Closer ties with EU would 'cost taxpayers £15bn' as Keir Starmer's policy branded 'monumental act of self-harm'

Keir Starmer has refused to release files on the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as UK trade envoy, while his Deputy Prime Minister issued an apology over the hiring of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Government Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant confirmed the Government would not be able to unseal some documents as the Lib Dems attempted to compel their release today. Sir Chris said that some files would remain unpublished until the police are “satisfied” they are no longer needed for their inquiries. Meanwhile, David Lammy was holding a press conference on his new justice reforms, where he issued an apology over Peter Mandelson being given the plum diplomatic role last year.“The Prime Minister has apologised for the appointment of Peter Mandelson,” Mr Lammy began. “His former Chief of Staff stood down and took responsibility for that appointment.“As Foreign Secretary at the time, of course, I was subject to collective responsibility, and I am sorry that that decision was made.”Mr Lammy was referring to requirment of Government ministers to publicly support and take responsibility for Cabinet decisions, regardless of private disagreements. Lord Mandelson was sacked from the top diplomatic role in September last year after details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. Subsequently, more details have emerged, which led to his arrest and bail on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday.FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY… WATCH: Reform UK's Sarah Pochin predicts a gloomy future if election doesn't go their way Speaking on GB News, Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby, Sarah Pochin painted a gloomy picture of the UK's future if Reform UK don't get into power in the next general election. She said: "We are one election cycle away from losing our country for good."If Reform do not win the next election - I think we will, I've got no doubt about it - but if we didn't, then really, all hope is lost when it comes to ensuring our culture and our laws remain sovereign and our borders are finally secured."However, GB News presenter, Martin Daubney pressed Ms Pochin about whether some public bodies would be willing to work with Reform if they came into power.She said: "It's going to be tough - I can't get into visit all of my schools - I've had replies saying 'no we don't want you to visit because we don't want a racist member of parliament visiting our schools'."We know we're going to be up against it when we get into power." SNP releases files on Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond ethics investigation  The SNP government has published the so-called Alex Salmond files after a prolonged legal battle over their release.The papers relate to a 2021 ethics investigation into Nicola Sturgeon, which cleared the former first minister of breaching the ministerial code in connection with the Scottish Government’s handling of complaints against her predecessor.Scotland’s Information Commissioner had ordered ministers to release parts of the written evidence underpinning the inquiry by 15 January. However, the government initially challenged the ruling in the courts before now making the documents public.The files are expected to be in excess of 7,000 pages. David Lammy announces massive AI rollout in justice system despite concerns David Lammy has announced that the Ministry of Justice will ramp up use of artificial intelligence (AI) in courts to cut backlogs, including using the software to keep notes and summarise judgments.The Deputy Prime Minister was speaking at the Microsoft AI Tour in London on Tuesday, where he told the audience that new technology like AI will help the court system “smash through delays, cut complexity, and free up people to do what they do best”.He revealed that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the fastest-growing users of Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant, Copilot.Mr Lammy, a former barrister, said an AI tool had already been piloted in the probation service to record meetings between officers and offenders, removing the need for handwritten notes to be typed up. The MoJ will also explore using AI to speed up case progression by transcribing material and summarising their judgments.Pledging to increase spending on AI, Mr Lammy said: “I want to see more AI initiatives like these."However, concerns have been raised about the dangers of ramping up the use of AI.Last month, a review into the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a football match against Aston Villa last November found an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot had helped police justify the move.The error meant that a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham had been referenced in a report produced by the police force before the game. Government says it is unable to publish some Lord Mandelson files  The Government is unable to publish material that police need for their inquiries until officers are “satisfied”, Sir Chris Bryant has said.Colum Eastwood, the Social Democratic and Labour Party MP for Foyle, said: “I have asked that the Government release the files concerning whatever his new name is, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, when he was a trade envoy.“That request has been refused.“Can I ask, gently, the minister to review that decision and to ask that all of these files in the new spirit of openness and transparency, that those files are open for all to see?”Trade minister Sir Chris replied: “I agree with him that is the direction of travel that we’re going in and that’s why we agree with the humble address today as it’s been presented.