keir starmer tried to i by what keir starmer tried to do this— by what keir starmer tried to do this by _ by what keir starmer tried to do this morning by smearing| do this morning by smearing people — do this morning by smearing pebble who _ do this morning by smearing people who are _ do this morning by smearing people who are raising - do this morning by smearing| people who are raising these important _ people who are raising these important issues. _ they have repeated their calls for a national inquiry. let's speak to harry farley. how difficult is this for keir starmer? people know that elon musk is the president—elect�*s right man. the president-elect's right man. ., y ., the president-elect's right man. ., . man. to give you an illustration - man. to give you an illustration how - man. to give you an - illustration how carefully worded this intervention from keir starmer was, wejust worded this intervention from keir starmer was, we just got —— hejust gave keir starmer was, we just got —— he just gave a speech in a 0&a —— he just gave a speech in a q&a from journalists. when

sir keir starmer congratulated donald trump on the ceasefire in gaza.ump last week. it was a diplomatic victory for sir keir starmer that this call took place this week. he has not spoken to any other european leader yet. sir keir starmer is the first and that has been taken as a diplomatic achievement by the uk government. it does sound, both from the readout as it is termed that we got from downing street and the one from the white house that it was a fairly warm conversation. they talked about the middle east and sir keir starmer prayed donald trump about bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal. they talked about the economy and that sir keir starmer talked about his plans to deregulate the uk economy. that was clearly an temp two appeal to donald trump as my sensibilities. we also know that they talked about the royal family because when it comes to the uk it is always worth remembering that donald trump, whose mother was scottish, absolutely loves and has deep affection for the royal family. but royalfamily. but henry, in royal family. but

as you heard there, keir starmer l heard there, keir starmer accusing the main opposition party, theover jumping on the bandwagon over this issue and looking to get attention when they had spent 14 years in government, in his words, doing nothing to tackle child sexual abuse. and we heard from that report there that his criticism of the conservatives very much focuses on the report that was done into child sexual abuse across the uk, published its recommendations in 2022, and the prime minister arguing that they should be the focus implementing them should be the focus. and as you mentioned, the conservatives accusing the prime minister of a disgraceful smear against them. this is the first day that parliament sits here in westminster after the christmas break and politics very much back with a bang. i thought it was interesting in particular, you were going to come under elon musk, but it was very interesting that in his response that we heard there, keir starmer, his answer was scripted and the autocue came up after his speech, came back on when he was giving his answer about elon

i agree with that, and i think keir starmer was right l and i think keir starmer was right to respond right to respond, and i know on schulte said it _ to respond, and i know on schulte said it is _ to respond, and i know on schulte said it is best not to respond, but he is _ said it is best not to respond, but he is not — said it is best not to respond, but he is not a — said it is best not to respond, but he is not a role model at the moment _ he is not a role model at the moment. —— i know the german chancellor— moment. —— i know the german chancellor said. there are proper proper— chancellor said. there are proper pmper to— chancellor said. there are proper proper to do preposterous accusations, and on the relationship with donald trump, he's obviously not my— with donald trump, he's obviously not my flavour politics but he was elected _ not my flavour politics but he was elected president of the us, and i think_ elected president of the us, and i think that — elected president of the us, and i think that even in donald trump's circles— think that even in donald trump's circles th

sir keir starmer has just wrapped up keir starmer has just wrapped up speaking. of the main points of what he said. i of the main points of what he said. , ., , , ., said. i should 'ust explain, ou said. i should 'ust explain, you might — said. i should just explain, you might see _ said. i should just explain, you might see some - said. i shouldjust explain, i you might see some cabinet ministers going on behind me, there is a cabinet meeting taking place very shortly, that was actually the attorney general so he will have a lot to do with this and i'm sure the cabinet will reflect on what the prime minister said in his speech this morning. what he said was pretty significant, i think this was one of the big moments of his six or so months in downing street so far because he started with addressing the horrific, brutal, he called them, murders committed by axel rudakubana to which he pleaded guilty in liverpool yesterday but then he broadened it out much more, talked about the changing nature of terrorism, said that where once you might�*ve terrorist activities

is of keir starmer walking barefoot across the channel.ust isn't going to happen. and the problem is that they there they were during the election campaign, you know, pretending to be coming in as batman and robin and it turns out that they're little more than laurel and hardy. they are just not going to do anything about it. and, you know, we laugh. but the problem is that we're going to get another 35, 40, perhaps 50,000 coming across next year because there's so much money in it and there's thousand. well, you know, who knows. you never quite know. it depends on the weather. it depends on the weather. it depends on. but we could do , depends on. but we could do, which means over 200,000 people coming in illegally across the channel since it all started in 2018, when sadiq sajid javid almost said it. khan. but even sajid javid declared an emergency. well, frankly, had he acted decisively then, had the government acted decisively, then we wouldn't have the problems that we do now. as it is, i think that the government at the moment is clu

