From 19m ago 11.53 CEST Starmer insists UK won't get 'dragged into' Iran war, highlighting his willingness to resist Trump's calls for more help Keir Starmer is speaking now. He thanks Sarah, and say he has the cabinet with him in the room. There is a lot of energy there, he claims. Moving into the substance of his speech, he starts by referring to the Ukraine war, praising the courage of the Ukrainians, before move on to the Iran war. He goes on: double quotation mark People look at their screens and they’re worried when they see explosions, infrastructure blown up, the rhetoric that goes with it, worried about whether this is going to escalate even further. And therefore it’s really important that I reiterate where I stand and where this government stands, because this is not our war and we are not going to be dragged into it. He says this applies “whatever the pressure [to join in] and whoever it’s coming from”. (Starmer is referring to Donald Trump at this point, highlighting is refusal to comply with Trump’s requests for more military support.) Starmer says Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch both “wanted to go straight in, with both feet, into the war without thinking through the consequences”. And he criticises Zack Polanski for wanting to leave Nato. Keir Starmer speaking at Labours local elections launch Photograph: PA Share 8m ago 12.04 CEST Starmer complained about other parties whipping up division, and he specifically criticised Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, for “complaining about Muslims praying in public”. Labour, by contrast, values bringing people together, he said. And he highlighted Labour’s Pride in Place programme as an example of that. He claimed this was an example of Labour trusting people, because under the scheme “you decide what the money is spent on, because you’re going to have a better idea than someone in Westminster or Whitehall, and that’s why it’s Pride in Wolverhampton. Let Wolverhampton decide.” Share 14m ago 11.58 CEST Starmer refers to Labour’s cost of living measures (see 9.42am), saying that energy bills will start going down this month because of a decision by the government. Share 19m ago 11.53 CEST Starmer insists UK won't get 'dragged into' Iran war, highlighting his willingness to resist Trump's calls for more help Keir Starmer is speaking now. He thanks Sarah, and say he has the cabinet with him in the room. There is a lot of energy there, he claims. Moving into the substance of his speech, he starts by referring to the Ukraine war, praising the courage of the Ukrainians, before move on to the Iran war. He goes on: double quotation mark People look at their screens and they’re worried when they see explosions, infrastructure blown up, the rhetoric that goes with it, worried about whether this is going to escalate even further. And therefore it’s really important that I reiterate where I stand and where this government stands, because this is not our war and we are not going to be dragged into it. He says this applies “whatever the pressure [to join in] and whoever it’s coming from”. (Starmer is referring to Donald Trump at this point, highlighting is refusal to comply with Trump’s requests for more military support.) Starmer says Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch both “wanted to go straight in, with both feet, into the war without thinking through the consequences”. And he criticises Zack Polanski for wanting to leave Nato. View image in fullscreen Keir Starmer speaking at Labours local elections launch Photograph: PA Share 29m ago 11.43 CEST Powell introduces “Sarah from Dudley”, who is talking about having two “amazing” adopted twins. Sarah is talking about the impact of the 30-hour free childcare allowance introduced by Labour. It has saved the family £400 a week, she says. It meant she could return to work full-time, she says. View image in fullscreen Sarah, a data analyst talking about the impact of Labour's extension of free childcare, at the Labour local elections launch Photograph: PA Share 33m ago 11.39 CEST Powell goes on to make jokes (not particularly good ones) about Nigel Farage and Zack Polanki. Farage has got a new job as Donald Trump’s intern, she says. And she says Polanski is making “hypnotic promises” that are “just an illusion”. Share 34m ago 11.37 CEST Labour launches its English local elections campaign The Labour local elections launch is starting. Lucy Powell, the deputy leader, is opening the proceedings. She starts by saying the party is “immensely proud” of the way Keir Starmer has dealt with the Iran war, and his decision “in the face of a lot of pressure and criticism not to follow blindly into an offensive war”. View image in fullscreen Lucy Powell at Labour's local elections campaign launch Photograph: PA Share 47m ago 11.24 CEST In Australia the Labor government has announced that it is halving excise duty on fuel for three months. Only last week Reform UK called for VAT on road fuel to halved for three months. Explaining the policy, Reform UK said: double quotation mark The tax cut would reduce pump prices by around 12p per litre for petrol and 14p per litre for diesel at current prices, at a static exchequer cost of about £1.5bn. The measure could be funded within current spending envelopes using the estimated £2.7bn windfall from higher oil prices that the chancellor has received. Share 48m ago 11.24 CEST Tories call for VAT on household energy bills to be removed for three years At the Conservative party conference last year, the Tories announced plans to cut £165 a year from the average household energy bill by getting rid of the renewables obligation subsidy and the carbon tax. Today Kemi Badenoch is visiting an oil rig in the North Sea to publicise what the Conservatives are calling their cheap energy plan. In addition to the measures announced last year, they are now proposing removing VAT from household energy bills for three years. They say this would save the average household £94 per year, at a cost of £2.2bn. They say they would fund this by cutting subsisides for renewables. In a statement issued overnight, Badenoch said: double quotation mark Labour promised to cut energy bills by £300 but they are still higher than when they took office. Instead, Ed Miliband is blocking drilling in the North Sea during an energy crisis and Rachel Reeves is hiking taxes on working families to pay the energy bills of those on benefits. The Conservatives would use extra tax revenue from our plan to Get Britain Drilling in the North Sea to cut taxes and ease the cost of living. Our Cheap Power Plan would scrap VAT on energy bills and cut bills by £200 for every family. Badenoch also says the Tories would “back the North Sea” by allowing new oil and gas drilling licences to be issued, and repealing the windfall tax on energy firms. They claim this would boost tax revenues, which could be used to cut costs for households. View image in fullscreen Kemi Badenoch, shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie and Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay vistinng Well-Safe Protector Oil Rig in Aberdeen today. Photograph: Michał Wachucik/PA Share 1h ago 10.42 CEST Labour highlights 13 'key cost of living measures' coming into force within next week as it launches local elections campaign As Jessica Elgot reports in her overnight story on the Labour local elections launch this morning, Keir Starmer will also highlight what Labour is doing to help people with the cost of living. Keir Starmer to launch local elections campaign with focus on cost of living Read more In his news release issued ahead of the launch, Labour has highlighted more than a dozen measures coming into force within the next week that it says will help people with the cost of living. Here is the list. double quotation mark Key cost of living measures coming into force on 1 April: -Prescription charge freeze, keeping prescriptions under £10 -National Living Wage (age 21+) rises to £12.71 an hour - 4.1% increase -National Minimum Wage (age 18-20) rises to £10.85, under 18 £8, apprentice £8 -Energy bill support - average £117 reduction on household energy bills, applied to all households on top of £150 Warm Homes Discount for millions of low income households. -Benefits uprating - most inflation-linked benefits to rise by 3.8% (CPI Sept 2025) -Child benefit increases -Crisis & Resilience Fund launches (replacing Household Support Fund). New £1 billion per year fund begins April 2026.Offers: Cash‑first crisis payments; Housing payments (replacing Discretionary Housing Payments) -Healthy Start vouchers increase by 50p a week Key cost of living measures coming into force on 6 April: -State pension uplift - increasing by 4.8% rising to £241.30 per week -Two child limit removed - expected to lift 450,000 children out of poverty -Statutory Sick Pay rights from day 1 -Day one entitlement to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave -Universal credit standard allowances receive an additional 2.3% uplift Share Updated at 10.44 CEST