Westminster AM — November 3, 2025
Good morning from London. Welcome to Westminster AM — your insider briefing that connects London and Washington before the rest of the world catches up. We track the decisions and deals shaping power on both sides of the Atlantic — and explain why they matter. Each morning, we connect the headlines that move markets and shape the global agenda, from Parliament to Pennsylvania Avenue.
- A heroic train worker is being hailed for saving lives after a mass stabbing on an LNER service left 11 injured.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands by Rachel Reeves despite revelations she was twice warned about her illegal rental letting.
- The Foreign Secretary urges Israel to lift restrictions on aid as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens.
Police are continuing to question a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Saturday’s stabbing spree on a London-bound train. Eleven people were injured, including a heroic rail worker who tried to restrain the attacker and remains in a critical condition. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh praised the worker’s “extraordinary bravery” that “saved many lives.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is refusing to open the probe into Rachel Reeves’ illegal lettings scandal despite fresh revelations that she was warned twice about the need for a rental license. Starmer continues to back the Chancellor, saying no further action is necessary even as criticism mounts from across Westminster.
Reeves is weighing more than 100 tax and spending measures as she negotiates with the Office for Budget Responsibility to close a £30 billion fiscal gap. Proposals under consideration include doubling council tax for over a million high-value properties and raising levies on gambling companies and online gaming. Sources suggest horse racing will be exempt from higher betting taxes, while new “green” initiatives — including a £200 million net-zero support scheme for corporations — have been criticised as “greenwashing.”
Economic forecasters warn that Reeves’ plan, combined with high interest rates, could “put a brake” on growth in 2026, despite modest improvements to GDP this year.
Senior civil servants are facing questions after revelations they spent tens of thousands attending a “boozy” property event in Cannes. Officials spent three days at the Mipim real estate conference earlier this year, with critics saying the trip exemplifies “tone-deaf spending” in a time of fiscal restraint.
Policy
- Foreign Office: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “people in Gaza cannot afford to wait for aid,” urging Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian supplies. A separate investigation revealed billions in post-Brexit payments to the EU remain unaccounted for.
- Home Office: Police forces must find “significant savings” to meet Labour’s crime targets, the National Audit Office warns. Hundreds of asylum seekers will be housed at the Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex.
- Defence: Six former SAS soldiers have condemned Labour’s Troubles Bill for failing to end “lawfare” against veterans.
- Justice: A quarter of jailed foreign sex offenders in England and Wales come from five countries — Romania, Pakistan, Poland, Ireland, and India — according to new MoJ data. David Lammy urged Parliament to pass the Hillsborough Bill “without delay.”
- Health: A third of GPs earn more than the Prime Minister, Wes Streeting revealed, renewing debate over NHS pay reform. Radiographers have raised alarms over unregulated high-street baby scan clinics that have reportedly issued fatal misdiagnoses.
- Energy: Labour’s ban on new North Sea oil drilling — the first since 1964 — continues to draw backlash from industry leaders. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos warns of “ruinous” energy policies costing Scottish jobs. Donald Trump’s former ambassador to London urged Britain to reverse the ban to remain “America’s best ally.”
- Education: Ministers are considering scaling back one-to-one classroom support for pupils with lower-level special needs to cut rising costs. Eton College is pressing for approval of its new state sixth forms in the Midlands and North.
- Culture: The BBC licence fee is expected to rise above £180 next year.
- Union: Former Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman admitted the SNP shares blame for the state of Scotland’s NHS.
Party Politics
- Conservatives: Tory patience with Kemi Badenoch is “wearing thin” as critics warn she has six months to turn the party around. The Tory leader privately urged MPs to maintain “message discipline.”
- Labour: Unite’s Sharon Graham says she “cannot guarantee” Starmer will remain Labour leader after next year’s elections. London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused the government of lacking “confidence or direction.”
- Reform UK: Nigel Farage will today outline his economic vision, pledging to slash regulation and prioritise spending restraint before tax cuts.
- Liberal Democrats: The Lib Dems claim Treasury documents show the Family Farms Tax remains under review.
- Greens: New leader Zack Polanski says his party will use social media to challenge Reform’s rise.
Express: Hero Steward Bravely ‘Saved Many Lives’
FT: City Bosses Fear for Hiring as Minimum Wage Nears Graduate Pay
Guardian: ‘Heroic’ Rail Worker in Fight for Life After Tackling Train Knife Attacker
i: Police to Patrol Trains as Suspect Questioned Over Stabbing Attack
Independent: Heroic Train Worker Fighting for Life After Stabbing Rampage
Mail: ‘The Devil’s Not Going to Win’
Mirror: The Devil’s Not Going to Win
Star: Knife Fiend Spared Me
Sun: Devil on the 18:25
Telegraph: ‘The Devil’s Not Going to Win,’ Train Attacker Told Passengers
President Donald Trump has described the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal as “a tragic situation,” saying he feels “badly” for the Royal Family.
Congressional lawmakers are once again pressing for Andrew to testify about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that “no one is above accountability.”
In Washington, Trump said the government shutdown would end “when Democrats give in,” calling them “crazy lunatics.” The standoff over spending has deepened as both parties prepare for mid-term positioning.
Former U.S. ambassador to London Woody Johnson said the U.K. should “scrap its ban on North Sea drilling” to bolster economic growth and prove itself a “reliable ally.”
NATO’s deputy secretary-general told the BBC the alliance “will stand with Ukraine” until lasting peace is achieved, as new Russian missile strikes hit energy infrastructure across the country.
In Gaza, Israeli officials confirmed the recovery of three more bodies of hostages held by Hamas. Foreign ministers met in Istanbul to stabilise the ceasefire amid growing humanitarian concerns.
In India, the sole survivor of June’s Air India crash described the “burden of being alive,” saying he feels both grateful and haunted as he recovers.
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