keir starmer apparently doesn't want to have an inquiry. he says we've had one already.uches on grooming gangs and mentions robjust once. it is mentions rob just once. it is a whitewash, as far as far as this is concerned. we know that 76% of the population want this inquiry and want the truth, if keir starmer won't do it, then i will give him until the end of the month. if keir starmer won't do it, i will raise the money and we will hold that full public inquiry, we will do it. we will do it. since the start of this year elon musk has made or shared posts about uk politics, grooming gangs and child sexual abuse at a significant rate. bbc verify has examined a 24 hour snapshot of his timeline and found a wave of misinformation amplified in the posts. the bbc�*s analysis editor ros atkins examines one day on the platform for the owner of x. elon musk has had a lot to say about the grooming gang scandal. this is his number of posts on the uk and grooming gangs. it's increased sharply in recent weeks and on monday, without naming musk. sir keir starmer attacked those spread

think keir starmer is in -- is under? ,., think keir starmer is in -- is under? ., under?w at the start of the week sir keir - start of the week sir keir starmer outran to talk about nhs reforms, the questions he was getting at is about this issue on grooming gangs. and so i think there's going to be some pressure, and certainly there is some pressure, but what the government has said so far is that it would support local inquiries in individual towns where it is asked for, because of course this all grew out of a request from 0ldham council to have a national inquiry, an inquiry led by the government, into cases of historic child exploitation. what the government said was now, it wouldn't back a government led one, but it would back an independent inquiry that was done locally, and that is the strategy it says it is sticking to. the question is going to be whether this building pressure, this mounting pressure, from opposition parties and others to try to get a national inquiry, moves the government any closer towards doing that. at this stage, they are adamant, we have h

i think keir starmer has a blind _ light of this., _ light of this. i think keir starmer has a blind spot, he's _ light of this. i think keir starmer has a blind spot, he's got - light of this. i think keir starmer has a blind spot, he's got bad i has a blind spot, he's got bad judgment, he is more interested in supporting his cronies than he is in making appointments with integrity, it shows he is a crony prime minister. it shows he is a crony prime minister-— it shows he is a crony prime minister. , ,, minister. tulip siddiq entered government _ minister. tulip siddiq entered government last _ minister. tulip siddiq entered government last year - minister. tulip siddiq entered go

but there's something going on at the moment with keir starmer.cy to dismiss everybody as far right and not really deal with the underlying issues around migration, globalisation. do you think starmer has actually exacerbating the defection of workers away from the big parties to reform? >> well, look, we have to remember that starmer, in my view, is very much a tony blair sort of figure. he's a north london liberal lawyer. he doesn't particularly understand the impulses of working class, blue collar britain. and i think when they when they experience the views and the priorities of working class britain, it's almost like they see it as a mob that needs to be curtailed and needs to be held back. and that's the difficulty for the labour party that they simply are not in touch in the way that the labour party was once upon a time. whether you agree with it or not, it was a party that understood the working class. starmer has bet the farm on getting growth and getting immigration down and fixing the national health service. now, six months into this

i think that might have been keir starmer.e should be slightly i should add some balance here for a change. i mean i'm just getting on my hobby horse about keir starmer tonight. but there has been a trend towards kids not being school ready for some time, but it does seem to be overly pronounced from the kids that were born during that period of 2020 to 2021. and it's a worry. and amongst those things are people, not kids not being toilet trained. yeah. and what what is happening is schools are getting in touch with parents and saying, look, when you and you're told this as a parent, i know your your child will will be there in the next year or two. you are told that they really should be toilet trained. >> i was told that when i got to work. >> yeah, a yeah, but you know, but they're finding they put it back on. honestly i'm trying i'm trying to deliver serious news. yeah i'm not actually. but it's a huge worry and it's just it's just one more thing isn't it? >> i'm going to say we don't know. we don't know. this is because o

search keir starmer outlined _ live? search keir starmer outlined it _ live?y - outlined it and they commissioned an ai group to come up with a plan made 50 recommendations and governments moving forward everything of them and from the sidelines have a new supercomputer to improve you to capabilities of just more computing power and this idea that al growth zones and is to be spread out across locations in the uk for their have enhanced access to the power grid as well as streamlined planning commissions that�*s extremely important to build data centres and they will be a new ai energy council which will look into the solutions for the huge power demand for artificial intelligence. in power demand for artificial intelligence.— power demand for artificial intelligence. in terms of the critical hurdles _ intelligence. in terms of the critical hurdles and - intelligence. in terms of the critical hurdles and actually| critical hurdles and actually making this happen, take me through it. making this happen, take me through it— through it. there is huge hurdles beca

