UK politics live: Half of Labour voters ‘let down’ by Starmer, Jenrick vows he won’t return Tories to centre

At about 2.30 pm on Wednesday, James Cleverly was with his entourage talking to representatives of the Girl Guides who had a stall for the day in Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate. He seemed relaxed and confident just a like man destined to go through to the final round of the Tory leadership contest.

But already things were going badly wrong for the former home secretary. An hour later Bob Blackman, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, announced that he had been eliminated from the contest.

It led to the question: How could Mr Cleverly have got two votes less than he had done in the previous round when he had been the clear winner before, and favourite to be Rishi Sunak’s replacement?

Read the full analysis below:

The King will join Sir Keir Starmer in meeting business leaders from across the world at a reception linked to the Labour Government’s first major investment summit.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles’ attendance at the event, which will take place on Monday evening at St Paul’s Cathedral following the summit.

Alongside the Prime Minister, he will meet guests from sectors including technology, energy and the performing arts.

The reception will be held after around 300 industry leaders gather in London for the Government’s flagship investment summit, at which Sir Keir will pitch the UK as “open for business” as part of his bid to drive growth into the country.

Confirmed speakers include Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer at Alphabet and Google, Alex Kendall, chief executive of AI firm Wayve, and Bruce Flatt, head of Brookfield Asset Management.

It is not the first time Charles has attended such an event, having hosted former premier Rishi Sunak at a similar reception at Buckingham Palace last year to conclude 2023’s UK Global Investment Summit.

In a faux pas bordering on farce, the opposition finds itself faced with a choice between two hard right-wingers differing only in the extent of their extremism, writes Sean O’Grady:

Wales cannot afford another 25 years of Labour, the leader of Plaid Cymru has said.

Speaking at the party’s annual conference on Friday, Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Labour’s letting down its traditional supporters, so many of whom are already embracing Plaid Cymru’s vision.

“Labour’s failing them, failing Wales and failing to understand what it takes to turn things around.

“We can win by demonstrating we are better than this, we’re bolder and not the bystanders that this government have become.

“Be in no doubt – we can win at the ballot box and that must be our goal. This isn’t about winning for us – it’s about winning for Wales.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity has fallen to a record low as a majority of voters are disappointed by the Labour government’s actions so far, new polling shows.

As the prime minister marks 100 days in office on Saturday, a pair of damning polls show his approval rating plummeting and almost half of those who voted for Labour saying they feel let down.

It comes amid an ongoing reset in Downing Street as Sir Keir tries to seize back control of the political agenda.

Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has the full report below:

Labour is facing intensifying scrutiny over the role of John Woodcock as the government’s adviser on extremism, following serious allegations of conflicts of interest presented by civil society groups.

The Good Law Project and Compassion in Politics have lodged formal complaints with the Lords commissioner for standards, claiming that Mr Woodcook had financial ties to organisations whose clients are targeted by protests he tried to suppress.

In a report earlier this year, he recommended the proscription of various direct activism groups, including Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil, sparking concerns over impartiality.

In letters to the prime minister and the home secretary, campaigners called for Mr Woodcock’s dismissal, saying: “Members of the House of Lords and government advisers must not only act impartially but also be seen to be acting impartially. We believe Lord Walney has failed this test and we ask that you now intervene to terminate his appointment.”

Responding to the latest criticism, the adviser said: “Extreme protest groups and their sympathisers are conducting a concerted campaign to remove me because they oppose my proposals to restrict criminal damage and severe disruption in the name of progressive causes and measures to tackle antisemitism at marches.

“My conclusions as an adviser independent of government were meticulously researched, objectively reached, and my interests are all properly declared.”

So cautious and moderate was former immigration minister Robert Jenrick when he entered the Commons that he was nicknamed “Robert Generic”.

Yet now 10 years later, he has reached the final two of the 2024 Conservative Party leadership campaign in a battle against Kemi Badenoch to become the champion of the Tory hard-right - but it all was very different when he was first elected.

You can read the full story below:

Patrick Hurley, representing Southport, has launched a campaign aimed at reducing the price of Freddo chocolate bars to 5p.

The move follows discussions with students at a local school who expressed their concerns about the rising cost of living.

Taking to social media, Mr Hurley said: “20 pence for a Freddo is too much, especially in a cost of living crisis.

“The girls were very clued-up about political issues, including assisted dying and the Middle East.”

The Labour MP said he didn’t think the campaign would succeed but branded the petition as a “lovely, little whimsical, light-hearted thing we can do” that could help engage young people in politics.

He added: “If you start talking about gas bills, the average 14-year-old might switch off, but if you talk about the price of chocolate bars.”

To avoid a return to austerity, the chancellor must find £25bn a year without cutting deep into departmental spending. If only we could rejoin the single market or customs union, says John Rentoul:

The prime minister has met with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and her deputy Emma Little-Pengelly during the inaugural Council of Nations and Regions in Edinburgh.

This meeting comes amid growing concerns from Northern Irish leaders following the government’s announcement last month that it would pause four city and growth deals in the area.

It later emerged that the Belfast and the Londonderry and Strabane deals would not be affected because those were at a later stage.

However, two other deals, which cover Causeway Coast and Glens and the Mid South West region, are awaiting the conclusion of Labour’s spending review to hear whether the funding pause will be lifted.

The deals, which advance investment and infrastructure projects in specific areas, involve bespoke funding arrangements between the Treasury, the Stormont Executive and local partners.

Asked about the issue in Edinburgh, Sir Keir said: “We talked about city deals, we talked about growth, we talked about energy, we talked about the opportunities we have to work together to deliver across Northern Ireland.

“That’s the sort of collaboration, sleeves rolled up, working together across Northern Ireland people want to see more of.”