BREAKING: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce that the U.K. is recognising the state of Palestine tomorrow afternoon

Think this presser demonstrates a Prime Minister with two conflicting fortunes. On the world stage, Starmer has achieved success. Whether you like it or not, he has built a partnership with Trump - arguably the best in the world. While domestically… well, a different matter.

Even the issue of Lord Mandelson doesn’t throw off the press conference, as the US President deftly passes it to the Prime Minister to answer. This has gone exceptionally well for Starmer, considering the risks involved.

Starmer denies that he’s timing his recognition of a Palestinian state to come after Trump’s departure. But essentially signals that it is indeed imminent.

GB News asks the Prime Minister if Britain is still a Christian country. Hours after the US President met the King and head of the Church of England.

“He’s killing many people and he’s losing more people than he’s killing… He has let me down”, Trump says of Putin. Sounds like an important shift in tone, having previously blamed Zelensky for the war dragging on and saying he had no cards to play.

“I told the Prime Minister I would stop it… if you have to use the military… it destroys countries from within…” Trump says of the UK’s immigration debate. Starmer insists there have been a “record number of returns” since he came to office.

“I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score” of recognising a Palestinian state, says Trump. “One of very few disagreements”, he adds, diplomatically. Starmer escaped the question of Gaza relatively unscathed.

Trump says Putin has “let me down”. (To the surprise of nobody other than the US President).

Donald Trump flatters Keir Starmer, saying the U.K.-US trade deal “was a better deal for you than it was for us, he’s a tough negotiator”.

BREAKING: The first migrant has now been deported under the government’s ‘one in one out’ deal with France. The government has been scuppered by legal challenges in recent days, but the scheme has now officially begun.

The House of Lords debated the assisted dying bill for 6.5 hours today - 90 peers spoke, with 180 expected to speak in total over the two days of debate. It’s shaping up to break a record for a private members bill.

The Assisted Dying Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords tomorrow, where 200+ peers wish to speak. Supporters remain confident of its passage, but one source close to the bill admits many peers’ views are still unknown. It’ll be a fascinating debate.

Understand there were very strong demands from Labour MPs to the Chief Whip last night about Mandelson, making very clear some MPs expected No10 to sack him as US ambassador immediately. Starmer had to move, not just due to public furore but parliamentary outrage.

BREAKING: Peter Madelson has been sacked as US ambassador

The Assisted Dying Bill will be debated in the Lords on Friday, where a second day of debate has also been added on 19th Sept due to the huge interest in the issue. More than 200 peers wish to speak, which could potentially break a record for the upper chamber.

Interesting appointment. Jake Richards MP joins Ministry of Justice. He has been one of the most vociferous voices in Labour calling for reform of ECHR. Suggests PM is serious about it too.

Responding to around 1,000 people crossing the Channel in small boats yesterday, the new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she expects the first returns to France to take place “imminently”. (Previously Home Secretary said “this month”)

NEW: The Met Police say more than 425 people have been arrested in relation to the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action.

A tale of good service / bad service. Hotel staff at Holiday Inn Blackpool this morning packing me a breakfast for the train ❤️ Northern Rail train from Blackpool to London (via Preston) delayed meaning I’m missing my weekend with my family 😡

What does reshuffle mean for number one issue govt is trying to grapple with - immigration/asylum? Well in some ways PM has simply rotated the three most relevant secretaries of state. Cooper goes from negotiating deals in Home Office to schmoozing nations for returns deals in Foreign Office.

Rayner’s departure poses several problems for Starmer. One, he promised integrity. Voters will see ‘more of the same’. But two, Rayner’s much-stated bridge to working classes. One Labour MP: “I’m devastated… many who wanted to leave under Starmer have stayed because of her.”

In Rayner’s resignation letter she accepts she has fallen short of the highest standards expected of ministers, if unintentionally. “For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life.”

NEW: Here is the full verdict from the PM’s ethics advisor. - Rayner acted with “integrity”, but.. - She did not seek *expert* tax advice - As such she must take responsibility for failing to pay enough stamp duty - She therefore fell short of standards and broke ministerial code

BREAKING: Angela Rayner has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister

BREAKING: Angela Rayner is expected to leave government imminently. Sources won’t confirm, but the mood music is fairly obvious.

