Rachel Reeves' new "value for money" office has been branded a "gimmick" that will waste taxpayers' money, MPs have said.
The Commons’ spending watchdog said the Office for Value for Money (OVfM), which was created last year, seemed to be a "red herring" as it risks duplicating work already being done by a range of bodies, such as the National Audit Office.
The committee’s chairman, Labour's Dame Meg Hillier, said that the OVfm is an "understaffed, poorly defined organisation" and that she fails to see how it will have a “meaningful impact on driving efficiencies in departments”.
Hiller said: "Our committee has concluded the Office for Value for Money is an understaffed, poorly defined organisation which has been set up with a vague remit and no clear plan to measure its effectiveness.
"All of which leads me to feel this initiative may be something of a red herring.
"The Treasury needs to share far more information about what this small team will actually achieve for the taxpayer which cannot be done elsewhere.
"It must also be transparent about how it will operate and how it will assess its effectiveness."
Reeves launched the OVfM in her November budget, where she insisted that it would help "realise the benefits from every pound of public spending’ on infrastructure and public services".
However, MPs on the committee pinpointed to the appointment of David Goldstone, who is only contracted for a year.
Controversy had previously ensued when it emerged that Goldstone, a Whitehall veteran, would be paid £950 a day for his task of finding a way to cut public spending.
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Hundreds of protesters are expected to gather in central London today to demonstrate against Donald Trump's return to the White House.
The "Together Against Trump" rally will take place in Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, from 5pm as the former President prepares for his inauguration ceremony in Washington DC.
Stand Up To Racism, the organisers behind the London protest, have called for demonstrators to unite against what they describe as Trump's "far right, reactionary agenda".
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Downing Street has brushed off suggestions that past comments made by Cabinet ministers are the reason why there is a lack of UK ministerial attendance at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Asked whether Number 10 thought previous remarks by some senior figures in Government could be the reason why British ministers were not invited, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, and look, as I say, the UK and US have a deep and special relationship across wide range of important areas.”
The spokesman added that Sir Keir Starmer’s Government wanted to “deepen that relationship” further with Trump’s team.
Asked whether there were concerns that the US could be forming a deeper and more special relationship with Italy, after the country’s premier Giorgia Meloni was invited to Trump’s inauguration, the spokesman said: “No, and you know, ultimately, the UK and US have got a unique relationship when it comes to a wide range of issues.
“And the Prime Minister and president Trump have already had many conversations about, you know, where we can deepen that relationship, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the years to come.”
Former Conservative MP Steve Baker launched a scathing attack on David Lammy, branding him "the most ridiculous Foreign Secretary we've ever had" over his dramatic shift in stance towards Donald Trump.
Baker ridiculed Lammy's apparent U-turn ahead of Trump's inauguration today, saying he was "enjoying it so much" watching the Foreign Secretary's change of position.
Baker told GB News: "David Lammy, who apparently now is all ready to warmly embrace the next president of the United States."
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Nigel Farage has claimed there's a 25 per cent chance he becomes Prime Minister whilst Donald Trump is in the White House.
The Reform UK leader, who is currently state-side to cheer on his friend at his inauguration today, has said that he genuinely believes he could take over No.10.
He said to Channel 5 News: "Look, Labour have got a whopping great big majority. The only thing that really brings an early election is if we get an economic meltdown.
"Now, that is not impossible for two reasons. One, the level of indebtedness is worse than it was in 2008 when we had the big meltdowns. And I think we’ve lived through rocketing stock markets for years. That can’t go on.
"But we have a peculiar set of circumstances. In the UK, growth is dead, confidence has disappeared. Here [the US] everyone’s talking really bullishly about what’s going to happen. Somehow Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have just killed any economic optimism of any kind at all.
"So, you could see a situation – we saw it with Liz Truss, actually, we saw what a run on the markets can do to governments, we saw it back at Suez. In the end, it was the markets that really brought Eden down more than anything else.
"So, yeah, it’s possible. I wouldn’t put it at more than 20 per cent, 25 per cent, but it’s possible."
