Zack Polanski. the Green party leader, has said that the prospect of a Reform UK victory is the “greatest threat” in the Makerfield byelection.
He spoke out as the Greens announced the name of their candidate in the contest –. Polanski defended the party’s decision to reject calls for the Greens to stand aside to help Labour’s Andy Burnham.
Polanski said Chris Kennedy, a registered nurse. child safeguarding specialist who is from the Wigan area (Makerfield is a constituency on the outskirts of Wigan), would be a “fantastic candidate”.
double quotation mark This election is about who is making the case for lower bills, warmer. more affordable homes and a greener and fairer economy. In a democracy, people must have the choice to vote for the candidate of their choice.
As Peter Walker reported earlier this week, the Green party has been split on how hard to fight the byelection. Caroline Lucas. Adrian Ramsay, both former party leaders, have suggested that, given Burnham’s commitment to electoral reform (see 1.37pm ), the party should not go all-out to prevent his election. Others in the party wanted the Greens to campaign for a win aggressively.
While the party has ruled out not fielding a candidate. it remains to be seen how much effort the party will put into trying to win. In an article in the Financial Times today. Anna Gross says senior figures in the party do not want to allocate significant resources to the byelection. She says:
double quotation mark Several party members, conscious the Greens have limited support in the constituency in north-west England, are wary of being blamed for splitting the progressive vote. allowing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to win, according to people involved in discussions.
“We do not want this one to go to Reform,. to be quite frank, we do not want Labour to be able to turn around and say ‘if you vote Green, you’re actually voting Reform’ because that will be used for the next three years,” a senior party figure said.
In his statement this morning marking Kennedy’s selection as the candidate, Polanski said:
double quotation mark The greatest threat in this byelection is the Reform party, which, while presenting itself as a change to the status quo, is just more of the same. worse. It is in hock to corporate interests and seeks to divide our communities rather than uniting them.
We have shown we can take votes from Reform in a way Labour just can’t. We know there are many voters fed up with the status quo who will only choose between Reform and Greens.
Polanski also said the Greens would use the byelection to challenge Burnham on policy.
double quotation mark We will also use the byelection to press Andy Burnham on what kind of MP. prime minister he would be, given his mixed track record, and interviews this week suggesting he isn’t committed to fair voting, public ownership and a genuinely new economic settlement. We’d like to know which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up.
In February the Greens won a byelection in Gorton. Denton, which like Makerfield is in Greater Manchester, beating Reform UK in what had been a Labour seat. But the demographics in Gorton and Denton were much more favourable to the Greens. Polling suggests Makerfield will be a straight fight between Burnham and Reform UK.
Andy Burnham has said he will back sweeping changes to the electoral system to make politics “less point-scoring. more problem-solving” if he becomes prime minister, Josh Halliday reports.
The Liberal Democrats. who tabled the humble address motion leading to the release of the documents about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, have said they were alarmed to discover that Andrew was not vetted for the role.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, said:
double quotation mark It is shocking. deeply troubling that Andrew was appointed to the trade envoy role with no vetting. Nobody should be above such standards. This raises serious questions about why officials and ministers at the time thought that was acceptable.
The lack of documentation provided is itself concerning, as is the time it has taken to get this far. We must get the full files from government without delay,. an explanation about why there is such a small paper trail. And the government must commit to mandatory vetting for all similar appointments in future.
The victims. survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, and the justice they have been denied for years, are foremost in our minds as this continues.
A £50m Met police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir has been blocked by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, with City Hall citing a “clear. serious breach” of procurement rules, Robert Booth reports.
The Department for Business. Trade has published details of the £350m support package for the chemicals industry, and £120m for ceremics. (See 12.27pm.)
double quotation mark Thousands of UK jobs across British industry are set to be secured thanks to £350m of government support for strategically important chemicals producers. sites alongside a separate £120m scheme for the ceramics sector.
The funding – targeted at strategically important parts of the economy that keep vital everyday UK infrastructure running, support thousands of skilled jobs. protect Britain’s economic security – is designed to help firms stay competitive, modernise infrastructure, decarbonise, and transition their energy supplies from gas to electricity …
The £350m Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund will back the UK’s most strategically important chemical producers – the firms that supply the critical inputs relied on by sectors including food, energy, water. healthcare …
A separate package for the ceramics sector will include £120m of support to back capital investment in energy efficiency. decarbonisation projects, as well as provide operational support for successful applicants to the fund who require additional support to manage increased costs.
Ceramics are not only crucial for housebuilding. everyday items like plates, bowls and smartphone screens but strategic industries such as advanced manufacturing, defence and tech, backed by the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
Stuart Andrew (Con) asked if British farmer would be affected by the plan to cut tariffs on some food items. Reeves said that tariffs would not be cut in areas where there is “significant” UK production. But Andrew said “significant” might mean one thing to a supermarket, and another to a Shropshire farmer.
Reeves said that the government was still consulting on the details of the tariffs. She went on:
double quotation mark But we’ve worked hard to make sure that this does not affect British farmers.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson. deputy leader, told MPs that the Lib Dems had been calling for a VAT cut for hospitality. But, if the cut just lasted for the summer, indoor attractions, like soft play areas, might not benefit, she said.
