Jeremy Corbyn and four independent MPs form new parliamentary group
By Alix Culbertson, political reporter
Five independent MPs – including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – have formed a new group.
The Independent Alliance parliamentary group, launched today, consists of former Labour leader Mr Corbyn, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, and Iqbal Mohamed.
They were all elected as independent MPs for the first time in July, with all five taking a pro-Palestine stance in Labour-supporting constituencies with large Muslim populations.
Mr Adam unseated leading Labour politician Jonathan Ashworth to become MP for Leicester South, while Mr Corbyn won the Islington North seat he had held since 1983 as a Labour MP before he was ousted from the party.
With five MPs in the House of Commons, the group is the same size as Reform UK and the DUP, and larger than the Greens, who have four MPs.
By becoming an official parliamentary group, they increase their chances of being chosen to take part in debates and committees, which are proportional to party size.
Read the full story below:
Things sure do seem depressing – but it could all be part of the plan
After the summer recess, when it comes to politics, it feels like there’s finally been time to take a breath.
After the rollercoaster of Brexit, COVID, three prime ministers in as many months – and of course the election – could we finally be approaching some stability?
Well, I hate to say it, but the summer has put paid to that.
The riots showed some of the anger, the fear, that’s just a scrape away from the surface.
And since then we haven’t exactly been swept away by a tide of optimism and hope. It’s been frankly depressing.
Whether it’s letting prisoners out early, axing winter fuel payments for pensioners, or the prospect of tax rises in the autumn, it’s been less Cool Britannia and more Broken Britain.
There’s been no new government bounce in the polls. Sir Keir Starmer’s personal ratings have also gone down.
My sense though, is this is all part of the plan. Rip off the plaster, ignore the squeals, the PM and his chancellor know the only time you can get away with unpopular stuff is right when you’ve first been elected.
My guess is those around Sir Keir Starmer are thinking: what’s wrong with setting a low bar?
You’re much more likely to clear it and then the only way is up.
That’s concludes our coverage of tonight’s Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge – the show will return tomorrow at 7pm. Stick with us for more news and analysis.
‘Tories still think the public were wrong’
On our panel tonight is former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth and Reform UK MP Richard Tice.
They are discussing who could be the next leader of the Conservative Party.
Mr Ashworth says: “My sense of watching the Tory leadership contest from a distance is that all of them seem to think that the Tory party was right and the electorate wrong.
“And until one of them is prepared to stand up and say the Tory party was wrong, but the electorate was right, I don’t think they’re going to take the tough decisions needed to get them back into government.”
‘Tories have given up’
Mr Tice says he doesn’t “fear” any of the candidates squaring up to be the next top Tory.
And he thinks the country’s not that interested either.
He says at one point today in the Commons there were as many Reform UK MPs on the green benches as there were Tories.
“Essentially they don’t care – they’ve given up,” Mr Tice says.
“They don’t know who they are, they don’t know what they’re supposed to do.
“They’re all over the place, and they can’t even be bothered to show up.”
Oasis tickets: Ex-minister writes to regulator after fans ‘mistreated and ripped off’
Former minister David Davis is joining Sophy Ridge on her first show of the new parliamentary term tonight.
But while we might be the Politics Hub, even we can’t escape what for many people was the biggest story of the past week – the Oasis reunion.
Unfortunately, thousands of fans have been left angry and frustrated in their efforts to buy tickets for next year’s gigs.
It’s seen the government vow to look into dynamic ticket pricing used by sites like Ticketmaster, after prices more than doubled while on sale.
‘Corporate Britain at its worst’
Mr Davis described it as “corporate Britain at its worst”, with fans “mistreated and ripped off”.
Many entered hours-long virtual queues to buy tickets, only to find prices balloon into the hundreds of pounds by the time they could buy them, while others missed out completely.
Mr Davis, who’s been a Tory MP since 1987, revealed he’d written to the Competition and Markets Authority about it to say “the rules are not working” and “this needs to be put right”.
“My hope is they will respond and do something about it. If they don’t, then we’ll have to pursue it further in parliament,” he added.
“These are digital shackles, a digital locked-in queue.
“You can’t get out, and that’s not how free markets work.”