“We’re not standing in the way. We will do everything we can to comply with that as fast as we possibly can.”Sir Chris later told the Commons: “As the police have rightly said, it is absolutely crucial that the integrity of their investigation is protected, and now these proceedings are under way, it would be wrong of me to say anything that might prejudice them, nor will the Government be able to put into the public domain anything that is required by the police for them to conduct their inquiries, unless and until the police are satisfied.” Kemi Badenoch launches furious tirade on tech companies for 'using children's data to make money' Ed Davey: Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal ‘symbolic of the rot that eats away at the British establishment’ Sir Ed Davey has described the scandals surrounding Lord Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as the nation’s trade envoy as “symbolic of the rot that eats away at the British establishment”.The former Prince served in the role from 2001 to 2011 under Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. Lord Mandelson was sacked from his diplomatic role in September last year. Both have since been arrested and released on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Speaking before the Commons, the Lib Dem leader described the affair as the “first truly global scandal”.“From the White House in Silicon Valley to Oslo and Paris, but it's also a deeply British scandal, reaching right to the top of the British establishment. He continued that there was nothing “more symbolic of the rot that eats away at the British establishment than the former Duke of York as special trade envoy” and Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. “Their association with Epstein and their actions on his behalf while trusted with the privilege of public office are a stain on our country today. “We must begin to clean away that stain with the disinfectant of transparency, because whether it is the President of the United States and his Commerce Secretary, or Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor or Epstein himself, the victims and survivors have seen those responsible evade accountability.” Keir Starmer faces crunch vote on Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor  Keir Starmer will face a crunch vote on the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy and the involvement of Peter Mandelson in the process.The Liberal Democrats have launched a bid to force the publication of documents relating to the decision, which will not be opposed by the ministers.It comes during an opposition day debate, when Sir Ed Davey’s party controls the Commons agenda.The Lib Dems are utilising the rarely used “humble address” procedure to require the government to release all papers connected to the former prince’s appointment.A humble address mechanism was used by the Conservatives earlier this month to compel the release of documents concerning Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, and Labour previously used the same procedure while in opposition before the 2024 general election.Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor served as a trade envoy from 2001 to 2011 under Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.This vote does not relate to the specific investigation into Lord Mandelson that prompted his arrest and bail on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday. Government rubbishes Russian claims that Britain was planning to give Ukraine nuclear weapons  There is “no truth” to Russian claims that Britain and France are planning to supply Ukraine with a dirty bomb or a nuclear weapon, Downing Street has said.Asked about the claims, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman described them as “a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to distract” from his latest actions in Ukraine.“There is no truth to this,” the spokesman said.He added: “You will have seen the Prime Minister’s words this morning, paying tribute to the incredible resilience of the Ukrainians, and you will have seen the package of action on military, humanitarian, reconstruction fronts announced today, which is a sign of where our support is for Ukraine.“We will continue with our efforts to secure a just and lasting peace.” Peter Mandelson's arrest is 'defining moment' for Keir Starmer, says Kemi Badenoch  Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest is “a defining moment” for the Prime Minister, Kemi Badenoch said, as she criticised Sir Keir Starmer for appointing the peer as UK ambassador to the US despite his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.Speaking at a London press conference on Tuesday, the Tory leader said: “I think the pictures of him being arrested yesterday will be a defining moment in Keir Starmer’s premiership.“February 2025, Keir Starmer was calling him ‘our Peter’ and saying what a wonderful man he is, despite everything that he knew about Lord Mandelson. This comes back again to the Prime Minister’s judgment.”Asked how she would avoid making the same mistake, Mrs Badenoch said: “It would be by looking at the character of people who we employ. People who’ve been sacked twice should not be brought in, should not be brought back into government. This isn’t rocket science.