‘The adults are back in the room’
A senior figure in Keir Starmer’s new government has taken a pop at the other political parties.
Asked if a lengthy Tory leadership contest would leave Labour with no opposition, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the treasury, told the BBC: “I expect that we will be challenged in the House of Commons.
“Of course the Conservatives suffered a historic loss, but that doesn’t mean there’s no opposition in the House of Commons and of course, we have the House of Lords to get any legislation through as well.
“And the key thing that you’ll see from this Labour Government is that we’re going to return both to the service of the British people, but also to the norms. The adults are back in the room.”
Farage claims a ‘member a minute joining the Reform party’
Nigel Farage has claimed the Reform party is already making huge progress across the UK – with one member joining the party every minute.
“Opposition isn’t just what happens in the House of Commons,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s what happens out there in the country.”
What can we expect from the new parliament today?
Parliament officially opens tomorrow but all parties will be looking to set their stalls out today. Here is a run-down of what is planned:
8am: Keir Starmer visits Northern Ireland.
9.30am: Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, gives a speech on growth.
11.30am: Downing Street holds its first lobby briefing since Starmer became PM.
1pm: Reeves visits a building site in London with Angela Rayner, the levelling up secretary.
1.30pm: Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, holds a press briefing at Westminister with the party’s four MPs.
2pm: The Green MPs Carla Denyer and Siân Berry hold a press briefing at Westminster.
Afternoon: Starmer meets Vaughan Gething, the Welsh first minister, in Cardiff.
And at some point today Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is due to meet with the British Dental Association to discuss changes to the dental contract.
