The leader of the Blue Labour group has said he will vote against the assisted dying bill – one of the most high-profile switchers – as both sides make their final pleas to MPs before Friday’s crunch vote.

It comes as campaigners and bereaved relatives joined the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater ahead of the third reading of the bill, to urge parliament to back the reforms, saying it would be at least a decade before another chance to change the law.

The bill would legalise assisted dying for mentally competent adults in their final months of life.

Dan Carden, who previously abstained, said it was core Labour vales that drove him to vote against the bill. He said:

Legalising assisted suicide will normalise the choice of death over life, care, respect and love. I draw on my own family experience, caring for my dad who died from lung cancer three years ago.

I genuinely fear the legislation will take us in the wrong direction. The values of family, social bonds, responsibilities, time and community will be diminished, with isolation, atomisation and individualism winning again.

The MP for Liverpool Walton, whose group seeks to promote culturally conservative – or what it says are blue-collar –values within the party, added:

For people who live with the reality of rundown public services, particularly palliative end-of-life care, poverty, hardship and broken-down communities are a fact of life. They will be impacted very differently. And that’s something the political class doesn’t dare discuss.

A review of the design, planning and delivery of UK road and railway infrastructure projects has been launched.

Regulator the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its inquiry will examine whether there are opportunities to enhance how the public sector and industry work together, reports the PA news agency.

It is hoped this will lead to improvements in procurements process, enabling more cost-effective infrastructure schemes.

Road and railway projects account for around 70-75% of government spending on infrastructure that helps the economy.

The market study will focus on the full lifecycle of roads and railways, including their enhancement and maintenance. It will exclude HS2 because it has undergone multiple reviews amid delays and spiralling costs.

The launch of the review comes as the government set out a 10-year infrastructure plan.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said:

There’s no question that reliable, high-quality infrastructure is critical in accelerating economic growth.

To achieve this, public authorities and the civil engineering sector must be able to work together to deliver projects on time, within budget and to high standards.

This review is a crucial step in identifying barriers holding back the sector.

Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said:

Upgrading the country’s economic infrastructure is essential for unlocking growth across the country and delivering our Plan for Change.

This study will build on our 10-year infrastructure strategy and help us deliver growth with its evidence-based, independent findings.

Decisions relating to lone child asylum seekers should be removed from Home Office officials because of fundamental problems with the way they treat this vulnerable group, a report has found.

The report calls for root-and-branch reform of the treatment of thousands of children who have fled persecution in their home countries and made hazardous journeys in search of safety, often crossing the Channel in a dinghy or concealing themselves in the back of a lorry.

Once they arrive in the UK many are wrongly classified as adults by the Home Office and sent to adult accommodation where they may be exploited or locked up in adult immigration detention centres.

Research by the Helen Bamber Foundation in the first half of 2024 in England and Scotland found 53% of young people initially told by the Home Office that they were adults were confirmed to be children by social worker assessments – at least 262 children.

Researchers at the London School of Economics and University of Bedfordshire, in partnership with the South London Refugee Association, compiled the findings along with young people who have experienced the asylum system.

The report says:

• The government should take the asylum decision-making away from the Home Office and give it to independent professionals who know about children and children’s circumstances.

• Children and young people need independent legal guardians from the time they arrive in the UK.

• 
Decision-making processes should be faster so that children and young people do not have to spend years waiting to secure their status.

• Children should be subject to age disputes only where there is a significant reason to doubt their age and as a measure of last resort where other approaches have been exhausted.

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told a fossil fuel company the industry would receive a “quid pro quo” in return for higher taxes on its windfall profits, it can be revealed.

In a meeting with the Norwegian state energy company Equinor on 27 August, Reeves suggested that the government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) subsidies were a payoff for oil firms being hit with a higher tax rate.

Minutes of the meeting obtained by DeSmog and seen by the Guardian state that Equinor’s CEO, Anders Opedal, raised concerns over the energy profits levy – also known as the “windfall tax” – and “its impact on the value” of Equinor’s UK portfolio.

In response, Reeves said that raising the windfall tax from 35% to 38% was a “manifesto commitment”, but stated that “Equinor should recognise the quid pro quo – the funds raised enable government investment in CCUS etc”.

