I’m still in control, insists Starmer, as civil war breaks out over Sue Gray pay

Sir Keir Starmer has denied he has lost control of Downing Street despite civil war breaking out at the centre of his government.

The Prime Minister was forced to defend his authority amid growing questions over Sue Gray’s salary, which at £170,000 exceeds his own and was leaked in an apparent deliberate attempt to damage her politically.

A hunt has been launched to find the source of the leak, which appeared to come from inside Whitehall.

The salary for Ms Gray, Sir Keir’s powerful chief of staff, who in her time as a civil servant oversaw the partygate investigation into Boris Johnson, has become a lightning rod for Labour advisers’ anger.

Tensions inside No 10 and questions over Ms Gray’s pay now threaten to overshadow the Labour Party conference, which begins in Liverpool this weekend.

The gathering, the first Labour conference in 15 years with the party in office rather than opposition, was meant to be a moment of celebration after its general election victory.

But Sir Keir faces a battle to draw a line under the row surrounding Ms Gray, as well as criticism over donations and gifts accepted by him, his wife and his ministers.

In a round of regional broadcast interviews ahead of the conference, Sir Keir was asked “whether you’re the one in control here” and “whether you’ve got a grip”.

Sir Keir responded: “I’m completely in control. I’m focused and every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver. We were elected on a big mandate to deliver change, I am determined that we are going to do that.”

When asked why Ms Gray was getting paid more than him, he told the BBC: “I’m not going to get into discussions about individual salaries about any members of my staff. I’m sure you wouldn’t expect me to.”

The Telegraph understands Ms Gray’s pay deal was struck outside of the formal consideration process, with questions remaining about who first proposed the amount.

Signs of tensions inside the Government over Ms Gray, who once told Labour staff “you had my back, I’ll always have yours”, have led Sir Keir’s allies to issue pleas for unity.

But advisers on lower salaries than Ms Gray are said to be recalling these words in anger, with one telling The Times: “Sue is seen as the driver behind a clampdown on both overall Spad [special adviser] numbers and pay, so there was a great deal of surprise when it emerged she was setting records for her own pay.”

One ally urged the Prime Minister to “read the f------ riot act” to his staff to stop the leaks, while a trade union general secretary said Labour MPs were becoming disillusioned.

One Labour adviser said Ms Gray had angered longer-serving colleagues in Sir Keir’s team who were not taken into Downing Street after the party’s election victory, a sentiment echoed by others.

On Thursday, the BBC published a story explaining how the source who had leaked Ms Gray’s salary was a “government insider” who was motivated by “upset and anger” at the chief of staff.

Other special advisers were left frustrated that their salaries were not nearly as high as that of Ms Gray, who earns £3,000 more than Sir Keir.

It remains unclear who proposed the salary level, which is at least £25,000 higher than Downing Street chiefs of staff during the Conservatives’ years in government.

The Special Adviser People Board, which includes Ms Gray and senior officials overseeing ethics issues, met to sign off changes to the pay bands for special advisers.

However, The Telegraph understands that the decision about Ms Gray’s salary, and the increase to the top pay band more generally, had been taken before that meeting.

Multiple Downing Street and Cabinet Office figures declined to say who proposed her pay rise, other than insisting it was signed off by Sir Keir and Ms Gray was not involved.

Dominic Cummings, a former chief adviser to Mr Johnson, said claims from a Labour Cabinet minister that political figures were not involved in the pay decision was “nonsense”.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph understands that Simon Case, Britain’s most senior civil servant, is expected to formally submit his resignation next month after the party conference season.

Mr Case’s allies say his departure, which would take effect in the new year, is owing to his ill health. Others, however, have long claimed that he has a fraught relationship with Ms Gray.

The Prime Minister also defended his approach to donations. He has accepted more than £100,000 of free tickets and gifts since the 2019 election, more than any other party leader.

Speaking about taking free Arsenal tickets in the corporate area, Sir Keir said it was “common sense” as he could no longer watch from the stands because of security concerns.

Sir Keir also defended taking donations – including for clothing and glasses – from Lord Alli, saying he had “followed the rules” and declared gifts properly so it was all “transparent”.

But he faced criticism from Baroness Harman, a former acting Labour leader, who said that Sir Keir’s “doubling down” on the donations row was “making things worse”.

