Dimitris Kouimtsidis
Guest Reporter
Deputy Leader of Reform UK Richard Tice has clashed with his predecessor Ben Habib over the assisted dying bill.
Sharing his thoughts online, the former deputy leader insisted that he "totally opposed" the assisted dying bill.
He wrote: "This would be the state deciding who lives and dies. The so called “checks and balances” in the Bill will be abused."
He continued: "It’s nothing other than capital punishment where the crime is age/illness."
However, the party's current deputy leader has blasted Habib, writing: "What gives you right to force terminally ill patient to suffer hideously painful death when they are near the end?
"Have you seen someone die like this? You supposedly believe in freedom of choice?"
While Habib dubbed the checks and balances associated with the bill "so-called", Tice labelled them as the "strongest safeguards in the world".
Additionally, Tice referred to the Oregon's Death with Dignity Act 1997, which has permitted terminally ill patients to end their lives through the use of self-administered lethal medications which had been prescribed by a medical professional.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR MORE LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY...
Donald Trump is looking to veto Labour's Chagos Islands surrender deal in a fresh blow to Sir Keir Starmer's foreign ambitions.
The giveaway had been endorsed by Joe Biden - but in light of Trump's blowout victory last week, the President-elect is understood to be taking legal advice from the Pentagon on how to kill it off.
And Trump's transition team - thanks to pressure from Nigel Farage's allies - is now looking into canning the controversial deal...
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
British families will see their council tax bills soar by more than £100 in April, No10 has said - despite Sir Keir Starmer's refusal to confirm any rises at PMQs earlier.
Kemi Badenoch had taken Starmer to task over council tax in the Commons just two hours ago - and though he refused to give an answer, Downing Street has now been forced to issue a clarification.
No10 has said that a five per cent cap will remain in place - almost three times the current rate of inflation.
And across England, the average band D council tax bill stands at £2,171 - as a result, local authorities will be able to increase the band D levy by up to £109 next year.
The PM has now said he "looks forward to working with" Elon Musk as part of Donald Trump's team - just weeks after failing to invite the tech tycoon to an investment summit in Britain.
At the tail end of September, Musk had failed to secure an invitation to an investment summit in the UK - with a BBC report blaming his online comments during the summer's unrest for his snub.
But in light of his appointment heading up the new US "Department of Government Efficiency" (Doge), No10 has offered up some warm platitudes to Trump's new administration.
Asked if the UK would continue to push back against Musk in his new role, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "As the Prime Minister said, we look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his team on a wide range of issues to advance the US and UK relationship."
Stephen Doughty is still taking flak in the Commons over the Chagos surrender - with Tory MP Andrew Murrison joining Nigel Farage in condemning Labour's approach to the strategic islands.
Murrison said the debacle was more evidence of the "same old" Labour Government - "strong on post-colonial guilt and weak on safety, security and stability".
The overseas territories minister replied: "I don't recognise those comments in the slightest," and pointed to Labour's "commitment" to the Falklands, Gibraltar and the two sovereign bases on Cyprus.
"This is not handing something away," Doughty claimed.
Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out giving more time to debate the controversial assisted dying Bill in the face of a growing wave of cross-party opposition.
The Bill, tabled by Kim Leadbeater, is expected to stretch to over 40 pages - but, as it stands, it will only receive five hours of debate in the Commons.
When pushed by Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke to commit to two more days of debate, Starmer claimed the five hours would be "sufficient".
Nigel Farage has ripped into Britain's surrender of the Chagos Islands in the wake of Donald Trump's victory last week.
Farage said that senior Trump advisers had called Diego Garcia "the most important island on the planet" - and said that Labour would be "at conflict" with the US if they kept going with the deal.
Earlier, overseas territories minister Stephen Doughty claimed the base "couldn't operate effectively" without international legal guarantees in place.
"We wouldn't have signed off on any kind of security agreement that compromised our interests or those of our allies," he added.
Doughty also called the international settlement "acceptable to both sides" - but refused to be drawn on just how much this was worth.
