Spring statement latest: Bank of England chief calls for economies to ‘come together’ amid Trump’s tariff war

Nigel Farage and Reform UK have come under fire for failing to attend a debate in parliament calling for Britain to rejoin the EU.

The Reform UK leader and the party’s MPs were not present to defend Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, while critics attended en masse to call for closer ties with Europe.

And one MP, Liberal Democrat Europe spokesman James MacCleary, said “where is the honourable member for Clacton [Mr Farage]?”.

“According to Hansard, since his election in July, he has mentioned Brexit just twice,” Mr MacCleary pointed out.

“Surely if this Brexit deal was the monumental success he and others had promised, he’d be reminding us to no end?”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will speak on Wednesday to give the Spring Statement – with a mix of problematic themes and possibilities to cover as the UK attempts to promote economic growth but also battles with soaring borrowing.

Pledging no more tax raises only leaves a few options for Ms Reeves. Those are primarily around reallocating funds or cutting even more spending – and it’s the latter which appears to be most likely to happen following big tax hikes as recently as October.

While the government are desperate to avoid comparisons with the still-fresh-in-the-memory austerity era, the fact remains that cuts to public spending appears to be Ms Reeves’ best avenue to balancing the books.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has called for global economies to “come together” to help ease trade tensions, amid a mounting tariff war brought about by US President’s Donald Trump’s policies.

Speaking at Leicester University on Monday, Andrew Bailey said: “These two points: domestic macroeconomic forces and trade policy, are not incompatible.

“They sit together. My final point here is that to solve these issues we need authorities to come together and strengthen the rules of engagement in a multilateral setting,” he said.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has announced that the Tories will lay an amendment to the crime bill for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

The amendment will fail but could prompt a number of Labour MPs to rebel after they backed the call for an inquiry.Rochdale MP Paul Waugh and Rotherham MP Sarah Champion were among four Labour MPs to back the calls previously.

Ms Badenoch tweeted: “It has now been over two months since Labour announced just five local rape gang inquiries. Yet victims have still heard nothing.

“We need a full national inquiry to reveal the true extent of the systemic abuse and cover ups. We will not standby and allow this horrifying scandal to be swept aside.”

A pay package worth up to £640,000 for a civil servant has been billed as the “right salary to attract the right person” by the Government.

The Ministry of Defence is hiring a national armaments director (NAD) to ensure the armed forces are properly equipped to defend Britain and to build up the country’s defence industry.

The salary is advertised as between £290,000 to £400,000, plus a bonus of up to 60% of salary per annum. The package also includes a civil service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.

Defence minister Maria Eagle defended the proposed package as she told the Commons: “It’s one of the biggest jobs in government and a job that needs the right salary to attract the right person.

“I’m absolutely clear that we will be doing things differently and the national armaments director will be held accountable for making sure that we do.”

Rachel Reeves has said she “doesn’t recognise” reports suggesting ministers are looking at cutting universal free school meals for the youngest children.

The chancellor is expected to announce spending cuts for some government departments in her spring statement to the Commons on Wednesday.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson is reportedly looking to make £500 million in cuts to the schools budget, and has apparently floated cutting universal free school meals as a way to reduce costs.

A Starmer government minister says she has been too busy since the general election to accept concert tickets amid an ongoing row over Rachel Reeves going to a Sabrina Carpenter show for free.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander’s comments add to pressure piling on the chancellor, who has faced days of criticism for accepting the freebie gig tickets, saying that she a “very busy diary”.

“I haven’t taken any tickets to be honest since I was elected back in June as a new member of parliament and going straight into the Ministry of Justice and then coming straight into the Department for Transport, Ms Alexander told Times Radio. “I actually sadly haven’t been to see any concerts at all over the last nine months, partly because I’ve been very very busy.

The head of Labour’s pro-EU caucus of MPs has warned against the “false hope” of Britain rejoining the EU, prioritising “real change and real solutions” instead.

Stella Creasey, the head of the Labour Movement for Europe, was responding in parliament to a petition calling for Britain to return to the bloc.

She highlighted her demands for the UK to agree a youth mobility scheme for those wishing to live and work across Europe, among other tweaks to the country’s current deal with Brussels.

Ms Creasey added: “I stand here ruthlessly prioritising the British interest, which was always being stronger and taller on the world stage and confident that we could work with other countries.

“Never more have we needed that spirit, but never more have we needed to be clear about what needs to be done.

“So I recognise the passion behind this petition. I simply say to those who are petitioning this way, let us not fall into the trap that the Brexiteers have done of offering false hope when the people in this country need real change and real relationships and real solutions.”