expected to be where they're expected to be discussing the ongoing conflict in the middle east. the prime minister offered mr mikati his condolences for the very many losses in the country , referring losses in the country, referring to the long shared and good history between the uk and lebanon. sir keir said it was important to discuss how to bnng important to discuss how to bring about a cessation of hostilities and ensure the un resolution is not just words. mr mikati thanked sir keir for calling for a ceasefire in the region and for britain's support on humanitarian matters. tommy robinson has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for contempt of court after repeating false claims against a syrian refugee, breaking a high court order. the 41 year old admitted to ten breaches, including airing a film called silenced containing the allegations. mrjustice johnson said robinson's actions were a flagrant breach and warned nobody is above the law.

supporters in court waved and blew kisses as robinson was led away. the film remains pinned to robinson's social media, though he could cut his sentence by removing it . he could cut his sentence by removing it. in other he could cut his sentence by removing it . in other news, the removing it. in other news, the fertility rate in england and wales has dropped to its lowest level since records began. that's according to new government data. new figures from the office for national statistics shows the total fertility rate. that's the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime was 1.44 children per woman in 2023. that's the lowest since records started in 1938. the number of live births also fell to 591,072, the lowest total since 1977. while experts predict a rate of 2.1 children per woman is needed to naturally sustain population levels . manchester

population levels. manchester united manager erik ten hag has been sacked after a string of bad results. the 54 year old dutchman was informed this morning after two and a half years in charge. the team supped years in charge. the team slipped to 14th in the premier league table following their fourth league defeat of the season by west ham just yesterday. ruud van nistelrooy, the former dutch striker who was assistant manager, will take charge of the team as interim head coach, while a permanent head coach, while a permanent head coach, while a permanent head coach is recruited . and two head coach is recruited. and two runaway parrots are safely back at london zoo after a week long escape. lily and margot, two rare blue throated macaws, flew off from their daily routine or spotted by a family in cambridgeshire. the pair evaded capture before being tracked to a field in brampton, where their zookeepers confirmed their identities and lily and margot flew straight back into their arms. now in quarantine, they're awaiting a reunion with their parents, poppy and ollie . and

parents, poppy and ollie. and those are the latest gb news headlines. for now, i'm tatiana sanchez. more news from me in an hour. houn >>i houn >> i said everyone. everyone get down! thank you. tatiana. a very, very good evening. i'm martin daubney and this is gbn tonight. now, as the halloween approaches, the biggest frights might be in this week's budget. because the government's pledge not to raise taxes on these mythical working people . well, mythical working people. well, they look spooky. at the very least . a £20 billion national least. a £20 billion national insurance hike on employers looms, threatening jobs, wages and pensions alike . and pensions alike. >> but i also know that the working people of this country know exactly who they are, and that they are the golden thread that they are the golden thread that runs through our agenda. if

people want to criticise the path we choose, that's their prerogative. but let them spell out a different direction . out a different direction. >> is it me or is sir keir starmer looking slightly haunted ahead of this halloween? now, is this budget really for the so—called mythical working people or just working against them? well, joining me now is them? well, joining me now is the former labour minister under that man, tony blair. denis macshane and of course, my mythical wonderful panel of gb news , senior political news, senior political commentator nigel nelson and the associate comment editor at the telegraph, moutaz ahmed. gentlemen, welcome to the show. dennis, i'm going to start with you on this halloween. seems fitting to talk to you first, no offence intended. what do you think about this budget ? it think about this budget? it seems nobody seems happy about this. pensioners. the knives are out for them today. £3. the bus cap up from £2. that's a tax on

working people trying to get to working people trying to get to work on a bus. it is. and at a small business person on the show earlier on saying even small businesses not happy national insurance hikes for employers and workers rights might sound great in sixth form. might sound great in a world in opposition, but giving full workers rights from day one is spooking businesses. it's spooking businesses. it's spooking employers. and i put it to you this budget already feels like a halloween horror show. >> i love it. halloween horror show. i wonder i mean, sir keir does lack the gentle touch of an alastair campbell or peter mandelson gentle touch. well, you know what i mean. or who's a great guy who's margaret thatcher's killer? spin doctor? oh, bernard ingham. bernard. no love. bernard. fabulous guy. now you know you need brutes like that and he hasn't got them. so i think people might have spotted it by saying, you do realise , chancellor, your budget realise, chancellor, your budget is just before halloween. that

could give rise to a lot of very easy columns to write or remarks to to, make. on the substantive side of things. the plain fact is that the conservatives did keep giving giveaways of our money to the rich to try and buy the election. >> we had the highest taxes since world war two before they got booted out. >> only at the end. but over 14 years. i mean, i remember when theresa may took 20,000 cops off the street to cut middle class income tax, supported by the lib dems, by the way. so just don't blame the tories. and then i remember in south yorkshire hospitals really struggling to on scanners, investment in the steel industry being axed and again and again. that's all we've got. the army down to a lower number of soldiers than in napoleonic after the napoleonic wars. i mean, this, this is a problem. that's why people, i think, voted the conservatives out massively in july and they are now. they're not actually

making, you know, that much fuss about this because i think the people are cleverer than their politicians. they know that an extra dime on people who can afford to pay is going to help. i'll give you one little example of national insurance contributions on employers . i contributions on employers. i checked the labour manifesto. there was no mention of it at all. everybody says it was in the manifesto and rachel reeves has broken her promise. i've checked national insurance contributions that employees pay were ordinary workers pay. i don't want to use the word worker ever again . yes, but worker ever again. yes, but nothing on employers . so maybe nothing on employers. so maybe they sensed it. but i remember nigel's old enough to remember when they were brought in the national minimum statutory minimum wage. every single employer, every single conservative, the daily telegraph, the daily mail said that will kill employment. small firms won't be able to hire anyone if they have to pay the minimum wage. and i think treating people at work fairly on day one, not having to wait

to day 100 isn't actually going to day 100 isn't actually going to send the economy into a tailspin. but we'll see how long can sir keir starmer and rachel reeves get away with blaming the conservative party. >> let's face it, you know the labour party are in power now. we've heard about this £20 billion black hole. suddenly there's £50 billion been found by cooking the books or moving things around or changing the fiscal rules . which begs the fiscal rules. which begs the question, why on earth do things that are so unpopular, like axing the winter fuel allowance for pensioners ? they only cost for pensioners? they only cost £1.4 billion. they found £50 billion down the back of the sofa at downing street. why do unpopular things like that? >> well, i have my views on the judgement call on some of these things and i'm not going to endorse them all. far from it. but i remember again , and but i remember again, and forgive me if i quote 1997 and labour coming in with gordon brown as chancellor, and i remember saying, i brown as chancellor, and i remember saying , i know brown as chancellor, and i remember saying, i know perhaps i shouldn't say to whom i said it, a very, very senior figure in the government. how long can we keep blaming the tories?

they're in power for 18 years. can we do about 18 weeks? he said, you're joking, dennis. we'll do 18 months, 24 months. we'll do 18 months, 24 months. we'll keep blaming them until the 18 year limit is reached and that's going to happen if you every time now, martin, you, any of your great colleagues of gb news start snapping at a labour minister on what they're doing, they'll say, remember what the tories did. they'll say, remember what t