Labour has been told to "be prepared for all scenarios", amid the prospect of a Trump trade war due to the President-elect threatening to impose tariffs on all imports into the United States.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
He has vowed to slap a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada - a punishment for what he says is their failure to curb the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the US.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
A police force is unable to say if two grooming gang rapists sentenced last week had fled overseas.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said that the force should be working with the National Crime Agency to hunt down the rapists.
He told GB News: “I urge the NCA to go after these despicable men to ensure they face justice for their evil crimes.”
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
A UK Government ban on TikTok remains in place as Donald Trump prepares to lifts US restrictions on the social media platform.
Trump plans to issue an executive order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing platform is subject to a permanent US ban.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “TikTok is a matter for the United States. Of course, here we’ve been clear that, within government, TikTok is not allowed on people’s devices.
“But for consumers, they’re able to make that choice.
“But we monitor very closely national security interests and we’ll continue to work with colleagues in the States on these issues.”
Donald Trump is a “revisionist actor” and not in any sense a “warmonger”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
“Two things that I took away from my extended dinner with Donald Trump in September – this is not a man who, in any sense, is a warmonger.
“I really had a powerful sense that, in reckoning with the world’s most malign interests, he was very clear that he wanted to be strong and powerful,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Lammy also said he sees Trump as a “revisionist actor” who “wants to change the rules of the game” and seems very focused on the possibility of normalising Saudi relations with Israel.
Asked if he is going through some revisionism himself in relation to his own view of the US president-elect, Lammy said his approach is “progressive realism”.
“In this role, I’ve said that the approach has got to be progressive realism, and that is that you meet the world as it is, not as you would wish it to be.”
He added: “The Donald Trump I met … had incredible grace, generosity, very keen to be a good host, very funny, very, very, very friendly, very warm, I have to say, about the UK, our royal family, Scotland.”
A Conservative MP has urged Labour to develop a "grown up, proper adult relationship" with Donald Trump as the former president returns to the White House today.
Speaking to GB News, Richard Holden called for an end to Labour's "name calling of our closest ally" as Trump prepares to take office for his second term.
The MP emphasised the need for a reset in foreign relationships, particularly highlighting the importance of positive trading ties between the UK and US.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
The Gaza ceasefire is a “crucial geopolitical moment” but it is “hugely important” to turn it into a process that allows Palestinians a “political horizon”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
Three female Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months have been released and brought back to Israel, whilst Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released early on Monday as part of the ceasefire deal.
British-Israeli Emily Damari was one of the three hostages who has been reunited with her family after being held in captivity for more than 15 months.
“This is a crucial geopolitical moment in global affairs, and the United States will have a huge effect on that,” Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We’ve got 15 days until negotiations begin for the next phase.
“It’s hugely important now that we turn this into a political process… military might alone does not destroy Hamas terrorism. It is a political process that allows the Palestinian people a political horizon.
“That’s what we’ve got to get to, and we’ve got to give security to Israel, and that means the governance of Gaza, how Israelis remain secure and do not have another event like October 7th.
“But how, indeed, we bring the Palestinian Authority back in in Gaza, how the Arab states, Gulf states, are able to step back in and assist us and others with the reconstruction of Gaza… that is the significance of these next few weeks, and that’s what we’ve got to get to.”
Donald Trump is set to reinstate the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office following his inauguration later today, Nigel Farage has claimed.
The Reform UK leader has hailed the President-elect, who will re-enter the White House today, as “the most pro-British president since Eisenhower”.
The bust of Churchill was removed by Joe Biden’s team in a redecoration of the Oval Office following his 2021 inauguration.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said that "justice must be done" ahead of trial of Axel Rudakubana.
The 18-year-old will appear at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.
The three girls were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in Southport on July 29 last year.
Cooper said that the whole of the UK will be thinking of the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie.
She said: “This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country will be thinking of them.
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.
“There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy.
“But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done."