| do you think you will get along with keir starmer?— with keir starmer? i do.already _ with keir starmer? i do. i have met him already three - with keir starmer? i do. i have met him already three times. | with keir starmer? i do. i have l met him already three times. he has come over to see me twice. i have a call, he and i have a call over the next 24 hours. i get along with him well. he is liberal, which is a little bit different for me. but i think he is a very good person. i think he's done a very good job. he is doing thejob. he is representing his country in terms of his philosophy. i may not agree with his philosophy but i get on with him. i had dinner with him but i get on with him. i had dinnerwith him in but i get on with him. i had dinner with him in trump tower. the lebanese health ministry has accused the israeli army of firing at residents trying to return to their homes in southern lebanon, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. israel's military has missed a deadline to leave the area, as a 60—day ceasefire deal expired — it has n

as director of prosecutions, keir starmer opened up of prosecutions, keir starmer opened up historiclips, the work that she has done in her professional life outside politics, supporting victims of violence against women and girls, she has helped support them to get their day in court and lock up their abusers. so the fact they are now prime minister and the victim minister means they can now do in politics what they have given their careers were doing, and their critics are not fit to touch their records, they can't even begin to touch their records. �* , , , ., can't even begin to touch their records. . , , , ., ., records. and yet this is what elon musk says _ records. and yet this is what elon musk says about _ records. and yet this is what elon musk says about jess _ records. and yet this is what elon musk says about jess phillips, - musk says aboutjess phillips, saying she is a rape apologist, a wicked witch. what do you say to him? is elon musk not fit to talk about this? it him? is elon musk not fit to talk about this?— about this? it is a disgraceful smear of _ about this? i

one doesn't often use the word impassioned and keir starmer side by side.ut i mean, i think that was probably the most passionate he's been since becoming a prime minister. and i think very interesting that he used that line, that a line had been crossed in the treatment ofjess phillips, but also, of course, rather interesting that he tried not to make his defence of his government's role, the defence of handling of the rape gangs, by mentioning... by not mentioning mr musk personally, saying this wasn't about musk, it wasn't about america, that it was much more about british politics and british politicians, in particular those from the now opposition conservative party. surely, he said, they should come out and denounce attacks on ministers. surely they should favour the use of sort of evidence and facts in political debate, because if not, you are heading down a slippery slope. so an extremely strong intervention, but one trying to be careful, obviously not wanting to, you know, to get into a fight, particularly with mr musk and therefore by proxy, a fig

because sir keir starmer is about to speak. my i.ecause sir keir starmer is about to speak.— about to speak. my name is rachel mckendry. _ about to speak. my name is rachelmckendry. i- about to speak. my name is rachel mckendry. i have . about to speak. my name is i rachel mckendry. i have been working on al for early disease diagnosis for over a decade. i will be introducing the special session. i would like you —— to welcome you to use dl east. it brings together students with world experts in sciences, arts and humanities to explore solutions to the biggest challenges facing humanity and our planet. here at ucl we develop people with the skills to change the world. and deliver breakthroughs in the ai and robotics, sustainable cities, green manufacturing, assistive technology and global health. rooted here in the heart of east london we work with our partners in east bank, the uk's newest cultural quarter, to engage local communities and support regeneration this area. we found fund start—ups and spin outs that help society. they h

tried to _ and angered by what keir starmer tried to do — and angered by what keir starmer tried tod to do this morning by smearing people who — tried to do this morning by smearing people who are raising these important issues. take _ important issues. take over, elon! elon— take over, elon! elon musk- take over, elon! elon musk has . take over, elon! - elon musk has provoked take over, elon! _ elon musk has provoked the first big political row of the year, and he has onlyjust getting started. in a fortnight, donald trump will once again be america's president, and mr musk will be working for him. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. more from chris in a moment, but as well as the national inquiry into child sexual abuse, which included an investigation into grooming gangs, there have been other local inquiries, including in rotherham in south yorkshire, where at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013, predominantly by men of pakistani heritage. in telford in shropshire, there were more than 1,000 girls abused by gangs of men over decades, and the evid

they say the changes will help them meet a key election pledge made by sir keir starmer.m reports. getting checks and tests closer to home, and more quickly. that's the aim of the network of community diagnostic centres in england. examples include scans and endoscopies. as part of the new plan to cut waiting lists, opening times will be extended to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, so more work can be done away from hospitals. the nhs app will be upgraded to allow more patients to book treatments and appointments. it will also make it easier for people to exercise their right to choose an nhs or private provider for their care. for the head of nhs england, amanda pritchard, it means more control over the process for patients and a more efficient health service. we are really ambitious about continuing the progress that we've made on reducing the longest waits for care now, to get to the place where we can deliver the 18 week standard by the end of this parliament, and that is both about putting the additional capacity in place, and changing the way that we work. and tha

