Donor's gifts to PM’s wife and assisted dying vote

Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer are clapped in by staff as they enter his official London residence at No 10 Downing StreetImage source, Reuters
  • Published

According to the Mail on Sunday, external, Sir Keir Starmer has backed plans to hold a vote in the Commons before Christmas to legalise assisted dying. It says the prime minister is pushing ahead despite a warning from his own justice secretary. A government spokesperson tells the paper that any change in the law is a matter for parliament and it won't stand in the way of any debate and votes.

The Observer, external highlights concerns that new rules for nurseries in England, introduced by the Conservatives, were reducing childcare to "crowd control". The paper says the change, which allows an increase in the ratio of children to staff, has affected quality. It quotes from a survey of nursery staff who say they feel they are “simply firefighting”.

The Sunday Telegraph, external accuses the government of planning to row back on its plan to restore the ban on sales of new petrol vehicles by 2030. Ministers plan to instead allow 20% of new car sales to be hybrids until 2035, the paper reports. A Department for Transport spokesperson called the report "untrue", adding that "the original phase out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030-35".

The Sunday Times, external reports that Sir Keir Starmer may have broken parliamentary rules in failing to declare clothes bought for his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli. The donations were made around the time Lord Alli was embroiled in a row over being given a temporary Downing Street security pass. The paper claims the arrangement was known only to a tiny circle of trusted advisers.

The Sunday Telegraph, external says Jeremy Hunt betrayed former prime minister Liz Truss by demanding she quit shortly after she made him chancellor. The paper quotes Sir Graham Brady as saying Mr Hunt persuaded him to tell her to go "right away" following her disastrous mini-budget. In his new memoir, Kingmaker, the former 1922 Committee chairman writes that Ms Truss had already concluded she needed to stand down by the time they spoke, so he didn't need to pass on the ex-chancellor's advice.

Several papers picture the Strictly star Amy Dowden being hoisted on her fellow dancers’ shoulders in celebration of her return to the show after battling cancer. The Sunday Express notes the absence of her former colleague Giovanni Pernice, who denies allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The paper says the scandal is likely to continue to cast a cloud over the programme.

Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.