“Of course, there will be people who make mistakes. I’m not saying that people don’t make mistakes, but the Prime Minister’s judgment was deeply flawed and a lot of people said so at the time, by bringing in someone who had already been sacked twice in government over ethics issues.” Closer ties with EU would 'cost taxpayers £15bn' as Keir Starmer's policy branded 'act of self-harm'  Keir Starmer’s proposed agricultural trade deal with Brussels has been condemned as a “monumental act of self-harm” that could shrink the economy by £15billion.A report by the Growth Commission, founded by Liz Truss, warns that the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement signed in May, under which the UK will effectively copy EU food and pesticide rules, amounts to “effectively ceding power over British rules to the EU and causing a colossal hit to the British economy”.Shanker Singham, the Commission’s chairman, said: “Hardwiring into UK law SPS regulations, which are already costing EU economies dear, would be a monumental act of self-harm that would be extremely difficult to reverse.“"The European regulatory system is one of the most anti-competitive and growth-destroying regulatory systems in the world ... With a pressing need to grow its economy, the last thing a country like the UK should be doing is aligning to European regulations."The think tank argues that alignment could also damage ties with the US, risk the pharmaceutical sector and complicate Britain’s position in the trans-Pacific trade bloc, calling the deal “a backward and economically harmful move”.A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “No one seriously worried about British business competitiveness would argue for more paperwork, higher costs and longer queues at the border."Government analysis shows that a food and drink trade deal will add £5.1bn to the economy.” Kemi Badenoch tells GB News that there must be 'cross-party effort' on banning social media for children Kemi Badenoch tells GB News that there must be 'cross-party effort' on banning social media for children Kemi Badenoch appeals for social media ban: 'This is not a moral panic' Kemi Badenoch has refreshed her calls for a ban on social media for children. The Conservative Party leader was sat alongside Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott and bereaved families for a press confrence on the issue. "This is not about a moral panic. This is real, and we need to do something about it," Mrs Badenoch said. "This can happen to any child, as the parents who said these were not children who had issues, for those parents who think, Oh, this isn't going to happen to my child. My child is fine. No child is safe. We don't know who will be harmed by this."Laura Trott said: "It is clear that the government does not understand the urgency of the task which is in front of us, but we do."We have a vote, which is coming up in the House of Commons in a couple of weeks, and I know there are brave MPs on all sides of the house who are willing to step up to defy the whip if necessary, to protect children, because what we've heard today is that social media isn't safe." Keir Starmer's new top civil servant joins him in Cabinet Dame Antonia Romeo attended her first Cabinet meeting this morning since being appointed Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, becoming the first woman to hold the post.The Cabinet Secretary is the most senior civil servant in the country and serves as the Prime Minister’s chief adviser. The role involves overseeing the running of Cabinet and its committees, supporting ministers in reaching collective decisions and leading the permanent secretaries across Whitehall to ensure delivery of the Government’s programme. Reform's Richard Tice announces 'super department' on business and trade Richard Tice announced plans for a "super department" encompassing business, trade, energy, and housing, during a speech on Tuesday.This initiative follows his recent appointment by Nigel Farage as the party's business, trade, and energy spokesperson.The proposed governmental body would aim to boost economic growth to 4 per cent.Mr Tice will set out plans to overhaul housing and planning and cut waste on “pointless projects” as well as ditching current government policies including its zero emission vehicle (Zev) mandate and flagship strengthening of employment rights.Mr Tice will also detail plans to abolish what he terms "daft regulations," including current net zero commitments, should Reform UK be voted into government.He also for heavy tariffs and tight quotas on Chinese cars as he pledges to class the automotive sector and certain others as “seismic industries” under a Reform UK trade policy. Reform UK insists 'Europe and the world must renew efforts to secure peace' in Ukraine Reform UK has marked the anniversary of the war in Ukraine by insisting that "Europe and the world must renew efforts to secure peace"."Today marks the 4th anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine," the party's official X account posted. "Putin’s actions have caused a vast number of deaths without an end in sight. "Europe and the world must renew efforts to secure peace." WATCH: Keir Starmer addresses Cabinet on Ukraine anniversary Prime Minister reflects on 'four long years of suffering' in Ukraine  Sir Keir Starmer spoke of three impressions of “four long years of suffering in Ukraine” as he marked four years of the war in an address to Cabinet.The Prime Minister said: “You will have your own images and memories of that suffering. I’ve got three etched in my mind.”He said he went to Bucha near Kyiv in the early days of the war, where he saw “the roads and the ditches in which Ukrainian civilians were handcuffed with their hands behind their back, blindfolded and shot in the head, the bodies left in the road”.“The second etched in my memory was last year when I went to one of the busiest hospitals in Kyiv and saw for myself the incredibly awful burns on some of those who had returned from the front line. Burns the like of which I’d never seen in my life before.