Nigel Farage and Nick Candy say they met Musk at Mar-a-Lago to discuss doing ‘great things together’ – UK politics live | Politics

The Unite union, which is one of the biggest unions donating to the Labour party, has strongly condemned the decision not to compensate the Waspi women. Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said:

The government’s decision not to compensate the Waspi women despite the ombudsmen’s recommendations is a disgrace. Ministers are making the wrong choices – they need to turn back now because voters will not forgive them.

Unite has a retired members section which campaigns very actively on issues affecting pensioners.

Farage and Candy also met JD Vance at Mar-a-Lago

Ben Quinn

Elon Musk’s meeting with Nigel Farage and Reform UK treasurer Nick Candy at Mar-a-Lago has rejuvenated speculation that the hard right party might be set for a multi-million pound injection of support after all.

Musk had denied earlier this month that he was going to fund Reform UK after a report in the Sunday Times suggested he was about to hand $100m to Farage’s party, but that is a space that will now be closely watched after news emerged today of the meeting at Donald Trump’s property in Florida.

The Guardian also understands that Farage and Candy met the US vice president-elect, JD Vance, but did not meet with Donald Trump himself, who was said to have been in back-to-back meetings with tech tycoons. The results of Trump’s efforts were on display on Monday as he appeared alongside SoftBank’s billionaire chief Masayoshi Son as they unveiled the Japanese tech group’s plans to invest $100bn in the US.

However, while Vance did not appear in the photos issued by Reform UK, his presence could be highly significant given his own close ties to US tech billionaires and the fact that he is odds on to be the US Republican candidate in the next presidential election.

In the meantime, and even before any money comes, Reform UK are now eagerly milking publicity from their meeting with world’s richest man, with Farage issuing a statement in which portrayed the meeting as part of a joint effort to “save the west.”

It was perhaps telling that Musk had yet to make any mention of the meeting on his relentless X feed, preferring instead to tweet about his space business and continue to wage his own personal war on “woke.”

Nevertheless, there is no indication that he has changed his mind on his clearly expressed hostility towards Keir Starmer. Should Musk chose to start funding Reform UK, it’s clear that even a tiny intervention on his terms could be significant. Musk’s fortune has risen by $133bn (£104.4bn) so far this year and stands at $362bn.

Musk could get around strict regulations on overseas donations either by giving money through the UK arm of X or by securing UK citizenship, which his father, Errol, has said he is eligible for because his grandmother was British.

Plaid Cymru has joined those accusing the Labour government of betraying promises made to Waspi women.

Referring to comments made (in 2018) by Eluned Morgan, the Labour Welsh first minister, and (in 2019) by Jo Stevens, the Welsh secretary, Ann Davies MP, Plaid’s work and pensions spokesperson, said:

Today, the UK Labour government confirmed they will not provide any financial compensation to the Waspi women, despite repeated promises. 1950s-born women deserve full and fair compensation for the failures of the UK Government.

I call on the secretary of state for Wales and the first minister to explain how their previous commitment to ending 1950s-born women’s pension injustice is consistent with the decision today to refuse any compensation. Many women across Wales will feel badly let down by Welsh Labour.

When Liz Kendall, the work and pension secretary, was asked in the Commons why she was going back on her own previous support for paying compensation to the Waspi women, she pointed out that was party policy at the time, but that after 2019 party policy changed. (See 2.03pm.)

Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, says a corporate body like a bank would never have been allowed to ignore an ombudsman’s recommendation in the way the government was, in relation to Waspi women. He has posted this on social media.

I have a few thoughts about the government’s failure refusal to pay compensation to WASPI women for the failure of previous administrations to properly inform them about the significant increases to the state pension age for women. First, if this proven maladministration had been by a bank or private sector institution, my hunch is that regulators and courts would have compelled the payment of significant compensation with minimal requirement for claimants to prove direct loss (think of the colossal sums banks paid out for mis-selling PPI insurance). The ability of government to just say no is a striking contrast. Second the emotional distress and hardship suffered by many older women was accepted by the ombudsman, but is not deemed by the work and pensions secretary to merit financial compensation. Third this is the second time in its short life that the Starmer government has chosen to alienate an important group of pensioner voters. This is either brave and farsighted or not

Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, told the Commons home affairs committee that seven hotels are going to be closed for use by asylum seekers in the new year, Kate McCann from Times Radio reports.

Here are some more pictures from Keir Starmer’s visit to HMS Iron Duke in Tallinn, Estonia, today.

Back to Elon Musk, and this is from Christopher Hope, political editor of GB News, who follows Reform UK politics about as closely as anyone.

It seems to me that Elon Musk and the Labour Government are careering towards a big legal battle in the new year over whether the world’s richest man can legally donate to @reformparty_uk through a UK subsidiary. Nigel Farage will be rubbing his hands at the prospect.

And here are comments from more MPs angry about the government’s decision to rule out compensation for the Waspi women.

Here are comments from four MPs elected as Labour, but who are curently independents because they have had the whip withdrawn.