But Farage rebuked his claims, saying it was a "mistake" to surrender the islands just weeks away from Trump's return to the White House.
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to guarantee that Labour will keep a cap on council tax at Prime Minister's Questions today.
Asked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch whether he would keep the cap in place, Starmer instead launched into a tirade on Labour's "leadership on climate" following his visit to Cop29 - drawing jeers from the Commons.
Badenoch accused the PM of "making life more expensive with his unilateral commitments" on climate.
She added: "Speaking of making life more expensive, will the Prime Minister confirm that he will keep the cap on council tax?"
"On the question of council, she knows what the arrangements are," Starmer said - prompting incredulity from Tories across the aisle.
Badenoch retorted: "I think the house will have heard that the Prime Minister could neither confirm nor deny whether the cap on council tax was being raised.
She then asked: "How much extra does he expect local authorities will have to raise in order to cover the funding gap created by the Chancellor's Budget and increases in employers' National Insurance?"
But Starmer hit back, accusing Badenoch of a "fundamental failure" to listen to his answer.
He said: "It's all very well this knockabout - but not actually listening to what I've said three minutes ago is a bit of a fundamental failure of the Leader of the Opposition. I just said £600million. I repeat it: £600million."
Tory MP Lincoln Jopp has torn into the PM in the wake of the news that Sue Gray won't be taking up her "envoy to the regions and nations" job.
Yesterday, it emerged that Gray had "taken a decision not to take the role" and "is going to focus on other things," according to ally of the ex-civil servant, speaking to the Financial Times.
Jopp called the role "an invented job for one of his cronies" and asked: "If it wasn't, is he going to hire a new one?"
Starmer replied: "It wasn't."
Suella Braverman has torn into Labour's social media crackdown after police visited a journalist over a year-old "non-crime hate incident" tweet.
Yvette Cooper is understood to be considering a new "zero-tolerance" approach to the so-called "non-crime hate incidents" - but now, her predecessor Braverman has labelled Labour the "thought police".
Writing on social media in reaction to the news, Braverman said: "More from the thought police under a Labour Government.
"We need to stop policing words on social media and tackle actual crimes.
"My message to Labour: protect freedom of speech, stop the overreach and focus on keeping our streets safe.
"But I don't hold out much hope."
Her criticism was followed by scathing words from Richard Tice and Robert Jenrick - the former labelled the news "shocking", while the latter said sharply: "Police crimes, not tweets."
Nigel Farage is set to push Labour on its surrender of the Chagos Islands in an urgent question after PMQs today.
We'll bring you the latest on the Reform UK leader's probe in the Commons - as well as whatever answer he's given.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has indicated Labour is looking to legalise the use of private e-scooters on public roads - despite prior warnings of "havoc" if the vehicles were green-lit.
Despite their widespread use, it remains against the law to use a privately owned e-scooter on public land - but Haigh has now opened the door to the controversial vehicles.
Asked by the Commons' Transport Select Committee whether she was planning to regulate the use of e-scooters, she said: “We will look to legislate, absolutely. It's clearly required... It's not good enough that it's been left in this situation for too long."
Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a fresh blow in his bid to "smash the gangs" and return migrants to the EU by politicans from the bloc.
Though Starmer has been chasing a UK-EU returns deal, leading figures in Hungarian ruling party Fidesz have vowed that the country will "never be engaged" in his "unfeasible" agreement.
Any such deal would need sign-off from each of the EU's 27 member states - but, speaking to The Telegraph, Hungary's top brass has said no.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's allies said they would not change their minds - even if the UK offers to pay for maintaining Hungary's southern border fence with Serbia.
Orban's international spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told the newspaper: "It's not going to happen because it is unfeasible.
"We never will be engaged, I think, in this kind of scheme.
"My first reaction would be that you don't even take it as a negotiation into the negotiation booth... we can talk about everything, but it's not going to work."
A reminder that GB News will be covering PMQs LIVE from noon today.
