Mel Stride appointed shadow chancellor and Priti Patel shadow foreign secretary as Kemi Badenoch announces team – as it happened

Mel Stride Is New Shadow Chancellor; Priti Patel Is Shadow Foreign Secretary

According to reports from the BBC, Mel Stride, who previously served as the work and pensions secretary, has been appointed as the shadow chancellor.

Priti Patel, who previously held the role of home secretary, is now serving as the shadow foreign secretary.

This indicates that Kemi Badenoch genuinely intends to bring the party together. Stride holds a significant position on the left side of the party, while Patel is a well-known member of the right wing.

Both Stride and Patel participated as candidates in this year's leadership competition.

Patel is indeed interested in foreign policy. During her time as the international development secretary, she was dismissed by Theresa May for essentially acting like an unapproved foreign secretary. This included meeting with Israeli ministers without the approval of Downing Street.

Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to congratulate Badenoch on her electoral win.

I extend my sincere congratulations to Kemi Badenoch. I have no doubt she will enhance the longstanding tradition of partnership and friendship between Israel and the UK.

Minister responds to Jeremy Clarkson's criticism while standing by the decision to extend inheritance tax to include farms.

Phillipson criticizes the Conservative Party for pretending to be outraged about the rise in tuition fees, following Laura Trott's claim that it goes against their promises.

Phillipson reports that the maximum tuition fee for students in England will increase by £285 annually, bringing the total to £9,535.

Bridget Phillipson speaks to the House of Commons about rising tuition fees.

Mel Stride has been named the shadow chancellor, while Priti Patel will serve as the shadow foreign secretary.

The government assures that most farmers will still be able to transfer their farms to their children, even with the recent extension of inheritance tax.

The Environment Minister is defending the extension of the inheritance tax for farms, explaining that the wealthiest 7% of farmers receive 40% of the advantages from the existing policy.

The Green Party suggests that tuition fees should be eliminated rather than raised.

Ex-MP Beth Winter resigns from the Labour Party, expressing her belief that the party is no longer socialist and is focused primarily on maintaining the current neoliberal framework.

The head of the IFS has brushed off criticism regarding the extension of inheritance tax for farms, labeling it as a case of "special pleading" coming from very affluent individuals.

Bridget Phillipson is set to reveal an increase in tuition fees for students in England.

Cooper mentions that the government is looking into modifying legislation to recognize individuals under the age of 16 as victims of domestic violence.

Laura Trott named as the new opposition education secretary.

Farmers are expressing unprecedented anger over the recent changes to inheritance tax, with many feeling ready to take a strong stand, according to the leader of the National Farmers' Union (NFU).

Badenoch has apparently informed the CCHQ team that they have the potential to win the upcoming election and encouraged them to explore new and creative approaches to their work.

Starmer outlines the government's plan to regard human traffickers as if they were terrorists.

Starmer believes that human trafficking should be viewed as a serious global security issue, comparable to terrorism.

Lammy argues that reparations for colonies impacted by slavery shouldn't focus on direct monetary compensation.

Cooper dismisses James Dyson's criticism of the 'vindictive' budget and his assertion that the Labour Party has an aversion to the private sector.

Yvette Cooper condemns the 'shocking' remark regarding Kemi Badenoch that was shared by a Labour MP.

Badenoch appoints Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson as co-chairs for the Conservative party, while Rebecca Harris takes on the role of chief whip.

Starmer emphasizes that the world needs to recognize the seriousness of the dangers associated with illegal immigration.

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Kemi Badenoch has selected Mel Stride as the shadow chancellor and Priti Patel as the shadow foreign secretary as she starts to form a Conservative frontbench team aimed at bringing the party together. Additionally, Robert Jenrick will take on the role of shadow justice secretary, according to reports from Steven Swinford at the Times.

Robert Jenrick has taken on the position of shadow justice secretary in Kemi Badenoch's newly formed shadow cabinet.

Badenoch extended the offer for the position to him following a fiercely contested leadership race.

A supporter of Jenrick mentioned, "Rob believes it’s crucial for the party to unite and challenge Labour. Coming together is essential. He’s keen to highlight Labour’s poor track record on crime and safety."

Starting next autumn, university tuition fees in England will increase for the first time in eight years, according to the government. The Conservative Party has labeled this decision as a betrayal of promises made. Laura Trott, the newly appointed shadow education secretary, stated:

Now that Keir Starmer has been elected as the leader of the Labour Party with a commitment to eliminate tuition fees, and given that there was no reference to any fee increases in the party's manifesto, along with the education secretary stating just this past July that Labour had no intentions of raising fees, it’s understandable that students might feel let down. This marks yet another broken promise from Labour, adding to the extensive list of unfulfilled commitments.

The government's claim that only a third of farmers will be impacted by the new inheritance tax regulations contradicts information from its own environment department, according to the NFU.

Keir Starmer has stated that human trafficking ought to be regarded as a worldwide security issue akin to terrorism. (Refer to 11:36 AM.)

Mel Stride, the recently appointed shadow chancellor, has expressed his belief that parental benefits are overly generous. Labor representatives have pointed to a piece he penned for ConservativeHome back in 2012, during his time as a backbencher, in which he stated that maternity and paternity leave policies often led to employees taking several extended absences from work, sometimes lasting up to a year each. He claimed this situation placed a burden on employers. He further elaborated:

The political landscape concerning this matter is complicated, as global trends indicate that alterations in this part of labor law usually move in just one direction: they tend to favor employees more and more.