.— heard from sir keir starmer this morning.at an hinu this morning. yes, i think that anything that _ this morning. yes, i think that anything that starts _ this morning. yes, i think that anything that starts getting i anything that starts getting into why this happens is positive. i would into why this happens is positive. iwould be into why this happens is positive. i would be interested in what the contacts of the inquiry is. —— in what the context of the inquiry is. we don't need to get some answers and then nothing gets done about it. we need to make sure there are proper, concrete proposals that come out of it and there are resources put into make sure this never happens again.— into make sure this never ha ens aain. ~ ., happens again. when you heard esterda happens again. when you heard yesterday some _ happens again. when you heard yesterday some of _ happens again. when you heard yesterday some of the - happens again. when you heard yesterday some of the details, l yesterday some of the details, the fact that axel ru

here in the uk the prime minister sir keir starmer has paid tribute to us president donald trump for hostages deal in gaza during a call between the two leaders. the 45—minute conversation took place yesterday, and was the first time they've spoken since president trump's inauguration last week. 0ur political correspondent iain watson has more on the conversation. well, i think it's quite positive from keir starmer�*s point of view because it's within a week of the inauguration. he wasn't at the inauguration, of course, although some other world leaders were. he had already spoken to president elect trump after the november election and of course had dinner with him in trump tower, which seemed to go quite well back in september. and i say they seemed to go quite well, because, of course, donald trump's close ally, elon musk, has been denouncing keir starmer and his labour government on social media. and it doesn't look like that was anything like the tone of this conversation. i'm told it was warm and personal. it does look as though both men were getting out of their way to try to

sir keir starmer really clearly pretty angry about this.did not use mr musk�*s name but he was really very clear about what he thought were attacks on him. , ., ., , �* ., , him. yes, one doesn't often use the word impassioned _ him. yes, one doesn't often use the word impassioned and - the word impassioned and kissed, side by side and i think i was probably the most passionate he has been since becoming minister and i think he used that line, the line had been crossed on the treatment ofjess phillips but also quite interesting that he tried not to make his defence of his government's role, the defence of handling of rape gangs by not mentioning mr musk personally. it was much more about british politics and british politicians in particular, those from the now opposition conservative party. he said they should announce attacks on ministers, surely they should favour the use of evidence and facts in little debate because if not, you are heading down a slippery slope. so an extremely strong intervention but one trying to be careful, not want

last summer, keir starmer aid deserve. last summer, keir starmer paid tribute — deserve.d tribute to _ deserve. last summer, keir starmer paid tribute to the _ deserve. last summer, keir starmer paid tribute to the victims. _ paid tribute to the victims. today he said the families had been failed by the state and change must come. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. in a moment we'll speak to our correspondent nick garnett who is in southport, but first we're joined by our deputy political editor vicki young in westminster. vicki, this was an address dealing not only with this attack but with society in general and how the public is kept safe. yes, it was highly unusual and incredibly wide ranging. unfortunately, there are lots of horrific crimes in this country but for the prime minister come out at the first opportunity and to launch a public inquiry i think shows the level of concern there is here and to some extent what he was doing today was to try and front up about the terrible failings of the state and the news that it was possible that this teenager may be

the conservatives calling on keir starmer to i calling on keir starmer to actually sack the minister that is right. at the weekend — course. that is right. at the weekend kemi _ course. that is right. at the weekend kemi badenoch i course. that is right. at the i weekend kemi badenoch said course. that is right. at the - weekend kemi badenoch said the prime minister should sack tulip siddiq and she will now be claiming a victory here, and within a matter of days that has happened. there is an element here which was a brewing financial investigation in bangladesh that were starting to name tulip siddiq as that investigation gathered pace, but this comes back down to the problem that if you are trying to do very difficult things as this government is doing, with the cost of borrowing, and the risk that the chancellor rachel reeves who was in the house of commons today, defending her economic record, so you can't have distractions like a minister accused of may be benefiting from corruption in another country, so maybe inevitably she has gone.— she has gone. thanks for “oininu she has g

i think it's quite positive from keir starmer as point of view.t the inauguration. he had already spoken to president elect trump after the november election. that went in trump tower quite well in september. i say quite well because of course donald trumps close ally elon musk has been denouncing keir starmer and his labour government on social media. it doesn't look like that was anything like the tone of this conversation. i'm told it was warm and personal. it does look as though both men went out of their way to try to find points of agreement rather than points of difference. a few examples, praise from keir starmer for donald trump's roll ahead of taking office in negotiating or helping to negotiate that cease—fire in the middle east. and of course the release of the hostages, something keir starmer praised his predecessorjoe biden for too. 0n the other side of this donald trump sent condolences to keir starmer with the death of his brother and also asked after the royal family and said he had great respect for them. it does look like they w

it isa it is a diplomatic win for sir keir starmer. spoken to a single european media on the phone. keir starmerwas single european media on the phone. keir starmer was the first. that is being taken as a diplomatic achievement by the uk government. it does sound both from the readout as it is turned, front bonuses in the white house, as if it was a warm conversation. it talked about the middle east, keir starmer praise donald trump are bringing about the ceasefire. we know they talked about the economy and keir starmer talked about his plans to deregulate the uk economy. that was clearly an attempt to appeal to donald trump's sensibilities. we also know that they talked about the royal family, we also know that they talked about the royalfamily, because when it comes to the uk, donald trump whose mother was scottish, absolutely loves and has deep affection for the royal family. the us as it will not go ahead with tariffs and other sanctions against colombia after bogota agreed the return of the us describes as illegal aliens from the