Join Christopher Hope and Gloria De Piero from midday on TV or online - and you can follow all the big debates, analysis and reaction here on GB News' Politics LIVE blog.
Rupert Lowe has ruled out signing a Labour MP-led motion to bring Palestinians to Britain through a Ukraine-style Family Scheme visa.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell has submitted an Early Day Motion to "enable Palestinians from Gaza to reunite with their family members" in the UK.
If Maskell is successful, the Gazans would be able to "seek temporary sanctuary in the UK until it is safe to return".
But in light of fears over visa overstaying in Britain, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has vowed not to sign her plea.
"I will not be signing this", he said.
Wes Streeting has been left shocked at a comparison levied between him and Elon Musk.
Musk has been named as part of US President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Appearing on Sky News earlier this morning, the Health Secretary was asked if he shares similar views on driving government efficiency.
Surprised at the question, he said: "That was not the comparison I was expecting this morning but there is an issue here about reform of public services."
He then downplayed any suggestion of a potential meeting between the pair.
NHS chiefs will be sacked if they do not cut waiting times, Wes Streeting has vowed.
The Health Secretary wants to hold the leaders of the worst hospitals accountable with a new system of performance league tables.
Managers at "persistently failing" NHS trusts will be sacked or denied pay rises with "turnaround teams" sent in as replacements - as part of Streeting's plan to push NHS trusts to stop wasting public money.
Find Out More...
Sharing his thoughts online, the former deputy leader insisted that he "totally opposed" the assisted dying bill.
He wrote: "This would be the state deciding who lives and dies. The so called “checks and balances” in the Bill will be abused."
He continued: "It’s nothing other than capital punishment where the crime is age/illness."
However, the party's current deputy leader has blasted Habib, writing: "What gives you right to force terminally ill patient to suffer hideously painful death when they are near the end?
"Have you seen someone die like this? You supposedly believe in freedom of choice?"
While Habib dubbed the checks and balances associated with the bill "so-called", Tice labelled them as the "strongest safeguards in the world".
Additionally, Tice referred to the Oregon's Death with Dignity Act 1997, which has permitted terminally ill patients to end their lives through the use of self-administered lethal medications which had been prescribed by a medical professional.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR MORE LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY...
Donald Trump pushing to 'VETO Keir Starmer's Chagos Islands deal' as President-elect's stance revealed
Donald Trump is looking to veto Labour's Chagos Islands surrender deal in a fresh blow to Sir Keir Starmer's foreign ambitions.
The giveaway had been endorsed by Joe Biden - but in light of Trump's blowout victory last week, the President-elect is understood to be taking legal advice from the Pentagon on how to kill it off.
And Trump's transition team - thanks to pressure from Nigel Farage's allies - is now looking into canning the controversial deal...
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Council tax to rise by over £100 next year in fresh blow to British families
British families will see their council tax bills soar by more than £100 in April, No10 has said - despite Sir Keir Starmer's refusal to confirm any rises at PMQs earlier.
Kemi Badenoch had taken Starmer to task over council tax in the Commons just two hours ago - and though he refused to give an answer, Downing Street has now been forced to issue a clarification.
No10 has said that a five per cent cap will remain in place - almost three times the current rate of inflation.
And across England, the average band D council tax bill stands at £2,171 - as a result, local authorities will be able to increase the band D levy by up to £109 next year.
Downing Street forced into Musk U-Turn after snubbing tech magnate just weeks ago
The PM has now said he "looks forward to working with" Elon Musk as part of Donald Trump's team - just weeks after failing to invite the tech tycoon to an investment summit in Britain.
At the tail end of September, Musk had failed to secure an invitation to an investment summit in the UK - with a BBC report blaming his online comments during the summer's unrest for his snub.
But in light of his appointment heading up the new US "Department of Government Efficiency" (Doge), No10 has offered up some warm platitudes to Trump's new administration.
Asked if the UK would continue to push back against Musk in his new role, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "As the Prime Minister said, we look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his team on a wide range of issues to advance the US and UK relationship."
