General election latest: Starmer calls for closer ties with EU

Sir Keir Starmer has said the row over Diane Abbott’s suspension will be resolved “in due course”, as he faced questions over a report that an investigation into her racism comments was completed five months ago.

The Labour leader said his party’s National Executive Committee will decide whether Ms Abbott can stand as a Labour MP in the general election.

Sir Keir was asked about a BBC Newsnight report that an investigation into comments the veteran MP made about racism – which led to the Labour whip being withdrawn – was completed five months ago.

He told broadcasters: “The process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact-finding exercise.

“But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee and they’ll do that in due course.”

Police have dropped an investigation into Angela Rayner over allegations about her former council house living arrangements.

Following a complaint from Tory deputy chairman James Daly, Ms Rayner faced scrutiny over the 2015 sale of her council house in Stockport and about whether she had provided false information about her address during the 2010s.

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The Tories said Angela Rayner “still hasn’t provided an explanation” in the row over her living arrangements.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said: “Greater Manchester Police have said they’ve passed the findings of their investigation into Angela Rayner to HMRC, who do not comment on their tax probes.

“As the tax expert and Labour Party member Dan Neidle has said, Rayner still hasn’t provided an explanation.

“Sir Keir Starmer could easily clear this up by simply reading and then publishing the tax advice Labour claims will exonerate his under-fire deputy.”

Diane Abbott is to reportedly be banned from standing as a Labour candidate at the general election – as it emerged a party investigation into her finished five months ago.

Sir Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that the party’s National Excecutive Committee will decide whether Ms Abbott, the longest-serving Black MP, will be able to stand for the party in the 4 July general election.

But The Times is reporting that the party leadership has already made its decision on the 70-year-old, who was suspended last April over a letter she wrote suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Diane Abbott will be banned from standing as a Labour candidate at the upcoming general election, according to reports.

The Times reported on Tuesday that it is understood the decision to exclude the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington will not change.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer was plunged into a fresh row over Ms Abbott’s suspension after it emerged the investigation into her was completed five months ago.

The Labour leader says the party’s National Executive Committee will decide whether Ms Abbott, the longest-serving Black MP, will be able to stand for the party in the 4 July general election.

She was suspended last April over a letter she wrote suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities.

Ms Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, under Jeremy Corbyn, apologised over the comments and said the letter had been an “initial draft”.

More than a year on, Sir Keir insisted there was an ongoing investigation into Ms Abbott and that he could not get involved in the case. He had promised it would be resolved by 4 June.

But a Newsnight report has claimed the investigation into Ms Abbott was completed in December. She was given a formal warning over her conduct and required to complete an antisemitism awareness course, which she completed in February, it added.

A source close to Ms Abbott told the BBC programme she has not been told whether she will be allowed to stand for the Labour Party in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, where she was elected in 1987.

But the source added that she was not expecting to have her suspension lifted as the party had a “predetermined outcome” and was “dragging out the process in order to block her from being a candidate at the election”.

Angela Rayner also faces no further council investigations into allegations about her former council house living arrangements.

Stockport Council said on Tuesday that they would take no further action against the Deputy Labour leader.

It comes as Greater Manchester Police announced it would be dropping its probe into Ms Rayner.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Stockport Council has reviewed and responded to all correspondence relating to this matter, including information received from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who have concluded that no further police action will be taken.

“We have also concluded that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council.”

The new plans would raise the tax-free pension allowance every year in line with the triple lock. This means an increase in line with average wages, inflation, or 2.5 per cent – whichever is highest.

The tax-free allowance for both pensions and workers was frozen in 2021 at that year’s level of £12,570, and is not set to rise again until 2028. Before this, it would rise yearly with inflation.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak says the move “demonstrates we are on the side of pensioners”, adding that it aims to give “peace of mind and security in retirement”.

Those only receiving the state pension for income wouldn’t feel the benefit of this policy immediately. After rising 8.5 per cent in April, the state pension is £11,502 a year, meaning no tax is paid on it.

Sir Keir Starmer has said there is “no case for saying we go back into the EU”.

Asked if his government would review freedom of movement with the EU, the Labour leader said: “Obviously we had freedom of movement when we were a member of the EU, we haven’t got it any more and we’re not going back.

“There is no case for saying we go back into the EU. We had that referendum back in 2016, we got an outcome for it.”

Speaking to an audience at the Airbus factory in Hertfordshire this afternoon, Sir Keir added: “I do think that we can get a better deal with the EU than the one we’ve got.

“We’ve got a botched job because Boris Johnson simply wanted to say he got it over the line, didn’t do the detail and we’ve got a deal which doesn’t work as well as it should do.

“So we’ve got to take that on – a closer relationship, I think actually not just in trade, but also in defence.

“I think there’s huge scope for closer work on defence and security and also education.”