What do we reckon the chances are of Nadine Dorries saying she’d only defect back to the Conservatives if Boris Johnson returned to lead the party. One Tory MP raises the prospect of her being a plant for later down the line. Wild, but not unimaginable?

Absolute gift for Badenoch this morning, who asks why Angela Rayner is in post. Starmer stands by her: “She’s gone over and above in setting out the details I am very proud to his alongside the Deputy PM…who has come from a working class background to become Deputy PM.” #PMQs

Angela Rayner is sitting right next to Keir Starmer at PMQs. Clearly he’s standing by her despite her admission this morning that she did not pay the correct amount of tax on her second home.

NEW: Chancellor has confirmed that the date of the much anticipated Budget will be Wednesday 26th November.

NEW: The Court of Appeal has refused Epping Forest District Council permission to appeal to the Supreme Court over the Bell Hotel. The council says no reasons were given. The Council still intends to go to a full hearing in October.

Pretty extraordinary victory for Zack Polanski, as he becomes the new leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Polanski: 84.6% Chowns & Ramsay: 15.4% Turnout: 24,265 (37.6%)

Home Secretary says "when we wave the union flag, when we wave the St George's cross" it is to represent the values of Britain, which include compassion towards asylum seekers. Yvette Cooper trying to give the recent flag-waving a different slant.

BREAKING: Yvette Cooper says she is suspending all applications to bring family members to the UK under the asylum system.

Home Secretary updating MPs now on measures to tackle small boat crossings / asylum backlog...

You might well ask whether the current political climate is creating a permissive environment for this kind of racist abuse. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

NEW: The government has announced that this session of parliament will last until spring 2026. Among other things, that means that the assisted dying bill has another 7-8 months to complete its passage through the Lords, increasingly the likelihood of it becoming law.

Reform UK: “Free speech! You can’t say anything these days!” Also Reform UK: “You’re banned from reporting on our council because we don’t like what you said.” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BREAKING: Latest figures show the number of asylum seekers in hotels is now 32,059. That’s a slight fall on earlier this year, but represents an 8% increase since June last year, just before Labour came into government promising to end the use of hotels.

Make that 23 councils who say they are considering the implications of yesterday’s High Court judgement and what they might do next…

EXCL: We have interviewed an asylum seeker living at the Bell Hotel who says none of the men have been told where they will be moved to. 'Please don't move us': Epping asylum seeker speaks to ITV News. www.itv.com/news/2025-08...

NEW: Research by @itvnews, based on 223 councils, finds 19 are considering taking legal action over asylum hotels in their area. Some are still digesting yesterday's High Court judgement, others are keeping legal action up their sleeve, while some have started work on a case.

NEW: The Conservatives have written to the Home Secretary asking her to rule out moving asylum seekers to housing needed by locals. …”that none of the illegal immigrants currently in the Bell Hotel will be moved into hotels, HMOs, apartments, or social housing which are needed for British people.”

Govt source tells me the reason why Dan Jarvis won’t set out the alternative to asylum hotels is because of security concerns - they claim far right could use locations as a recruitment tool. But not sure that position can hold. People want to know where asylum seekers will be housed.

Inflation rising to 3.8% means there has been virtually no real terms wage growth since Labour came to power, according to @jrf_uk. Just a paltry 0.2% improvement in people’s living standards.

🔥 Home Office is absolutely fuming at High Court decision on Epping, with a source calling it “dangerous”. They accuse judges of meddling in asylum policy, as with immigration cases where criminals have been allowed to stay in the U.K. under human rights rulings by judges.

Nigel Farage hails the injunction as a victory and says he hopes it will inspire others to oppose hotels housing asylum seekers in other parts of the country. That is where the story moves next…

BREAKING: Epping Forest District Council has won its High Court bid to temporarily block asylum seekers from being housed at The Bell Hotel in Essex. This potentially sets a very significant precedent and could be a real nightmare for the govt.

Seeing as someone else started this trivial commentary back in February, I’d just like to add that Zelensky is one of the best dressed leaders on the planet. Look at that fit 👌

BREAKING: President Putin lavishes flattery on President Trump, saying if Trump had been President instead of Biden then the war in Ukraine would not have happened. Trump says there’s been progress but ceasefire “not quite there” and “there’s no deal until there’s a deal”.