Some new cities in England to be constructed on greenfield websites, housing minister says – UK politics dwell | Politics

Rishi Sunak, the previous PM, intervened in the course of the pressing query. He has spoken little or no within the Commons because the common election, however he used his query to ask Maria Eagle if she agreed that “on this new world” Britain and its European allies “should lead in offering Ukraine with army assist and probably army presence throughout land, air and sea, to provide Ukraine confidence that any peace will endure”. And if the federal government did that, it might have his assist, he stated.

Eagle stated the govenrment was dedicated to placing Ukraine within the strongest place to barter. That may contain giving them the arms they wanted to combat, she stated.

She stated most assist for Ukraine is now coming from European nations.

James Cartlidge says all MPs need to see peace.

He says President Trump needs to see an finish to the warfare.

However Cartlidge says his occasion, like the federal government, stands by Ukraine.

We stay 100% steadfast in our assist for Ukraine, in our backing for the federal government, in delivering that as they did when in opposition.

And we agree in precept with them that, as we additionally burdened repeatedly in authorities, it’s for the Ukrainians to resolve the timing and phrases of any negotiations on any warfare.

Cartlidge says Trump is correct to say Europe must spend extra on defence.

He says that, if President Putin is seen to win, “that will convey a brief finish to the battle, but it surely won’t make the world a safer place”.

And he says the case for increased defence spending is stronger than ever.

In response, Eagle welcomes the truth that the Tories are backing the federal government and that assist for Ukraine stays a cross-party place.

(In some features of coverage, the Conservatives are saying the UK ought to align with the US and never Europe. However, on Ukraine, that doesn’t appear to be taking place.)

Within the Commons James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, is asking his pressing query about Ukraine.

Maria Eagle, a defence minister, is responding.

In her opening assertion, she says the UK will “step up” its assist for Ukraine. It wil spend £4.5bn on army assist for Ukraine – greater than each earlier than.

And solely yesterday new firepower was introduced, she says.

She says Ukraine’s safety issues for all international locations, as a result of if one nation’s borders will be redrawn by drive, everybody will likely be affected.

The NHS England hospital ready listing has fallen for the fourth month in a row, PA Media stories. PA says:

An estimated 7.46m remedies have been ready to be carried out on the finish of December, relating to six.24m sufferers – down from 7.48m remedies and 6.28m sufferers on the finish of November.

These are the bottom figures since April 2023.

The listing hit a document excessive in September 2023, with 7.77m remedies and 6.5m sufferers.

This chart, from an NHS England information launch, exhibits the pattern over the previous decade.

John Healey, the defence secretary, received’t be responding to the pressing query on Ukraine as a result of he’s in Brussels for the assembly of Nato defence ministers. As Jakub Krupa stories on his Europe dwell weblog, Healey instructed reporters this morning that there should be “no negotiation about Ukraine with out Ukraine”. He stated:

[Ukraine] are the frontline of freedom, and our job is … to place Ukraine within the strongest doable place for any talks.

We will likely be persevering with these discussions as Nato allies, and you will note new bulletins of assist for Ukraine by Nato.

We’ve got seen the calls from president Trump in a single day. All of us need to see a sturdy peace and no return to battle and aggression, and let’s not overlook. Russia stays a risk effectively past Ukraine.

My message will likely be there will be no negotiation about Ukraine with out Ukraine, and Ukraine’s voice should be on the coronary heart of any talks.

Britain’s economic system unexpectedly picked up within the last three months of 2024, official figures have proven, easing strain on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, after flatlining in the course of the summer season. Richard Partington has the story.

Good morning. At PMQs yesterday Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, stated that 80 years in the past “British, Canadian and American troopers have been combating shoulder to shoulder to defeat fascists” however that President Trump “appears to have forgotten all that” as he takes international coverage choice.

It seems that Davey was improper. Trump has a really robust sense of who was on America’s aspect throughout world warfare two. “We each mirrored on the Nice Historical past of our Nations, and the truth that we fought so efficiently collectively in World Struggle II, remembering, that Russia misplaced tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals,” Trump stated yesterday, in his readout of his name with President Putin.

That was the decision with ominious implications for Ukraine, as America in impact referred to as time on the period when it used to ensure the safety of western Europe. Keir Starmer is doing a go to this morning and, as is regular at these occasions, he’s anticipated to take temporary questions from broadcasters on the principle tales of the day. Tales don’t get any extra “most important” than this one.

We will likely be overlaying the Starmer interviews right here, however that is primarily a world story and Jakub Krupa is main the protection of it on his Europe dwell weblog.

Starmer may be requested in regards to the economic system, and the expansion figures out this morning, exhibiting that the economic system grew by a modest 0.1% within the last quarter of 2024. That’s not gangbusters territory, however it’s an enchancment on the earlier quarter, when the economic system was flat. There have been fears they economic system would possibly even shrink within the last three months of the yr.

Graeme Wearden is main on this on his enterprise dwell weblog.

There’s a slight probability that Starmer might even be requested a query in regards to the authorities’s plans for brand spanking new cities, which is ostensibly the explanation for the go to. As Pippar Crerar stories, the federal government is saying that as much as 12 new cities will likely be underneath development in England by the subsequent election after 100 potential areas have been recognized for them.

Full particulars of the announcement are right here. Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, has been giving interviews in regards to the plans this morning, and he instructed Sky Information that a number of the new cities will likely be construct on greenfield websites.

Requested whether or not a number of the development can be on greenfield land, Pennycook replied:

There will likely be some, I’m certain, beneficial standalone greenfield websites.

There will likely be quite a few different, what are referred to as city extensions, however massive expansions of current cities and cities the place that’s acceptable.

There’s bought to be sustainable locations, as I say, they’ve bought to be well-connected, well-designed.

We’ll see what the taskforce advocate in its last report in the summertime … ministers will then take the ultimate choice on which of them go ahead.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: NHS England publishes its month-to-month efficiency figures.

9.30am: Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, takes questions within the Commons.

Morning: Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner are on a go to within the south-east England to advertise the federal government’s plans for brand spanking new cities.

Morning: David Lammy, the international secretary, has a gathering in London along with his Chinese language counterpart, Wang Yi.

11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.

Additionally, Nato defence ministers are assembly in Brussels at this time. John Healey is there for the UK and he is because of converse to reporters this afternoon.

If you wish to contact me, please put up a message beneath the road or message me on social media. I can’t learn all of the messages BTL, however should you put “Andrew” in a message aimed toward me, I’m extra more likely to see it as a result of I seek for posts containing that phrase.

If you wish to flag one thing up urgently, it’s best to make use of social media. You’ll be able to attain me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X however particular person Guardian journalists are there, I nonetheless have my account, and should you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I’ll see it and reply if mandatory.

I discover it very useful when readers level out errors, even minor typos. No error is simply too small to appropriate. And I discover your questions very fascinating too. I can’t promise to answer to all of them, however I’ll attempt to reply to as many as I can, both BTL or generally within the weblog.