“And at the same time, I went to a primary school and these children who were five, six, seven years old, had lost both their parents to the conflict.” Keir Starmer: Vladimir Putin is 'standing in the way' of peace Vladimir Putin is “standing in the way” of a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he promised to stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.Addressing the Cabinet four years after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Prime Minister said: "We pay tribute to the resilience of Ukrainians. We all want a just and lasting peace, and that is what we're all working so hard for.""It must be just, and it must be lasting. That's why we set up a coalition of willing a year ago to do the work that was necessary on security guarantees, and I'm chairing a meeting of the coalition of willing immediately after this cabinet to try and take that work further forward."Volodymyr Zelensky has shown willingness. He's taken the lead," Sir Keir said before a Union Jack and Ukrainian flag. "It is Putin who is standing in the way, and that's why we must always double down on our support for Ukraine. "That means capability. It means resource. It means more sanctions. And today, I'm pleased that we're announcing the biggest package since 2022 in terms of sanctions package, 300 energy companies, Russian energy companies, are being targeted." Ukrainian refugees in UK given more opportunities to extend stay Ukrainians who have found refuge in Britain will now benefit from a significantly extended window to renew their permission to stay, with the government tripling the application period from 28 days to 90 days before expiry.The change affects more than 310,000 people who have been granted sanctuary through the Ukraine Permission Scheme since its establishment in 2022. Additionally, the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme has been prolonged by a further two years, a decision announced in September that ensures ongoing protection for those displaced by the conflict.Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp emphasised the government's solidarity with those fleeing the war."The UK stands with Ukraine and we are proud to have offered sanctuary to more than 300,000 Ukrainians since Russia's barbaric invasion," he said."We have listened to the concerns of the Ukrainian community and acted to offer greater peace of mind. This country will remain your safe haven for as long as the war continues."Mr Tapp added: "Britain will always offer sanctuary to those in genuine need." Education Secretary: 'I'm aware of anger over student loans' Bridget Phillipson has assured Britons that she is aware of the anger the student loans system is causing.“Part of the challenge with reforming the student finance system is that whilst it can often seem superficially attractive to do things like changing the interest rate, it doesn’t always have the desired effect in terms of making the system fairer, particularly for less well-off students.“It’s a really complex system. It’s evolved over time. It’s not a system that I would have put in place, but we are where we are," she told LBC. "We are going to look at if there’s anything that we can do on this, of course we keep it open and under review.”When asked if she was aware of the anger the student loans system is causing currently, the Education Secretary said: “Yes, I am.” Keir Starmer promises support for Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'  Keir Starmer has promised the UK's support for Ukraine for "as long as it takes" after the Government announced a new raft of sanctions against Russia. "Four years on from Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine, our message to the Ukrainian people is simple: Britain is with you," the Prime Minister wrote on X. "Today, we are stepping up military, humanitarian, and reconstruction support, and we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes for a just and lasting peace. "Russia will not win this war. Slava Ukraini." Government set to release documents on Lord Mandelson's appointment next month  The Government still plans to release documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in early March, Bridget Phillipson said, after the peer’s arrest on Monday.Asked whether the Government still planned to go ahead with the publication, which was announced in the Commons on Monday just ahead of Lord Mandelson’s arrest, the Education Secretary said: “My understanding is yes, but we do just need to be mindful of any documents we publish, given the nature of the ongoing police investigation.“So, we want to be transparent, we do want to push ahead with publishing documents, but we just need to make sure that nothing that’s published could compromise or call into question an ongoing police investigation.”Ms Phillipson would not reveal whether the Government will support a forthcoming Lib Dem attempt in Parliament to compel ministers to disclose information about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s role as a trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.“We’ll review what they are asking for and will set our approach later on in Parliament,” she told Sky News.Asked whether the Government would support removing Andrew from the royal line of succession, the Education Secretary said: “We’re ruling nothing out and that is definitely an option that we would want to keep under consideration.” UK announces largest raft of Russia sanctions in four years  Britain on Tuesday imposed sanctions on oil pipeline giant Transneft as part of a sweeping package targeting nearly 300 Russian entities and individuals, described by ministers as the most extensive measures since the early stages of the Ukraine war.Unveiled on the fourth anniversary of the conflict, the sanctions single out Transneft — one of the world’s largest pipeline operators, responsible for transporting more than 80 per cent of Russia’s crude exports — in a bid to further squeeze Moscow’s energy revenues.The package also targets 48 oil tankers, the Government said, intensifying efforts to curb the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war. 