Category Archives: sky news

‘It Feels Dodgy’: Cabinet Minister Forced To Defend 40th Birthday Party Paid For By Labour Donor

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A cabinet minister has been forced to defend allowing a millionaire Labour donor to pay for her 40th birthday party.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson was told it “looks dodgy” that Lord Alli funded the bash, which was held at the upmarket Cinnamon Club restaurant in Westminster last December.

However, on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning, she insisted it had been a work event and that even her own family were not in attendance.

According to the Houghton and Sunderland South MP’s register of interests, she received £14,000 from Lord Alli.

Asked by Phillips what the money was for, Phillipson said: “It was used to fund two events, all of which was declared properly and thoroughly, that’s why that information is in the public domain.

“The first event was ahead of my birthday. So I was turning 40, I thought it was a good opportunity to get people together in a professional context. So it was journalists, trade unionists, education people, MPs and shadow cabinet.”

The presenter replied: “That’s a very nice thing, but if a Tory had done that two years ago, I know exactly what you would be saying to me this morning – they should pay for their own birthday parties.”

Phillipson responded: “Look, this was in a work context. My own family didn’t come to that, it was in a work context.

“I celebrated my actual 40th birthday with my family. We went for a pizza, I celebrated with my kids.

“This was where I got together colleagues, journalists actually, trade unionists, education people. It was in a very different kind of context.

″[Lord Alli] is a Labour peer, he’s been a Labour peer for over 25 years. This is fully transparent.”

But Phillips told her: “I think we might be digging a slightly bigger hole here. You’ve got a lot of people who knew you might be the education secretary and you’ve got them in a room. You’re paying them to lobby you.

“To the average viewer, it feels dodgy. It feels like this is now an event for lobbyists.”

Phillipson said: “No, that’s absolutely not what it was. This was an opportunity for people to come together to have a reception so we can talk about, for example, issues around education.

“These kinds of things happen regularly. It was all declared in line with the rules and fully transparent.”

The clash came amid an ongoing row over senior Labour figures, including Keir Starmer, receiving hospitality from, among others, Lord Alli.

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Health Secretary Cornered By Graph Putting £22bn ‘Black Hole’ In Perspective

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Health secretary Wes Streeting was presented with a brutal graph putting Labour’s £22bn black hole claim into perspective this morning.

The new government has repeatedly said the Conservatives left behind a huge gap between they thought was coming in and how much is actually being spent.

Labour say this is why it is asking MPs to vote on restricting winter fuel payments in the Commons next week – a move which, if voted through, will leave around 10 million pensioners worse-off.

So a handful of Labour MPs are considering voting against the government – and PM Keir Starmer has refused to say whether or not that could result in their suspension from the party.

With this potential headache looming for the government, presenter Trevor Phillips presented Streeting with a large chart showing just how large the £22bn black hole in comparison to the rest of the government spending – which stands at a whopping £1,226bn.

The Sky News host said: “I mean, seriously, the £22bn black hole – it’s not the biggest thing in the world that you have to face, is it?”

“No, that is not what I said,” Streeting replied.

Phillips cut in: “You’re making £22bn sound like if you don’t fix it, the economy is going to crash.”

The leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, sparked concern after saying only last weekend that the economy was at risk of crashing unless the government fixed that £22bn black hole.

Streeting sarcastically hit back: “Oh, let’s just go on spending more than we’ve got, we’ll go on ratcheting up the debt, the deficit – who cares, right?

“That was basically where the last Conservative government got to.”

But Phillips cut off Streeting’s attempts to slam the Tories, saying: “I’d like to spend at least some of this interview talking about some of your decisions rather than the Conservative past.”

He added that the winter fuel allowance cut was still Labour’s choice, and that the House of Lords scrutiny committee had released a report this week saying the decision to cut back on winter fuel payments did not need to be rushed through.

Streeting said it was a “tough choice” with “political pain” and that he was not “remotely happy” about having to vote for it.

Throughout the interview, he reiterated that Labour are facing a major challenge with the government’s finances because of the mess the Tories left behind, saying: “It was an unprecedented degree of in-year recklessness.”

He added: “Whether it’s pensioners or anyone else in this country, they won’t forgive us if we duck the difficult decisions now and end up leaving the country with a bigger bill and a bigger price of failure for the future. That was the Conservative way and that’s not the approach we’re going to take.”

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Sky News Presenter Questions Minister Over Past Anti-Donald Trump Stunt

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A new Labour minister was questioned by Trevor Phillips on Sunday over a previous anti-Donald Trump stunt in London.