From Rebecca Long-Bailey, speaking in the Commons

[Liz Kendall] must realise that an apology is welcome but it’s not enough for them and, frankly, it’s unprecedented for a government to agree with the findings of an ombudsman on the one hand but to refuse to initiate redress when clear injustice has occurred.

From John McDonnell on social media

I am not in Parliament today as as i have the flu that’s going round & I am just feeling too ill but having heard of the government’s rejection of any compensation for the Waspi women I believe they will consider this to be a betrayal & I doubt if they will just go away quietly.

From Richard Burgon on social media

I’ve supported the @WASPI_Campaign for justice for many many years.

Today’s decision is totally wrong.

This fight isn’t over.

I will continue to stand with the WASPI women to get the fair compensation that they so deserve.

From Zarah Sultana on social media

The government’s announcement is a cruel betrayal of WASPI women.

Despite admitting maladministration, they dismissed the Ombudsman’s findings & refused compensation, leaving millions of 1950s-born women in hardship.

Justice is overdue — I’ll always stand with @WASPI_Campaign

This is from the Lib Dem MP Rachel Gilmour, speaking in the chamber and addressing Kendall.

[Waspi women] are not disappointed. They are devastated, as am I, because I mistakenly as it turned out believed that this government, this Labour government, which was supported by millions of women across this country who rightly turned their backs on the Conservatives, thought you had some probity and decency. Will you agree with me that it turns out that you have neither?

And this is from the Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden on social media

Today’s statement from Liz Kendall is a huge let down to thousands of 1950s women. Palpable anger in the Chamber as she said there would be no compensation for WASPI women. To say they wouldn’t have read the letters even if they had gone out was frankly insulting.

Jeremy Corbyn, who committed Labour to paying compensation to Waspi women when he was Labour leader and who now sits as an independent MP, has said it is “beyond disappointing” that the government has now ruled out compensation. He posted this on social media.

It is beyond disappointing that Liz Kendall has rejected any compensation for the WASPI women.

First, the government cuts winter fuel. Now this? Whose side is the government on

WASPI women have been disgracefully cheated out of their pensions — and they deserve justice.

The Green party has also condemned the government’s decision not to pay compensation to the Waspi women. The Green MP Siân Berry has put out this statement.

This is a very harsh decision, admitting wrongdoing but offering a bitter dose of nothing to a generation of women, caught out by this, who faced so many hurdles and prejudices in respect of their careers and earnings …

The government should reconsider this decision and look at how it can also do more to help women born in the 1950s win the same security in retirement as enjoyed by their male counterparts.

Scottish government ministers to be banned from using WhatsApp for official business

Severin Carrell

The Scottish government is to ban the use of WhatsApp and other messaging services for its official business, after scathing criticism of its use and mass message deletion by ministers and officials during the Covid crisis.

Nicola Sturgeon, the then first minister, and other senior officials including Jason Leitch, the then national clinical director, were accused of covering-up their mishandling of the crisis by routinely deleting WhatsApp messages.

UK ministers, including Boris Johnson, the then prime minister, also faced intense criticism for their wholesale use of WhatsApp and over Johnson’s missing messages – blamed on a change of handset and unspecified technical issues.

Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, said the ban would take effect in spring 2025 in a bid to restore public confidence in transparency and accountability, and hinted she expected the UK Covid inquiry to soon issue highly critical findings about the past practice.

She told Jamie Greene, for the Scottish Conservatives, that access to non-official messaging services would be blocked on all government-issued mobile devices, in the same TikTok is currently barred from official phones.

Greene said Forbes was being “very naïve” if she thought ministers and officials would not use messaging apps on their personal phones to avoid scrutiny. Forbes said that would be a breach of the rules. She told MSPs:

This decision aligns secure, open, transparent governance, underpinned by sound records management policy and practice and the wellbeing of staff, with the values and vision of the Scottish government.

Before she spoke, Greene tabled a point of order because Forbes had failed to circulate an independent report on the controversy to MSPs so they could read it before her statement. Ironically, he said, Forbes was not being transparent on a statement about transparency.

Labour MPs have been among those criticising the government’s decision not to pay compensation to the Waspi women. (See 1.07pm.)

In the Commons Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said he was “appalled” by the announcement.

I have campaigned with Waspi women, as have many parliamentary colleagues, and this is an incredible let down. Waspi women, in my opinion, certainly do not need words of disappointment and they certainly do not need hollow statements. What they need is justice.

Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said this was a “sad moment”, and that he had previously campaigned for a “fair transition” for Waspi women.

Melanie Onn, MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said she did not accept Liz Kendall’s argument that earlier notification would not have made much difference. (See 1.33pm.)

[Kendall] says this report is about the way that it was communicated to those 1950s-born women and earlier letters would not have made a difference.

But I say they would have made a difference, they would have made a difference when it comes to individuals’ financial planning, in their retirement dates and notice they were giving to their jobs, from their wider family arrangements and commitments that they made.