Starmer latest: Nandy hits out at No 10 briefings ‘dripping with misogyny’ as Labour rift deepens

Harriet Harman has called on Keir Starmer to revive the first foreign secretary post, which has been vacant since 2022.

The Labor leader has told the prime minister that a woman should be appointed to the role of de facto deputy prime minister.

He said the appointee should be tasked with combating misogyny and the marginalization of women.

According to the cabinet office, the responsibilities of this role include advising the prime minister on policy development and implementation, driving forward government business and practice, and oversight of all cabinet office policies.

This role previously belonged to Peter Mandelson under Gordon Brown.

Previous holders of the role include Damian Green, George Osbourne and William Hague.

Athena Stavrou, Political Correspondent of The Independent:

A minister has doubled down on the government’s criticism of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s suggestion that Britain was “colonised by immigrants”.

The Prime Minister demanded the billionaire Manchester Utd co-owner apologize for comments he made on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, justice minister Jake Richards told Sky News his language was “outrageous” and “frankly wrong”.

He also told Times Radio that Sir Jim was being “hypocritical” when criticizing the government on immigration for “moving to Monaco to save £4 billion in taxes”.

The minister added: “But let’s be clear that Jim Ratcliffe’s comments yesterday were offensive in terms of the language used, he got the facts wrong and there is something that I find quite offensive: this man who moved to Monaco to save £4bn in tax is now lecturing us on immigration. There’s something about that that I find a bit hypocritical.”

Sir Keir Starmer has demanded an apology from Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire who sparked outrage on Wednesday evening by saying Britain was being “colonised by immigrants”.

In an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, Mr Ratcliffe said immigration was “very costly” due to the number of people “receiving assistance”.

“You can’t have an economy where nine million people are receiving aid and a lot of immigrants are coming,” he said. “So the United Kingdom is being colonized. It costs a lot. The United Kingdom has been colonized by immigrants.”

The Prime Minister hit back at X on Wednesday, saying: “Offensive and wrong. Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country. Jim Ratcliffe must apologize.”

Alongside the Starmers, the royal couple met with both paid and unpaid carers at the historic Berkshire residence, as well as representatives from various charities.

In a printed message to his guests, King Charles praised the millions of people across the country who have dedicated themselves to caring for their loved ones.

It also acknowledged that an estimated 1.6 million people are employed in the adult social care sector.

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to appoint a woman as foreign secretary in a bid to end the “boys’ club” exposed by recent scandals.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy added to the comments, claiming the anonymous No 10 briefings were “riddled with misogyny”.

Meanwhile, Sir Jim Ratcliffe sparked controversy by claiming Britain was “colonised by immigrants”.

The Prime Minister demanded the billionaire Man Utd co-owner apologize for the comments.

Sir Keir Starmer was called on to reinstate the role of first foreign secretary and appoint a woman to the post in his speech to female Labor MPs on Wednesday.

Labour’s Baroness Harriet Harman suggested he revive the de facto role of deputy prime minister and task the appointee with tackling misogyny and the marginalization of women.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir was accused by Kemi Badenoch of “filling the Government with hypocrites and pedophile apologists”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined King Charles, who has weathered the worst political turmoil of his premiership, at a reception at Windsor Castle on Wednesday to honor carers in the United Kingdom.

His wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, also accompanied him.

Addressing the recent chaos during a meeting of female Labor MPs and parliamentary colleagues, one of the party’s most senior figures, Harriet Harman, called on the prime minister to fill the vacant first secretary of state post – once held by Peter Mandelson – with a female candidate.

She said the role should be held by a woman and used to “transform the political culture around women and girls in government.”