Before the exchequer’s secretary James Murray was elected to parliament, he was the deputy mayor of London under Sadiq Khan.

He held this role from 2016 to 2019 – meaning he was in office when his boss Khan allowed a six-metre high cartoon baby blimp of the then-US president to float across the capital.

It was part of a wider protest against the divisive politician’s first formal visit to the UK in 2018.

Six years later and Trump, now the official Republican Party nominee, has a chance of returning to the White House.

Phillips recalled the famous blimp on his programme this morning, asking Murray: “Do you now wish you hadn’t chosen to insult him in this way?”

The minister replied: “Look there’s been a lot of history between the mayor and President Trump but what’s important for me is being a minister in the government is that we have a relationship with the US, which is an incredibly strong one, and one that’s in our national interests and good for our national security.”

Phillips hit back: “It’s quite tricky to have a good relationship with somebody when one of your colleague has described him as a neo-Nazi and your former boss called him literally a few weeks, a racist, a sexist and a homophobe.”

The foreign secretary David Lammy called Trump a neo-Nazi in 2018, when he was a backbencher.

Meanwhile, Labour mayor Sadiq Khan criticised Trump and said his party should “call him out” in May this year.

The ex-president previously called the mayor a “stone cold loser” after saying Trump should not visit the UK back in 2019.

“Is that the way diplomacy these days under Labour?” Phillip asked.

Murray said: “In the past there have been comments on all sides of this relationship, but what it’s important for me is the strength of a relationship –”

Phillips cut him off, saying: “The strength of a relationship with someone who called you a neo-Nazi is not going to be very strong, is it?”

He said the UK-US “transcends any individuals”, and “it’s in our interests in terms of national security and economy” to get along well.

Phillips pushed: “You understand why this is an issue, don’t you?”

He noted that Lammy is now calling Trump’s running mate JD Vance is his friend and that chancellor Rachel Reeves is talking about a trade deal with the US.

He said: “You’re all going to have change your tune aren’t you?”

Murray said Labour have “never” changed their tune in their approach to the US, and that it is up to American voters to choose their president.

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Trevor Phillips Destroys Nigel Farage With One Devastating Question

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Nigel Farage clashed with Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips after he was asked why Reform UK attracts “racists, homophobes and anti-Semites”.

The pair faced off against each other after the party was forced to ditch three candidates accused of making offensive statements.

Farage distanced himself from Edward Oakenfull, Robert Lomas and Leslie Lilley during a brutal grilling on the BBC’s Question Time on Friday night.

Reform UK has also gone to war with Channel 4 after it broadcast secretly recorded footage showing one of the party’s canvassers, Andrew Parker, advocating shooting people arriving in the UK on small boats across the Channel.

Farage has insisted it was a “set-up” because Parker is an actor – claims denied by the broadcaster.

On Sunday Morning With Trevor Philips, the presenter asked him: “Do you ever ask yourself this question, in the words of the immortal Mrs Merton, what was it about you, Nigel Farage, that first attracted these racists and homophobes and anti-Semites to your party?”

Farage, who took over as Reform UK leader earlier this month, replied: “The candidates that we’re kicking out came when I wasn’t there, that’s the first point to make.”

But Philips hit back: “Come on, Reform is your party, you own it, they knew it’s your party. So answer my question, what is it about you that attracted them?”

Farage said: “Ironically, destroying the BNP, means people who are minded that way don’t any longer have a home to go to, and some will gravitate in our direction. When we find out who they are they’ll be gone.”

The presenter then asked: “Why do you think that is? Why do they think that you are the person that’s going to give them a home?”

But Farage pointed out that at a Reform UK election rally in Birmingham later today, the “star of the show” will be Zia Yusuf, who he described as “a practicing Muslim who is going to say things about the growth of Islamic extremism”.

He added: “I can assure you that anybody who has a racist point of view, I don’t want to know.”

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‘On The Brink Of Destruction’: Trevor Phillips Tells Oliver Dowden The Tories Face Election Wipeout

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Oliver Dowden was told the Tories are “on the brink of destruction” with just four days to go until the general election.

Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips also told the deputy prime minister his party’s campaign had been “a mess”.

The pair clashed as voters prepare to go to the polls on Thursday and with Labour still miles ahead of their rivals.

Phillips said: “This is your 738th weekend in charge. How does it feel to be essentially on the eve of destruction for your party, because that’s what every signal tells us.”

Dowden replied: “In an election campaign you can have commentators and you can have participants. I’m a participant, and my job, whether it’s on the doorstep or in this television studio speaking to you and your viewers at home, is to make the case for the Conservative Party and to warn – mark my words, dogs bark, cats meow and Labour put up taxes.