back then keir starmer was — maiden speech. back then keir starmer was smiling _ maiden speech.s smiling at - maiden speech. back then keir starmer was smiling at tulip i starmer was smiling at tulip siddiq's side but in recent weeks he has been forced to defend her tulip siddi: has has been forced to defend her tulip siddiq has acted _ has been forced to defend her til v siddiq has acted entirely has been forced to defend her tll v siddiq has acted entirely properly, by referring herself to the independent adviser as she has now done. a , independent adviser as she has now done. a, , ., independent adviser as she has now done. ., ., ., , done. many of the allegations the fact tuli- done. many of the allegations the fact tulip siddiq's _ done. many of the allegations the fact tulip siddiq's aunt _ done. many of the allegations the fact tulip siddiq's aunt fled - fact tulip siddiq's aunt fled bangladesh last august after a long and controversial time at its leader. today tulip siddiq conceded to what some in government thought was inevitable. in her resignation letter she wrote w

keir starmer himself will be popping up tomorrow talking about it. morning the tech secretary, peter kyle, was in our studio and indeed in others, at our chums across the industry, talking about what he believes is a very, very significant opportunity for the economy and also opportunities for us because he reckons the government can be much more efficient. he reckons that all of our lives can be improved by massive advances in al, as it's known. but i should be worried about al, i'm told. well, both, right? and this is an is an interesting thing, isn't it? this is the point. what we were trying to explore tomorrow is how the government gets a balance right between the huge rewards that there are and the huge risks that there also are. but peter kyle, really, this morning i thought came across as a real sort of evangelist for this, essentially sticking his stake in the ground and saying that the uk is going to miss out if we don't crack on and actually welcome these new technologies and that the government backs them too. this was what he had to say.

sir keir starmer speaking not too long ago at downing street.olitical correspondent, henry zeffman was listening to the prime minister's speech. what the prime minister said was pretty significant, i think this was one of the big moments of his six or so months in downing street so far because he started with addressing the horrific, brutal, he called them, murders committed by axel rudakubana to which he pleaded guilty in liverpool yesterday, but then he broadened it out much more, talked about the changing nature of terrorism, said that where once you might�*ve terrorist activities committed by people with a clear allegiance to a terrorist group such as al-qaeda, he said you have loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms and he questions whether the kind of legal architecture of the state has kept pace with that. lord anderson kc, previously an independent adviser to the government on terrorist legislation, it was announced, will look at the prevent counterterrorism system which as we now know failed to pick up axel rudakubana after he was

will he be used by keir starmer or peter mandelson in some way to represent team uk?y simple answer. mandelson said it can't nigel farage has said it, i think the _ difference between mandelson and starmer, the fact that starmer crossed the floor to chat to him, is telling. in 2016, the tories found themselves constitutionally unable to use the only brit with an entry into the white house, into the oval office to talk to him. i think that keir starmer is a little bit more sensible and i think that mandelson is much more pragmatic and he realises that if he wants to get in there... i have been talking to somebody, a uk—based american, kenney baden ox team are going to him and saying how can you help us to counter faraj in the white house. the tories do not have a way in. labour have a way in it because they are the government but they recognise that if they want to have open comms with the white house, if you want to have open comms with donald trump's cabinet then why reinvent the wheel, we have got faraj. nigel farage understands that it's not always what he wants, i

i keir starmer and the labour government?— keir starmer and the labour covernment?'ve seen him three _ government? i do and i've seen him three times _ government? i do and i've seen him three times and _ government? i do and i've seen him three times and he - government? i do and i've seen him three times and he has - government? i do and i've seen i him three times and he has come over_ him three times and he has come over twice — him three times and he has come over twice and he and i have a call over— over twice and he and i have a call over the next 24 hours and we get — call over the next 24 hours and we get along with him well, and he is _ we get along with him well, and he is liberal, which is a little _ he is liberal, which is a little bit _ he is liberal, which is a little bit different from me but i — little bit different from me but i think he's a very good person _ but i think he's a very good person. his son a very good job so far. — person. his son a very good job so far. his _ person. his son a very good job so far, his very new at the job but he — s

the ft reporting that he had more criticism of our prime minister, keir starmer and criticism of our and his desire to remove him from office. what have they been saying. office. what have they been sa inc. :, , :, :, saying. not 'ust the owner of x. saying. not 'ust the owner of x, but a saying. not just the owner of x, but a confident _ saying. not just the owner of x, but a confident and - saying. not just the owner of| x, but a confident and advisor and incoming member of the president administration to donald trump. which is what gives it more force that elon musk has taken such an interest in the uk. what the ft have been reporting i think is, they have spoken to unnamed people who say they have spoken to elon musk and he is talking about trying to find ways to mobilise his influence to remove keir starmer before the general election. elon musk has said publicly about 300 general election. elon musk has said publicly ab