CCUS is the controversial practice of trapping the emissions produced by fossil fuel plants before they enter the atmosphere. Many scientific experts have suggested the technology is not economically viable. It is accused of being a favourite climate “solution” of the fossil fuel industry since it allows for the continued extraction of oil and gas.

The Labour government announced in October it would provide £22bn in subsidies to CCUS projects over 25 years after an increase in lobbying by the fossil fuel industry.

The Green party co-leader, Carla Denyer, said Reeves and the Labour government had been “caught out making promises in a secret exchange deal which goes against the interests of the British people”.

The MP for Bristol Central added:

In public, they claim to be taxing fossil fuel giants more fairly by raising the windfall tax, but behind closed doors they are giving back with dodgy deals to allow the fossil fuel corporates to continue with business as usual under the guise of CCUS – an expensive distraction and largely unproven technology.

“Too much is at stake” for the Iran-Israel conflict to escalate further, Rachel Reeves has said, as US president Donald Trump mulls over whether to enter the arena.

Speaking at the Times CEO summit, the chancellor said:

We want to see a de-escalation, not an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. We don’t think it’s in anyone’s interest to see an escalation. Too much is at stake.

The prime minister made that case when he was in Canada earlier this week, and as a government, we continue to do so.

At the same time, we have moved assets into the region, including Typhoon jets, but we do have bases, we do have personnel in the region.

As a government, of course, we always want to protect our interests, and so that’s why we’ve made those decisions to move those assets there, in the case of them being needed.

Keir Starmer said there was a “real risk of escalation” in the Middle East as Donald Trump considers whether to join Israel in striking Iran.

Asked about reports Trump has already approved a plan to attack Iran but has not yet decided whether to go ahead, Starmer said:

The situation in relation to Israel-Iran is obviously fast moving and in those circumstances, it’s really important to cling on to the key principles here.

Obviously all of us, UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear programme that Iran is developing, we’ve long been concerned about that.

Also, completely recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but the principle is that we need to de-escalate this.

There’s a real risk of escalation here that will impact the region, possibly beyond the region, akin to Gaza, and obviously it’s already having an impact on the economy.

So I’ve been absolutely clear we need to de-escalate this. Yes, the nuclear issue has to be dealt with, but it’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict.

The political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.

Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.

“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer, author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl’s Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.

“There are so many voices that need to be heard. There’s some voices, though, that need to step away,” she said. “We can do it, let us do it – we don’t need you to speak on our behalf.”

Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project, a support service helping survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and their families, added: “There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it’s happening all the time.”

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has said the government is stepping up preparations for temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, indicating it will reject pleas from the company’s creditors for leniency from fines and penalties.

Thames Water’s largest creditors control the utility, and have made a bid to cut some of its debts and provide £5.3bn in new funding to try to turn it around.

However, the creditors have said their plan needs considerable leniency from Ofwat, the government’s water regulator for England and Wales, and the Environment Agency over fines for environmental failings. The Guardian this month revealed that the creditors had asked for immunity from prosecution for serious environmental crimes in return for taking on the company.

Reed on Thursday told parliament that Thames Water must meet its statutory obligations, after being asked about possible “regulatory easements”.

“Thames Water must meet its statutory and regulatory obligations to their customers and to the environment,” he said. “It is only right that the company is subject to the same consequences as any other water company.

The company remains financially stable, but we’ve stepped up our preparations and stand ready for all eventualities, as I’ve said before, including special administration regime if that were to become necessary.

The UK government will have to sign off on the US use of its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran, it has emerged, as ministers gathered to discuss a range of scenarios amid further increasing tensions in the region.

The prime minster, Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the crisis in the Middle East which could escalate further should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.

After the prime minister landed back in Britain following the G7 summit in Canada, he brought together ministers and senior officials to update the UK’s response beyond urging de-escalation.

But with Donald Trump still not revealing what action he may take, the UK government is working on a series of options dependent on whether the US pursues military action, and if it asks allies for support at any stage.

One key issue for the UK would be whether to give permission for the US to fly B-2 stealth bombers from the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran’s nuclear enrichment site, which is between 80 and 90 metres inside a mountain at Fordow.

The decision on whether to grant the US permission to use the base, should it request to do so, would be a political one, and Starmer would be expected to seek the advice of his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair’s No 10 chief of staff at the time of the Iraq war.

