Andy Burnham has been told Labour risks losing 50 seats to the Green Party if he pushes ahead with new drilling in the North Sea.
Bombshell polling analysis obtained by GB News revealed that 35 Labour MPs look set to lose their seats to the Greens.
Rachel Millward, a deputy leader of the Green Party, said: “If Labour won’t be swayed by the science or the moral imperative to leave all fossil fuels in the ground, perhaps they will listen to the polling.
“The data is clear: voters want more from our government on climate change, and they certainly don’t want our new Prime Minister to back away from his party’s bare minimum commitments.”
Mr Burnham, who Donald Trump claimed is preparing to drill in the North Sea, vowed to adopt a “pragmatic” approach on oil and gas after becoming Prime Minister.
“The question isn’t whether Britain will still be using oil and gas, the question is where does it come from,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Labour source dismissed the suggestion the Greens could mount a comeback over drilling in the North Sea.
“This is utter fantasy from a party desperate for relevance,” the insider told The Guardian.
“Back in the real world, Labour is delivering lower bills, energy security and good jobs.”
However, Mr Burnham’s North Sea drilling decision also risks triggering a revolt among Labour MPs.
Cat Eccles is among those calling on the Prime Minister to back renewable energy instead.
Ms Eccles said Mr Burnham had been in “listening mode” after he visited her Stourbridge constituency on Friday.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw will be taken by the energy secretary through a quasi-judicial process.
“She will consider the relevant evidence, including environmental assessments and representations received during the consultation process before reaching a decision.”
Scottish Government ‘dangerously unprepared’ for Cairngorms wildfire, claim Tories
The Scottish Conservatives have said the Scottish Government was “dangerously unprepared” for the Cairngorms wildfire as they called for a dedicated wildfire response unit.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay visited Rothiemurchus near Aviemore to speak with industry leaders who led the response to the Cairngorms wildfire.
Mr Findlay met Peter Ferguson, of Rothiemurchus, Calum Kippen, of Bright Spark Burning Techniques, and Ewan Archer, of Strathspey Estates, to discuss the response, and the growing risk of wildfires in the area.
He said: “It was important to hear the first-hand accounts of those who were on the front line of this massive wildfire.
“If it wasn’t for their hard work, bravery and local knowledge, the impact could have been so much worse. If it wasn’t for the wind changing direction, people would almost certainly have been killed.
“Yet despite the growing number and scale of wildfires in recent years, the SNP government has been exposed as dangerously unprepared.
“Not only was the government response to the fire shambolic, they have implemented policies that increase the risk of more fires.”
Sadiq Khan praises ‘incredible’ Ulez as road scheme improves air quality for millions in London
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has spoken out after research showed that the capital’s Ulez scheme had helped improve lung growth in children and cut emissions.
A new study from Queen Mary University of London found that improvements in air quality following the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone has had a huge impact on children’s health.
Within five years of the Ulez being introduced, London children’s exposure to NO2 fell twice as fast and more than twice as much compared to those in Luton.
Commenting on the data, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who has been a vocal supporter of the Ulez since its inception, described the findings as “incredible”.
Taking to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, the Mayor said: “This stopped me in my tracks.
“An independent study by QMUL has found that after Ulez was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Angela Rayner says pocketing £105k delivering speeches doesn’t count as second job – despite her own voters earning just £692 a week
Angela Rayner has said that pocketing £105,000 delivering speeches does not count as a second job – despite her own voters earning just £692 a week.
Ms Rayner took home the staggering sum in speaking fees as a backbencher across the course of six months, the register of MPs interests revealed.
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP said: “I was focusing on my constituents during that time, and you’ll have seen from the [register of] members’ interests, there was, I think around six engagements in 12 months for a couple of hours of speaking engagements. And that’s all declared appropriately.”
Ms Rayner delivered seven speeches between February and June.
One of the speeches Ms Rayner delivered was for estate agent body PropertyMark in June, earning £20,000 for a two-hour appearance, after stepping down from Government for failing to pay stamp duty on her home.
Meanwhile, her constituents’ would take home £692 on average each week, House of Commons figures show, lower than the regional average of £735.
Ms Rayner explained she does not believe the extra income to count as a second job, adding that she was “honoured” to return to the frontbench – despite no longer being able to charge for speeches.
