Overview
- The Prime Minister said he will lead Labour into the next general election in a Downing Street interview.
- He dismissed leadership rows as a waste of time and said his focus is making families feel better off.
- Pre‑Budget steps are expected to include another freeze on prescription charges and expansion of free primary school breakfast clubs.
- Starmer defended a tougher asylum overhaul, calling the system broken and stressing returns for those not judged to be refugees, even as some Labour MPs expressed concern.
- The Chancellor scrapped a floated income tax rise after improved forecasts, a move reported to have unsettled markets and tightened fiscal room.