what does it say about keir starmer�*sjudgment gone. them both and neither are still in post? it them both and neither are still in ost? , , them both and neither are still in ost? , ., them both and neither are still in ost? ., �*, them both and neither are still in ost? , ., �*, ._ post? it says that he's really good at ruthlessly delivering _ post? it says that he's really good at ruthlessly delivering in - post? it says that he's really good at ruthlessly delivering in the - at ruthlessly delivering in the hationai— at ruthlessly delivering in the national interests and not in the partym — national interests and not in the -a ~ ., national interests and not in the party... what does it say about his 'udument party... what does it say about his judgment when he _ party... what does it say about his judgment when he still put - party... what does it say about his judgment when he still put them l party... what does it say about his| judgment when he still put them in his cabinet?— his cabinet? louise in post absolutely _ his cabinet?

i with keir starmer and the uk government?— with keir starmer and the uk government?e met him already three _ government? i have met him already three times. - government? i have met him already three times. he - government? i have met him already three times. he and l government? i have met him already three times. he and i have a call over the next 2a hours. i get along with him well. i like him a lot. he is liberal, which is a little bit different for me. but i think he is a very good person and he's done a very good job thus far. he is new to thejob but he is representing his country in terms of his philosophy. i may not agree with his philosophy but i have a very good relationship with him. i have seen him twice, i have had dinner with him, as you probably know. gate president trump made the comments as he returned from a visit to nevada. a state that flipped republican in the recent presidential election for the first time in two decades. he told a rally of his supporters he might re—join the world health organization, days after he ordered the us to withdraw fr

keir starmer was the first.ent by the uk government. it does sound, both from the readout, as it is termed, that we got from downing street and the white house, that it was a fairly warm conversation. we know they talked about the middle east, keir starmer praised donald trump for his role in bringing out the ceasefire and hostage release deal. we know that they talked about the economy and that keir starmer talked about his plans to deregulate the uk economy. i think that was clearly an attempt to appeal to donald trump's sensibilities. we also know courtesy of the white house that they talked about the royal family because when it comes to the uk, it is always worth remembering that donald trump, whose mother was scottish, absolutely loves, and has deep affection for, the royal family. has deep affection for, the royalfamily. what has deep affection for, the royal family. what mike has deep affection for, the royalfamily. what mike henry, in the readout of the calls, did you spot any differences in the tone be

we have more on keir starmer�*s visit to poland on the news website.e is in pompeii to find out about the biggest discovery for a generation, and sent this report. it's been hidden for 2,000 years. now, a once—in—a—century discovery emerges. the grandest of spaces, with a perfectly preserved plunge pool, where up to 30 people could bathe. it's the centrepiece of a sumptuous bath complex in a private residence. for a private house, it's actually enormous. it's, i think, the biggest found here in pompeii, in a private home. some sort of ceasefire. sir keir didn't, that yesterday, but he did said —— he did say discussions were ongoing and britain would play a part in those discussions. although it isn't officially on the agenda here today, i think it is highly likely that keir starmer and donald tusk will be discussing those security guarantees for kyiv in general, but specifically the possibility of some sort of european peacekeeping mission at sums point in the future because it feels like we are still quite away off that at the moment —— at some point.

for more details on why prime minister keir starmer is focussing so strongly on al, i spoke to chief correspondent henry zeffman. the prime minister i think is throwing his personal authority behind this and is trying to demonstrate the message that the action plan expresses which is the uk wants to be a hospitable home for the ai sector and for al companies. i am really struck by the optimistic rhetoric that we have heard overnight and we will hear more from the prime minister on artificial intelligence because previous governments have flitted between stressing caution about the potential dangers of ai and optimism about the potential upsides. keir starmer and his government appear to have definitively landed on the side of the upsides and i think that is what we are getting in this speech and announcement and action plan today. do you think he will talk about the practical use because when you mention al to the normal person they will be thinking how can this improve and affect our lives? the government is trying to stress the ways in which a! could be used to improve what they do

so far, sir keir starmer, _ what will come out. so far, sir keir starmer, has _ what will come out.so far, sir keir starmer, has said that. what will come out. so far, sir keir starmer, has said that he | keir starmer, has said that he is backing his ministerfor now. is backing his minister for now. . , , ~ is backing his minister for now. ., ,, . ., now. that issue there. we also had the shadow— now. that issue there. we also had the shadow chancellor, - now. that issue there. we also l had the shadow chancellor, also speaking to laura keynes, speaking to laura keynes, speaking about rachel reeves in china. mil speaking about rachel reeves in china. , speaking about rachel reeves in china. �* , china. all sorts of things happening _ china. all sorts of things happening in _ china. all sorts of things happening in the - china. all sorts of things i happening in the economy china. all sorts of things - happening in the economy this week, cost of borrowing has gone up. rachel reeves as a trainer to start discussions with the government there about how britain and china are improving t

