Overview
- In Liverpool, the prime minister branded the contest with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK a battle for the country’s soul and vowed to fight racism, drawing sustained applause from delegates.
- Recent surveys reported by multiple outlets put Reform UK near 30 percent and Labour around 20 percent, with Ipsos finding 73 percent dissatisfied with Starmer’s performance.
- The government set out tougher migration plans, including new eligibility tests for permanent status such as proof of work and voluntary service, and a reported move to lengthen the route to settlement to ten years.
- Housing minister Matthew Pennycook promoted a plan for twelve new towns to tackle a 1.5 million home shortfall, telling the BBC he wants them completed before the next election.
- Internal pressures persist with a deputy leadership vote under way between Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell after Angela Rayner’s resignation, and Unite’s leader warning the union could end its formal link to Labour.