Gordon Brown has warned that children will be forced to go to school “badly dressed and malnourished” if the Government does not act to support people through the cost of living crisis now. Mr Brown urged the Government to prioritize bringing forward a new support package for families before winter arrives “regardless of what happens in the leadership programme”. Speaking on Sky News this morning, the former Labor prime minister said there was “no doubt people will be hungry in October” – warning that if the government leaves its intervention for November or December, “pensioners will have to choose between feeding gas meters or feeding themselves.” Meanwhile, the Liz Truss camp has defended the leadership hopeful’s controversial scrapping of emergency winter ‘leaflets’. The former Northern Ireland secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Instead of having handouts, what we’re doing is having a low-tax economy that drives growth and so with people having more money in their pockets, it’s in better placed to address some of the challenges we see.”

Basic points

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‘People will starve’: Gordon Brown calls for urgent action on cost of living crisis – watch

‘People will starve’: Gordon Brown calls for urgent action on cost of living crisis Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 08:43 1659943819

Brandon Lewis defends Truss’s “handout” remark

Conservative former Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has defended Liz Truss for saying there would be no “handouts” amid rising living costs. Ms Truss told the Financial Times: “The way I would go about it is in a conservative way of reducing the tax burden, without handing out leaflets.” Speaking about her comments, Mr Lewis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We will try to do everything we can to help people – this is the emergency budget. (PA) “She (Mrs Truss) is willing to do more to help people, but her focus is to do it in a way that puts more money in people’s pockets, creating a high-growth economy with higher wages, more people in work . “So instead of having handouts, what we’re doing is having a low-tax economy that’s driving growth, and so with people having more money in their pockets, they’re in a better position to deal with some of the challenges that we’re seeing.” Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 08:30 1659942884

Dowden not taking economic ‘lessons’ from Gordon Brown: ‘He doesn’t have a great record on such things’

Former Conservative Party co-leader Oliver Dowden said he is not taking any lessons on the economy from Gordon Brown, after he yesterday warned families would face a “financial time bomb” in October. Asked if there was a need amid the rising cost of living for daily emergency Cobra meetings, Mr Dowden told Sky News: “Of course we have to be on top of this and we have to be realistic and honest with people about the scale of challenge we face. “Both with the scale of inflation coming down, which we haven’t seen for nearly 40 years, and the fact that energy bills are going to go up, possibly to £4,000. “I would say, although I don’t take massive lessons from Gordon Brown, remember that this was a man who gave us a 75pc increase. for pensioners, so he doesn’t really have a great record on that sort of thing.” Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 08:14 1659942229

Gordon Brown warns Tory children will be ‘badly dressed’ this winter

Gordon Brown has warned that children will be forced to go to school “badly dressed and malnourished” if the Government does not act to support people through the cost of living crisis now. Mr Brown urged the Government to prioritize bringing forward a new support package for families before winter arrives “regardless of what happens in the leadership programme”. Speaking on Sky News this morning, the former Labor prime minister said there was “no doubt people will be hungry in October”, warning that if the government left its intervention for November or December, “pensioners will have to choose between feeding gas meters or feeding themselves.” Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 08:03 1659940819

The Met Police subjected 650 children to ‘traumatic’ strip searches

More than six hundred children were forced to endure “intrusive and traumatic” strip searches by the Metropolitan Police over a two-year period, with black boys disproportionately targeted, figures show. Around 650 people aged between 10 and 17 were investigated by officers in the force between 2018 and 2020, according to figures obtained from Scotland Yard by the Children’s Commissioner. Of those children, 58 percent were described by the officer as black, and more than 95 percent were boys. My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain has more:

The Met Police subjected 650 children to ‘traumatic’ strip searches

Black boys are disproportionately targeted, new data shows Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 07:40 1659939638

Labor criticizes Raab for ‘considering changes to ministerial responsibility in judicial reviews’

The Justice Secretary is said to be considering introducing changes that could limit the accountability of ministers in judicial reviews. According to a leaked Ministry of Justice (MoJ) document seen by The Guardian, Dominic Raab is considering a move that would likely make it harder for claimants concerned about decisions made by public bodies to bring successful legal challenges against him. Government. The document reportedly reads: “You (Mr Raab) have indicated your intention to consult on further reforms to judicial review.” (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The proposed changes to the document reportedly range from dictating the criteria judges must apply in cases to increasing costs if parties are found to lack standing. Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reid said the reported changes showed the government believed “the law only applies to the little people”. The Labor MP said: “This leak is further proof that the Lord Chancellor and this arrogant Tory government believe the law only applies to the little people.” Emily Atkinson8 August 2022 07:20 1659938730

Major campaign offers to boost green investment in London

A major campaign to boost green investment across communities in London is being tackled by celebrities and sports stars. The £500,000 Opportunity London project is supported and part-funded by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the cross-party group London Councils, which represents the capital’s 32 boroughs, and the City of London Corporation. A group of London Ambassadors, which will include recognizable names from the sporting and cultural worlds, will become the faces of the campaign, representing what London is as a city. Ambassadors will be selected and appointed over the coming months and will come from all backgrounds, including property, with some coming from supporter organisations. Their mission will be to promote London as one of the best places in the world to invest – particularly in property, regeneration and green infrastructure. Mr Khan said: “To maintain London’s position as a leading global city, we need to compete for investment in sustainable development with other leading cities. Opportunity London is a great platform to do this and I am delighted to be working with our partners to attract investment that will help us build a better London for all, supporting good growth in our industries, jobs and communities. Sadiq Khan Namita Singh August 8, 2022 7:05 am 1659937830

Thatcher’s energy secretary says Tory leadership contenders’ response to price spike ‘inadequate’

Margaret Thatcher’s former energy secretary has slammed the two Tory leadership candidates’ plans to tackle the energy price crisis as “completely inadequate”. David Howell said the expected rise in the energy price cap to an average of £3,700 or more would “paralyze” the lives of huge numbers of Britons. He called for immediate action to ease suffering this winter, both through grants and loans to the most vulnerable and through international diplomacy to open up more gas and oil supplies. Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss said they were ready to look at ways to ease the pressure on families facing a cost-of-living crisis, with the Bank of England forecast to hit 13% this year. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

Thatcher’s energy secretary says Tory rivals’ response to rising prices ‘inadequate’

‘Let them eat cake’: Promises of future nuclear, wind and solar power ‘like Marie Antoinette’ Namita Singh8 August 2022 06:50 1659936930

Thousands of tainted blood victims to receive £100,000 compensation ‘as soon as possible’

Thousands of victims of the tainted blood scandal will receive interim payments of £100,000 in compensation “as soon as possible”, the government has announced. The Infected Blood Inquiry was set up to examine how thousands of patients in the UK became infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. There are believed to be more than 4,000 surviving victims of what has been described as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, in which around 2,400 people died. Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the inquiry, last month called for compensation to be paid “without delay” to all tainted blood victims and bereaved partners. Read the details in this report by Chiara Giordano:

Thousands of tainted blood victims to receive £100,000 compensation

An estimated 4,000 victims survived what has been described as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, where 2,400 died Namita Singh8 August 2022 06:35 1659936030