i was at the speech sir keir starmer| at the speech sir keir starmer made earlier and he outlined theed ai entrepreneur matt clifford was nowjoining the number ten ai team to come up with an action plan and there are 50 recommendations on the action plan. the government says it's moving forward with single one of them. some of the headlines are things like ai growth sales, these will be areas of the country where they will have enhanced access to the power grid and streamlined planning permissions so that they can build things like data centres. data centres are vital for the operation. they will be a new supercomputer which will pump up a new supercomputer which will pump up the uk's row competing power and there's going to be new energy council which will be led by peter kyle for science and technology secretary and ed miliband. that will try and take care of the huge energy demands that artificial intelligence brings because it's very hungry for energy. because it's very hungry for ener: . , ., _ , energy. obviously investment will be crucial _ energy. obviously investment will be

sir keir starmer has launched a strong attack on those whose who have criticised his record on tackling historical sex gang cases when nhe was the uk's top prosecutor. a slew of online posts by elon musk, the tech billionaire, and a close ally of us president—elect donald trump called sir keir "complicit in the rape of britain". and mr musk also voiced support for the jailed far right political activist, tommy robinson. the prime minister didn't name elon musk directly — but he slammed those who he has said, use the sex abuse case to generate publicity. because those that are spreading lies and misinformation is far and as wide as possible, they are not interested in victims. they are interested in victims. they are interested in victims. they are interested in themselves. those who i'm not interested in justice. they are supporting a man who nearly collapsing —— he went to prison for nearly collapsing a gang green in case. those are people who are trying to get a vicarious thrill from street violence that people like tommy robinson promote. let's speak to our political correspondent ha

so actually, keir starmer hasn't been able to rewrite the rules on that.i was speaking to a boss of a renewable energy company the other day there, and he was really excited about the ai speech that keir starmer gave on monday. but he said, "you know, instantly that made the other mission of completely renewable energy by 2030 much harder in one morning." yeah. so it's like, all right. oh yeah. so actually mission one economic growth helped mission whatever number it is. clean electricity by 2030 hindered. so this is quite important. because actually the people they need to do a lot of- the investment are the private sectors and business people. and they and they're i thinking, i think they've had six months now ofj talking about stability. institutions that. were trashed under the previous government are now_ back up and running, and they talk quite . a lot about councils and like some of. l a lot about councils and like some of... no, i mean not councils. i mean economic. councils. you know, it's all- about systems and it's like 0k, right. you've had you

sir keir starmer says it is a step in the right direction. the uk's second busiest port, holyhead in north wales, reopens this morning six weeks after storm damage shut it down. and the latest figures show thousands of families are spending hundreds of pounds a month on adhd medication because of long waiting times for nhs prescriptions. shortly we will take you live to central london. in a speech the leader of the liberal democrats ed davey is set to urge the government to negotiate a new negotiation with the eu. he says stronger ties will strengthen our hand in dealing with new president donald trump who has threatened to impose trade tariffs when he enters the white house from monday. before we bring you that speech we can update you on some other news. as we have been reporting this morning british prime minister sir keir starmer is a new crane. he is set to sign a partnership with the country, a security partnership to strengthen ties between the uk and ukraine. in the last half an hour or so we heard from our correspondent in kyiv who s

he accused keir starmer of being complicit in the rape of britain, and that he should go.d today, he conducted a survey on x about whether the people of america should liberate the people of britain from their tyrannical government. now, listen to the prime minister's indignant is, his anger in defending his record as director of public prosecutions. he says he challenged those who ignored the victims. when i was chief prosecutor for five years, i tackled that head on, and when i left office, we had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record. and now, he says... so this government will get on with the job of protecting victims, but what i won't tolerate is this discussion and debate based on lies without calling it out. what i won't tolerate is politicians jumping on the bandwagon, simply to get attention. when those politicians sat in government for 14 long years. tweeting, talking, but not doing anything about it. now so desperate for attention that they are amplifying what the far right is saying. at the heart of this row are victims — vul

keir starmer was not the prime minister by a long shot. in fact, he was a conservative government. um, in fact, the journalist who broke the story says keir starmer, who was then in a kind of public prosecutor, actually helped prosecute a lot of these cases and nothing has happened in the brief period of keir starmer as prime minister, where he has taken any act, any action that covers up or anything like that. right. i'm just trying to understand is there any basis for implicating him in this scandal? >> no, there's there is no factual basis. it's true that he was director of public prosecutions in britain, which is kind of the equivalent of attorney general, but also solicitor general. um, when that scandal broke in 2012, he then stepped up what was clearly a very lax system. he sort of tightened up the crown prosecution service, which he was in charge of. um, to try to prevent such a recurrence of what was clearly a massive sort of fail by the system. and he then began the prosecutions that are ongoing. but we've got, um, you know, a pretty long legacy now of trials in this case