'Same old Labour... strong on post-colonial guilt and WEAK on safety,' Tory MP says
Stephen Doughty is still taking flak in the Commons over the Chagos surrender - with Tory MP Andrew Murrison joining Nigel Farage in condemning Labour's approach to the strategic islands.
Murrison said the debacle was more evidence of the "same old" Labour Government - "strong on post-colonial guilt and weak on safety, security and stability".
The overseas territories minister replied: "I don't recognise those comments in the slightest," and pointed to Labour's "commitment" to the Falklands, Gibraltar and the two sovereign bases on Cyprus.
"This is not handing something away," Doughty claimed.
Starmer rules out giving more time to controversial assisted dying Bill - as just FIVE hours given to 40-page document
Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out giving more time to debate the controversial assisted dying Bill in the face of a growing wave of cross-party opposition.
The Bill, tabled by Kim Leadbeater, is expected to stretch to over 40 pages - but, as it stands, it will only receive five hours of debate in the Commons.
When pushed by Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke to commit to two more days of debate, Starmer claimed the five hours would be "sufficient".
Farage: Mauritius has NO claim on the Chagos Islands
Nigel Farage has ripped into Britain's surrender of the Chagos Islands in the wake of Donald Trump's victory last week.
Farage said that senior Trump advisers had called Diego Garcia "the most important island on the planet" - and said that Labour would be "at conflict" with the US if they kept going with the deal.
Earlier, overseas territories minister Stephen Doughty claimed the base "couldn't operate effectively" without international legal guarantees in place.
"We wouldn't have signed off on any kind of security agreement that compromised our interests or those of our allies," he added.
Doughty also called the international settlement "acceptable to both sides" - but refused to be drawn on just how much this was worth.
But Farage rebuked his claims, saying it was a "mistake" to surrender the islands just weeks away from Trump's return to the White House.
Starmer REFUSES to guarantee Rachel Reeves won't cripple Britons by hiking up council tax cap
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to guarantee that Labour will keep a cap on council tax at Prime Minister's Questions today.
Asked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch whether he would keep the cap in place, Starmer instead launched into a tirade on Labour's "leadership on climate" following his visit to Cop29 - drawing jeers from the Commons.
Badenoch accused the PM of "making life more expensive with his unilateral commitments" on climate.
She added: "Speaking of making life more expensive, will the Prime Minister confirm that he will keep the cap on council tax?"
"On the question of council, she knows what the arrangements are," Starmer said - prompting incredulity from Tories across the aisle.
Badenoch retorted: "I think the house will have heard that the Prime Minister could neither confirm nor deny whether the cap on council tax was being raised.
She then asked: "How much extra does he expect local authorities will have to raise in order to cover the funding gap created by the Chancellor's Budget and increases in employers' National Insurance?"
But Starmer hit back, accusing Badenoch of a "fundamental failure" to listen to his answer.
He said: "It's all very well this knockabout - but not actually listening to what I've said three minutes ago is a bit of a fundamental failure of the Leader of the Opposition. I just said £600million. I repeat it: £600million."
Tories rip into Starmer over Sue Gray row - 'An invented job for one of his cronies!'
Tory MP Lincoln Jopp has torn into the PM in the wake of the news that Sue Gray won't be taking up her "envoy to the regions and nations" job.
Yesterday, it emerged that Gray had "taken a decision not to take the role" and "is going to focus on other things," according to ally of the ex-civil servant, speaking to the Financial Times.
Jopp called the role "an invented job for one of his cronies" and asked: "If it wasn't, is he going to hire a new one?"
Starmer replied: "It wasn't."
Braverman rages at Labour 'thought police' as ANOTHER Briton faces officers at the front door over social media posts
Suella Braverman has torn into Labour's social media crackdown after police visited a journalist over a year-old "non-crime hate incident" tweet.
