Baldwin asked if ministers at the time had any concerns about Andrew being appointed a trade envoy.
double quotation mark I have published everything that it relates to that period. There’s nothing else, I think, to be found.
The statements that say that ministers were content, I think is, is the sum total of the response.
And I suppose to some degree that is understandable, bearing in mind that the Palace have made it very clear that Her Majesty, her late Majesty, was very keen that Andrew be given a job,. Andrew was keen to take on the job, and the job had previously been done by another member of the royal family.
Andy Burnham has welcomed the news that Keir Starmer will campaign for him in Makerfield. A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester mayor said:
double quotation mark Anyone who wants to embrace Andy’s campaign message is welcome on the campaign.
Keir Starmer has said that he will campaign for Andy Burnham in the Makerfield byelection.
Speaking to reporters at an event this afternoon, Starmer was asked if he would campaign personally in the contest. He replied:
double quotation mark Yes,. I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign, whatever other discussions are going on, it’s really important – that’s a straight fight between Labour and Reform.
It’s about the values that we take into politics,. it’s really important that we all pull together and fight in that byelection, as we will do.
This answer is more notable than a normal declaration from a party leader saying they would campaign for their candidate would be because it is widely assumed that. if Burnham wins, it won’t be long before he replaces Starmer as PM.
Referring to the measures announced by Rachel Reeves today, Starmer said the government had “a very good story to tell”. And that “has only been possible because of the steps we took on the budget”, he said.
The Migration Observatory, an Oxford University research body, has published its analysis of today’s migration figures. The ONS report includes new estimates for the non-UK-born population,. the Migration Observatory says this figure is now at is highest level ever.
double quotation mark Net migration fell to 171,000 in 2025, a decline of 82% since the early 2023 peak, asylum claims have fallen by 12% year-on-year, with a fall in small boat arrivals. claims by people who arrived with visas, while the number of migrants in hotels is also down by 32% since December 2025.
The sharp decline in net migration results largely from policy choices taken by the previous government, which liberalised. then restricted migration, leading to a record high followed by a record fall and corresponding increase in emigration. Asylum-related arrivals also fell for the first time since mid-2024 though remained high by historical standards. New estimates released today show that the total foreign-born population increased by 2.4 million since the last census. now makes up 19% of the population (up from 16%).
The decline in immigration since 2023 results primarily from lower non-EU migration for work (down 69% since 2023). family members of international students (down 87%). Restrictions on both routes came in under the previous government. The current government added further restrictions, most notably to work visas and the partners and children of refugees.
Ben Brindle. a researcher at the Migration Observatory, said: “The sharp increase in net migration after the pandemic has pushed the foreign-born to its highest ever share of the UK population.”
Lisa O’Carroll is a senior Guardian correspondent covering trade and post-Brexit issues.
The government has been criticised for give “evasive”. “disappointing” replies to a report which said Keir Starmer’s UK-EU reset lacking in definition and drive. The foreign affairs committee said the government’s response to the report offered “truly thin gruel”. only served to reinforce the points the committee was making in its original report in March. When select committees publish reports, the government always has to give a formal response. Its reply to the March report is out today.
Commenting on what it said, Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the committee, said:
double quotation mark Given that the prime minister has promised to place ‘Britain at the heart of Europe’. I was surprised to see just how little effort the government has made in responding to our report on the UK-EU relationship, Today’s response falls far below the standard parliament expects from government. It fails to engage in any meaningful way with the foreign affairs committee’s recommendations. It is frequently evasive and waffly rather than what we hoped would be thoughtful and substantial policy. This is truly thin gruel. only serves to reinforce my committee’s conclusions in our report: the government has no clear strategic priorities nor vision for its UK-EU reset, which given it is central to government policy, is very disappointing.
Thornberry said government’s engagement was a vital part of the democratic scrutiny. the committee had hoped it would pick up on key recommendations including the need for an EU white paper and a dedicated committee for scrutiny of EU affairs.
When the UK was in the EU, the Commons had a European scrutiny committee. After 2016 it focused on Brexit issues, but it was scrapped after the UK left the EU in 2020.
