Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi to sign UK-India trade deal – UK politics live

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The police and government are ready to respond if violent protests over the asylum system spread following events in Epping, a cabinet minister has said.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he could understand people’s frustrations at hotels being used to house asylum seekers but insisted that had come down from around 400 hotels to “just over 200”.

Asked if he was worried about unrest spreading in the way riots broke out around the country last summer, he told Sky News:

All the government, all the key agencies, the police, they prepare for all situations.

So I wouldn’t want you to be talking this up or speculating in a way which is unhelpful. Of course, the state prepares for all situations.

But I think what we’ve got to talk about is: why are people unhappy with, say, the asylum system? Are they reasonable? Are they upset for legitimate reasons? Yes, we share those as a government. That is why we are sorting it out.

And I understand the frustrations people have, but ultimately, you solve those frustrations and solve the problem by fixing and getting a grip of the core issue, which is what we’re doing.

Labour must create green jobs or lose voters to parties who oppose net zero, unions warn

The Labour government needs to ramp up the creation of green jobs or risk workers being tempted to vote for parties opposing the shift to net zero, two major unions have said.

The GMB and Prospect, who between them represent tens of thousands of energy workers, said there needs to be more of a focus on increasing green jobs as the fossil fuel industry is increasingly phased out.

They said without more tangible progress there is a danger of public support for the transition to clean energy being undermined – and potentially voters opting for a new government that does not support net zero.

Their intervention comes after Reform UK pledged to rip up green energy contracts if the party wins power and the Conservatives also shifted away from support for net zero earlier this year, showing the political arguments over the shift to green jobs are not settled.

Launching a new campaign group called Climate Jobs UK, Gary Smith, the general secretary of GMB union, said: “How the UK makes the transition to net zero is hugely important. The voices of those working in the energy sector day in, day out, who have vast experience of dealing with change, need to be front and centre of the process. If not, it’s doomed to fail.

“At the moment, the transition feels like something being done to workers – that can’t continue. People need to see real jobs created where they live, and their local economy boosted, or we’re going to see more and more tempted by the siren calls of those who deny the reality of climate change.”

Eleni Courea

Kemi Badenoch has said she aspires to become Britain’s version of Javier Milei, the Argentinian far-right, chainsaw-wielding president whose driving mission is slashing the size of the state.

Asked whether the UK needed its own Milei and whether she herself fit that role, Badenoch, whose party is languishing in third place in the polls, said: “Yes and yes.”

Milei is a self-described anarcho-capitalist who came to power in 2023 promising to dramatically cut state spending. He has often expressed admiration for Margaret Thatcher.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Badenoch said Milei would be the “template” for her government. She said the Conservatives “cannot be a repository for disenchantment” and must be about “offering hope”, unlike Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

But she admitted that “the public are not yet ready to forgive” the Tories after the political chaos of the last few years and that Reform was “stealing everyone’s oxygen”.

Badenoch argued the public would eventually tire of Farage’s “bullshitting” and claimed he was positioning his party to the left of the Conservatives on issues such as benefits.

She said her own programme, which she is under pressure to set out in more detail, would not be “not about cutting bits of the state” but rather “looking at what the state does, why it does it”.

The brother of a British man who has been detained overseas since 2017 has said he is putting his faith in the prime minister ahead of a meeting between Keir Starmer and the Indian prime minister.

Talks between Starmer and Narendra Modi of India are seen as being a “unique opportunity” to seek a resolution to the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.

Johal, a Sikh activist from Dumbarton near Glasgow, was arrested while in India for his wedding, and has been held ever since – despite having been cleared of one of the cases against him earlier this year.

But he still faces charges at a federal level, which his supporters – who claim an initial confession he made was as a result of torture – fear could take years to come to a conclusion.

However, campaigners at Reprieve, who have been working to free Johal, say the talks between the UK and Indian leaders could be a “rare chance to make progress” in the case.

The Indian prime minister is visiting London to sign a landmark, free trade agreement between his country and the UK.

Indian prime minister makes official UK visit to sign landmark trade deal

Hello and welcome to the UK politics blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines throughout the day.

We start with the news that India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is visiting London to sign a landmark free trade agreement between his country and the UK.

Modi, who arrived yesterday, is expected to sign the long-awaited deal later on Thursday, which will see tariffs cut on goods and increase market access for both countries.

He is also due to speak with prime minister Keir Starmer and meet King Charles before leaving for the Maldives.

For Britain, eager to score a post-Brexit win, the £4.8bn deal is its most economically significant trade agreement since leaving the EU. For India, it marks its first major free trade pact outside Asia. For both, analysts say, the agreement signals a long-term economic partnership.

“The UK and India, in many ways we have complementarities. We have had a historical relationship. It’s good to have a deeper trade relationship,” said Indian economist Sanjaya Baru.

India stood firm on key demands during negotiations, winning concessions on work visas, recognition of professional qualifications, and exemptions from national insurance contributions for Indian nationals working temporarily in the UK, all longstanding sticking points.

Modi, accompanied by his commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, who led the negotiations, can claim India held its ground while the UK compromised, bolstering his message of India’s rising global clout.

However, the deal must still be ratified by both parliaments, likely delaying implementation until mid-2026.

For more detail, see our full report here:

And for a full analysis of the deal, see my colleague Eleni Courea’s piece:

In other news:

• Newly appointed shadow housing secretary James Cleverly has criticised the prime minister for a “disconnect from reality” when it comes to housing asylum seekers. The Tory MP and former home secretary said asylum hotels are being reopened and that more asylum seekers are likely to be sent to an accommodation centre in his own constituency of Braintree.

• Essex police have denied claims officers “bussed” counter-demonstrators to a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping last week. The claims have promoted a call from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for the force’s chief constable to resign. Clacton MP Farage earlier posted a video on X, saying: “This video proves EssexPoliceUK transported left-wing protesters to The Bell hotel in Epping. There is no way Chief Constable BJ Harrington can stay in position.”

• A record number of police officers were sacked from forces in England and Wales in the past year, new figures show. Latest Home Office data reveals 426 officers were dismissed or had their contracts terminated in the 12 months to March. This is up 17% year on year from the previous record of 365 and more than double the number fired at the start of the decade, when 164 officers were dismissed in 2019/20.

• Kemi Badenoch blamed Labour for the strains on social cohesion highlighted by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. The Conservative leader said: “I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to actually understand what is going on.” Speaking in north-west London she said Hillingdon council had a £17m deficit because it has had asylum seekers “dumped on their doorstep”.

• Charities have warned of the increasing danger to asylum seekers posed by far-right protesters after small boat arrivals were moved from their usual landing place in Dover to further along the coast to avoid clashes. The Guardian understands that Home Office officials received intelligence that some of those participating in what was billed the Great British National Protest in Dover on Saturday afternoon could have been planning to target Kent Intake Unit, where small boat arrivals are initially processed after being escorted to shore in Dover by the Border Force.

• Reform UK councillors have been accused of hypocrisy after voting to spend £150,000 on hiring political advisers at a county council despite pledging to cut waste and save money. The plans were put forward by Reform councillor George Finch, a 19-year-old who was narrowly elected as the leader of Warwickshire county council during a meeting on Tuesday, which was picketed by protesters.