In Opposition, the now-Housing Minister was exceedingly outspoken on the matter, declaring that MPs should be banned from the “racket” of second jobs altogether.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Labour accuses Tories of ‘tying Britain to fossil fuel rollercoaster’ as Conservatives promise ‘cheap’ electricity
Labour has accused the Conservative Party of “tying Britain to the fossil fuel rollercoaster” after Kemi Badenoch pledged to scrap Net Zero.
Earlier today, the Tories said they could cut £540 a year from Britons’ energy bills by prioritising “cheap electricity over Net Zero”.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “As global fossil fuel prices continue to rise amid conflict overseas and wildfires rage across the UK, we can’t turn our back on clean power.
“That won’t bring down bills and it won’t address the climate crisis. The Tories don’t have a clue.”
Richard Tice takes aim at Claire Coutinho after announcing plan to scrap Net Zero: ‘The Tories created this disaster!’
Richard Tice has launched a scathing attack on the Conservatives as Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho unveiled the party’s plan to scrap Net Zero.
Speaking to GB News, the Deputy Leader of Reform UK argued although he is “optimistic” about their new direction, the Tories “created the disaster that it Net Zero”.
Since Kemi Badenoch took over the Tories, the party has stepped away from Net Zero pledged, which the party previously committed to seven years ago under a different leader.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Britons back confrontation with France to stop small boats crisis
More Britons back standing up to France to curb migrant crossings than deeper cross-Channel cooperation, new polling has revealed.
The bombshell survey, conducted by YouGov, found 41 per cent of Britons believe the UK is more likely to solve the migrant crisis by standing up more forcefully to France.
Meanwhile, 35 per cent suggested pursuing a closer relationship with France to halt small boats.
Labour continues to pay the French authorities hundreds of millions of pounds in an attempt to curb crossings, with the “one-in, one-out” deal supposedly acting as a deterrent to those wanting to make the perilous 21-mile journey.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
‘Britain needs a serious plan!’ Kemi Badenoch rails against Labour and Reform on energy policy
Kemi Badenoch has railed against Labour and Reform UK on energy policy as the Tories call for Britain to have a “serious plan” to handle climate change.
Speaking this morning, the Tory leader said: “Britain needs a serious plan to deal with climate change. Seriousness means looking at results, not simply setting targets and congratulating ourselves afterwards.
“Current Net Zero targets have driven up energy costs, weakened our industrial base, and made us more dependent on energy imports, while doing too little to make the country more resilient to floods, droughts, and other consequences of the changing climate.
“This report shows what a common sense approach looks like.
“Unlike Labour, who are wedded to the old failing plans; or Reform, who still don’t believe climate change is happening, the Conservatives will protect our environment, protect our energy security and make energy cheaper.
“Our plan means using our own oil and gas in the North Sea, removing unnecessary costs from energy bills, and backing cheap, reliable, abundant energy for homes and businesses.”
‘For the economy, for the environment, cheap electricity is the holy grail,’ Shadow Energy Secretary tells Labour
The Shadow Energy Secretary has said that cheap electricity is the “holy grail” for the economy and for the environment, chastising Labour’s legacy on energy policy.
In a speech this morning, Ms Coutinho said: “Rather than forcing people to do what we want, our job as politicians should be to lift the barriers in their way.
“That’s why we should focus all our attention on making electricity cheap, and then let consumer choice be king.
“That is the only approach that will work in the long term.
“That’s why for the economy or for the environment, cheap electricity is the holy grail.”
Claire Coutinho takes aim at Ed Miliband’s legacy as Energy Secretary in fiery tirade
Claire Coutinho, the Shadow Energy Secretary, has taken aim at Ed Miliband’s legacy as Energy Secretary in a fiery tirade.
Ms Coutinho said: “Ed Miliband’s Clean Power 2030 target is intent on squeezing every last drop of carbon out of our electricity no matter the cost.
“But making electricity expensive puts electrification out of reach for ordinary families, and it’s moving our industry to more polluting countries overseas – forcing us to import back those same goods with higher emissions.
“That is not improving the climate. It is madness – especially when electrification is a far bigger prize than perfectly clean electricity when it comes to reducing emissions.”
Tories pledge to scrap Net Zero and focus power on ‘making electricity cheap’
The Conservative Party has peldged to scrap Net Zero and, instead, focus energy on “making electricity cheap”.
Delivering a speech today, Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has declared Britain “should focus all our attention on making electricity cheap, and then let consumer choice be king”.