Speaking for the Liberal Democrats, Wendy Chamberlain says Andrew was not vetted. (See 1.34pm.) And she said the lack of documentation in relation to this appointment is “concerning”.
double quotation mark The documents we do have clearly show concerns about the potential for conflicts of interest. It started with golf, but we all know what came next. And why did that not lead to any scrutiny or vetting?
She asks specifically if ministers and officials were aware of Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Bryant says he thought the police might object to the publication of some material, in the light of the investigation. But the police were very cooperative, and did not object to anything being published, he says.
On vetting, he says:
double quotation mark It has been standard not to vet members of the royal family.
He says he does not think there are plans to appoint a member of the royal family to a trade envoy job in future. He says the king supports the government on visits, and his state visit to the US was a great success. He goes on:
double quotation mark I don’t think we should be vetting his majesty the king,. I don’t think [Chamberlain] is suggesting that either.
Bryant forgots to address the Epstein question, but in response to a later question he remembers the omission. tells Chamberlain he found “absolutely nothing” to suggest ministers were aware of this.
Baldwin asked if ministers at the time had any concerns about Andrew being appointed a trade envoy.
double quotation mark I have published everything that it relates to that period. There’s nothing else, I think, to be found.
The statements that say that ministers were content, I think is, is the sum total of the response.
And I suppose to some degree that is understandable, bearing in mind that the Palace have made it very clear that Her Majesty, her late Majesty, was very keen that Andrew be given a job,. Andrew was keen to take on the job, and the job had previously been done by another member of the royal family.
Harriett Baldwin, Bryant’s Tory shadow, asks if there are any more papers to be published.
Bryant says he thinks all the relevant documents have been published. But if any more documents are found, they will be released too.
Bryant says he was due to give a longer statment. But he said he kept his opening remarks short because it is late in the day for a statement. He says the longer version was much the same as the written statement he released this morning.
Chris Bryant. the trade minister, is making a statement to MPs now about the release of documents about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade envoy in 2001.
He says getting the material was hard. Some departments have changed. And the government had to avoid publishing anything that might interfer with the police investigation. He goes on:
double quotation mark I’m glad to say that we have published 11 documents today, including the formal appointment proposal, evidence that ministers were content with the proposal, internal communications, media. press briefings. These documents speak for themselves, of course, and all honourable members can read them.
The UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister. Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted. Peter Beaumont has the story.
Zack Polanski. the Green party leader, has said that the prospect of a Reform UK victory is the “greatest threat” in the Makerfield byelection.
He spoke out as the Greens announced the name of their candidate in the contest –. Polanski defended the party’s decision to reject calls for the Greens to stand aside to help Labour’s Andy Burnham.
Polanski said Chris Kennedy, a registered nurse. child safeguarding specialist who is from the Wigan area (Makerfield is a constituency on the outskirts of Wigan), would be a “fantastic candidate”.
double quotation mark This election is about who is making the case for lower bills, warmer. more affordable homes and a greener and fairer economy. In a democracy, people must have the choice to vote for the candidate of their choice.
As Peter Walker reported earlier this week, the Green party has been split on how hard to fight the byelection. Caroline Lucas. Adrian Ramsay, both former party leaders, have suggested that, given Burnham’s commitment to electoral reform (see 1.37pm ), the party should not go all-out to prevent his election. Others in the party wanted the Greens to campaign for a win aggressively.
While the party has ruled out not fielding a candidate. it remains to be seen how much effort the party will put into trying to win. In an article in the Financial Times today. Anna Gross says senior figures in the party do not want to allocate significant resources to the byelection. She says:
double quotation mark Several party members, conscious the Greens have limited support in the constituency in north-west England, are wary of being blamed for splitting the progressive vote. allowing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to win, according to people involved in discussions.
“We do not want this one to go to Reform,. to be quite frank, we do not want Labour to be able to turn around and say ‘if you vote Green, you’re actually voting Reform’ because that will be used for the next three years,” a senior party figure said.
In his statement this morning marking Kennedy’s selection as the candidate, Polanski said:
double quotation mark The greatest threat in this byelection is the Reform party, which, while presenting itself as a change to the status quo, is just more of the same. worse. It is in hock to corporate interests and seeks to divide our communities rather than uniting them.
