Reeves condemns Farage opposition to lifting two-child benefit cap

Rachel Reeves has said she was angered by Nigel Farage’s suggestion that only British-born families should have the two-child benefit cap lifted, saying the Reform UK leader would keep children in poverty based on their skin colour.The chancellor, who will introduce legislation to lift the cap on Thursday, said it had been a burden for her not to be able to do so sooner, but it had been vital to do it at a moment of market stability.Farage told a press conference on Wednesday that his party would vote against the scrapping of the two-child limit, having previously suggested he could back the change. He said he was concerned it would “benefit huge numbers of foreign-born people”.Reeves said those comments were akin to saying some families deserved to have children in poverty

Marinera oil tanker changed flags ‘five times in five years’, says defence secretary – as it happened

The defence secretary, John Healey, told the Commons that the UK, at the request of the US, supported efforts to intercept an Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic. Healey said: “The vessel refused to comply with the US’s exercise of its sanctions jurisdiction on 20 December, after which the US Coast Guard vessel Monroe pursued the ship across the Atlantic. This is a sanctioned, stateless vessel which carries a long history of nefarious activity and shares close links with both Iran and Russia.” Healey said there was a deployment of Royal Navy and RAF assets including airborne surveillance and RFA Tideforce and no UK personnel took part in the operation.Healey said he is visiting Kyiv “soon” to continue discussions on supporting Ukraine’s long term armaments and policing of any ceasefire

It’s unwise for Labour to attack the Green party and its wealth tax proposal | Letters

The Fabian Society’s Joe Dromey could not be more wrong in arguing that the Labour leadership should attack the Greens and Reform UK as representing “twin populisms” (Zack Polanski offering voters fantasy solutions, says head of Fabian Society, 31 December). Dromey dismisses the Green party’s support for a wealth tax as a “fantasy” policy. Yet this is a policy that eight in 10 Labour voters support. I have been campaigning for wealth taxes for years, and large numbers of Labour MPs now back such a measure.Dromey argues that a wealth tax could not fund all the investment we need in our communities

‘Upgrade your CBE? We can help you…’ | Letters

I was intrigued to read Stephen Bates’s piece about Arthur Maundy Gregory and his role in “selling” honours (Psst: wanna buy a new year’s honour? Once it was simple. And now? Well, don’t rule it out, 30 December), as only a day or two earlier I had received an email offering to ease the process of attaining a royal honour.When I sent evidence of having received one about 20 years ago, their response was: “Looking closer I see your CBE was awarded nearly 20 years ago, so surely you deserve an upgrade. If you are interested, we would be delighted to assist.” I haven’t pursued the offer

Nigel Farage dismisses racist and antisemitic school bullying claims as ‘made-up fantasies’

Nigel Farage has called allegations of racist and antisemitic bullying during his time at Dulwich college “complete made-up fantasies”, saying his accusers are “people with very obvious political motivation”.More than 30 people have spoken to the Guardian as part of an investigation based on multiple accounts of racism, including Peter Ettedgui, 61, an Emmy- and Bafta-winning director, who recalled Farage growling repeatedly “Hitler was right” or “Gas them” at him when they were at school.Farage has previously denied “directly” targeting anyone with racist or antisemitic abuse or having the “intent” to hurt anyone, and has not publicly recognised the events described. His response to claims of racism, which he was first questioned on in 2013 by the Channel 4 reporter Michael Crick, have shifted over time.In a broadcast interview in November, he said: “I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way

Desperate for attention, Nige holds marathon presser and skips PMQs | John Crace

Curious. Nigel Farage devoted decades to trying to get elected as an MP. His victory in Clacton in 2024 followed seven unsuccessful attempts in other constituencies. And now he is finally an MP, he seems reluctant to spend any time in the Commons chamber. The one place where we, the public, now pay him to be