Reeves said. she had had enough holidays in Britain during the summer to know that “there are plenty of days where it’s raining”.
She also said she expected to see Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, visting a soft play centre soon.
In the Commons Mel Stride. the shadow chancellor, asked Reeves to confirm that the meaures announces today would be paid for, at least in party, by borrowing.
In response, Reeves said Stride was wrong. The measures would not be funded by higher borrowing, she said. She said the changes to the foreign branch tax rules for energy companies (see 12.33pm ) would fund the measures.
And here is the Treasury ’s news release about the plan for free bus travel for children in August,. the plan to cut tariffs on food items.
It says the Treasury is spending “more than £100m to fund the free fares scheme. also continuing to support bus services”.
And it says the tariff cuts on items like biscuits, chocolate. dried fruit and nuts should save consumers more than £150m a year.
The Treasury has published details of how its Great British Summer savings scheme will work.
Here is the news release.
Here is a Treasury fact sheet on the plan. It includes these examples.
double quotation mark If the business chooses to pass through the full benefit, the total VAT savings for a family of two adults. two children could be:
-£20 off the family’s tickets to a theme park
-£2 off entry to soft play
-£6 off the family’s tickets to a farm attraction
-£17 off the family’s tickets to a wildlife park
-£1.50 off the children’s tickets to the cinema
-£9 off the family’s tickets to the circus
-£2 off the children’s meals on a lunch out
-£11 off the family’s tickets to the aquarium
Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, responded to Rachel Reeves in the Commons. He said that the measures announced today would bring “little comfort to the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their jobs, to the countless businesses that have folded,. to those high streets which are now hollowed out”.
Reeves confirmed that the government would free bus travel in England for children aged between 5 and 15 throughout August.
And she announced a temporary reduction in VAT on summer attractions.
double quotation mark I recognise that what matters for families is not just getting by,. being able to enjoy time together without worrying about the next bill.
That is why I am launching the Great British Summer savings scheme to help families. support our hospitality sector, so I can today announce a temporary cut in the rate of VAT on summer attractions from 20% to 5% over the summer holidays.
This will apply to ticket prices for both adults. children, covering attractions such as fairs, theme parks, zoos and museums.
It will include children’s tickets for cinemas, concerts, soft play. the theatre, and it will cut the cost of children’s meals in restaurants and cafes from 20% VAT to 5% as well.
These changes will apply across the UK from the start of the Scottish school holidays on 25 June,. run until the end of school holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the 1 September.
Reeves said she was giving the Competition and Markets Authority new powers to tackle profiteering.
double quotation mark I will not tolerate any company exploiting the current situation to make excess profits at consumers expense. So I am bringing forward tough new powers so that the Competition. Markets Authority and other regulators can take action.
Reeves confirmed the fuel duty freeze would continue until the end of the year.
She said tariffs on some food items will be cut.
double quotation mark I know. the cost of the weekly shop is often one of the biggest worries for families.
So last month I met with supermarkets to urge them to do all they can to keep prices low.
And today I am taking action by suspending tariffs on over 100 different foods sold in supermarkets.
And I am clear that I expect supermarkets to pass these savings on in full to their customers.
Reeves says she is announcing changes to the way energy companies are taxed.
double quotation mark Currently, some oil. gas groups that operate overseas through foreign branches have structured their tax affairs in a way which ensures they pay little or no corporation tax on their UK energy trading profits. Today we are putting an end to that practice.
We expect these reforms to raise hundreds of millions of pounds a year. fund the package of measures set out today, with costings certified by the OBR forecast in the usual way.
Reeves confirms the 12-month road tax holiday for hauliers.
double quotation mark The government is granting a 12 month road tax holiday for HGVs. saving the typical heavy lorry up to £912.
She says she is cutting the duty on red diesel by over a third until the end of this year.
And she confirms the increase in mileage rates (the news that seems to have particularly annoyed the speaker. of the way it was pre-briefed – see 11.30am ).
double quotation mark I can today announce a 10p mile increase in tax-free mileage rates. backdated to April 2026, benefiting those who need to drive for work from care workers to plumbers.
Reeves says families have had their energy bills cut by £150. of the decisions she took in her budget last year.
She says Ofgem will confirm its price cap figure for the three months from July next week.
And she says she is willing to step in to help businesses later this year.
double quotation mark We stand ready to act if market conditions worsen significantly later this year,. I have been leading cross-government contingency work on design of potential, future targeted and temporary support for businesses. Any support will also need to be carefully targeted at firms most exposed to the crisis.
But she says she is today announcing a £350m critical chemicals resilience fund to help firms in the chemicals sector with energy costs.
And she says she is announcing a new £120m fund to help our historic ceramics in sector.
Reeves says the economy has been harmed by the war in Iran.
double quotation mark The conflict in the Middle East poses a significant challenge to the world’s economy, including our own.
I have not shied away from my criticism of the war. I believe it to have been a mistake.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is giving her statement now.
She starts with figures suggesting the economy is performing well.
double quotation mark I said I would grow the economy. And last week the Office for National Statistics confirmed. Britain’s economy was the fastest growing in the G7 for the first quarter of this year.
We beat the Office of Budget Responsibility’s forecast in the spring, with economic growth at 0.6% in the three months to March,. because of the resilience of our economy this week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded Britain’s forecast for this year.
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