We have shown we can take votes from Reform in a way Labour just can’t. We know there are many voters fed up with the status quo who will only choose between Reform and Greens.
Polanski also said the Greens would use the byelection to challenge Burnham on policy.
double quotation mark We will also use the byelection to press Andy Burnham on what kind of MP. prime minister he would be, given his mixed track record, and interviews this week suggesting he isn’t committed to fair voting, public ownership and a genuinely new economic settlement. We’d like to know which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up.
In February the Greens won a byelection in Gorton. Denton, which like Makerfield is in Greater Manchester, beating Reform UK in what had been a Labour seat. But the demographics in Gorton and Denton were much more favourable to the Greens. Polling suggests Makerfield will be a straight fight between Burnham and Reform UK.
Andy Burnham has said he will back sweeping changes to the electoral system to make politics “less point-scoring. more problem-solving” if he becomes prime minister, Josh Halliday reports.
The Liberal Democrats. who tabled the humble address motion leading to the release of the documents about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, have said they were alarmed to discover that Andrew was not vetted for the role.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, said:
double quotation mark It is shocking. deeply troubling that Andrew was appointed to the trade envoy role with no vetting. Nobody should be above such standards. This raises serious questions about why officials and ministers at the time thought that was acceptable.
The lack of documentation provided is itself concerning, as is the time it has taken to get this far. We must get the full files from government without delay,. an explanation about why there is such a small paper trail. And the government must commit to mandatory vetting for all similar appointments in future.
The victims. survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, and the justice they have been denied for years, are foremost in our minds as this continues.
A £50m Met police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir has been blocked by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, with City Hall citing a “clear. serious breach” of procurement rules, Robert Booth reports.
The Department for Business. Trade has published details of the £350m support package for the chemicals industry, and £120m for ceremics. (See 12.27pm.)
double quotation mark Thousands of UK jobs across British industry are set to be secured thanks to £350m of government support for strategically important chemicals producers. sites alongside a separate £120m scheme for the ceramics sector.
The funding – targeted at strategically important parts of the economy that keep vital everyday UK infrastructure running, support thousands of skilled jobs. protect Britain’s economic security – is designed to help firms stay competitive, modernise infrastructure, decarbonise, and transition their energy supplies from gas to electricity …
The £350m Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund will back the UK’s most strategically important chemical producers – the firms that supply the critical inputs relied on by sectors including food, energy, water. healthcare …
A separate package for the ceramics sector will include £120m of support to back capital investment in energy efficiency. decarbonisation projects, as well as provide operational support for successful applicants to the fund who require additional support to manage increased costs.
Ceramics are not only crucial for housebuilding. everyday items like plates, bowls and smartphone screens but strategic industries such as advanced manufacturing, defence and tech, backed by the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
Stuart Andrew (Con) asked if British farmer would be affected by the plan to cut tariffs on some food items. Reeves said that tariffs would not be cut in areas where there is “significant” UK production. But Andrew said “significant” might mean one thing to a supermarket, and another to a Shropshire farmer.
Reeves said that the government was still consulting on the details of the tariffs. She went on:
double quotation mark But we’ve worked hard to make sure that this does not affect British farmers.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson. deputy leader, told MPs that the Lib Dems had been calling for a VAT cut for hospitality. But, if the cut just lasted for the summer, indoor attractions, like soft play areas, might not benefit, she said.
Reeves said. she had had enough holidays in Britain during the summer to know that “there are plenty of days where it’s raining”.
She also said she expected to see Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, visting a soft play centre soon.
In the Commons Mel Stride. the shadow chancellor, asked Reeves to confirm that the meaures announces today would be paid for, at least in party, by borrowing.
In response, Reeves said Stride was wrong. The measures would not be funded by higher borrowing, she said. She said the changes to the foreign branch tax rules for energy companies (see 12.33pm ) would fund the measures.
And here is the Treasury ’s news release about the plan for free bus travel for children in August,. the plan to cut tariffs on food items.
It says the Treasury is spending “more than £100m to fund the free fares scheme. also continuing to support bus services”.
And it says the tariff cuts on items like biscuits, chocolate. dried fruit and nuts should save consumers more than £150m a year.
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