Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with Donald Trump in a phone call this evening. As part of the conversation, the prime minister urged the president-elect to “stand together with Ukraine”.
Wednesday 18 December 2024 23:15, UK
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That’s all from the Politics Hub for tonight.
Join us again in the morning.
Here is a look at some of the papers today.
The i newspaper leads on pensioner dissatisfaction with Labour over its refusal to pay compensation to Waspi women.
The FT splashes on a story about UK borrowing costs.
The Times’ top story is about UK troops potentially being sent to Ukraine to train Kyiv’s soldiers.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Brussels tonight, alongside European leaders, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He spoke to broadcasters this evening about the situation.
It came after Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump on the phone, and encouraged the president-elect to support Ukraine.
Mr Trump has said he wants to get a peace deal negotiated.
Mr Lammy said: “Putin is showing no signs of ending this merciless, aggressive war that’s causing bloodshed, hardship and pain across Ukraine and of course, for the whole of Europe, as we deal with the spectre of his new imperialism and aggression.
“We meet today with the secretary general of NATO and, of course, Zelenskyy, and close European allies to discuss what further support we give to Zelenskyy.
“What further military support, What further finances, are necessary to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position as we head in and through 2025.”
The Labour government is facing backlash after refusing to pay compensation to women who were affected by the rise in state pension age.
The recommendation was put forward by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) after the campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) said millions of women suffered financially as they were not given sufficient warning to prepare for the later retirement age.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Tuesday he understood the concerns of Waspi women, but their demands were not affordable.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall issued an apology for a 28-month delay in sending out letters to those born in the 1950s impacted by state pension changes, but said she does not believe paying a flat rate to women at a cost of up to £10.5bn would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money.
There were shouts of “shame” when Ms Kendall made the announcement in the Commons, with the government also facing a barrage of criticism from MPs, some of which from within the Labour Party.
Who are the Waspi women?
In the 1990s under John Major, the government changed the law to make the women’s pension age the same as for men over a ten-year period.
In 2011, the coalition shortened the timetable by two years, and also changed the final age from 65 to 66 – saving £30bn.
Many women complain they weren’t given adequate notice of the changes.
By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter
The chancellor campaigned for Waspi women to receive compensation when she was shadow pensions minister – and revealed that her own mother was affected by changes to the pension age.
Rachel Reeves spoke in a Westminster Hall debate in 2016 in which she said the women hit by the increase to the state pension age from 60 to 65 in the 2010s had been “done an injustice”.
The Leeds West MP even proposed her own solution to the issue, arguing in favour of restoring the qualifying age for pension credit to the 2011 timetable for women’s state pension age, “thus providing at least some buffer for those who are least able to cope financially with this unfair move”.
It comes after the government was accused of betrayal over its decision not to compensate millions of Women Against State Pension Inequality born in the 1950s – known as Waspi women – who say they were not given sufficient warning that the state pension age was rising from 60 to 65.
The change was due to be phased in over 10 years from 2010, but in 2011 the process was sped up for a new deadline of 2018. The pension age then rose to 66 in 2020.
The government said that because an ombudsman found 90% of affected women knew about the changes, there was no need to compensate them at the cost of an estimated £10.5bn – with Sir Keir telling Prime Minister’s Questions: “The taxpayers simply can’t afford the burden.”
And with that, the Politics Hub with Ali Fortescue is over for today.
Our panel – Reform’s Tim Montgomerie and the Green’s Caroline Lucas – are discussing the situation with Labour and its political choices.
Mr Montgomerie says the cut to the winter fuel payment at the start of Labour’s time in office “may come to define” them.
He reckons British people will tolerate “a lot of hardship” if they think everyone is “in this together”.
But the “singling out of pensioners” so early without giving a “comprehensive account of what’s wrong” with the country is more difficult political ground.
Ms Lucas says as well as older people, Labour isn’t “doing great for young people either”.
She says the government is missing a “compelling story” about why they are making the decisions they are making.
Ms Lucas says Sir Keir Starmer needs to “get some hope back” in the story he is telling the country.
Gareth Davies, a shadow Treasury minister, is speaking to the Politics Hub tonight.
In his interview, he is asked repeatedly by Ali Fortescue about whether the Conservatives would pay the Waspi women the compensation they are demanding.
This comes after Labour said it would not be doing so – with the cost to give campaigners what they have demanded estimated to be north of £30bn.
Despite being asked repeatedly, Mr Davies would not say if the Tories would promise the money.
In his first answer, he says the report from the ombudsman only came out just before the Tories left government, before criticising the “hypocrisy” of Labour for promising to pay out in opposition but reversing this course once in government.
However, under repeated questioning, he would not tell Ali if the Tories would pay out to the Waspi women.
Mr Davies says the Conservative’s position is that it is a “very difficult and complex case”.
He adds that “the ombudsman found that there was no financial loss as a result of maladministration, which many of the campaigners suggested there was…”
The shadow minister adds that “we’ve got to manage public finances responsibly”.
Asked for a final time on the subject, Mr Davies says: “We would look very carefully at the ombudsman report.
“But as I say, because of maladministration it had been found by the ombudsman, no financial loss as a result of maladministration.
“I think it would be very difficult.
“But the decision – and the ownership of that decision – has to be with the government of the day, and Labour are in power now.”
Brian Leishman, the newly elected Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth in Scotland, has given his own government both barrels over the refusal to pay compensation to Waspi women.
Mr Leishman is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group – the left wing grouping of MPs that has at points included Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott.
Talking to Ali Fortescue, he says his reaction to the announcement is a “combination of being shocked, stunned and angry and in no short measure, disappointed”.
He says the decision is “completely wrong” – before adding that he did not find it difficult to come out to criticise the government.
Mr Leishman says there is “a lot of disappointment and a lot of frustration and anger at yesterday’s decision”.
Asked how he would fund the money needed to make the payments, Mr Leishman suggests a wealth tax.
Sky chief political correspondent Jon Craig is speaking about Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer’s phone call this afternoon.
The pair discussed a range of topics, including Ukraine, the Middle East, the royal family, and a possible meeting.
Jon says that Sir Keir will be pleased he has “seized back the transatlantic agenda”.
He adds that Sir Keir and Mr Trump discussed “the special relationship once again” – as well as the economic and historical ties between the two countries.
Jon says that Sir Keir will be “very keen to be on the front foot with the president-elect, given, all the worries about some of his views on Ukraine”.
He adds that Sir Keir may be trying to head off Reform UK leader Nigel Farage – a friend of Mr Trump.
“So you’ve got Mr Farage saying he’s got a hot line [to Mr Trump],” Jon says.
“Well, the prime minister is saying, ‘oi, I’m the prime minister, I talk to the president’.”
He points out that in a recent trip to Florida, Mr Farage met members of the Trump team but not the man himself.
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