Nigel Farage makes Reform announcement in major Brexit benefit

The King's state visit to the US is to go ahead next month despite the Iran war.

Charles and the Queen's historic trip to see Donald Trump will take place in late April despite calls for it to be postponed because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Karl Turner said he has not been formally notified of his removal from the Labour parliamentary party.

The Kingston upon Hull East MP wrote on X: "I am being told that I have had the whip suspended but I have not had any notification from the whips about this. It seems journalists have been told but I have not."

Karl Turner, the MP for Kingston upon Hull East, has had the Labour whip suspended.

Mr Turner, a barrister, has been an outspoken critic of the Government's plan to restrict jury trials to the most serious offences.

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “Before coming out with yet more half-baked announcements, Reform should explain the vast £10.5 billion black hole in their pubs 'plan'.

“A Reform government would be an economic catastrophe. Serious times, call for serious thinking - not gimmicks and economic illiteracy.”

Donald Trump said the UK and other countries which did not take part in strikes against Iran should secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves.

The US President wrote on Truth Social: "All of those countries that can't get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.

"You'll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us.

"Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

Posting on X, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "The BMA seems surprised that if they reject the deal on offer and go on strike their members don't get what the Government is offering.

"We have time before Easter weekend to resolve this dispute.

"A deal on jobs and pay is on the table."

Labour insisted the Reform UK is "not on your side" after the party's announcement that it would scrap air passenger duty.

A party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage has constantly jetted off around the world since becoming an MP, bagging hundreds of thousands of pounds for himself in the process. Reform are not on your side.

“Labour took the fair choice to hike tax on big private jets, which Farage opposed. Only this Labour is delivering a serious plan to ease the cost of living for families. From this week, the lowest earners will get a pay rise, pensions are going up, and energy bills being cut.“

Guessing what is in the minds of people in the White House over the Iran conflict is "a bit of a mug's game", Nigel Farage has said.

Asked about reports that the US Presidents said he might end the war, Mr Farage said: "I don't think we should take literally anything right now that Donald Trump says, or is said about Donald Trump," he said.

"The last thing he's going to do, or the last thing his colleagues in the White House are going to do, is to give the Iranians any idea of what their true intentions are, and frankly, I don't know.

"Was it to remove nuclear capability? Was it aimed at regime change? I don't think any of us quite know the absolute truth about that."

He said that if Donald Trump were to walk away and oil prices remain high, "that would be, politically, not the way he or his Republican colleagues would want it to end".

He added: "Trying to read what's really in the minds of people in the White House right at the moment, pre-guessing that, is a bit of a mug's game right now."

Nigel Farage has said he has "absolutely no faith" that the grooming gangs inquiry will give justice for victims.

The Reform UK leader said: "I've wanted a national grooming gangs inquiry, I've done everything I can to try and push the Government into it.

"The problem is any third party inquiry is a waste of space unless you can subpoena police officers, social services, civil servants, who were all part of of turning the collective blind eye, and I think everything this Government has done on this issue is an attempt to literally kick the can down the road, to not fully open this up.

"I'm in touch with quite a few of the victims of this, one or two of them want to be candidates of ours as we go ahead over the course of the next few years, and they're very, very angry that they've never been taken seriously right from the age of 12 or 13 years old up until the present day. I have no confidence at all."

Nigel Farage warned that Labour is facing an "existential" crisis with threats from the Greens on the left and Reform UK on the right.

The Reform UK leader told the press conference: "The Labour Party is in bigger trouble than anyone's realised, because you're going to see inner-city populations, areas with big Muslim populations, areas with big student populations ... you can think of four or five London boroughs this year in which Labour are going to be wiped out.

"But then go further north, go into the West Midlands, go up to the North West, go to the North East, go to South Wales, and you will find very large numbers of people who've been Labour families for generations who are going to vote Reform.

"So the Labour Party is facing, I genuinely believe, despite the massive win at the last general election, that what the Labour Party is facing is existential and I think that will be one of the many interesting results that come out on the night of May 7."

Nigel Farage said the UK needs to come out of the European Convention on Human Rights to stop small boat crossings, on the eve of the deal with France expiring.

Speaking at Heathrow Airport, the Reform UK leader said: "Tomorrow will be a very busy day in the English Channel, and it wouldn't make any difference whether we agreed to a further £365 million or not, even if the French do stop boats from crossing, the same people come back the next time there is a calm day, and it's all about pull factors, it's all about the fact you've got a 97.5% chance, whoever you are, of staying in the United Kingdom if you illegally cross the Channel in a small boat."

Mr Farage added he had spoken to French politician Jordan Bardella about the issue. The Reform leader told him that under his plans, the Royal Navy would tow boats back to Northern France.

Mr Farage said: "None of this will happen all the while we stay part of the outdated European Convention on Human Rights."

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Aviation is crucial to the UK’s economy and high levels of air passenger duty are a barrier to connectivity and our ability to compete internationally.

"We welcome any proposals that would reduce air passenger duty.”

Reform UK would abolish air passenger duty on short-haul flights for family holidays if it wins the next election, Robert Jenrick has announced.

The party's Treasury spokesman told the press conference: "This is a time of year where millions of Brits will be going on holiday, catching some sun in Majorca or Tenerife, and millions more will be sat at home over the Easter holidays thinking about booking a family holiday.

"And this year, of all years, that will be a tough decision because household finances are just so tight, and so we want to make it cheaper.

"In our first budget, we will get rid of the family holiday tax. Air passenger duty will be gone for short-haul family trips, that will save a family on average £45 on their flights whether that's abroad, or £48 if they're going on holiday here in the UK.

"That means that if you are catching a flight, for example, as a family to Malaga, you would save 23% on the cost of your flights.

