This week the prime minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy flew to the US for discussions involving whether to allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russian territory. Putin responded by warning he would view that outcome as ‘direct participation’ of Nato in the conflict. Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, Lammy talked up the West’s increased support for Ukraine, but would not confirm any decision regarding the long-range missiles specifically, saying the UK’s allies were continuing to ‘discuss the detail’. Phillips pointed out that Zelensky keeps reminding the West that delays in support mean more Ukrainian lives are lost. Lammy said the UK has already repeatedly disregarded Putin’s warnings, and will continue to do so.
David Lammy: ‘This is not an issue of transparency’
On the BBC, Laura Kuenssberg asked the foreign sec about reports that Keir Starmer may have broken rules by failing to declare gifts of clothes given to his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli. Lammy claimed that the prime minister was ‘attempting to be transparent’, and had gone to the parliamentary commissioner himself to check that everything was declared properly. Lammy also suggested it was standard practice for prime ministers to ‘rely on political donations… so they can look their best’.
James Cleverly: Starmer showing ‘hypocrisy’
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly was less sympathetic to Starmer. He claimed the prime minister had ‘basically got his job by criticising others’, and so should have to make sure he is ‘totally above reproach’. Trevor Phillips suggested that Starmer’s transgression is not on the same level as ‘Partygate’, and that it might have just been incompetence on the part of someone in his office. Cleverly insisted that this was a pattern of behaviour, pointing out that Lord Alli had been given a temporary Downing Street security pass despite having no official role, and former health secretary Alan Milburn had been given access to Department of Health documents.
James Cleverly: ‘Rookie errors by an arrogant and inexperienced government’
Cleverly also claimed Labour have made ‘catastrophically foolish choices’ on the winter fuel allowance and the prisoner release scheme. Cleverly said that successive Conservative chancellors had rejected these ‘toxic’ ideas from the Civil Service, but a ‘naive’ Labour had chosen to act on them. Phillips suggested that Labour might have been forced to make those decisions because of the situation left to them by the Conservatives, but Cleverly claimed the Tories had kept hundreds of prison spaces available through ‘better management of the system’.
Ed Davey: Lib Dems are arguing for social care reform ‘with intensity’
Lastly, Laura Kuenssberg asked Ed Davey about his party’s approach to the Labour government, after the Liberal Democrats had said they will be ‘constructive’ opposition. Kuenssberg pointed out that Rachel Reeves had entirely dropped social care proposals in July, and there had been no substantial protest from the Lib Dems. Davey said that the Lib Dems had criticised the government, and that they had put forward their ideas for the NHS and social care, which he wanted to be considered in the October budget. He argued that social care reform was integral for the sort of change that will make a difference to healthcare and hospitals.
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