“Don’t take that risk, it’s in your hands. We have a clear plan to control migration, to start to reduce taxes. The game is on, the fight is on, now is the time for people to make up their minds about the future of this country.”

But Phillips hit back: “Liz Truss essentially made the party of sound money into the party of market chaos, and Boris Johnson made the party of law and order the party of lawbreakers.

“It’s really striking that in this interview you seem to refuse to accept that you’re carrying that burden – the gambling, D-Day, the rain. I mean, it’s been a mess.”

Dowden said: “Having been in power for 14 years, of course we haven’t got everything right. I totally accept that and apologies have been made for various things you’ve mentioned there.

“But fundamentally this is a choice about where we go as a country for the future.”

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Labour Denies Claims It Is Offering Peerages To Left-Wing MPs Who Promise To Step Down

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Labour’s Yvette Cooper has denied claims the party is offering peerages to left-wing MPs who step down to make way for Keir Starmer’s preferred candidates.

The shadow home secretary rejected a new report from The Times which claims some people who were Labour MPs– up until parliament was dissolved last week – could be elevated to the House of Lords if they gave up their seats.

She told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “No party can do that, it’s not the way the system works.”

She said there is a “whole process” where an independent committee vets nominations to the Lords, so no one cannot be promised a seat there by any party leader.

The report comes after a tumultuous week for the frontrunners in the general election as Labour has faced several accusations of trying to purge any left-wing candidates.

Former leader Jeremy Corbyn, Faiza Shaheen and Lloyd Russell-Moyle were all prevented from standing for Labour in recent weeks.

Starmer faced further backlash after refusing to say whether veteran MP Diane Abbott would be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate – prompting her and her supporters to accuse him of “culling” the Labour left over the last week.

Abbott lost the whip in 2023 after claiming Irish, Traveller and Jewish people only experienced “prejudice” not racism – a claim she later apologised for and withdrew.

The whip was returned to her in May but there was widespread speculation the party was planning to ban her from standing.

Starmer denied all claims of a purge, saying he just wants”the highest quality candidates”.

He also said that the decision around Abbott was up to the party’s national executive committee, and not him.

Then even Starmer’s deputy Angela Rayner said publicly that Abbott should be allowed to stand.

In an embarrassing U-turn, he finally said on Friday that the left-winger was free to represent his party.

Abbott is yet to confirm whether she will represent the party and said she will not be making a comment until she is officially endorsed by Labour’s National Executive Committee next week.

However she told Sky News that the “narrative does look positive”.

Cooper also told Phillips on Sunday that she assumes Abbott will be the Labour candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the seat she has held since 1987.

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‘You’re Going To Get A Drubbing’: Trevor Phillips Tells Sunak Tories Are Heading For Defeat

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Rishi Sunak has been told by Trevor Phillips that the Tories are “going to get a drubbing” at Thursday’s local elections.

The Sky News presenter delivered the stark warning as he challenged the prime minister to either quit or call a general election for July.

The pair clashed as rebel Conservative MPs ponder whether to try to oust the PM before the country goes to the polls.

Experts predict that the Tories will lose up to 500 council seats on Thursday, while the futures of high-profile mayors Ben Houchen and Andy Street hang in the balance.

Phillips told Sunak: “You are going to get a drubbing at the local elections.

“How many seats do you have to lose before you accept that the people have lost confidence in you? And it’s time either for you to stand down or to call a general election.”

In response, the PM repeatedly refused to rule out a July general election.

“When it comes to a general election, I’ve been very clear about that multiple times,” he said.

In January, Sunak said his “working assumption” was that it would take place in the second half of the year.

Phillips said: “Second half of this year could be July.”

The PM replied: “I’m not going to say anything more than I’ve already said, I’ve been very clear about that.”

The presenter told him: “I just need to know when to book my holidays. July is possible?”

But Sunak said: “Actually, Trevor, it’s more important than your holiday or anyone’s holiday. I’ve got a job to do which is delivering for the country.”

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Kay Burley Calls Minister Out For Side-Stepping Questions Over ‘Disgraceful’ Mark Menzies Saga

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Kay Burley cornered a minister over the Conservatives’ handling of the saga around former Tory Mark Menzies in an awkward Sky News clash on Monday.

Menzies resigned from the party on Sunday and announced he would not be standing at the next general election, days after allegations he had misused campaign funds emerged.