"We appreciate that's not a huge amount of money, but it's an important saving that will make it just a bit easier, to have that family trip, to have a bit of fun, to get away and spend time with your loved ones."

Nigel Farage said Reform UK's announcement today would not have been possible without Brexit.

He told the press conference: "I was in Brussels when this concept of air passenger duty was introduced and the great benefit of what Robert Jenrick is about to outline today is it's not just that it will make people's holidays cheaper but it is also the fact that it is a Brexit benefit and not something we could do as members of the EU.

"I hope Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer are listening to that particular point."

Nigel Farage opened the press conference by saying: "The cost of living crisis is very real and as we approach the Easter weekend one of the big conversations families will be having is where shall we go for our summer holiday or indeed can we afford to go on our summer holiday."

The Reform leader added: "These families aren't just hit with domestic fuel bills, aren't just hit with filling up their car, they're also hit with going on their summer holidays."

Nigel Farage is now up for the Reform press conference at Heathrow Airport.

He will be joined by the party's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.

Reform UK could beat Labour to second place in May's Scottish Parliament election, new polling suggests.

The Survation survey puts the SNP in the lead with 35% of the Holyrood constituency vote and 32% of the regional list, leaving the party just three seats short of the majority.

Reform UK would receive 19% of the constituency vote and 18% of the list, projecting a 19-seat return.

Labour is backed by 19% of respondents in constituencies and 17% in regional votes, equalling 18 Holyrood seats.

Nigel Farage has pledged that Reform would "make your family holiday cheaper" in a post on X ahead of his press conference at Heathrow Airport at 11am.

Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Energy Secretary, said: “It is unforgivable that Labour are continuing with Ed Miliband’s mad plan to shut down our own energy supplies in the middle of an energy crisis.

“Shutting down the North Sea means we are losing out on £25 billion in tax receipts that we could use to cut bills and reduce the cost of living.

“The Government must adopt the Conservatives’ Cheap Power Plan to cut bills by £200 immediately by taking VAT, taxes and levies off energy bills without costing taxpayers a penny. We would cut bills for everyone rather than taxing working people to fund yet another bailout for people on benefits.”

Household energy bills could increase by £288 a year in July as soaring wholesale costs caused by the Iran war are set to push up Ofgem’s price cap, according to the latest forecasts.

Cornwall Insight said its prediction for the watchdog’s price cap from July to September now stands at £1,929 for a typical dual fuel household – an increase of £288 or 18% on April’s cap.

This marks a slight fall from its forecast earlier this month, which had seen the cap surging to £1,973 in July.

It said this was caused by a “partial steadying in wholesale markets after a pause in energy infrastructure strikes and signals of a potential ceasefire in the Middle East conflict”.

But Cornwall Insight warned a rise in the cap in July was “effectively unavoidable” with rocketing wholesale prices over March now locked into the calculation and little chance that they will fall below pre-war levels in the coming weeks.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, told LBC Radio: “We were all very disappointed when the decision was made last week to reject it and immediately go to strikes.

“That said it’s not over yet.

“Colleagues will meet today and I really hope that we can reach agreement because it has been very, very disruptive for everybody.

“The NHS needs to be there for the population, so the disconnect with the population has been the big concern over recent years.”

Speaking on Mornings with Jones and Frost, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: “Well, look, honestly, the truth is that none of us know how long this war is going to go on.

"None of us know exactly how it's going to play out, but what we can do as a government is take action now to protect people here in the UK, because I think anyone across the country turning on their TV or looking at their phone, will see what's going on, the instability in the Middle East and will feel very uncertain about the future, maybe worried about their energy bills.'

NHS leaders have said the strike action, which coincides with the Easter holiday, will be “challenging”.

Writing in The Times, the Prime Minister said patients would be left “paying the price”.

He said the offer was made after “months of collaboration with the BMA”.

Sir Keir wrote: “That is why walking away from this deal is the wrong decision. It is reckless. And doing so without even giving resident doctors the chance to vote on it makes it worse.

“Because the truth is this: no one benefits from rejecting this deal.”

He said resident doctors, the NHS and patients will be “worse off”, highlighting that each strike costs the health service £250 million.

“Progress slows. Waiting times fall more slowly. Pressure on staff increases,” he added.

“That is what makes this so frustrating — and so completely avoidable.

“So I say this to the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee: reconsider.

“Give members a say and put this deal to a vote.

“Failing to do so will mean resident doctors are left with less, the NHS is weakened, and patients pay the price.

“To resident doctors, I say this: make your voice heard. This deal improves your pay, your progression and your future. Do not let others decide for you.

“There are still 48 hours left to choose a better path. For patients, the NHS, and our doctors — I urge you to take it.”

The Prime Minister has accused resident doctors of “recklessly” walking away from a Government pay deal without putting it to members for a vote.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said that the Government had “moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute”.

The union said that it was seeking to talk with the Government on Tuesday with “every intention of achieving a meaningful outcome that could see the strikes called off”.

Nigel Farage will also be in Norfolk this evening for a local election rally at 7pm.

The UK economy grew by an unrevised 0.1% in the final quarter of 2025, official figures have confirmed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) kept its estimation for the October to December quarter unchanged, which followed unrevised growth of 0.1% in the previous three months.

But it increased the out-turn for the year as a whole to 1.4%, up from previous growth of 1.3% recorded for 2025.

A Treasury spokesman said: “In an uncertain world we have the right economic plan.

“The decisions we have taken have put us in a better position to protect the country’s finances and family finances from global instability.

“We were the fastest growing European economy in the G7 last year and now we’re going even further by using regional growth, artificial intelligence and a closer relationship with the EU to get our economy growing.”

Reform UK policy announcement at Heathrow Airport. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and the party’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick holding a press conference to make an announcement on the cost of living.