Senior Reform UK official quits as questions over vetting failures continue

Exclusive: Equalities minister says Tories are ‘chasing Reform into the gutter’ as they drop support for planned law to ban ‘conversion therapy’ Kemi Badenoch has “no interest in supporting LGBT+ people” or promoting tolerance more widely, a government minister has said, after the Conservatives dropped support for a planned law to ban so-called “conversion therapy”. The comments by Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, come after the Tories removed their previous backing for a law targeti

Lisa Nandy expected to meet leaders from television, film and publishing and could legislate if voluntary action deemed insufficient Ministers are considering changing the law to force the entertainment industry to better protect women and children in the wake of the revelations over David Walliams and the conviction of Russell Brand. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is expected to meet leaders from the industry next week, taking in representatives from not just TV but also film and publishing

New technology would block the live-streaming of child sexual abuse on phones, tablets and laptops.

Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff also says the ‘thicket of rules’ about how PMs operate should be cleared away Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, has called for a rethink of “quasi-judicial” powers given to cabinet ministers such as the energy secretary’s ability to approve future oil and gas fields. McSweeney, who helped propel Starmer to power and served as his chief of staff until February this year, said he believed “quasi-judicial processes” were stopping wider cabi