Most local authorities will struggle to deliver new social housing at scale as their budgets are on the “brink of collapse”, according to research suggesting the Government’s “council housing revolution” may be in jeopardy.
A survey found two-thirds of 76 councils managing more than 870,000 homes said the viability of their dedicated budgets are under threat, with a risk many will not be able to balance the books by the end of the decade.
The research, commissioned by Southwark Council, also showed 93 per cent of councils’ housing budgets are showing signs of financial stress, with these councils taking or expecting to take “substantial action” – including tapping into emergency funds.
In total, 61per cent of councils have already cancelled, paused or delayed housebuilding projects, while more than a third have cut back on repairs and maintenance of council homes.
Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) said they expect to abandon, pause or delay current council housing projects, while 68% are preparing to scale back commitments to redevelop or build new homes.
In addition, 28 per cent of councils said they are likely to sell council homes in a bid to secure financial stability, with 67 per cent confirming that, under current circumstances, there is high risk they will not be able to set a balanced budget by 2029.
Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration, stating that the special relationship between the US and UK “will continue to flourish for years to come”.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the “depth of friendship” between the 47th president and the UK, and pledged to continue to “work together to ensure the success of both our countries and deliver for people on both sides of the Atlantic”.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister sent his congratulations to Trump.
“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. It is a uniquely close bond,” Starmer said.
“Together, we have defended the world from tyranny and worked towards our mutual security and prosperity.”
Find Out More...
The Commons’ spending watchdog said the Office for Value for Money (OVfM), which was created last year, seemed to be a "red herring" as it risks duplicating work already being done by a range of bodies, such as the National Audit Office.
The committee’s chairman, Labour's Dame Meg Hillier, said that the OVfm is an "understaffed, poorly defined organisation" and that she fails to see how it will have a “meaningful impact on driving efficiencies in departments”.
Hiller said: "Our committee has concluded the Office for Value for Money is an understaffed, poorly defined organisation which has been set up with a vague remit and no clear plan to measure its effectiveness.
"All of which leads me to feel this initiative may be something of a red herring.
"The Treasury needs to share far more information about what this small team will actually achieve for the taxpayer which cannot be done elsewhere.
"It must also be transparent about how it will operate and how it will assess its effectiveness."
Reeves launched the OVfM in her November budget, where she insisted that it would help "realise the benefits from every pound of public spending’ on infrastructure and public services".
However, MPs on the committee pinpointed to the appointment of David Goldstone, who is only contracted for a year.
Controversy had previously ensued when it emerged that Goldstone, a Whitehall veteran, would be paid £950 a day for his task of finding a way to cut public spending.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
Hundreds of British anti-Trump protesters to pitch up outside Downing Street in just hours
Hundreds of protesters are expected to gather in central London today to demonstrate against Donald Trump's return to the White House.
The "Together Against Trump" rally will take place in Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, from 5pm as the former President prepares for his inauguration ceremony in Washington DC.
Stand Up To Racism, the organisers behind the London protest, have called for demonstrators to unite against what they describe as Trump's "far right, reactionary agenda".
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Downing Street brushes off suggestions that ministers not in attendance at inauguration due to past comments about Trump
Downing Street has brushed off suggestions that past comments made by Cabinet ministers are the reason why there is a lack of UK ministerial attendance at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Asked whether Number 10 thought previous remarks by some senior figures in Government could be the reason why British ministers were not invited, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, and look, as I say, the UK and US have a deep and special relationship across wide range of important areas.”
The spokesman added that Sir Keir Starmer’s Government wanted to “deepen that relationship” further with Trump’s team.
Asked whether there were concerns that the US could be forming a deeper and more special relationship with Italy, after the country’s premier Giorgia Meloni was invited to Trump’s inauguration, the spokesman said: “No, and you know, ultimately, the UK and US have got a unique relationship when it comes to a wide range of issues.
“And the Prime Minister and president Trump have already had many conversations about, you know, where we can deepen that relationship, and we look forward to continuing to work together in the years to come.”
