Newslinks for Sunday 19th October 2025

Starmer has been untruthful about China spy case, says Badenoch

“Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of making “false” statements about the reasons behind the collapse of the China spy trial. The Tory leader claimed the Prime Minister had been “misleading” MPs and the public to shift blame for the scandal away from Downing Street. Her intervention will add to the scrutiny of No 10’s official explanation for the failed prosecution, which critics have argued is not credible. A senior Downing Street source hit back on Saturday night and said Ms Badenoch was making “categorically untrue” claims that ministers interfered in the collapsed case. Labour has been engulfed in controversy since the collapse of the trial of two men, Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash, who were accused of spying for China.” – Sunday Telegraph

• Spy suspect was stopped with cash in suitcase on return from China – Sunday Times
• China is fastest-growing investor in British property – Sunday Telegraph

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Labour tears up Islamophobia definition

Labour has torn up its definition of Islamophobia amid fears it could threaten free speech. A party working group has drawn up new wording that will replace the controversial definition it adopted in 2019, substituting the term “Islamophobia” with “anti-Muslim hate”. Crucially, it will remove all references to “Muslimness”, The Telegraph can reveal. A source familiar with a review of the definition, led by Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative minister, confirmed that neither “Islamophobia” nor “Muslimness” appeared in the new version, now before ministers.” – Sunday Telegraph

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Blair backs income tax cuts

Sir Tony Blair believes the top rate of income tax should be cut to below 40 per cent, putting him at odds with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. As the Chancellor prepares to increase taxes yet again in next month’s Budget, the former Labour prime minister has argued that she should do the opposite. He suggested that lower taxes would boost growth by incentivising people to work, particularly if welfare reform made it harder to claim benefits. Sir Tony’s intervention is unlikely to be welcomed by Ms Reeves, who is trying to convince the public that she has no option but to raise taxes further to balance the Treasury’s books.” – Sunday Telegraph

• Brexit will hurt economy for ‘foreseeable future’, claims Bailey – Sunday Telegraph
• Governor warns of Brexit ‘drag’ for years to come – FT
• Chancellor hints at bigger tax rises in next month’s Budget – Sun on Sunday
• Reeves has lots of budget levers: which ones will she pull? – Sunday Times
• Tens of thousands of homeowners could be hit by new council tax bands – Mail on Sunday
• Blair backs Badenoch on migration – Mail on Sunday

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Deepfake video of Tory MP defecting to Reform reported to police

“A former Conservative minister has reported a deepfake video of him announcing he had joined Reform UK to the police, according to reports. George Freeman, the Tory MP for Mid Norfolk, said he had “no intention of joining Reform or any other party”, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. A deepfake video of the politician, which was circulated on social media, appeared to show Mr Freeman announcing he had joined Nigel Farage’s party. In the video, Mr Freeman, who was a minister under Rishi Sunak, appeared to say “the time for half measures is over” and that the “Conservative party had lost its way”, as he announced he was defecting.” – Sunday Telegraph

• Tory MP reports deepfake video – Observer

Lam: head girl, immigration hardliner — and the Tories’ new hope

“The Conservative Party conference this month was an underpowered affair. Politicians and activists went through the motions but the Tories’ dismal poll ratings and the seemingly unstoppable rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK were a notable buzzkill. The media, bored and underwhelmed, congregated around a new and shiny presence: Katie Lam. The 34-year-old was only elected as MP for the Weald of Kent last year and was not even in the shadow cabinet. But in some circles she was already being hyped up as a potential leader-in-waiting and saviour of conservatism.” – Sunday Times

Farage’s partner embroiled in Brussels fraud investigation

“Nigel Farage’s partner is embroiled in a criminal investigation involving allegations of fraud at a Eurosceptic group that she ran when they were both working in Brussels. Laure Ferrari served as executive director of the Institute for Direct Democracy in Europe (IDDE), a think tank based in the Belgian capital, when auditors refused to sign off spending of hundreds of thousands of euros of public funds in 2016. The European Commission anti-fraud unit spent years investigating the organisation, and an affiliated parliamentary group of which Ukip was the biggest party, before handing the case onto local law enforcement. Chamber 69 of the Tribunal de première instance, a Brussels court specialising in financial crime, is due to make its judgment on November 5.” – Sunday Times

Leaked video exposes bitter infighting at Reform’s flagship council

“Bitter divisions in Reform UK’s flagship county council have been laid bare in a leaked video of a chaotic internal meeting where members were told to “f***g suck it up” if they did not agree with decisions. Councillors can be seen complaining about “backbiting” and being ignored by their leader, Linden Kemkaran, who tells them they will be “screwed”, and that Reform can forget about winning the general election if they don’t balance Kent’s budget. In an extraordinary recording, which shows the inner workings of Reform’s Kent operation, Kemkaran shouts down fellow members before telling them they will be “muted” in scenes reminiscent of the viral “Jackie Weaver” video from a parish council Zoom meeting in 2021.” – Observer

• Labour braces for defeat in Caerphilly by-election – FT

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Other political news

• Two men accused of Starmer home arson attack plead not guilty – FT
• Afghanistan and Pakistan announce immediate ceasefire – Sunday Telegraph
• Oxford Union faces financial crisis over Charlie Kirk scandal – Sunday Telegraph
• Final-hour scramble to keep Chagos Islands British – Sunday Express
• Penalties for unpaid carers in benefits scandal must be halted, says Davey – Observer
• Councils serve almost 200 households with no-fault eviction notices – Observer

News in Brief