keir starmer talking about a 100-year pact.mfort will the ukrainian leader president zelenskyy take from that solidarity? >> i think it is helpful. the u.k. since the beginning of the crisis has been at the forefront of helping people of ukraine. couple other things as well. with the upcoming, i'm pretty sure, peace negotiations, it should help get us a seat at the table. on the upcoming european discussions, which are quietly already going on about what we can contribute to the long-term security of ukraine, he has obviously talked to zelenskyy about the question of whether british troops will be part of whatever peacekeeping force emerges. it has been a very useful visit. ben: we are on the eve of donald trump's return to the white house, of course -- not literally the eve, but almost there. is this visit maybe not so much a coincidence that the produce prime minister's showing support for ukraine -- british prime minister is showing support for ukraine at a time when ukrainians are worried that a trump white house will be no

keir starmer himself will be popping up tomorrow talking about it. morning the tech secretary, peter kyle, was in our studio and indeed in others, at our chums across the industry, talking about what he believes is a very, very significant opportunity for the economy and also opportunities for us because he reckons the government can be much more efficient. he reckons that all of our lives can be improved by massive advances in al, as it's known. but i should be worried about al, i'm told. well, both, right? and this is an is an interesting thing, isn't it? this is the point. what we were trying to explore tomorrow is how the government gets a balance right between the huge rewards that there are and the huge risks that there also are. but peter kyle, really, this morning i thought came across as a real sort of evangelist for this, essentially sticking his stake in the ground and saying that the uk is going to miss out if we don't crack on and actually welcome these new technologies and that the government backs them too. this was what he had to say.

uk prime minister sir keir starmer lays out his vision to make britain a world leader in the technology has arrived. a defining opportunity is here, and together we will harness it, for the good of our country. pacific ambitions. china sets its sights on south america — with a massive new port in peru. we'll have a special report. welcome to business today, live from new york. it's another negative start for wall street, after two weeks of losses, as investors�* hopes fade for further interest rate cuts from the federal reserve any time soon. a surprise jobs report showing over a quarter of a million newjobs in december suggests the economy is too strong for the fed to ease policy. bond yields are up, and the dollar hits a two—year high, with the pound the biggest loser. tech stocks are also down due to concerns over upcoming legislation. let's cross live now tojim worden, cio at the the wealth consulting group. thank you forjoining us. as you just heard, the us dollar rising, bond yields are surging around the world, what is it a sign of? i around the world, what is it a sin of? ~ , ,

keir starmer is hoping that if aa is fully adopted, it could transform lives and drive growth.ork in the real world? keir starmer is likely to say it could help cut teachers admin task time, assist doctors in treating patients and even fixing potholes in the roads and the big one is increased productivity. the government is happy will increase productivity by around 1.5% a year and that would be the equivalent of an extra £37 billion. —— the government is hoping it will increase. as for why now? this kind of push is something we have been hearing an awful lot as countries around the world compete to become ai hubs, especially in asia, because china is the second largest ai market and even in treating patients and even fixing potholes in the roads and the big one is increased productivity. the government is happy will increase productivity by around 1.5% a year and that would be the equivalent of an extra £37 billion. —— the government is hoping it will increase. as for why now? this kind of push is something we have been hearing an awful lot as countries around the world compet

sir keir starmer arising ukraine to sign a new 100 year partnership to deepen security ties. and we have lift off, the blue 0rigin�*s new glenn rocket has launched from cape canaveral on its delayed inauguralflight. welcome to the programme. the latest on the ceasefire and hostage release deal between israel and hamas. it has raised hopes of an end to 15 months of war in gaza. israel's cabinet is due to meet later to approve the deal. the first part will come into effect on sunday. there have been celebrations in gaza, with cheering crowds holding palestinian flags even as israeli air strikes were reported elsewhere in the territory. the un chief said the priority had to be easing the tremendous suffering caused by the conflict. the families of israeli hostages expressed overwhelming joy and relief as well as anxiety that the deal might not be fully implemented. prime minister benjamin netanyahu's office said the final details were still being worked on and he would issue a statement only once they were complete. phase one of the deal is a six—week initial ceasefire when hama

andy burnham, who's surging ahead in popularity of keir starmer is he finished. ver. >> i think he was over before this. personally i think i've always said i said on election night that he would he would likely not last the full term. and i think the way that current trends are going, it's quite clear that at the moment labour will not win in scotland, which will not win in scotland, which will put huge pressure on, especially after the hard work that anas sarwar has done north of the border. and for the first time in history, we won't win in wales. >> all right, so look, what's it going to take, what's it going to take for the labour party. maybe just, you know, the secretaries of state downing street to listen and be more in touch with the public. something's clearly wrong at the top, i think. >> i think this comes down to actually backbench mps who aren't happy that i've spoken to because, again, falling into the trap meant that with this vote the other day, the tories were very cynical at putting a wrecking amendment in. and for those that don't know what a w