Politics latest news: More migrants into Britain under Starmer, Labour suggests

Migration to the UK could increase in the "short term" under a Labour government, the party’s chairwoman has suggested.

Anneliese Dodds was repeatedly pressed this morning on whether Labour wanted net migration to go up or down but she was unable to say. She said "Labour believes that setting a net migration target isn't sensible".

However, she said Labour’s plan to tackle domestic skill shortages in the medium to long term could mean increases in the number of foreign workers in "some areas" in the short term.

Asked if Labour wanted net migration to go up or down, Ms Dodds told Sky News: "Well, what we would see if we had an immigration system that was working properly would be potentially in some areas where there is a short term need for skills you could see in the short term actually people who are coming in increasing in number.

"But for the medium and long term a reduction because we would be training people up in our own country."

Her comments came after Rishi Sunak conceded immigration into Britain was "too high" as he "committed" to bringing the level down to the level it was when he entered No10.

You can follow the latest updates below.

04:00 PM

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03:15 PM

Keir Starmer to relax EU trade barriers within 18 months of becoming PM

Sir Keir Starmer would lower trade barriers with the European Union within 18 months of entering Downing Street under Labour’s plans to recast relations with the Continent if it is elected.

The Labour leader wants to reach new agreements to make it easier to trade food, medicines and animals in a push to change the deal struck by Boris Johnson in 2020.

The approach would make it easier for European farmers to sell their products into the UK – though, likewise, British farmers would find it easier to export into the bloc.

You can read the full story here.

02:54 PM

Charities should stay out of politics as it alienates people who fund them, says Culture Secretary

Charities must stay out of politics because it alienates the people who fund them, Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, has said.

The comments will be seen as a rebuke to charities which were singled out by the charities watchdog earlier this year for criticising the Government’s approach to the small boats crisis.

Speaking to The Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics podcast, Ms Frazer said: "I don’t think individuals want their charity to whom they’re giving money to be taking political positions in party terms."

You can read the full story here.

02:36 PM

Labour maintains 18 point poll lead over Tories

Labour has maintained an 18 point poll lead over the Tories, according to a new survey published this afternoon by YouGov.

The poll, conducted between May 17-18, puts Labour on 43 per cent of the vote and the Conservative Party on 25 per cent.

Those numbers are the same as the poll conducted by the company between May 9-10.

01:58 PM

Your mortgage will be cheaper – as long as you buy a heat pump, Government says

Homeowners who install heat pumps and insulation in their homes are to be offered lower mortgage rates as part of a number of Government-backed schemes.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will hand £4.1m in funding for several pilot schemes aimed at reducing household carbon emissions.

This will include funding small lenders to offer cut-price loans to customers who make green improvements to their homes, in an effort to boost "green financing".

The scheme also includes funding for trials which will allow buy-to-let-landlords to borrow money for eco improvements – such as home batteries – and add it to existing borrowing.

You can read the full story here.

01:29 PM

Sunak: G7 meeting 'at a time of enormous economic challenge and global instability'

12:50 PM

Voters trust Labour over Tories on every major political issue, poll finds

Voters now trust the Labour Party over the Tories on every major political issue, according to a new poll.

A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey conducted on May 14 asked voters which of the parties they trusted the most on 15 key issues and Labour was ahead of the Conservative Party on all 15.

Asked which political party they trust the most to support the NHS, some 20 per cent picked the Tories while 42 per cent picked Labour.

On tackling crime it was 23 per cent for the Tories and 34 per cent for Labour, and on fixing or reforming the economy it was 26 per cent for the Tories and 35 per cent for Labour.

Perhaps most interestingly Labour is now narrowly ahead of the Tories on the question of who voters trust the most to respond to the war in Ukraine, with Labour on 31 per cent and the Tories on 29 per cent.

12:39 PM

Watch: Meet the conservatives the Left fear the most

12:22 PM

Zelensky to attend G7 summit in person after suggestion US will lift F-16 jet ban

Volodymyr Zelensky is set to fly to Japan to meet Western leaders amid rumours the US is willing to lift its ban on European allies to export jets to Ukraine, writes Daniel Martin in Hiroshima.

The Ukrainian president was only due to address the G7 summit virtually - as he did last year - but it emerged today that he would attend in person.

It comes amid signs of a breakthrough for Ukraine, which has been pressing allies to provide it with jets to help it defeat Russia.

US President Joe Biden had originally been unwilling to allow European countries to export F-16 jets, the type which Kyiv desires. But US media reported this morning that the US has signalled to allies in recent weeks that it would allow them to do so.

