UK politics live: Starmer will not face probe over failure to declare gift

Pressed by reporters, Downing Street would not be drawn on the prime minister’s position on increasing tuition fees.

Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer was against tuition fee increases, a No 10 spokesperson said: “The focus has been on ensuring that the Office for Students has greater flexibility so it can work closely with the universities on this and when it comes to fees there is an annual process for that.

“They are, as I understand, set for this year, there’s a process, but the focus is very much on working with universities, recognising they are independent and responsible for the decisions that ensure their long-term financial sustainability.

“But we think it’s right that the Office for Students has a greater remit so it can monitor that financial sustainability.”

The UK will see whether Italian plans to process asylum seekers in Albania works before deciding whether to pursue a similar policy, a Home Office minister has suggested.

Dame Angela Eagle, the border security minister, told Times Radio: “Firstly we don’t know whether it will work yet, because it hasn’t started. Much of this has been portrayed currently as if it’s already a success but the fact is that it hasn’t started.

“We will see how it works. But what we have said is that any scheme that we deal with for offshore processing or anything else has to be workable, it has to be cost effective, and it also has to be in line with international law.”

Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, a migration specialist at the European Policy Centre think tank, told The Independent: “The deal should be seen for what it is: a costly operation that moves the processing of claims outside the Italian territory, with questionable administrative benefits … intended to demonstrate to the Italian electorate that the government is acting on its pledge to crack down against irregular migration.

“It should also be seen as a deliberate and more concerted attempt to create a hostile environment for those arriving irregularly in Europe, at a time of growing social and political divisions and tensions.”

In the wake of Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Rome, you can read more details about Italy’s migration policies here:

The prime minister looks set to avoid an embarrassing investigation into a failure to declare a donation by a Labour peer to pay for dresses for his wife Victoria.

Keir Starmer was facing questions over the £5,000 donation from Lord Waheed Alli which he initially failed to put on his register of interests.

While the prime minister has insisted his team had reached out for advice on what declaration should be made and that rules are being followed, Tory chairman Andrew Griffith had asked the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg to investigate a potential breach in the rules.

But Downing Street has said that after discussions the commissioner has decided not to investigate.

Our political editor David Maddox has more in this report:

Nigel Farage is planning to join the campaign trail at the 2026 Holyrood elections, as the Reform UK leader said he would seek to build support in Scotland around its support for using oil and gas for decades to come.

Despite Scotland having never voted in a politician to the right of the Tories, and Mr Farage having been forced to take shelter from protesters in a pub during a visit to Edinburgh in 2013, he claimed that he intends to return north of the border.

He told STV News: “What was remarkable is that we fielded a full slate of candidates in Scotland. I was stunned. How did that happen, when we didn’t have much structure at all? We are now holding meetings in Scotland. The numbers coming are quite impressive.”

He added: “The economic implications of the collapse of the North Sea industry, not just for Aberdeen, but for large parts of Scotland, are huge. And I think we’re the only pragmatists, we’re saying, look – we will be using oil and gas in 2050 … That, I think, is the basis on which we’re beginning to build support in Scotland.”

Reform is holding a Scottish conference on 2 November, which will be attended by Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, who previously said it was too “dangerous” for Mr Farage to travel to Scotland.

But Mr Farage said: “I can assure you, Scotland will be seeing me, of that there is no question at all. I think that really, from very little acorns, we’ve made a very good start … I will be in Scotland next year, thinking about planning a year ahead for the Scottish elections.”

Victoria Starmer has been pictured at a London Fashion Week show wearing an outfit borrowed from designer Edeline Lee during a row over her receiving free clothes from ex-Asos chair and Labour donor Lord Alli.

With Tory MPs calling for a probe into Sir Keir Starmer’s late declaration of gifts from the peer, dubbed by some as “frockgate”, Lady Starmer appeared in the front row of Lee’s runway show, wearing an outfit created for the designer’s spring 2025 collection, The Times reported.

Labour insiders fear that a new set of changes to the rulebook could prevent challengers to Sir Keir Starmer from forcing a leadership election, PoliticsHome reports, citing leaked documents.

The proposals – set to be reviewed by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee today, before being voted on at the party’s annual conference – would axe current rules that leadership elections should proceed if requested by a card vote at conference when Labour is in government.

While the rules currently state that “in any other circumstances an election shall only be held when a vacancy occurs”, this would be changed to state: “An election shall only be held when a vacancy occurs”.

A concerned source told PoliticsHome: “The basis for any democratic system is that there has to be a clear mechanism to trigger challenges to the leadership – under this proposal, that is not possible. This appears to be an attempt to insulate the party leadership from democratic challenges for the foreseeable future.”

In her interview with the BBC’s Newsnight, Diane Abbott also criticised Sir Keir Starmer for his handling of her suspension from the party, saying she had been targeted as “one of the last leading left-wingers in the Parliamentary Labour Party”.

She said: “Keir Starmer is always saying, ‘It’s the new Labour Party’ … and how could you make it look more new than by getting rid of Diane Abbott?”

A Labour Party spokesperson denied there was a plan to “push her out” and said Sir Keir “has great respect” for her.

Diane Abbott has declined to say whether she likes or respects Sir Keir Starmer.

Asked by ITV News whether she liked the PM, the veteran Labour MP said: “He’s the leader of the party, you can’t really take a view on them.”

Pressed further on whether she respects Sir Keir, Ms Abbott repeated: “Again, he’s the leader of my party. You can’t really take a view on the leader of your party.”