Politics LIVE: Keir Starmer accused of creating 'toxic culture' inside No10 as PM's allies turn on top Whitehall mandarin

Sir Keir Starmer is creating a “toxic environment” inside No10, insiders have claimed.

Downing Street appears increasingly divided this morning following a briefing campaign against Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald.

Sir Chris has been the subject of a negative briefing campaign, with the Prime Minister’s allies describing Whitehall’s top mandarin as a “parody of every Civil Service stereotype”.

However, Sir Chris’s allies have now fired back.

“As Prime Minister, he has done it with his political team, press team, policy unit and civil servants,” one Whitehall insider told The Telegraph.

“He has created a toxic and low-trust environment in Downing Street.”

Another source added: “The PM has every right to sack whoever he wants, but people deserve dignity on the way out, not a briefing campaign in the national media. It is harsh, and it’s too far.”

The row inside No10 comes amid an exodus of top Downing Street figures.

Ex-civil servant Sue Gray kickstarted the No10 exodus last year following a power struggle with Morgan McSweeney.

Steph Driver, Paul Ovenden and James Lyons have all left communications posts in No10 in the past few months.

Meanwhile, Muneera Lula and Carys Roberts left key policy roles.

Sir Keir is expected to sack Sir Chris by the end of the year, replacing the mandarin with Baroness Casey.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “The Cabinet Secretary continues to have the support of the Prime Minister, and they are working closely together to deliver on the priorities of the British public, which includes restructuring the Government to focus on delivery for the British people.”

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'We will do whatever it takes!' says Home Office after small boat crossing figures reach grim milestone

The Home Office has vowed to cut small boat crossings, as more migrants have now crossed the Channel so far this year than in the whole of 2024.

The grim milestone figure was passed at lunchtime on Wednesday as two Border Force vessels arrived at Dover harbour as 220 migrants crossed over today.

This takes the total number of arrivals so far this year to 36,956.

The figure is 70 higher than the 36,816 migrants who crossed the Channel illegally during the whole of 2024.

A spokesman said: "We will do whatever it takes to secure our borders and stop migrants entering the country on small boats.

"France is a critical partner in tackling illegal migration and we continue to work closely together as they review their Maritime Doctrine, which will allow officers to intervene in shallow waters. We want to see the earliest possible deployment of these new tactics.

"And thanks to our landmark deal with the French, people crossing in small boats can now be detained and removed.”

Tories 'disinformation' on China spy case distracting from anti-espionage work, says Labour MP

Ellie Reeves, the solicitor general, has accused the Tories' comments on the reasons behind the collapse of the Chinese Spy scandal of being a distraction.

She described the rhetoric around the case as "disinformation".

The Labour MP said: "It is a bedrock constitutional principle that prosecutions in this country are free from political influence. This means that prosecutors, not politicians who decide which cases to prosecute.

"It is prosecutors, not politicians, who decide what evidence will be used at criminal trials, and it is prosecutors, not politicians, who decide when cases should be dropped.

She adds that "ongoing disinformation around the collapse of this case" is distracting the Government as it attempts to deal with Chinese espionage.

 David Lammy admits 'setbacks' to grooming gang inquiry amid calls for Jess Phillips to be SACKED

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy admitted there had been “setbacks" in the process of establishing the grooming gang inquiry.

He said there was often not a "uniform voice" among victims after calls from some for Jess Phillips to be sacked from her ministerial role.

He said: "The starting point is: this is hard. My drawing on 25 years of experience in public life, dealing with families experiencing pain, suffering, sometimes grief – and I’m thinking of in my career, scandals like Windrush, like Grenfell Tower – there often is not a uniform voice.

"So this is very tough. I thought the Prime Minister made clear at the despatch box this week his determination that this will go ahead, that it will leave no stone unturned, that the important issues of the background of the perpetrators, their ethnicity, their religion, is absolutely on the table.

"Of course, there have been setbacks this week, but we move forward."

