Labour’s new deputy leader to be announced – UK politics live

Polling suggests Lucy Powell enjoyed a healthy lead over Bridget Phillipson as voting closed on ThursdayLabour’s new deputy leader will be announced today, with polling suggesting Lucy Powell enjoyed a healthy lead over education secretary Bridget Phillipson as voting closed on Thursday, reports the PA news agency.During the campaign, Powell frequently referred to “mistakes” made by the party on issues such as the winter fuel allowance. And in a final message to supporters this week the Manchester Central MP appeared to criticise a “command and control” culture within government, arguing that “blindly following along” was “a dereliction of our duty to defeat the politics of hate and division”.Cutting the annual cash Isa allowance will not encourage many savers to switch to shares but could push up mortgage costs, MPs have warned the chancellor. Earlier this year, Rachel Reeves paused plans to limit the cash Isa allowance but in the run-up to next month’s budget there has been renewed speculation that it could be reduced to £10,000 in an attempt to promote growth.A wipeout for Labour in next May’s local elections would spell the end of Keir Starmer’s premiership, MPs have said, after the party suffered a crushing defeat in its traditional heartland in Wales. Though Plaid Cymru beat Reform UK to capture the Senedd seat in Caerphilly, the result highlighted a striking collapse of Labour’s vote, prompting fears in Westminster that Labour could be reduced to third place in Wales, a loss that would leave the leader’s position unrecoverable.Rishi Sunak was the only politician to be sent a witness statement by the deputy national security adviser at the centre of a controversy about the collapse of a case against two British men accused of spying for China. According to letters sent to the joint committee on the national security strategy, the statement from Matthew Collins in December 2023, which was sent to the then prime minister and his advisers, did not describe China as an enemy, another key element of the case. Continue reading...