In recent years, a few countries, including Germany, have made significant changes in this regard. If we aim to give a strong boost to British businesses and entrepreneurship, I believe we should seriously think about taking inspiration from their example, particularly by examining the possibility of easing employment protection laws for smaller companies.

Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, would likely concur with this viewpoint, given her comments on maternity leave and business regulations at the Tory conference.

The Russell Group, an association of top research-oriented universities, issued a statement highlighting that the increase in tuition fees is a positive indication that the government is taking the financial challenges facing both universities and students seriously.

Minister Clashes With Clarkson On Inheritance Tax

Amazon Prime star and Sunday Times columnist Jeremy Clarkson has loudly expressed his disagreement with Labour's proposed modifications to agricultural property relief. These changes would require farms valued over £1 million to pay inheritance tax.

He's criticized Keir Starmer for betraying farmers. Clarkson has earlier acknowledged that one advantage of purchasing his farm, which gained fame from the show Clarkson's Farm, was the ability to dodge inheritance tax.

However, Daniel Zeichner, the minister of agriculture, responded to Clarkson during the urgent query earlier. (Refer to 3:48 PM.) He stated:

Those critics of the policy not only appear to enjoy coming up with inventive ways to manage their accounts, but some of them also get paid to write articles on the topic.

Numerous farmers are truly worried about recent changes, claiming that the threshold is unreasonably low. They point out that rising prices, driven by people purchasing farmland, do not reflect the actual earnings from farming activities, which remain quite low. As a result, family farms that have been handed down through the generations have seen their worth soar, even though the farmers' income has decreased. This situation has left them anxious about facing a hefty tax burden when they transfer their land to the next generation.

In his column for the Sunday Times this past Sunday, Clarkson expressed:

I felt a surge of anger rising within me. If the rumors circulating in the countryside about a farmer taking his own life are true, then their spiteful and envious policies might have driven someone to that tragic outcome. Yet, there they stood, smiling.

Over the last five years, farmland has turned into a trendy investment for professionals in business attire. Since many investment bankers are wealthy, the prices have skyrocketed.

In my area, land prices have soared to £30,000 per acre. This means a 500-acre farm is now valued at £15 million. Keep in mind that this price doesn’t cover the house, barns, or any equipment—it's only for the land itself.

However, the University and College Union (UCU), which advocates for university employees, has condemned the rise in tuition fees. Jo Grady, the general secretary, stated:

Withdrawing additional funds from students burdened by debt and giving it to vice-chancellors who are highly paid and not delivering results is a flawed approach. This strategy will not effectively tackle the fundamental problems facing the sector.

As Keir Starmer pointed out last year, the existing tuition fee structure is not beneficial for students or for universities.

The system is failing; it has burdened students with years of financial debt, transformed universities from places of education into profit-driven businesses, and consistently worsened the pay and working conditions for staff.

Labour acknowledges that the challenges in higher education are deeply rooted, but their solutions are merely superficial. Their approach lacks clarity and could easily be misused by university leaders. Furthermore, the increase in tuition fees will likely lead to a higher number of graduates unable to repay their loans, which will ultimately burden taxpayers.

The chancellor emphasizes the need to "invest, invest, invest," and now is the moment to focus that investment on higher education. This is especially important if Labour is truly committed to fostering a decade of national revitalization.

Universities UK, the organization that represents universities, has expressed support for the increase in tuition fees. According to its CEO, Vivienne Stern:

Over the past ten years, the lack of changes in England has resulted in inflation significantly diminishing the actual worth of student fees and maintenance loans by approximately one-third. This situation is clearly not feasible for either students or universities.

Adjusting fees to match inflation helps maintain their value over time instead of allowing them to decrease annually.

It's crucial to note that this change won't require students to pay more upfront for their education; instead, repayments will be based on their earnings after they exceed £25,000. Additionally, the rise in maintenance loans is significant and appreciated.

Here is the document from the Department for Education that outlines the details regarding the rise in tuition fees.

Here is a document from the Department for Education regarding the updated plans for loans to cover living expenses.

Here's a document from the Department for Education regarding fees and loans for foundation year courses.

Phillipson Calls Tories' Tuition Fee Outrage 'Fake'

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, stated that today’s announcement indicated that the government is waging a battle against students, similar to how it has taken a stand against the private sector, businesses, and farmers.

She mentioned that Keir Starmer vowed to eliminate tuition fees during his campaign for the Labour leadership.

Phillipson stated during the king's speech that she had no intentions of increasing tuition fees, according to Trott. She pointed out that this was yet another instance of promises not being kept.

In reply, Phillipson called Trott's reaction "fake anger." She also pointed out that Trott hadn't clarified whether the Conservatives were against the increase or in favor of it.

Phillipson expresses her desire for universities to play a larger role in supporting local economies and enhancing opportunities for social mobility. She believes they should do more to assist students from underprivileged backgrounds in pursuing higher education.

"Tuition Fees In England Rise By £285 To £9,535"

Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, stated that the previous government created chaos in the university sector.

She mentions that she will be sharing two separate announcements.

To start, the government aims to ensure a stable future for universities. Beginning in April 2025, the upper limit for tuition fees will be adjusted to reflect inflation, rising from £9,250 to £9,535. This represents an annual increase of £285, according to her.

(The majority of universities set their fees at the highest allowable limit.)

She mentions that graduates won't need to increase their monthly payments once they finish their studies.

She mentions that the highest maintenance payment is set to increase, which means that in 2025-26, it will provide an additional £414.

She also mentions that there will be a minimum fee of £5,760 for foundation years in subjects taught in a classroom setting.