UK politics live: Starmer could make ‘pragmatic’ U-turn over £1bn tax plan, as PM warned after Trump meeting

UK leaders “shouldn’t pull our punches” if they disagree with the American president, Emily Thornberry has said after Sir Keir Starmer met with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Ms Thornberry, House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Donald Trump may be the president of the United States in a couple of months’ time so of course, it’s important to have meetings with him and to build a relationship with him.

“Whatever criticisms one may have of Donald Trump, the point is that the office of president is one that needs to be properly respected and the Americans are very close friends of ours.”

The Labour politician added: “I think that this is an initial meeting, so there needs to be a certain amount of relationship building and we take it from there.

“I do think that if there are things the American president does or says that we disagree with, then we shouldn’t pull our punches.”

Wales has been “short-changed” when it comes to funding for railways, the First Minister said, as she pledged to beat a path to the chancellor’s door.

Eluned Morgan said she had discussed consequential funding for the HS2 project with Rachel Reeves during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, adding that the chancellor was in “listening mode”.

The HS2 project has caused tensions in Wales since it was first announced, largely due to the fact it was designated an England and Wales project despite the scheme not including any Welsh territory.

Plaid Cymru has called for Wales to receive £4 billion in consequential funding, in line with the proportional funding that both Scotland and Northern Ireland received as a result of the project.

Ms Morgan said: “Well it’s definitely an issue that we haven’t given up on, an issue that I raised with the chancellor.

“I think it is important for there to be recognition that when it comes to rail infrastructure we do feel that Wales has been short-changed, and it’ll be interesting to see how that conversation develops.

“But already the UK government has made massive commitments to better infrastructure, rail developments in particular, in North Wales. So again, that’s UK Labour helping out directly, in a way that didn’t happen under the Tories.”

The Windrush scandal had its origins in laws that were specifically designed to strip Black and Asian people of their rights to live in the UK, according to a new report.

The Conservative government refused to publish the report in 2022 but, following a decision by a tribunal judge last year, the Labour administration today published it in full.

Our race correspondent Nadine White has the full story:

Some two million older people in England are living without the social care help they need, according to estimates a charity has branded “deeply worrying”.

Many are likely to be struggling with things including getting out of bed and washing, Age UK said, warning that not getting help with these basic tasks increases their risk of falls and serious injury.

The charity said its analysis of data from the latest English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Office for National Statistics (ONS) population figures had led it to an estimate of two million people aged 65 and over who are living with unmet needs for care and support.

This is up from its previous estimate of 1.6 million last year.

The latest figure includes hundreds of thousands of people who are unable to complete basic self-care tasks and are getting either no help or help that does not meet their needs, Age UK said.

The charity’s analysis also suggested that, of the approximately 11 million people aged 65 and over in England, around 10 per cent have difficulty dressing, and six per cent have difficulty getting in and out of bed.

It said while the number of people aged over 75 has grown by almost a fifth since 2017, fewer older people have been receiving long-term care through their local authority over this period.

A major review of the health service published this month described the state of social care as “dire” and noted the “profound human cost and economic consequences” of a long under-resourced area of healthcare.

The report by independent peer Lord Darzi was focused on the NHS but said a growing gap between people’s needs and those getting publicly funded social care in England is placing “an increasingly large burden on families and on the NHS”.

If he resists the temptation to simply preach the gospel of his friend and proprietor Sir Paul Marshall, the former Tory minister may find that he thrives in the role, writes Alan Rusbridger:

Sir Keir Starmer has been busy meeting world leaders at the annual United Nations General Assembly ahead of his keynote speech today.

He held bilateral talks last night with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas as Israel’s war on Gaza continues.

Both leaders have condemned the attacks of 7 October and agreed on the need of an immediate ceasefire across the Middle East.

In a read out, No 10 said: “He also highlighted the civilian death toll in Gaza since then, with 41,000 killed and 100,000 injured, plus 70 per cent of infrastructure devastated.

“The prime minister agreed that the loss of civilian life had been intolerable.”

Downing Street added: “The president and prime minister also condemned the increase in settler violence and settlement activity there has been on the West Bank.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s address to the 2024 Labour Party Conference saw him promise to rebuild Britain “brick by brick” after fourteen years of Tory government, telling conference delegates his government will create a “Britain that belongs to you”.

But what exactly was announced? We look at the key developments from the prime minister’s speech below.

Sir Keir Starmer has finished a two-hour dinner meeting with Donald Trump in New York, according to reports.

The PM and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with the former president before flying back to the UK.

Topics discussed included the importance of retaining the close partnership between the UK & US, according to Downing Street.