She told Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast: “You can either double down on it and try and justify it or you can just say it was probably a misstep, if I had my time again I wouldn’t do it and therefore I’m going to auction for charity or something.

“It’s not a hanging offence, but I think doubling down and trying to justify it is making things worse.

“He’s not a sort of money focused, greedy type person. He is a person of public service. So this is slightly out of line. And he’ll be wanting to deal with it.”

What Starmer said … and what it means

On Sue Gray

Sir Keir said he was “completely in control”, despite the anonymous briefings and leaks over the Sue Gray row.

In a series of interviews for the regional press, he told a reporter that he was “not going to get into discussions about individual salaries”.

“I’m completely in control. I’m focused and every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver,” he said.

The comments follow days of briefings and leaks from Labour political advisers about the salary and influence of the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.

The BBC revealed that Ms Gray was being paid £170,000 – much more than her predecessor – at a time when many special advisers had taken pay cuts on coming to government.

On free football tickets

The Prime Minister defended receiving free corporate tickets to watch Arsenal, saying it was “common sense” as it was safer than being in the stands and would not be a cost to the taxpayer.

He said: “Since I’ve been Prime Minister, the security advice is don’t go in the stands, not least because it’ll cost a fortune to the taxpayer in security police officers if you choose to go in the stands.

“I’ve taken that advice, I’ve been offered a ticket somewhere else. Frankly, I’d rather be in the stands but I’m not going to ask the taxpayer to indulge me to be in the stands when I could go and sit somewhere else where the club and the security say it’s safer for me to be. That is for me a common-sense situation.”

However, this comment does not explain why Sir Keir received a large number of free tickets to Arsenal when he was leader of the opposition, and the security rules did not apply.

On free clothes

Sir Keir also defended the £16,200 donation towards clothes from Lord Alli, one of Labour’s major donors.

He said he had always “followed the rules” and declared gifts properly so that everything was “transparent”.

“The important thing in all of this is that we follow the rules, which is really important to me and make the declarations so that everything is transparent,” he said.

However, the Prime Minister’s office did not always follow the rules. It emerged that he had not originally declared that the £16,200 was for clothes, saying merely that it was to support his private office. The register was updated a month later.

On NHS Wales

Sir Keir Starmer accepted for the first time the parlous state of the NHS in Labour-run Wales, saying it “desperately” needed reform.

His comments came on the day that waiting lists hit a record high in the principality for the sixth month in a row.

Over the past 14 years, Wales has had consistently poorer health outcomes than England, where the NHS was run by the Conservatives until the last election.

Asked if Welsh Labour had run the health service well, he said: “There are challenges… I’m not going to pretend to you otherwise”.

On winter fuel

Challenged over his decision to cut winter fuel payments, the Labour leader said he did not want to give people false hope.

Sir Keir repeated that it was important to get as many pensioners as possible on to pension credit, and he said next year the state pension was due to go up by more than the loss of the allowance.

“What we’re doing is taking the necessary steps to deliver the change that we promised,” he said. “In order to do so we are going to take the tough decisions early.

“We’ve got to deal with the £22 billion black hole. With the winter fuel payment it is important that we get as many pensioners as possible on to pension credit, which obviously then protects them and they get the payment.”

He did not mention the fact that alongside cutting the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners, he had decided to increase the wages of striking train drivers and junior doctors.

07:21 PM BST

That’s all for today

Thanks for following our coverage. The Telegraph’s live political coverage will be back tomorrow.

07:11 PM BST

Room with a view: Rayner enjoyed freebie new year in luxury NYC flat courtesy of Lord Alli

Angela Rayner enjoyed stunning views of Manhattan and the Empire State Building on New Year’s Eve from a $2.5 million flat lent by the Labour donor at the centre of the row over freebies, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Deputy Prime Minister spent five nights in the luxury Manhattan apartment with views over New York from the 56th floor of a skyscraper.

The two-bedroom property totalling 1,300 sq ft was lent to Ms Rayner by Lord Alli, the Labour peer, from Dec 29 to Jan 2 last year.

Read the full story here. 