You can read the full story here.

11:51 AM

Pictured: Rishi Sunak takes a selfie with G7 leaders during boat trip in Hiroshima

11:26 AM

Economy the number one issue for voters at next general election, poll suggests

Almost two thirds of voters picked the economy as the most important issue in determining how they would vote at the next general election, a new poll has found.

Some 60 per cent of respondents in a Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey conducted on May 14 said the economy was the issue that would most determine how they would vote.

Healthcare was a very close second place as it was chosen by 57 per cent of people. All the other issues were significantly less popular, including immigration on 27 per cent, education on 25 per cent and housing on 20 per cent.

10:55 AM

'Today we redouble our efforts to defend the values of freedom, democracy and tolerance'

10:53 AM

Anneliese Dodds claims Rishi Sunak 'doesn't get it' on cost of living struggles

Anneliese Dodds, the chairwoman of the Labour Party, claimed Rishi Sunak does not understand "what it's like at the moment for people who are really struggling" amid the cost-of-living crisis.

She told Times Radio: "I think the big problem with Rishi Sunak is that he doesn't seem to get it. He doesn't seem to understand what it's like at the moment for people who are really struggling, really, just to cover quite basic costs, people struggling to pay their mortgage, struggling to cover their rent, and he's not done enough for them.

"And that's my beef, frankly, with Rishi Sunak. You know, it's not about his family income or anything like that. It really is about his inability to actually understand the reality of most people's lives at the moment."

10:15 AM

Jeremy Hunt’s stealth tax raid equivalent to a 10pc rise in income tax

Jeremy Hunt’s income tax freeze will have the same financial impact as a 10 percentage point rise in the tax rate for Britain’s lowest earners.

The Chancellor’s six-year freeze on income tax thresholds is expected to net the Treasury an extra £78bn – but could drag 4m more people into paying 40pc or more on their earnings by 2028.

An earner on £20,000 today will have to pay £3,762 in income tax and National Insurance by 2028 because of the freeze. If the Government raised the income tax rate from 20pc to 30pc instead, they would pay around the same at £3,796, according to calculations by the broker Interactive Investor.

You can read the full story here.

09:44 AM

Labour chair unable to say if party wants net migration to go up or down

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour chair, was unable to say if the party wanted net migration to go up or down after Rishi Sunak conceded immigration into Britain was "too high" (see the post below at 07.46).

The Prime Minister said he was "committed" to bringing the level down to the level it was when he entered No10.

Ms Dodds was repeatedly pressed on the issue this morning but she was unable to give a clear answer on what the direction of travel on the numbers should be.

Asked if Labour wanted net migration to go up or down, Ms Dodds told Sky News: "Well, actually Labour believes that setting a net migration target isn't sensible and it appears even Rishi Sunak knows that."

Asked again if Labour wanted net migration to go up or down, Ms Dodds said: "As I said, it is not sensible to have that kind of a target-based approach..."

Asked again if the numbers should go up or down, Ms Dodds said: "Well, what we would see if we had an immigration system that was working properly would be potentially in some areas where there is a short term need for skills you could see in the short term actually people who are coming in increasing in number but for the medium and long term a reduction because we would be training people up in our own country."

09:16 AM

Rishi Sunak derails Boris Johnson's Great British Railways plan

Plans to fix the UK’s rail system may be watered down as legislation to give vital powers to the body driving the changes risks being delayed.

Great British Railways, set up by Boris Johnson, will not be part of the King’s Speech and will not be given the legislative powers it needs to sign off contracts and set fares, The Times reported.

The plan was introduced by Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, with the intention of fixing the fragmented nature of the railways.

You can read the full story here.

08:55 AM

PM hoping for swift 'bounce back' for relegated Southampton

Rishi Sunak expressed sadness at witnessing his football team Southampton’s relegation but said he hopes they will "bounce back" swiftly.

Speaking to BBC News in Hiroshima, where he is attending the G7 summit, the Prime Minister said: "It was a sad moment but I was pleased I could be there, actually, and be there with the fans and my family were there as well with their season tickets, quite near where I was sitting.

"It was nice to be back home to my football team I have supported since I was a kid and hopefully we can bounce straight back up as Burnley and Sheffield United have in reasonably short order."

08:28 AM

Pictured: G7 leaders meet in Hiroshima on first day of summit

08:14 AM

Sunak praises Ben Wallace amid Nato job speculation

Ben Wallace’s chances of becoming Nato secretary general received a boost after Rishi Sunak appeared to give him his blessing.

