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Planned fuel duty rise to be scrapped, says Starmer as he defends changes to Russian oil sanctions – UK politics live | Politics
Starmer says planned fuel duty rise for September to be scrapped, and hauliers to get 12-month road tax holiday
Kirsteen Sullivan (Lab) asks about the cost of living.
Starmer says he can today announce a 12-month holiday for hauliers on road tax.
And he says the government will not go ahead with the planned increase in fuel duty.
Key events
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asked Starmer to rule out further aid cuts.
Starmer said the government was committed to overseas aid.
Davey said he could not tell from that if Starmer was ruling out further cuts or not.
He asked if Starmer was relieved about agreeing with Andy Burnham about not joining the single market or the customs union during this parliament.
Starmer said, if he followed Davey’s policy, he would not be able to have the trade deal with the US that has saved jobs in the UK.
Badenoch says she was talking about Starmer blocking new licences.
She goes on:
[Starmer is] importing sanctioned Russian oil. He’s nationalising steel. He is imposing price controls in the supermarket. It’s like the Soviets won.
Starmer says Badenoch has missed what is happening.
She may have overlooked the fact that last week [it was announced] we’ve got the fastest growing economy in the G7.
Last week we had the biggest fall in NHS waiting list for 17 years.
Today, inflation has come down more than expected.
And if you’d offered me that and Arsenal becoming Premier League champions, I’d take it every day of the week.
Badenoch says she’s not playing politics.
It’s not playing politics. It’s speaking up for the people who are out there.
The fact is, more people are buying Russian oil because British oil isn’t being drilled.
He’s sanctioning British oil, but not Russian oil. And he should be ashamed.
Starmer says Badenoch said there was no drilling in the North Sea. She will have to refer herself to the privileges committeee, he says.
There is drilling. It’s 24/7 and oil and gas are coming out. And that will be important for many, many years to come. We are we are supporting those existing oil and gas fields throughout their lifespan.
Badenoch says Starmer should be ashamed of his policy.
Let me make it clear. I know it hurts him to hear it. He is now choosing to buy dirty Russian oil. That money will be used to fund the killing of Ukrainian soldiers. Isn’t he ashamed?
Starmer accuses Badenoch of misunderstanding and misrepresenting the policy.
And he says Russia is the only country that benefits when a party plays politics with Ukraine like this.
Badenoch claims Labour is helping Russia make money, Reform UK takes money from Russia, and the Tories are the only party standing up to them.
Starmer says this is a serious issue, and he accuses Badenoch of misrepresenting the policy.
He says:
These are new sanctions putting more pressure on Russia. And I think if she’d done her homework she should actually support us on this.
Starmer insists existing oil sanctions on Russia remain in place, and new, tougher measures involve ‘phase-in’ exemptions
Badenoch asks why oil from Russia is acceptable, but oil from Aberdeen is not.
Starmer says the package yesterday involved new sanctions, going well beyond what was there before.
And he says there were two orders to phase these sanctions in.
He says the last government did the same thing when new sanctions were being phased in. And Labour backed them at all.
He goes on to say this is not about reducing existing sanctions at all.
Kemi Badenoch says it was the Tories who called for the fuel duty freeze to be continued.
She asks why Labour voted against more drilling in the North Sea last night.
Starmer says Badenoch likes to claim credit for things nothing to do with her.
In her mind, she won the Eurovision on Saturday and scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final. But she’s never takes any responsibility for what they did for 14 long years.
Starmer says planned fuel duty rise for September to be scrapped, and hauliers to get 12-month road tax holiday
Kirsteen Sullivan (Lab) asks about the cost of living.
Starmer says he can today announce a 12-month holiday for hauliers on road tax.
And he says the government will not go ahead with the planned increase in fuel duty.
Keir Starmer starts by expresssing his condolences to the family of a solider killed in a tragic incident on Friday.
He says it would be remiss of him not be comment on one of Manchester’s great heroes moving on after a decade. So he will congratulate Pep Guardiola.
And he congratulates Arsenal on their win too.
Ben Quinn has an article in the Guardian today on how Nigel Farage seems to have vanished from the public eye over recent days, as Reform UK continues to dodge questions about his £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne – and how Farage paid for a £1.4m home.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, seems to have been reading this. He said today the Reform UK leader’s “silence” suggested “he might realise he might get thrown out” of the Commons.
Davey told reporters:
The fact that Nigel Farage – he’s never been afraid of getting in front of the camera before, has he – has now disappeared, suggests that he might realise he’s guilty, he might realise that he has committed an offence, and that he might get thrown out by parliament.
But a Reform UK spokesperson said Farage would be appearing on camera later on Wednesday and had addressed the “non-issue” previously.
Starmer facing Badenoch at PMQs
PMQs is not far off.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
Minister to respond to urgent question on some sanctions on Russian oil being lifted
There will be an urgent question after PMQs on the government’s decision to relax some sanctions on Russian oil. It has been tabled by Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scottish secretary.
A business minister should be replying.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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