'A ludicrous man!' David Lammy slammed for 'sucking up' to Donald Trump ahead of inauguration
Former Conservative MP Steve Baker launched a scathing attack on David Lammy, branding him "the most ridiculous Foreign Secretary we've ever had" over his dramatic shift in stance towards Donald Trump.
Baker ridiculed Lammy's apparent U-turn ahead of Trump's inauguration today, saying he was "enjoying it so much" watching the Foreign Secretary's change of position.
Baker told GB News: "David Lammy, who apparently now is all ready to warmly embrace the next president of the United States."
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Nigel Farage claims he has a 25 per cent chance of becoming PM whilst Trump is President
Nigel Farage has claimed there's a 25 per cent chance he becomes Prime Minister whilst Donald Trump is in the White House.
The Reform UK leader, who is currently state-side to cheer on his friend at his inauguration today, has said that he genuinely believes he could take over No.10.
He said to Channel 5 News: "Look, Labour have got a whopping great big majority. The only thing that really brings an early election is if we get an economic meltdown.
"Now, that is not impossible for two reasons. One, the level of indebtedness is worse than it was in 2008 when we had the big meltdowns. And I think we’ve lived through rocketing stock markets for years. That can’t go on.
"But we have a peculiar set of circumstances. In the UK, growth is dead, confidence has disappeared. Here [the US] everyone’s talking really bullishly about what’s going to happen. Somehow Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have just killed any economic optimism of any kind at all.
"So, you could see a situation – we saw it with Liz Truss, actually, we saw what a run on the markets can do to governments, we saw it back at Suez. In the end, it was the markets that really brought Eden down more than anything else.
"So, yeah, it’s possible. I wouldn’t put it at more than 20 per cent, 25 per cent, but it’s possible."
Labour told to be 'prepared for all scenarios' amid threat of Trump trade war
Labour has been told to "be prepared for all scenarios", amid the prospect of a Trump trade war due to the President-elect threatening to impose tariffs on all imports into the United States.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
He has vowed to slap a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada - a punishment for what he says is their failure to curb the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the US.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Robert Jenrick tells NCA to hunt down grooming gang rapists as police refuse to confirm if they’ve fled overseas
A police force is unable to say if two grooming gang rapists sentenced last week had fled overseas.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said that the force should be working with the National Crime Agency to hunt down the rapists.
He told GB News: “I urge the NCA to go after these despicable men to ensure they face justice for their evil crimes.”
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
TikTok not set to be restored on UK Government phones, as Trump prepares to lift US restrictions
A UK Government ban on TikTok remains in place as Donald Trump prepares to lifts US restrictions on the social media platform.
Trump plans to issue an executive order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing platform is subject to a permanent US ban.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “TikTok is a matter for the United States. Of course, here we’ve been clear that, within government, TikTok is not allowed on people’s devices.
“But for consumers, they’re able to make that choice.
“But we monitor very closely national security interests and we’ll continue to work with colleagues in the States on these issues.”
David Lammy says Trump is a 'revisionist actor', not a 'warmonger'
Donald Trump is a “revisionist actor” and not in any sense a “warmonger”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
“Two things that I took away from my extended dinner with Donald Trump in September – this is not a man who, in any sense, is a warmonger.
“I really had a powerful sense that, in reckoning with the world’s most malign interests, he was very clear that he wanted to be strong and powerful,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Lammy also said he sees Trump as a “revisionist actor” who “wants to change the rules of the game” and seems very focused on the possibility of normalising Saudi relations with Israel.
Asked if he is going through some revisionism himself in relation to his own view of the US president-elect, Lammy said his approach is “progressive realism”.
“In this role, I’ve said that the approach has got to be progressive realism, and that is that you meet the world as it is, not as you would wish it to be.”
He added: “The Donald Trump I met … had incredible grace, generosity, very keen to be a good host, very funny, very, very, very friendly, very warm, I have to say, about the UK, our royal family, Scotland.”
