Minister says spending review will mark ‘end to austerity’, as Home Office yet to agree deal – UK politics live

Chris Bryant acknowledges some budgets will be ‘stretched’ with Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, expected to find cuts elsewhere to boost police

• Rachel Reeves in standoff over policing

Zia Yusuf, the former Reform UK chair, has defended one of the party’s MPs against allegations that a mug she was photographed holding during her byelection campaign was Islamphobic.

As LBC revealed last week, Sarah Pochin posed for a picture when she was campaigning holding a mug with a picture of Keir Starmer wearing a hijab with the caption “Two-Teir Keir”. Campaigners have described this as Islamphobic.

I think Sarah is an incredible MP question …

Look, what I will say is, if we’re going to talk about Islam in the UK, to the degree that there is resentment building up about some of these issues, it is in no small part because it is my view that certain communities in this country are subject to two-tier policing.

Some anger over at City Hall over the spending review- London expected to miss out on some key asks

DLR extension to Thamesmead, Bakerloo Line extension Mayoral powers to introduce a touristlev Extra funding for Met Police

There is an argument to be made of course that London has had billions of extra investment over past decades but the policing settlement will be a big issue. And very little proper argument against a tourist levy (though could be revisited at Budget)

Source “it will simply not be possible to achieve national growth ambitions without the right investment and growth in our capital. We must not return to the damaging, anti-London approach of the last government.” Continue reading...