He denied all claims against him. A Tory Party investigation found he had not misused funds because he had taken money from a group outside of the main Conservative remit.

However, the Sky News presenter still pressed foreign minister Andrew Mitchell over the messy incident.

Burley asked: “What most offended you about [Mark Menzies]′ actions?

“Was it the misuse of funds, was it his questionable behaviour over many years or was it [him] asking a member of his team to go to a potential crime scene, with a bag load of cash, where she was already told, ‘bad men are inside’?”

Mitchell replied: “I’ve been in Washington until yesterday doing my job as the minister for international development.”

Burley refused to take that as answer, only for Mitchell to say: “I’m not fully conversant with all the details.”

“Well, you should be,” the presenter noted.

Mitchell continued: “What I am clear about is that the Conservative Party has properly investigated this matter.

“It’s done it in a timely way, which respects the rights of all parties, lessons will be learnt.”

Burley laughed and said: “What does that mean?”

According to The Times – which first broke the story – the Tories had been aware of the allegations for three months, but had not taken any action.

Burley asked again: “Are you more offended by the funds or the fact that a junior member of his team was told to go with a bag-load of cash where she had been told bad men were inside? That’s disgraceful.”

“I don’t think his actions were those one has the right to expect from a member of parliament and that is why he no longer has the whip and is no longer a member of the Conservative Party,” Mitchell said.

Burley pushed: “Should he step down altogether or are you quite relieved that he’s waiting until the next election so there’s not another by-election?”

Mitchell said that was not a matter for the Tories anymore.

Burley said: “So you’re very happy that the party have handled this in exactly the right way?”

Mitchell just replied that the party has handled it in a “way that handles the rights of the individuals” involved, and that he does not “criticise the party over the speed with which it handled this”.

“Would you expect a Conservative aide to have to behave in this manner, taking a bag load of cash to a place that isn’t safe?” Burley asked again.

Mitchell replied: “That is why we are looking at the issue of a whistleblowers’ rights, and doing a retraining of those in the Conservative Association to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

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‘Car Crash Answer’: Tory Minister Roasted Over Bizarre Rwanda Flights Remark

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A Tory minister has been slammed on social media after she gave a bizarre answer on when deportation flights to Rwanda will eventually take off.

Laura Trott insisted planes taking asylum seekers to the east African country will be in the air in the spring – then refused to say when that was.

The awkward exchange took place on Sky News this morning as MPs and peers prepare for another day of wrangling over Rishi Sunak’s flagship Safety of Rwanda Bill.

Peers last night passed four more amendments watering down the controversial legislation, but those changes will be defeated in the House of Commons later today as the parliamentary “ping-pong” over the bill continues.

Presenter Kay Burley asked Trott: “Who is going to fly these people to Rwanda?”

The Treasury minister replied: “We are working on operationalising this, but we’re not going to go into details on how we’re going to do that.

“We will be ready for flights to take off in the spring, when the legislation passes.”

Burley then asked her: “When does spring mean to you? We’re cantering towards May now.”

Laughing, Trott replied: “Well there’s lots of definitions of spring, but we’re hoping to get them up and running as quickly as possible.”

The minister’s answer did not land well with users of X (formerly Twitter).

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Andrea Leadsom Suggests Cost Of Living Crisis Is Over As Inflation Fall Has ‘Cheered Everyone Up’

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Andrea Leadsom has suggested the cost of living crisis has “ended” after a fall in the rate of inflation “obviously cheered everyone up”.

On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics revealed UK inflation has fallen from 4% in January to 3.4% last month, the lowest it’s been since 2021.

While the news is significant given that the measure of the growing cost of goods and services peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, a 41-year high, a decline only means prices are going up at a slower rate, they are not falling.

What’s more, the 3.4% figure is still short of the Bank of England’s target of 2%.

Nonetheless, Conservative minister Leadsom was keen to promote the downward trajectory against the backdrop of Tory unrest.

When asked on Sky News about whether the party was now united, Leadsom said instead: “I think what’s really important is we have seen a fantastic drop in inflation today. That’s what’s really important.

“That has obviously cheered everyone up, it’s what we have been working towards is seeing the cost of living crisis end … seeing people able to take more home in their pay packets or in their salaries every day. That’s the critical point.”

When Rishi Sunak became prime minister, he promised to halve inflation by the end of 2023 – and it ended up being the only one of his five pledges he managed to fulfil.

However, economists question whether government’s can sincerely take credit for getting inflation back under control, not least since central banks control the base interest rate that is the key tool to combat price growth, and ministers blamed global factors when inflation spiralled to record highs.

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