Newslinks for Sunday 26th October 2025

Andrew faces humiliation at historic Commons debate

“Prince Andrew faces a pincer movement from parliament and Buckingham Palace to strip him of his dukedom and banish him from his 30-room mansion in Windsor. MPs are set to discuss Andrew’s future, defying years of convention that usually prevents politicians from criticising the royal family. The Liberal Democrats have signalled that they intend to use their next Opposition Day debate to allow members to consider officially removing Andrew’s Duke of York title and discuss his continued use of Royal Lodge. Although such debates are rarely binding, it will allow the Commons to “express its will” and heap pressure on the government and the King to act.” – Sunday Times

Comment

Sunak: Reeves must not correct her £10bn error with tax rises

“Pre-budget purdah is going the same way as chancellors reaching for Dutch courage at the despatch box. Rachel Reeves has been out discussing the trade-offs she faces ahead of November 26, and rightly, too: in an era when politicians can never communicate enough, the chancellor going dark for months at a time is as sensible as sipping whisky as you deliver the speech. All chancellors are experienced enough politicians to do interviews before the budget without revealing its secrets — although when I did the job, I did think appearing on the Sunday shows just before budget day was slightly absurd, as it mostly involves politely telling an increasingly exasperated Laura Kuenssberg to wait for Wednesday.” – Sunday Times

Reeves’ mansion tax raid plot

“Chancellor Rachel Reeves could hit homeowners with a new mansion tax costing thousands of pounds a year as part of a class war plan being considered for next month’s Budget. Under the proposals, the owners of properties worth £2million and above would face a charge of 1 per cent of the amount by which the property exceeds that value – meaning that owners of a £3million property would face a bill of £10,000 every year. Property experts condemned the policy as a ‘blunt and crude instrument’ which would distort the housing market and disproportionately affect older households, while the Tories slammed it as class-based and counter-productive.” – Mail on Sunday

• Chancellor takes aim at middle class as she eyes up mansion tax – Sunday Telegraph
• Reeves could raise income tax by 2p in next month’s Budget – Sun on Sunday

Comment

Powell wins Labour deputy leadership election

“Lucy Powell has won Labour’s deputy leadership election, beating her rival Bridget Phillipson, as she said the party would not win by trying to “out-Reform Reform”. Powell, who was the Commons leader until she was sacked in Keir Starmer’s reshuffle at the start of September, was seen as the favourite throughout the contest. She won 87,407 votes, 54% of those cast, while Phillipson received 73,536. Turnout of eligible voters was 16.6%. The result was announced on Saturday morning after a vote that was widely seen as a referendum for Labour members on the direction of the party under Starmer. Phillipson, the education secretary, was seen as Downing Street’s preferred candidate.” – Observer

• New deputy leader says Labour must listen to its members – Observer
• Powell wins Labour deputy leadership contest – FT
• PM under growing pressure after Welsh defeat – FT

Comment

>Today:

• ToryDiary: Powell wants a megaphone, but if she amplifies mistakes it might be best not to interrupt her

Starmer’s workers’ rights bill ‘will cripple job market’

“Labour’s flagship workers’ rights bill risks crippling the jobs market, the party’s “favourite” think tank has warned in a fresh challenge to Sir Keir Starmer. The Resolution Foundation has told The Telegraph it would come out against plans championed by Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, that will give workers a day one right against unfair dismissal. It said the policy risked blighting the job prospects of millions of people while offering “little obvious gain to workers”. It also warned that the new rule would “inhibit hiring”, risked plunging tribunal courts into crisis and would “only benefit employment lawyers”. – Sunday Telegraph

• Companies that donated to Labour awarded £138m in contracts, study finds – Observer
• Labour demands clarity on Tory plan to strip thousands of right to stay – Observer

Reform MP apologises after saying ‘adverts full of black and Asian people’

“A Reform UK MP has apologised after saying “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”. Sarah Pochin said her comments were “phrased poorly”, but maintained that many adverts are “unrepresentative of British society”. The MP for Runcorn and Helsby responded to a TalkTV viewer who complained about modern-day adverts. She said: “It doesn’t reflect our society, and I feel that your average white person, average white family is… not represented anymore.” – Sunday Express

Harris: I may run for President again

“Kamala Harris said she might run again for the White House in her first British interview since losing to Donald Trump. The former US vice-president said that she might “possibly” be president in the future as she branded Mr Trump, who defeated her 2024 bid, a “tyrant”. “I am not done,” Ms Harris told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones.” Pressed on her poor standing in the polls, which suggest her chances of winning the next US election are slim, she added: “If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office – and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.” – Sunday Telegraph

Other political news and comment

• China vows to make Starmer bow to Taiwan ownership demands – Sunday Telegraph
• Trump punishes Canada with 10pc tariff increase over advert spat – Sunday Telegraph
• And Trump is planning to invade Venezuela. We ought to thank him – Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph
• Reform’s ‘Doge’ unit yet to carry out any council audits – FT
• Wheeler: Johnson was a cad but he was right about Brexit – Sunday Times
• Zelensky seeks extradition of political rival who fled to Surrey – Sunday Times

News in Brief