06:58 PM BST

Cuts to winter fuel payments a ‘necessary step to deliver change’, says Starmer

Challenged over his decision to cut winter fuel payments, the Labour leader said he did not want to give people false hope.

Sir Keir repeated that it was important to get as many pensioners as possible onto pension credit, and said next year the state pension was set to go up by more than the loss of the allowance.

“What we’re doing is taking the necessary steps to deliver the change that we promised,” he said. “In order to do so we are going to take the tough decisions early.

“We’ve got to deal with the 22 billion pound black hole. With the winter fuel payment it is important that we get as many pensioners as possible onto pension credit, which obviously then protects them and they get the payment.”

He did not mention the fact that alongside cutting the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners, he had decided to increase the wages of striking train drivers and junior doctors.

06:56 PM BST

Starmer refuses to rule out farming cuts

Sir Keir Starmer said his Government was “listening good and hard” to farmers but did not rule out cutting the farming budget.

The Prime Minister told ITV West Country: “We can do some really important things quickly. Reducing energy bills, and talking to farmers that’s obviously a huge concern to them, but also we’ve looked at the procurement of food in the public sector and we want to go to 50% of produce from the UK.

“That will be a big boost to farmers.

“I can assure farmers that we are listening good and hard to what they said to us before the election and we are absolutely determined that we will deliver on our mandate for change.”

06:44 PM BST

Concerns over immigration and deprivation no excuse for riots, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not “give an inch” to rioters as he dismissed concerns about immigration and deprivation as justification for riots across England during the summer.

The Prime Minister called the unrest “pure thuggery” and said fears over immigration and living standards were no excuse for riots.

Sir Keir told ITV Tyne Tees & Border: “I’m not prepared to give an inch of excuse to people who went on our streets - pure thuggery, terrified communities, tried to set light to buildings, (and) attacked the police.

“They needed to feel, and did feel, the full force of the law. And I don’t think anybody would disagree with that.”

He added: “Is there a concern about deprivation? Yes. Is there a concern about issues like immigration? Yes, I readily accept that.

“We’re a democratic country and we settle those issues democratically. What I won’t countenance, and I don’t suppose anyone watching this will countenance, is those that took it on themselves to exact violence on other people.”

06:27 PM BST

Defending freebies is ‘making things worse’, Baroness Harman tells Starmer

Former Labour MP, Harriet Harman, has described Sir Keir Starmer’s attempts to “justify” accepting free gifts as “making things worse”.

Baroness Harman, who entered the House of Lords this year, told Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast: “You can either double down on it and try and justify it or you can just say it was probably a misstep, if I had my time again I wouldn’t do it and therefore I’m going to auction for charity or something.

“It’s not a hanging offence, but I think doubling down and trying to justify it is making things worse.

“He’s not a sort of money focused, greedy type person. He is a person of public service. So this is slightly out of line. And he’ll be wanting to deal with it.”

06:04 PM BST

Head of civil service expected to resign amid tensions with Sue Gray

Britain’s most senior civil servant is expected to formally resign next month amid tensions with Sue Gray, The Telegraph understands.

Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, has long been tipped to leave the role in the New Year after overseeing Labour’s move into office. The Telegraph understands that he is expected by figures close to the process in Whitehall to announce his departure next month, after the party conferences.

Read the full story here. 

05:46 PM BST

Starmer refuses to pre-empt Budget, saying ‘I don’t want to put the fear of God into people’

The Prime Minister has refused to rule out further cuts in next month’s Budget, saying speculation will “put the fear of God” into people.

Asked about the single person council tax discount, which gives people living alone 25% off their council tax bill, he told BBC West: “I am really concerned about this and obviously I’m not going to pre-empt the Budget, but I don’t want to risk putting the fear of God into people.”

Sir Keir added: “I don’t want to get into this, you know, ‘Will you rule out? Will you rule out? Will you rule out?’ because it just puts fear into people and I don’t want to do that.

“What I will say is that I’m very conscious of how hard it’s been for people and we intend to make sure that we have those people who have faced the greatest hardship in our minds’ eyes when we take our decisions.”

05:31 PM BST

‘Rules are important to me’ says Starmer amid gifts controversy

The Prime Minister has sought to reassure the public that ‘rules’ and ‘transparency’ are important to him, after not declaring a £16,200 gift of free suits from Labour donor Lord Alli.