Lib Dem MP handed GB News grilling on call to join EU’s migration pact: ‘How on Earth is this better?!’
GB News host Alex Armstrong has grilled a Liberal Democrats MP on his party leader’s call to join the European Union’s new Migration and Asylum Pact.
Appearing on the People’s Channel, Max Wilkinson was challenged on how the move “would be any better” than the current agreements the UK has with other countries.
Defending the plan, Mr Wilkinson told GB News that joining the pact would ensure the UK has a “proper returns agreement” with European countries.
He explained: “The EU has just recently introduced the Migration and Asylum Pact, and this is the way that the UK could join a new pact, which would mean that we have proper returns agreements with the European Union.”
WATCH THE GRILLING HERE
Andy Burnham accused of ‘virtue signalling’ after pledging to tackle rough sleeping ‘by Christmas’: ‘Irritating!’
Andy Burnham’s pledge to tackle rough sleeping “by Christmas” has been dismantled by Freddy Gray, who argued that the move is “virtue signalling”.
Speaking to GB News, the Assistant Editor at The Spectator said although it is a “noble” act by the Prime Minister, it will only be effective “in the short term”.
The Prime Minister has committed to offer “everyone a route off the streets this Christmas” as he seeks to build on his pledge to end rough sleeping in Britain.
Mr Burnham is attempting to repeat efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Everyone In scheme resulted in thousands of rough sleepers being taken in off the streets.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE
Andy Burnham vows to ‘get everyone in for Christmas’ as PM launches drive to end rough sleeping
Andy Burnham has pledged to work to “get everyone in for Christmas” as he seeks to build on his vow to end rough sleeping.
The Prime Minister is attempting to repeat efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Everyone In scheme resulted in thousands of rough sleepers across England being taken in off the streets.
This week, the Government committed to “offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas” – although there is no defined period for how long local authorities would be expected to accommodate people.
It is also understood that not every rough sleeper would necessarily take up the offer.
READ MORE HERE.
MONEY: UK inflation jumps to highest level since March in fresh challenge for Andy Burnham
UK inflation jumped to 2.9 per cent in July, dealing households a fresh blow after the energy price cap pushed average annual bills up by £221.
The rate climbed from 2.6 per cent in June and moved further above the Bank of England’s two per cent target.
Professor Joe Nellis, emeritus professor and head of economic research at MHA, warned that inflation was “moving back in the wrong direction” and was likely to rise further during the second half of 2026.
He explained the increase would be a setback for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, particularly because rising prices disproportionately affect lower-income households.
READ THE WRITE-UP HERE
Liberal Democrats demand UK join EU pact in a bid to curb small boat crossings – while blaming Brexit for deportation difficulties
The Liberal Democrats has demanded the UK join Brussels’ Migration and Asylum Pact to hand the UK new powers to return small boat migrants.
Sir Ed Davey claimed the deal would let the UK legally to return migrants to the first EU country they entered and grant Britain access to the EU’s biometric database.
He added that Brexit was to blame for difficulties when it came to carrying out checks on background data and criminal history.
Ed Davey says Nigel Farage should ‘hang head in shame’… for deal he did not even strike
Sir Ed Davey has said that Nigel Farage should “hang his head in shame” for the Brexit deal – which the Conservatives made.
The Liberal Democrat leader said: “Farage and the Conservatives should hang their heads in shame for breaking our borders with their bad Brexit deal.
“But instead of apologising to the British public, they are now exploiting the mess they created for their own gain.”
However, Mr Farage had no involvement in the deal made by the Tories – and has famously spoken out against the final deal made under Boris Johnson.
Andy Burnham handed almost £350,000 ahead of entering No10
Andy Burnham handed support and hospitality worth nearly £350,000 in the four months before becoming Prime Minister.
The hefty six-figure sum was spent on his political campaign and included £35,000 from his former mayoral adviser Sacha Lord, new filings revealed.
Hospitality worth £13,360 was also declared, including four tickets and accommodation at Glastonbury worth £2,520 and two tickets to Ladies’ Day at Aintree received in the year before he became an MP.
A Labour Party spokesman told The Times: “It’s right that political campaigns are funded by the generous support of party donors, rather than via the public purse. All declarations have been made in line with parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules.”
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REVEALED: How should the UK deal with the small boat crisis?
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