Hard to believe Labour are united as problems pile up for Starmer
Chief political correspondent Jon Craig is up to his usual mischief, taking the temperature of MPs inside parliament.
Currently, the parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is meeting in a committee room – with ministers being grilled on early policy decisions, for example means testing the winter fuel payment.
As Jon tells Sophy Ridge, it is “day one” of MPs being back and already there are “problems piling up for Sir Keir Starmer”.
Earlier today, one newly elected Labour MP said they would be tabling a motion against the change to the winter fuel payment.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is at the meeting trying to defend the decision.
Elsewhere, the government announced it would be revoking 30 licences for arms exports to Israel.
Jon says the announcement has led to calls for greater action from those on the left of the Labour Party – and if the announcement was supposed to placate them, “it’s not really working”.
Back to the committee room meeting, Jon says he saw Chancellor Rachel Reeves leaving the meeting and asked her how the party was doing.
“Rachel Reeves told me as she left the meeting the party was united – not sure many people will believe that.”
Arms export ban on Israel will ‘fail’, says shadow foreign secretary
Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative shadow foreign secretary, has had some time to digest David Lammy’s announcement to suspend some arms sales to Israel (see 16.31 post).
Posting on social media, he said: “Announcing an arms embargo on the day when Israel is burying its murdered hostages, and within weeks of British military personnel and arms defending Israel from Iranian attack, is not easy to swallow.”
He said it looked “designed to satisfy Labour’s backbenches, while at the same time not offending Israel”.
“I fear it will fail on both counts,” he added.
He is joined in his condemnation by Robert Jenrick, the Conservative leadership hopeful, who described it as “shameful gesture politics to appease the hard left”.
He added: “Britain should be standing with our ally Israel as it defends itself, and the world, against Iran’s war of state-sponsored terrorism.”
Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live
Our weeknight politics show Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live.
You can watch on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.
Joining Sophy tonight is former Tory minister David Davis.
And on her panel are:
- Richard Tice, Reform MP;
- Jonathan Ashworth, former Labour shadow minister.
Watch Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the Sky News website and app or on YouTube.
Where’s Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge?
We promised you the return of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge at 7pm.
But events in the Middle East have disrupted our planned programming for the time being, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference from Jerusalem.
He’s facing large protests after the deaths of six hostages in Gaza, who were taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks.
Follow live coverage in our Middle East blog:
The three meowsketeers: Starmers add another cat to 10 Downing Street
And then there were three.
Larry the cat has been a fixture of 10 Downing Street for years now, outlasting several prime ministers in the process.
He’s regularly seen patrolling outside the famous black door, accepting strokes and affection from passers-by, and has been a beacon of stability during some tumultuous times.
But since Sir Keir Starmer and his family moved in, he’s had feline company via their own moggy named Jojo.
And now there’s another one.
Bombproof door proving difficult
Sir Keir has revealed his family have taken in a Siberian kitten.
It comes after “a long summer of negotiations” which saw his children curtail their demands for a German Shepherd.
But there is a problem, the PM told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The problem we’ve got, which is the same for Jojo the cat, is the only door out of our new flat is bombproof,” he said.
Installing a cat flap on the door is therefore “proving a little bit difficult”.
‘Larry bridges’
It comes a week after reports suggested government officials had a plan for when the time comes to announce Larry’s death.
There’s no indication he’s unwell, but the tabby is now 17.
The Times newspaper said officials will say “Larry bridges” when he dies, evoking the plan for when Queen Elizabeth II passed away dubbed Operation London Bridge.
One source said it would have to be handled “sensitively”.
Sir Keir’s spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the reports last week.
Home secretary orders review into riot response after summer of unrest
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is speaking in the House of Commons about this summer’s unrest following the knife attack in Southport that left three young girls dead.
Ms Cooper says she has asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to carry out a review.
The watchdog will work alongside the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
This will look at ensuring “strong coordination” and “intelligence systems” are in place, and sufficient public order policing for the future.
The home secretary says she has also ordered a rapid review into extremism – mentioning both the far-right and Islamist extremism.
Ms Cooper says Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is also overseeing cross-government work to “consider how we support our communities and address issues of cohesion in the longer term”.
She also mentions that the technology secretary is speaking with social media companies to help tackle “poison” posted online.