'I apologise for praising Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor' says Lib Dem leader  Sir Ed Davey has said he regretted praising Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in his role as trade envoy when the Liberal Democrat leader was a minister in the coalition government.“First of all, can I apologise to all those victims of Epstein who may have read those words and been upset by them. I really regret them.”He later added: “We do need to make sure that, whatever someone’s title and their friends, they can be held to account.“So, I’ve learned from that, I’m pretty angry to be honest that I was put in that position, and I think anyone who has had any comment to make on Prince Andrew as trade envoy over the years will be pretty angry that the trust that was put in him, the privileged position he had, he absolutely betrayed,” he told the BBC. Sir Ed also told the BBC his party was calling for the release of documents relating to Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy because “we need to go right to the moment when he was appointed, and then we can answer the questions about how he conducted that role”.He added: “What we’re asking today is to make sure all the documents about the vetting, the due diligence, ministerial correspondence, is in the public domain, and I think that’s the right thing to do.” Tories: promised immigration and welfare reform in doubt as 'Prime Minister cannot govern'  The Tories have questioned whether the Government will be able to deliver its promised reforms to immigration, welfare and other areas, as Keir Starmer "cannot govern".Julia Lopez hit out at the Prime Minister's authority while speaking to GB News. "The Prime Minister cannot govern. Rebellions are brewing, left, right and centre among Labour MPs, and he's lost all authority," the Shadow Technology Secretary said."And that's a real problem for your viewers, because they care about things like, are we going to get immigration reform? Are we going to get welfare reform? Are we going to see jury trials scrapped?""On those and other things that are important to the management of the country, we have to really worry that we have somebody at the top who doesn't actually have any authority anymore." Lord Mandelson's replacement meets President Trump  Lord Mandelson's replacement as ambassador to the US has met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. At the same time, his predecessor was arrested and released on bail on suspicion of misconduct in public office.Christian Turner, a career diplomat, formally took up his post on February 2 after a lengthy deliberation from Keir Starmer and the Foreign Office. It is understood he officially met Mr Trump last week but chose last night to announce the meeting. "An extraordinary honour to present my credentials to President Trump. In America’s 250th year, the relationship makes our citizens safer and richer," Mr Turner wrote on X alongside a photo with the beaming US leader. Lib Dem leader refreshes Nigel Farage attack as he hits out at ‘barbaric’ Donald Trump policies  Sir Ed Davey has refreshed his attack on Nigel Farage, hitting out at US President Donald Trump’s “barbaric” policies. “I don't want Donald Trump's America to become Farage’s Britain,” the Liberal Democrat leader told GB News.“Donald Trump is a disaster for his country, both economically and (he is) damaging our country too. And if you look at the awful things that are happening in America, Nigel Farage wants to repeat them here. Reform wants to repeat them here.”The Lib Dem leader was referring to the actions of US Ice agents in Minnesota, enforcing the President’s pledge to enact mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the US. “I think that sort of barbarity is not something that is true to British values, and so we will oppose that,” Sir Ed said. Reform’s Home Affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, promised his party would launch a UK version of Ice to get a grip on Britain’s migrant crisis. Ed Davey: Keir Starmer made ‘catastrophic failure of judgment’ as scandals rumble on  Ed Davey spoke to GB News this morning | GB NEWSLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said he “absolutely questions” Keir Starmer’s judgement as the Lord Mandelson saga and other scandals continue to swirl around the Prime Minister. “I was surprised when he was appointed in the first place, given his track record of having to resign or be sacked from a number of officers,” Sir Ed told GB News.“But that the Prime Minister has admitted that he knew that Mandelson continued his relationship with Epstein even after Epstein hadbecome a convicted pedophile raises huge questions about the Prime Minister's judgment.”“And then you add to that his decision to appoint Lord Doyle to the House of Lords, I think it's a catastrophic failure of judgment by the Prime Minister.” Welcome to the live blog Good morning, and welcome to the GB News Politics live blog.The nation has woken to the news that Lord Mandelson has been released on bail by the Metropolitan Police following his arrest on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.In a statement, the force said: "A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.The New Labour architect, who briefly served as ambassador to the US under Keir Starmer, has been accused of passing sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as Business Secretary. 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