MPs press for Royal Family conduct to be debated in Commons, says Sir Lindsay Hoyle

MPs are pressing for the conduct of members of the Royal Family to be debated in the Commons, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said.

In a statement to the Commons, Sir Lindsay said: "I know there has been some commentary on what members of this House may or may not discuss in the chamber in relation to Prince Andrew, some of which is inaccurate.

"There is understandably great interest from members and from the public on this matter. For the benefit of the House, I would like to be clear that there are ways for the House to properly consider this matter.

"Any discussions about the conduct or reflections on members of the royal family can be properly discussed on the substantive motions. And I know some members have already tabled such a motion. I am not able to allocate time for a debate on such a motion, but others are able to do so, if wishing to do that.

"But on questions, the long-standing practice of the House, as set out in Erskine May, is that criticism of members of the royal family cannot be made as part of questions. I hope this is helpful clarification, as there is lots of online speculation.”

Migrants to be sent back to France "again and again", says Labour minister

The Government will keep sending migrants back to France "again and again", a minister has said.

It comes after a man deported under the returns deal re-entered the UK.

The Iranian national was detained and the Government intends to send him back to France again after he crossed the Channel a second time, it is understood.

Children’s minister Josh MacAlister said it shows the Government’s one-in, one-out migrant returns deal with France is working.

He told Times Radio: "I think it shows the scheme working, because this guy came here. He shouldn’t have come here. He paid somebody, a smuggling gang, to cross the Channel.

"He was stopped, he was detained, and he was returned to France. He came again. He paid someone again, and he will be returned to France again.”

This sends a clear message to those who cross the Channel in small boats that “you will be deported”, Mr MacAlister said.

James Cleverly slams Labour’s ‘arrogance and complacency’ over border control

James Cleverly has delivered a scathing assessment of Labour’s record on border control, branding the party’s approach "arrogant and complacent".

Speaking to GB News, the former Home Secretary said the Home Office under Labour had "lost focus" and was "not fit for purpose".

It comes after Shabana Mahmood, who took office last month, said the Home Office had been "set up to fail" but said she was working to rebuild it so it "delivers for this country".

Mr Cleverly told GB News: "I don't see them as an enemy within. But I did see that amongst certain circles within the Home Office, there was a lack of focus."

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'Get business moving' James Cleverly explains the Tory pledge to scrap stamp duty

The Shadow Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, James Cleverly, explained that the Conservatives' pledge to scrap stamp duty will generate over £1billion in economic activity.

Speaking to GB News Breakfast, Mr Cleverly said: "Research by the London School of Economics and others has shown that actually, this is one of those taxes that when you scrap it, it triggers a whole lot of economic activity, which is really good for the UK economy."

He estimated that scrapping the tax would bring £1.2billion in economic activity.

Mr Cleverly explained: "That's because when people move, they buy stuff, they buy white goods, they buy furniture, they get stuff done, they get the local builders in, they do refurbishment work, and that money goes into the local economy, stimulates and supports local businesses.

"So this is a tax which is actually not just stifling people moving house, but it's also reducing the economic activity in the local area. We want to reverse it. We want to scrap that tax.

"Get that business moving. Get those houses moving and get money into the pockets of hardworking people."

WATCH: James Cleverly speaks on Tory stamp duty pledge and the small boat crisis

Shabana Mahmood admits Home Office 'not yet fit for purpose' as it's plagued by 'culture of defeatism'

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has admitted that the Home Office is "not yet fit for purpose".

She vowed to rebuild the department, which is responsible for internal security, public safety and immigration, so that it "delivers for this country".

A damning report labelled the Home Office, which Ms Mahmood took charge of last month, as having a "culture of defeatism" on immigration.

On Wednesday, Mahmood said: "This report, written under the last Government, is damning. To those who have encountered the Home Office in recent years, the revelations are all too familiar.

"The Home Office is not yet fit for purpose, and has been set up for failure. As this report shows, the last Conservative Government knew this, but failed to do anything about it."

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