Yvette Cooper is understood to be considering a new "zero-tolerance" approach to the so-called "non-crime hate incidents" - but now, her predecessor Braverman has labelled Labour the "thought police".
Writing on social media in reaction to the news, Braverman said: "More from the thought police under a Labour Government.
"We need to stop policing words on social media and tackle actual crimes.
"My message to Labour: protect freedom of speech, stop the overreach and focus on keeping our streets safe.
"But I don't hold out much hope."
Her criticism was followed by scathing words from Richard Tice and Robert Jenrick - the former labelled the news "shocking", while the latter said sharply: "Police crimes, not tweets."
Farage to probe Labour on Chagos debacle after PMQs
Nigel Farage is set to push Labour on its surrender of the Chagos Islands in an urgent question after PMQs today.
We'll bring you the latest on the Reform UK leader's probe in the Commons - as well as whatever answer he's given.
Labour to green-light e-scooters on Britain's roads - despite warnings of 'havoc'
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has indicated Labour is looking to legalise the use of private e-scooters on public roads - despite prior warnings of "havoc" if the vehicles were green-lit.
Despite their widespread use, it remains against the law to use a privately owned e-scooter on public land - but Haigh has now opened the door to the controversial vehicles.
Asked by the Commons' Transport Select Committee whether she was planning to regulate the use of e-scooters, she said: “We will look to legislate, absolutely. It's clearly required... It's not good enough that it's been left in this situation for too long."
Starmer dealt hammer blow on migrant returns by EU members - 'It's NOT going to happen!'
Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a fresh blow in his bid to "smash the gangs" and return migrants to the EU by politicans from the bloc.
Though Starmer has been chasing a UK-EU returns deal, leading figures in Hungarian ruling party Fidesz have vowed that the country will "never be engaged" in his "unfeasible" agreement.
Any such deal would need sign-off from each of the EU's 27 member states - but, speaking to The Telegraph, Hungary's top brass has said no.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's allies said they would not change their minds - even if the UK offers to pay for maintaining Hungary's southern border fence with Serbia.
Orban's international spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told the newspaper: "It's not going to happen because it is unfeasible.
"We never will be engaged, I think, in this kind of scheme.
"My first reaction would be that you don't even take it as a negotiation into the negotiation booth... we can talk about everything, but it's not going to work."
PMQs LIVE - from midday
A reminder that GB News will be covering PMQs LIVE from noon today.
Join Christopher Hope and Gloria De Piero from midday on TV or online - and you can follow all the big debates, analysis and reaction here on GB News' Politics LIVE blog.
Rupert Lowe says NO to Labour MP plot to fast-track Palestinians to Britain
Rupert Lowe has ruled out signing a Labour MP-led motion to bring Palestinians to Britain through a Ukraine-style Family Scheme visa.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell has submitted an Early Day Motion to "enable Palestinians from Gaza to reunite with their family members" in the UK.
If Maskell is successful, the Gazans would be able to "seek temporary sanctuary in the UK until it is safe to return".
But in light of fears over visa overstaying in Britain, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has vowed not to sign her plea.
"I will not be signing this", he said.
Wes Streeting shocked at comparison with Elon Musk: 'Not what I was expecting this morning'
Wes Streeting has been left shocked at a comparison levied between him and Elon Musk.
Musk has been named as part of US President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Appearing on Sky News earlier this morning, the Health Secretary was asked if he shares similar views on driving government efficiency.
Surprised at the question, he said: "That was not the comparison I was expecting this morning but there is an issue here about reform of public services."
He then downplayed any suggestion of a potential meeting between the pair.
NHS chiefs to be FIRED if they don't cut waiting times, Streeting warns
NHS chiefs will be sacked if they do not cut waiting times, Wes Streeting has vowed.
The Health Secretary wants to hold the leaders of the worst hospitals accountable with a new system of performance league tables.
Managers at "persistently failing" NHS trusts will be sacked or denied pay rises with "turnaround teams" sent in as replacements - as part of Streeting's plan to push NHS trusts to stop wasting public money.
Find Out More...