical public and environmental critics that this technology is more than just a greenwash.

While carbon capture offers a solution for decarbonising energy-intensive industries without job losses, green activists are unconvinced.

A group of climate scientists recently warned energy secretary Ed Miliband that carbon capture is still largely unproven, particularly at the scale needed to make a real impact.

Timing adds another layer of complexity.

The government’s ambitious plans for Teesside and Merseyside won’t materialise until the next election, and with the 2050 net-zero targets looming, doubts remain whether this technology can deliver quickly enough.

Beyond the environmental angle, Sir Keir’s announcement suggests a possible shift in Labour’s fiscal approach.

With speculation mounting that chancellor Rachel Reeves could loosen borrowing rules for capital investment, Labour will need to prove that these big-ticket investments can deliver real benefits to struggling households.

Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has admitted that he used to be a football hooligan and would “go out looking for fights”.

The 57-year-old, who served under Boris Johnson, revealed he was a member of Liverpool Football Club’s firm as a younger man.

Speaking at the Henley Literary Festival, a partner of The Independent, Mr Zahawi said: “I was part of Liverpool’s firm and would go out looking for fights as a football hooligan.”

You can read the full story below:

The final four candidates made their pitches to Tory party conference – and none could match what David Cameron showed up with in 2005, says the former PM’s sister-in-law, Emily Sheffield.

But there was still a clear, and surprising, champion:

This year’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham provides a pivotal moment for reflection and debate.

It stands in stark contrast to the 2023 gathering, when Rishi Sunak’s government made a series of last-minute policy announcements, including offshoring prisoners, cutting civil servants, and controversially scrapping HS2.

As the conference unfolds, our chief political commentator John Rentoul has been answering your burning questions on the leadership contest, the fallout from the election defeat, and more.

Catch up on the full Ask Me Anything Q&A here.

Concerns have been raised over the future of the Falkland Islands after the UK gave up control of a remote archipelago - a move which has since been dubbed a “strategic disaster”.

The government on Thursday said it had reached a political agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands following negotiations which began in 2022.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story below:

The former prime minister has slammed Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, branding it a product of “sheer political correctness”.

Mr Johnson told GB News: “Get out your maps, get out your atlases, check out the Chagos Islands, see where they are, see where Mauritius is. A long way away.

“What is this claim? It’s nonsense, it’s total nonsense. Why are we doing this? Sheer political correctness, desire to look like the good guys, a desire to look as though we are unbundling the last relics of our empire. It’s nonsense.”

A group of 20 former Tory MPs have thrown their weight behind James Cleverly to become the next Tory leader, our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports.

The former foreign secretary, at the centre of a row over the Chagos Islands, has the experience needed they argue.

The group, who all lost their seats at this summer’s general election write: “As James has said, now is not the time for an apprentice.

He is easily the most experienced candidate, having been party chairman, foreign secretary and home secretary.

As party chairman, he helped Boris Johnson deliver the 80-seat majority that broke the deadlock and got Brexit done. He knows what we need to do to get back to winning ways.”