He said: “The important thing in all of this is that we follow the rules, which is really important to me and make the declarations so that everything is transparent.

“I’m utterly focused, day in day out actually, on how we make the economy work for everyone, how do we get the health service in the place that we need it?”

It emerged yesterday that he had not originally declared that the £16,200 was for clothes, saying merely that it was to support his private office. The register was updated a month later.

05:23 PM BST

Prime Minister addresses soaring NHS waiting lists in Wales

The NHS in Wales “desperately” needs reform, prime minister Keir Starmer has said.

Asked if Welsh Labour had run the health service well, he said: “There are challenges… I’m not going to pretend to you otherwise”.

His comments came on the day that waiting lists hit a record high in Wales for the sixth month in a row.

05:10 PM BST

My Arsenal tickets would ‘cost taxpayer a fortune,’ says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has defended watching Arsenal in the corporate area, describing it as “common sense” for it is safer than being in the stands and won’t cost the taxpayer money.

Asked by BBC Yorkshire’s Political Editor James Vincent how relatable it was for him to get access to a corporate area, he said: “Since I’ve been Prime Minister the security advice is don’t go in the stands, not least because it’ll cost a fortune to the taxpayer in security police officers if you choose to go in the stands.”

He continued: “I’ve taken that advice, I’ve been offered a ticket somewhere else. Frankly I’d rather be in the stands but I’m not going to ask the taxpayer to indulge me to be in the stands when I could go and sit somewhere else where the club and the security say it’s safer for me to be. That is for me a common sense situation.”

“I’m a life-long Arsenal fan. I’ve been going for years and years and years and it’s a real passion of mine and I can go with my boy.”

The Prime Minister has faced criticism for receiving £107,145 in gifts and hospitality since December 2019, two-and-a-half times more than any other MP.

04:58 PM BST

European court dismisses ex-Tory MP’s human rights claim

A former cabinet minister’s attempt to sue the Government in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has been rejected by judges.

Owen Paterson had brought a case against the Government to the ECHR for a breach of his human rights over last year’s ruling by Parliament that he broke lobbying rules.

Mr Paterson resigned as an MP in Nov 2021 after he was found to have broken lobbying rules for taking roughly half a million pounds from two companies and seeking to influence government policy. A six-week suspension from Parliament was recommended.

The former Tory Cabinet minister, who has previously called for the Human Rights Act to be repealed and for the UK to be “set free” from the ECHR, argued that the Government had infringed on his right to privacy and family life.

The ECHR found the Government’s investigation to have been conducted properly and was deemed necessary to uphold Parliament’s rules.

04:33 PM BST

Starmer initially failed to declare money towards clothing from Lord Alli

Sir Keir Starmer initially failed to declare money towards clothing he received from Lord Alli, the Labour donor, it has emerged.

The Prime Minister originally recorded the donation, worth £16,200, in April as “private support for the office of the leader of the opposition”.

Read the full story here. 

04:04 PM BST

Farage ‘giving up control’ of Reform, turning into democratic party

Nigel Farage has said he is “giving up control” of Reform UK and turning it into a democratic party.

In a video message shared on X, the Clacton MP said he would change the structure of the party from one limited by shares to one limited by guarantee, giving members a greater say over how the party is run and with the power - in theory - to oust him as leader.

Reform UK was set-up as a company controlled by shareholders, and as majority shareholder Mr Farage had full control.

He said this was done to make “fast decisions” and prevent it being taken over by “malign actors”, but that since the party’s expansion in support, he was going to honour a promise he previously made to “democratise” it: by giving up his position as majority shareholder.

Mr Farage said: “I’m giving up control, I’m giving it to the members”.

“I am relinquishing control of the company, and indeed of the overall control of the party, it’s now going to be the members, and that, I think, is the right thing…because this conference marks the coming of age of Reform UK, and that’s something that I’m very, very excited about.”

03:24 PM BST

Farage: I would form an alliance with trade unions to oppose winter fuel raid

Nigel Farage has suggested he would form an alliance with the trade unions to oppose Labour’s winter fuel raid.

