UK politics live: Half of Labour voters ‘let down’ by Starmer, Jenrick vows he won’t return Tories to centre

Wales cannot afford another 25 years of Labour, the leader of Plaid Cymru has said.

Speaking at the party’s annual conference on Friday, Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Labour’s letting down its traditional supporters, so many of whom are already embracing Plaid Cymru’s vision.

“Labour’s failing them, failing Wales and failing to understand what it takes to turn things around.

“We can win by demonstrating we are better than this, we’re bolder and not the bystanders that this government have become.

“Be in no doubt – we can win at the ballot box and that must be our goal. This isn’t about winning for us – it’s about winning for Wales.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity has fallen to a record low as a majority of voters are disappointed by the Labour government’s actions so far, new polling shows.

As the prime minister marks 100 days in office on Saturday, a pair of damning polls show his approval rating plummeting and almost half of those who voted for Labour saying they feel let down.

It comes amid an ongoing reset in Downing Street as Sir Keir tries to seize back control of the political agenda.

Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has the full report below:

Labour is facing intensifying scrutiny over the role of John Woodcock as the government’s adviser on extremism, following serious allegations of conflicts of interest presented by civil society groups.

The Good Law Project and Compassion in Politics have lodged formal complaints with the Lords commissioner for standards, claiming that Mr Woodcook had financial ties to organisations whose clients are targeted by protests he tried to suppress.

In a report earlier this year, he recommended the proscription of various direct activism groups, including Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil, sparking concerns over impartiality.

In letters to the prime minister and the home secretary, campaigners called for Mr Woodcock’s dismissal, saying: “Members of the House of Lords and government advisers must not only act impartially but also be seen to be acting impartially. We believe Lord Walney has failed this test and we ask that you now intervene to terminate his appointment.”

Responding to the latest criticism, the adviser said: “Extreme protest groups and their sympathisers are conducting a concerted campaign to remove me because they oppose my proposals to restrict criminal damage and severe disruption in the name of progressive causes and measures to tackle antisemitism at marches.

“My conclusions as an adviser independent of government were meticulously researched, objectively reached, and my interests are all properly declared.”

So cautious and moderate was former immigration minister Robert Jenrick when he entered the Commons that he was nicknamed “Robert Generic”.

Yet now 10 years later, he has reached the final two of the 2024 Conservative Party leadership campaign in a battle against Kemi Badenoch to become the champion of the Tory hard-right - but it all was very different when he was first elected.

You can read the full story below:

Patrick Hurley, representing Southport, has launched a campaign aimed at reducing the price of Freddo chocolate bars to 5p.

The move follows discussions with students at a local school who expressed their concerns about the rising cost of living.

Taking to social media, Mr Hurley said: “20 pence for a Freddo is too much, especially in a cost of living crisis.

“The girls were very clued-up about political issues, including assisted dying and the Middle East.”

The Labour MP said he didn’t think the campaign would succeed but branded the petition as a “lovely, little whimsical, light-hearted thing we can do” that could help engage young people in politics.

He added: “If you start talking about gas bills, the average 14-year-old might switch off, but if you talk about the price of chocolate bars.”

To avoid a return to austerity, the chancellor must find £25bn a year without cutting deep into departmental spending. If only we could rejoin the single market or customs union, says John Rentoul:

The prime minister has met with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and her deputy Emma Little-Pengelly during the inaugural Council of Nations and Regions in Edinburgh.

This meeting comes amid growing concerns from Northern Irish leaders following the government’s announcement last month that it would pause four city and growth deals in the area.

It later emerged that the Belfast and the Londonderry and Strabane deals would not be affected because those were at a later stage.

However, two other deals, which cover Causeway Coast and Glens and the Mid South West region, are awaiting the conclusion of Labour’s spending review to hear whether the funding pause will be lifted.

The deals, which advance investment and infrastructure projects in specific areas, involve bespoke funding arrangements between the Treasury, the Stormont Executive and local partners.

Asked about the issue in Edinburgh, Sir Keir said: “We talked about city deals, we talked about growth, we talked about energy, we talked about the opportunities we have to work together to deliver across Northern Ireland.

“That’s the sort of collaboration, sleeves rolled up, working together across Northern Ireland people want to see more of.”

During a press conference following the inaugural meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions, Sir Keir Starmer faced scrutiny over potential funding for Welsh rail infrastructure.

When pressed about whether Wales would receive its fair share of funding for the HS2 high-speed rail project, Sir Keir repeatedly refused to say whether the Welsh government would get its share of funding for the HS2 high-speed rail line.

The Welsh First Minister has described the country as being “shortchanged” on rail funding.

The prime minister was asked twice if the UK government would give Wales the cash.

Speaking to reporters, he said: “We’ve had a very successful first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions and the First Minister of Wales was here with me, and we had a really good discussion about how we could harness the joint working of both governments.

“Working together on investment, on collaboration and making sure that we’ve got real investment in the jobs of the future across Wales.”

The UK government has referred itself to the data protection watchdog after mistakenly sharing the personal email address of Bernard Arnault, one of the world’s richest men.

In an embarrassing slip-up ahead of a major investment summit, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) apologised for the “human error” that led to the blunder.

Mr Arnault, founder of luxury giant LVMH, with a net worth of £139 billion, is among other high-profile business leaders who have seen their contacts exposed in the email.

The DBT confirmed the breach had been reported to the Information Commissionaire’s office (ICO).

In a statement, they said: “This was caused by an administrative human error, and we apologise to those affected.

“We take data protection very seriously, and we have referred this issue to the Information Commissioner’s Office.”

The French tycoon is set to attend next week’s International Investment Summit in London next week alongside other 300 global industry figures.