The top job at the Western defence alliance falls vacant in September, and Britain’s defence secretary has been linked to the role.

Asked by ITV in Hiroshima whether he would support Mr Wallace’s bid for the role, the Prime Minister said he was "widely respected" by international counterparts - but was focused "right now" on his Cabinet job.

It came after Mr Wallace admitted to German media that the job of Nato secretary general was one he would like.

He told news agency dpa: "I’ve always said it would be a good job. That’s a job I’d like. But I’m also loving the job I do now."

This morning Mr Sunak told ITV: "I know he's widely respected by his peers for the role that he has played. He’s focused right now on supporting Ukraine. He's doing a great job of that."

08:02 AM

Rishi Sunak: G7 summit in Hiroshima 'carries the weight of history'

07:53 AM

PM 'hopeful and confident' other nations will follow UK on Russian diamonds ban

Rishi Sunak said he expected other Western nations to follow Britain’s lead on sanctions against Moscow after the UK announced a ban on the sale of Russian diamonds ahead of an expected summer offensive by Ukraine.

The Prime Minister also revealed there would be a ban on the import of Russian-made industrially-significant metals, as well as specific sanctions on another 86 senior figures and companies in Putin’s military-industrial complex.

However, countries such as Belgium have made plain that they oppose plans to ban the Russian diamonds.

Speaking to the BBC at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Mr Sunak said: "We’ve taken the lead on announcing new sanctions on Russia.

"I’m hopeful and confident that our partner countries will follow as they have done when they’ve done this previously. That will make the sanctions more effective and ensure that Russia pays a price for its illegal activity."

07:46 AM

Sunak sets new benchmark of reducing net migration to less than 500,000

Rishi Sunak set himself a new benchmark of reducing net migration to less than 500,000 - more than twice the level that Boris Johnson pledged to reduce it to.

The Prime Minister conceded that immigration into Britain is "too high", and said he was "committed" to bringing the level down to the level it was when he entered No10.

At that time, in October, net migration stood at around half a million - but figures out next week are expected to see the numbers soar to more than 700,000.

At the last election, Mr Johnson stood on a Tory manifesto which pledged to lower net migration from the then level of 226,000.

Pressed by Sky News whether he can bring down net migration to below 500,000 by the next election, the Prime Minister said he was committed to getting levels down to those he inherited.

"I'm committed to bringing down the levels of migration that I inherited, and I'm relentlessly focused on stopping the boat that's one of my five priorities, and we're doing absolutely everything we can to do that," he said.

07:42 AM

PM says Brexit is done and Government has 'delivered the result of the referendum'

Rishi Sunak said he believed Brexit was done as he insisted his Government had "delivered the result of the referendum".

He said Britain had had the debate about EU withdrawal "multiple times" since the referendum. His comments follow concerns that Labour would reopen the fundamentals of the Brexit deal if Sir Keir Starmer wins the next election.

Labour wants to lower trade barriers with the European Union within 18 months of entering Downing Street under the party's plans to recast relations with the bloc.

But Mr Sunak used an interview in Hiroshima to make it plain that he believed the trade deal Britain has with the EU is already "incredibly deep".

Pressed on why the Tories’ trade deal had been "unsatisfactory" and why Brexit "wasn’t done properly", the Prime Minister said he disagreed.

"We've had this debate multiple times," he said. "We had a referendum. We've delivered the result of the referendum."

07:32 AM

Rishi Sunak tells Vladimir Putin: 'We're not going away'

Rishi Sunak said the message from G7 leaders to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit in Japan is: "We’re not going away."

The Prime Minister told Sky News during an interview at the Seifukan tea house in Hiroshima’s Shukkeien garden today: "My message to Putin is straightforward. We’re not going away."

"Russia needs to know that we and other countries remain steadfast in our resolve to support Ukraine, not just in the here and now with the resources it needs to protect itself, but for the long term as well," Mr Sunak said.

He later told ITV News that Russian "can’t just outlast us in this conflict".

"One of the common topics of conversation I’ll be having and have been having with my fellow leaders is about the longer-term security agreements that we put in place in Ukraine, to deter future Russian aggression," he said.

07:28 AM

Zelensky expected to make surprise visit to G7 summit in Japan

Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join the G7 summit in Hiroshima in person as Rishi Sunak and allies seek to increase pressure on Russia.

The Ukrainian President will attend the summit in Japan on Sunday, it is understood, as the Prime Minister warned Vladimir Putin "we’re not going away".

It would potentially bring Mr Zelensky into contact with India’s Narendra Modi and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who have not opposed the invasion to the extent that western allies would like.

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