Asked if he would “campaign with the trade unions” on winter fuel, he told Nick Ferrari on LBC: “Do you know, I once sat on a platform with Sinn Fein. I even stood next to Gerry Adams. I never thought I’d do this, but it was a referendum in Ireland about a European Union treaty. So, you know, politics can make some strange bedfellows.

“I also think the old traditional divides of Left and Right are, frankly, pretty meaningless anymore. What you’ve now really got are a highly educated - which doesn’t always mean intelligent - but a highly educated urban elite who have one view of the world, and outside of that, real people trying to get on with their lives.”

02:44 PM BST

Vast majority of voters oppose MPs taking clothes and concert tickets as gifts

Voters are overwhelmingly opposed to MPs accepting clothes or tickets to sporting events and gigs as gifts, a new poll has found.

The survey, carried out by More in Common, found that just 7% of the public think it is acceptable to take donations for senior ministers’ clothing.

Only 8% said they thought donations of hospitality to politicians are acceptable, according to More in Common’s director, Luke Tryl.

Writing on X, Mr Tryl said:

02:15 PM BST

Labour-run council condemns winter fuel raid

A Labour-run council has condemned the Government’s winter fuel raid as “deeply unfair”.

Stockton Borough Council in County Durham passed a motion which described the move to means-test the winter fuel payment as “deeply unfair” and warned it would leave many pensioners without the support they “desperately need”. The statement said:

The leader of the council, Bob Cook, has written to the Chancellor to call for the policy to be immediately reversed.

12:52 PM BST

Sue Gray pay row: the readers’ view

What Telegraph readers think about the revelations that Sue Gray earns more than the Prime Minister:

12:32 PM BST

Farage: I had to beef up my security because of hatred whipped up by left-wing figures

Nigel Farage has claimed he has been forced to ramp up his security detail in the wake of the riots because of hatred whipped up by Left-wing figures.

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning, the Reform UK leader said: “When you spread hatred and you spread lies, you anger a lot of people, and then their feelings against you become potentially violent.”

Asked how big his security detail was, he said: “It’s big and it’s changed a lot since [the accusations].”

Mr Farage also suggested that a poll showing a majority of the public saw him as “personally responsible” for August’s disorder was caused by “lies and incitement” from Labour-aligned politicians and broadcasters.

11:57 AM BST

Farage rates the Brexit achieved by UK ‘six or seven’

Nigel Farage has said he would rate the Brexit achieved by the UK so far “six or seven out of 10”.

The Reform leader said he felt “completely betrayed” by the way the Government has delivered on the Leave vote to date, but acknowledged that, on the world stage, Britain is “far bigger” outside the trade bloc.

Asked when the British people would see the benefits of leaving the EU during a phone-in on LBC, Mr Farage said that “is something millions of people are asking”

“I feel completely betrayed by it,” he said. “Virtually every single person I meet, the sort of five and a half, six million self-employed people, all had reason to believe that with Brexit their lives would become an incy, wincy bit easier, and they haven’t.”

Pressed on how he would rate the Brexit delivered so far out of 10, he said: “You’d give it six or seven out of 10.”

He added: “I think things like the Aukus pact, where we do a nuclear submarine deal with Australia, show that on the world stage we’re far bigger outside of it.”

11:36 AM BST

Labour ‘taking money off poor pensioners’ while defending Sue Gray pay rise

Clare Coutinho has accused Labour of taking money from poor pensioners while trying to defend Sue Gray’s pay rise.

The shadow energy secretary wrote on X: “How must new Labour MPs feel? They thought they stood for decency and equality.

“Instead they’re taking money off poor pensioners and SEND families whilst crashing business confidence, decimating industry with mad energy policy and now defending Keir’s freebies and Sue’s salary.”

11:29 AM BST

Farage: I might not have led Reform UK if I knew about vetting problems

Nigel Farage has said he might not have agreed to lead Reform UK if he had known the scale of the problems with its vetting process.

The party was rocked by a stream of controversies during the election campaign as it emerged in a string of media reports that several of its candidates had made problematic remarks.

Mr Farage has blamed the oversights on a vetting firm run by a former Tory adviser. For its part, the company has said the timing of the election hampered its inability to complete the checks and insisted Mr Bloom was “politically neutral”.

Taking questions during an LBC phone-in with Nick Ferrari this morning, Mr Farage said: “As I found out later, there had been no vetting.”

