Lammy dismisses Streeting’s call for UK to rejoin EU as ‘sixth form’ debating position – UK politics live

Deputy PM says the public will not forgive weeks of internal debate on the EU and Labour leadership, warning it will play into Reform’s hands

Angela Rayner was asked by No 10 last week if she would like to replace Wes Streeting as health secretary, the Times reports.

In their story, Steven Swinford and Geraldine Scott say:

Rayner’s team was contacted by No 10 on Thursday after Streeting left the government with an extraordinary resignation letter in which he condemned the prime minister’s lack of vision and the “drift” of his government …

Starmer has repeatedly said that he wanted her to return to his cabinet and the settling of her dispute with HMRC clears a path back to frontline politics.

If doing some kind of deal means we can win Aberdeenshire and save the union then it’s worth doing.

My view is that if at the next general election – and I’ve said this again and again – there are two rightwing parties slugging it off in every single constituency, as night follows day there will be a leftwing government.

We’re going to be putting forward our pitch. The reality is people in Makerfield who want to see the welfare state reduced, so the system actually works for people... those people are going to have a choice on that ballot paper. They can go out there and vote for Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives.

Makerfield By-Election Forecast:

With Burnham: