Labour can win political argument for closer EU ties, says Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves has insisted Labour can win the political argument for a closer relationship with the EU, calling it the “biggest prize” for UK economic growth.Some Labour strategists have been wary of making the case for stronger alignment with the EU, believing it could alienate pro-Brexit voters.But Reeves said on Wednesday: “I am confident this is a political argument, as well, that we can win.” She pointed to the recent agreement to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme, calling it “one of the most popular things that we’ve done.”Underlining the overriding importance of EU trade for the health of the UK economy, because of the bloc’s close geographical proximity, she said: “Economic gravity is reality, and almost half of our trade is the EU

Anas Sarwar says Starmer can campaign in Scotland after calling for him to quit

The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has agreed that Keir Starmer can campaign for the party in the Holyrood elections just days after calling for the prime minister to resign.In a marked change of position, Sarwar said Starmer and other cabinet ministers were welcome to support Scottish Labour’s faltering effort to win in May, but only if they demonstrated how the UK government was improving lives in Scotland.Sarwar caused uproar two days ago by calling on Starmer to quit. He also said in early January that he wanted the prime minister and his colleagues to “stay behind their doors” in London during the campaign because of the UK government’s deep unpopularity with voters.He said they had been left “angry, frustrated and impatient” by its repeated policy failures and missteps

Anas Sarwar says Starmer welcome to campaign for Labour in Scotland, days after after urging him to resign – UK politics live

Last week Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, wrote to the Metropolitan police urging it to open an investigation into Peter Mandelson and evidence that he leaked confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein when he was a minister. Later that day the Met confirmed they were starting a criminal investigation.Brown has not left it at that. He has been looking at the Epstein files in considerable detail and, in a long and powerful article for the New Statesman, he says it has led him to conclude that a much more extensive investigation is required. He says:What I discovered about the abuse of women by male predators and their enablers – and Britain’s as yet unacknowledged role – has shocked me to the core

The Real Keir comes out fighting and turns the tables on deluded Kemi | John Crace

To have one Labour peer with a close association to a child sex offender may be regarded as a misfortune: to have two looks like carelessness. This was never going to be an easy prime minister’s question for Keir Starmer.The opposition was spoilt for choice. The peers in question – Peter Mandelson and Matthew Doyle – as well as the topics of Morgan McSweeney, Tim Allan, Wes Streeting … These were just some of the crisis points of the past seven days. Even by the political psychodramas of the past 10 years, it’s fair to say Starmer has had the week from hell

Peers under pressure: how to reform Britain’s House of Lords | Letters

Jenny Jones is right to argue for reform of the House of Lords (Peter Mandelson is fleeing the House of Lords: now let’s throw out all the other rogues and idlers, 4 February). But can I offer a word of caution?There is talk of remaking the Lords as another elected chamber. I think that would be a mistake. It would generate a competing democratic mandate, which is the last thing we need (just look at the US if you need proof). What is required is a chamber devoted to scrutiny (of draft legislation and executive action), advice and accountability in public office

Nigel Farage heckled at launch of Reform Jewish group

Jewish activists have heckled Nigel Farage at the launch of a Jewish members’ organisation for Reform UK and accused the party of planning to use the new group as cover for persecuting other minorities.Farage spoke at the inaugural event on Tuesday night of the Reform Jewish Alliance (RJA), which he said would help the party target up to 15 parliamentary seats.Activists stood up in the middle of Farage’s speech and accused him of advocating policies under which past Jewish refugees would have been barred from the UK.They included Carla Bloom, who recalled her own family’s history of facing persecution and of fighting the far right in the 1930s. She said: “My mother didn’t fight the Mosley fascists in Cable Street for this