When pressed on why this had been allowed to happen, he insisted he “wasn’t in charge”.

Put to him that he went on to become leader, he said: “I inherited something. I mean, listen, Nick, if I’d known the full truth, I might not have done it.”

10:52 AM BST

Chris Mason: anger is what motivated the person who tipped me off

Writing about how he and his colleagues broke the story of Sue Gray’s pay rise, Chris Mason, the BBC’s political editor, said it was “upset and anger” that motivated the person who tipped him off, writing:

10:09 AM BST

Simon Case to investigate ‘hostile briefing’ against Sue Gray

Simon Case will investigate “hostile briefing” against Sue Gray after it was revealed that she earns more than the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet Secretary was called in to look at the row, Nick Watt told BBC Newsnight on Thursday evening, but said: “the view is there’s only one person who can sort this out: Keir Starmer.”

09:38 AM BST

Business Secretary: Attending free events ‘part of the job’

Jonathan Reynolds has said attending events is “part of the job” of being a minister.

Asked on Times Radio if being given free tickets to events was a “perk” of the job, the Business Secretary said: “It’s not a perk of the job, it’s part of the job.

“People want to engage with decision makers. They want to ask you to be aware of what they are doing. Again, I think we have the right rules on transparency in relation to that. But this is about the job that we do and the need to be engaged with the sectors that we cover.”

09:21 AM BST

Starmer ‘accepted £39k from Lord Alli’

Sir Keir Starmer accepted £39,122 from Lord Alli since December 2019, according to new analysis.

A breakdown of the gifts - carried out by Sky News and Tortoise - shows that £20,437 went towards accommodation, £16,200 on clothing and £2,485 on multiple pairs of glasses.

09:09 AM BST

In case you missed it: Starmer ‘used Lord Alli’s £18m penthouse in No 10 campaign’

Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly used an £18 million penthouse owned by the top Labour donor Lord Alli while campaigning to enter No 10, The Telegraph understands.

The Labour leader was at the property in the Covent Garden area of London on election night to watch the 10pm exit poll results with close aides and family.

It is understood the 5,000 sq ft home was also used for strategy meetings attended by Sir Keir in the run-up to the election, as well as for hosting fundraising dinners.

The disclosure raises questions about Sir Keir’s declarations of the support he received from Lord Alli, whose donations for clothing and glasses have already come under heavy scrutiny.

Read the full story here. 

08:37 AM BST

Pictured: Tom Tugendhat campaigns in Bushey Heath

08:20 AM BST

Taylor Swift concert a ‘major cultural event’

Jonathan Reynolds defended the Prime Minister’s decision to accept free tickets to see Taylor Swift perform because it is a “major cultural event”.

Asked on Sky News if it was okay for him to accept tickets to the show, as well as to Arsenal football games, the Business Secretary said: “Yes, I think these are major cultural/sporting events. It’s important that people in public life have some connection to that.

“As long as those things are declared openly, transparently and in accordance with the rules, there’s no objection on my part to that.”

08:01 AM BST

Ministers had ‘no input’ in deciding officials’ pay

Ministers have “no political input” into the pay of officials, Jonathan Reynolds has claimed, as he said the Prime Minister did not intervene on the pay grade of his chief of staff Sue Gray.

The Business Secretary told Sky News: “I think it’s important people understand that the pay bands for any official, any adviser, are not set by politicians. There’s an official process that does that.

“I don’t, for instance, get to set the pay for my own advisers who work directly for me. So, there’s a process, we don’t have political input into that.”

On reports that Sir Keir Starmer personally intervened to increase Ms Gray’s salary, Mr Reynolds said: “There’s a process that sets these things. It is widely recognised. It’s long-standing. It hasn’t changed and that is how pay bands are set for any adviser.”

07:57 AM BST

Business Secretary: I know how hard Starmer works

Defending the Prime Minister’s decision to accept gifts, Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News: “I know Keir Starmer personally. I know how hard he works.

The Business Secretary added: “If he’s going to a football match or anything, to give himself a little bit of a wider life experience and just working every second, again, I don’t have any objections to that, as long as it’s transparent.”

07:45 AM BST

Pictured: David Lammy visits Norwegian military headquarters

07:28 AM BST

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