'Grow up!' Tory MP urges Labour to create a 'adult relationship' with Donald Trump
A Conservative MP has urged Labour to develop a "grown up, proper adult relationship" with Donald Trump as the former president returns to the White House today.
Speaking to GB News, Richard Holden called for an end to Labour's "name calling of our closest ally" as Trump prepares to take office for his second term.
The MP emphasised the need for a reset in foreign relationships, particularly highlighting the importance of positive trading ties between the UK and US.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
David Lammy: Gaza ceasefire is 'crucial geopolitical moment'
The Gaza ceasefire is a “crucial geopolitical moment” but it is “hugely important” to turn it into a process that allows Palestinians a “political horizon”, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
Three female Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months have been released and brought back to Israel, whilst Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released early on Monday as part of the ceasefire deal.
British-Israeli Emily Damari was one of the three hostages who has been reunited with her family after being held in captivity for more than 15 months.
“This is a crucial geopolitical moment in global affairs, and the United States will have a huge effect on that,” Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We’ve got 15 days until negotiations begin for the next phase.
“It’s hugely important now that we turn this into a political process… military might alone does not destroy Hamas terrorism. It is a political process that allows the Palestinian people a political horizon.
“That’s what we’ve got to get to, and we’ve got to give security to Israel, and that means the governance of Gaza, how Israelis remain secure and do not have another event like October 7th.
“But how, indeed, we bring the Palestinian Authority back in in Gaza, how the Arab states, Gulf states, are able to step back in and assist us and others with the reconstruction of Gaza… that is the significance of these next few weeks, and that’s what we’ve got to get to.”
Donald Trump set to reinstate Churchill bust in Oval Office - 'Most pro-British president in 50 years'
Donald Trump is set to reinstate the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office following his inauguration later today, Nigel Farage has claimed.
The Reform UK leader has hailed the President-elect, who will re-enter the White House today, as “the most pro-British president since Eisenhower”.
The bust of Churchill was removed by Joe Biden’s team in a redecoration of the Oval Office following his 2021 inauguration.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY HERE
Home Secretary says 'justice must be done' ahead of Southport trial
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said that "justice must be done" ahead of trial of Axel Rudakubana.
The 18-year-old will appear at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.
The three girls were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in Southport on July 29 last year.
Cooper said that the whole of the UK will be thinking of the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie.
She said: “This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country will be thinking of them.
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.
“There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy.
“But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done."
Councils warn financial constraints threaten new housing delivery
Most local authorities will struggle to deliver new social housing at scale as their budgets are on the “brink of collapse”, according to research suggesting the Government’s “council housing revolution” may be in jeopardy.
A survey found two-thirds of 76 councils managing more than 870,000 homes said the viability of their dedicated budgets are under threat, with a risk many will not be able to balance the books by the end of the decade.
The research, commissioned by Southwark Council, also showed 93 per cent of councils’ housing budgets are showing signs of financial stress, with these councils taking or expecting to take “substantial action” – including tapping into emergency funds.
In total, 61per cent of councils have already cancelled, paused or delayed housebuilding projects, while more than a third have cut back on repairs and maintenance of council homes.
Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) said they expect to abandon, pause or delay current council housing projects, while 68% are preparing to scale back commitments to redevelop or build new homes.
In addition, 28 per cent of councils said they are likely to sell council homes in a bid to secure financial stability, with 67 per cent confirming that, under current circumstances, there is high risk they will not be able to set a balanced budget by 2029.
Keir Starmer congratulates Donald Trump ahead of inauguration
Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration, stating that the special relationship between the US and UK “will continue to flourish for years to come”.
Trump is set to re-enter the White House today, just months after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024's US Presidential Election.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the “depth of friendship” between the 47th president and the UK, and pledged to continue to “work together to ensure the success of both our countries and deliver for people on both sides of the Atlantic”.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister sent his congratulations to Trump.
“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. It is a uniquely close bond,” Starmer said.
“Together, we have defended the world from tyranny and worked towards our mutual security and prosperity.”
Find Out More...