Waspi women latest: Starmer accused of ‘breaking promise’ as he denies ‘misleading’ women over compensation

Urban and rural councils have warned that the increase in funding next year announced by the Government will not relieve acute pressures on local services.

Changes to the draft local government finance settlement included a £700 million uplift in funding for social care and the costs of changes to national insurance.

But the County Councils Network (CCN) said the extra funding would not come close to covering forecast costs facing its members, while the District Councils Network (DCN) said the changes mean “little or no increase” in funding in many areas with worrying consequences for services.

Meanwhile, councils in London have estimated that the settlement will still lead to a collective funding shortfall next year of at least £500 million.

The CCN welcomed the extra funding for social care but warned the national insurance support would not cover forecast costs facing its members, which amount to £488 million.

The body, which represents county and unitary councils covering about 50% of the population, also repeated concerns that the Government was favouring city and town councils by distributing the £600 million Recovery Grant exclusively on a deprivation formula.

A Government minister has quoted AI-generated Adele lyrics to draw attention to how bots can come up with versions of existing artists’ songs without paying them any money.

Technology minister Sir Chris Bryant read out lines from a non-existent song by the Grammy-award winning British singer that he had got an AI company to write, as he announced a consultation on potential new copyright protections for creative industries to stop AI bots from using their material for free.

Sir Chris said the issue posed an “existential threat” for the British music, film, literary and gaming industries.

In response to a question from Conservative MP Julian Lewis (New Forest East) in the House of Commons, urging him to consider looking at Taylor Swift whom he said had been “shrewd” over her copyright, Sir Chris said: “It’s not Taylor Swift that I’ve consulted, but I asked an AI company to come up with a song in the manner of Adele.

“‘Oh I still feel you, deep in my soul. Even though you left me out here on my own, the love we had it’s slipping through my hands, but I can’t forget, I still don’t understand. You’re gone, but your memory is all I see, and in the silence, it’s you haunting me’.

“It’s sort of Adele isn’t it? But it’s not Adele. And again, my question goes, so does Adele know that her material has been used, does her record label know that her lyrics have been used to create that. Because it’s sort of in the territory, but it’s not right.

“I think we can get this right in the UK and provide leadership to the world, that’s what we should strive for.”

Kemi Badenoch wants to see a British version of the soon-to-be set up US department of government efficiency, her spokesman has indicated.

Businessman Elon Musk is expected to lead a cost-cutting drive when President-elect Donald Trump comes to office in January, dubbed the “department of government efficiency”.

Nicknamed “Doge” – an acronym that shares its name with an internet meme about a dog and the cryptocurrency Dogecoin which Mr Musk once backed – the organisation is expected to take the form of an advisory team rather than a government department.

Doge will be chaired by Tesla and SpaceX owner Mr Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman who stood as a Republican presidential candidate.

Tory leader Mrs Badenoch is an “enormous fan of Elon Musk and what he’s done with X”, her spokesman said, adding she was “following what he is doing with Doge in the US very closely”.

Asked by journalists if she wanted to replicate the programme in the UK, her spokesman added: “Yes, she does. And in fact, that was one of the things that she was looking to do in the Department of Business and Trade with the smarter regulation program, to sort of finesse government and reduce regulation.”

Frustration from Waspi women over the “deeply disappointing” decision of the UK Government not to offer compensation is justified, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said.

Speaking to STV News, Mr Sarwar said: “I can completely understand, and I believe I was one of the ones that campaigned with them, had photographs with them, I was right to do that, I was right to campaign with them.

“I continue to stand with them in the face of their injustice.

“I think where there is justified frustration is in the blanket no compensation position.”

Sir Keir Starmer wants his Football Governance Bill to pass into law as quickly as possible to block a rebranded breakaway league.

The Bill will create an independent football regulator for the top five tiers of the men’s game.

“You heard him previously say that on his watch, there will be no Super League-style breakaway from English football,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“And as part of the strengthened Football Governance Bill, the regulator will be able to prevent English clubs from joining future breakaway competitions by taking into account factors such as sustainability, heritage and fairness.”

The original Super League was launched by 12 European clubs – including the Premier League’s “Big Six” – in April 2021 but quickly collapsed amid fan protests and opposition from the continental and global governing bodies.

Promoters A22 have have contacted Uefa and Fifa to seek official recognition for a new competition, the Unify League.

Sir Keir is eager for the Football Governance Bill to pass swiftly to prevent leagues such as the rebranded Unify League from seeking to break away, No 10 said.

Shadow local government minister David Simmonds said the Government’s festive funding announcement saw the gift for councils “emptier than expected”.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Simmonds said: “The two wise men and wise woman of the Government have arrived bearing their gifts for local councils. But on closer inspection, while the gold is beautifully packaged, the box is somewhat emptier than what people have been expecting.

“It’s been a challenging few weeks for local government, we’ve heard the Government’s plans to take as much as they can of the local out of local government, and it’s clear that this statement today will leave our local authorities facing further challenges in doing the day job, and very significant uncertainty as we go into the new year.”

Mr Simmonds said town halls would still face increased costs caused by extra duties introduced by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and that the money to cover the rise in employers’ national insurance would not cover the £1.76 billion sum identified by the Local Government Association.

“As many of our councillors go away for their Christmas break and try and digest the detail of this with their Christmas lunch, they are going to be facing rumbling indigestion as they realise that their budget pressures are growing significantly,” he said.

“If this is fixing the foundations, I wouldn’t want to stay in the tent that’s the only thing this will hold up in our local authorities,” he added.

The Government has announced new funding in an attempt to fix the “dire straits” of local government finances, including £700 million extra for councils.

Local government minister Jim McMahon said councils across the country are “in crisis” after 14 years of Conservative-led governments.

“I take the responsibility to lead this Government’s work to rebuild the sector with the seriousness that it’s due and also with the urgency that’s required,” Mr McMahon said. This work has already begun, and today marks a major milestone in our mission to rebuild local government and to put councils on a firmer financial footing.”

He added: “This is why today I am announcing over £700 million of additional grant. This includes over £200 million of extra funding for social care since the policy statement.”

Mr McMahon said £515 million would be given to councils to help them with the rise in employers’ national insurance.

He said: “Taken together, the additional funding made available at this settlement and the Budget delivers over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax.”

He went on to say: “We must ensure that public investment is used too for long-term prevention and the reform of local public services, rather than expensive short-term crisis responses which we know often have much worsening outcomes. We are determined to end the cycle of failure that we have seen for too long. We will provide certainty by making sure that no authority will see a reduction in their core spending power after accounting for council tax flexibilities next year.”