However, government insiders suggested it would put the prime minister in a difficult situation, balancing his stated preference for a diplomatic solution with his desire to safeguard the US-UK relationship that he regards as of the utmost importance.

Britain’s benefits system faces collapse without cuts to disability payments, Liz Kendall has said, as the government published plans that put it on a collision course with dozens of angry Labour MPs.

Kendall published her welfare reform bill on Wednesday, confirming it would lead to benefit cuts for 950,000 people by 2030. She said the country’s £326bn social security net might cease to exist if costs continued to escalate.

The bill includes several concessions designed to win over fractious Labour MPs as ministers look to ward off the biggest rebellion of Keir Starmer’s premiership. But the efforts were met with hostility by many in the party, who said they still intended to vote against the bill next month.

Kendall said:

Our social security system is at a crossroads. Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it. This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity.

This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth.

The bill will cut personal independence payments (Pips) for more than 800,000 people with disabilities, as well as carers’ support for 150,000 people who care for them. Claimants only able to wash half of their body or who are unable to cook a meal for themselves will no longer be able to claim Pips unless they have another limiting condition.

The cuts are at the heart of an overall package of nearly £5bn in welfare savings which ministers argue are necessary to protect the financial sustainability of the benefits system.

Kendall has tried to dispel widespread anger in the Labour party over the plans by introducing new concessions. Under the terms of the bill, people losing their disability benefits will get additional financial support for 13 weeks, while those with severe conditions such as heart disease or spinal injuries will not have to face reassessments.

Air pollution in the UK is costing more than £500m a week in ill health, NHS care and productivity losses, with 99% of the population breathing in “toxic air”, doctors have said.

Dirty air is killing more than 500 people a week, with health harm to almost every organ of the body caused by air pollution, even at low concentrations, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said.

With an impact on mortality and healthy life expectancy, the effects on individuals, society, the economy and the NHS were huge and the threat air pollution posed to public health was greater than previously understood, a landmark report by the college concluded.

The RCP report also highlighted studies providing new information about the significant health dangers of toxic air, including foetal development and risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions and dementia.

Air pollution in the UK now kills 30,000 people and costs £27bn a year, according to the research, which also said there was no safe level of air pollutants. The figure could even be significantly higher – up to £50bn – if wider impacts such as dementia were taken into account.

Exposure to air pollution can shorten people’s lives by 1.8 years, “just behind some of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide”, including cancer and smoking, the report added.

The college called for action from the government to tackle the crisis, as it urged ministers to “recognise air pollution as a key public health issue”.

In the foreword of the report, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said:

Air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to health, with impacts throughout the life course.

It is an area of health where the UK has made substantial progress in the last three decades, with concentrations of many of the main pollutants falling rapidly, but it remains a major cause of chronic ill health as well as premature mortality.

Keir Starmer needs to reset standards in public life and bring in proper sanctions before trust in the UK system is damaged beyond salvage, John Major has said.

The former Conservative prime minister said proposals for an ethics commission appeared to be “in the long grass” but No 10 could strengthen the Nolan principles of public life and make sure there was punishment for misconduct within the standards framework.

In a speech at the Institute for Government one-day conference to mark the 30th anniversary of the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership, which Major brought in as prime minister, he said the system was still a good one but needed to be more enforceable.

With No 10 rethinking the idea of setting up a new ethics commission, as promised in the Labour manifesto, Major said it was time for action to improve the system:

It has been our past practice to offer guidance on good conduct, and trust it will be delivered. That was the Nolan approach. But experience has taught us that no rules can deal with individuals prepared to ignore them, and sometimes sanctions are required.

The problem is that to rely on convention leaves loopholes for those with lax scruples. That being so, it is time to strengthen the safeguards around propriety, to ensure our public life is as free from fault as we wish it to be.

He said the misconduct of a small minority of politicians has left trust at too low a level, citing scandals in political funding, the award of honours, lobbying, “unsavoury” behaviour, bullying and Partygate, as well as whole governments breaking or bending the law and shielding their own colleagues from censure.

His suggestions for improvement include:

• Asking the House of Lords advisory commission to scrutinise the suitability of political peerages as well as their propriety.

• Giving statutory powers to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments so they can impose sanctions on former politicians and officials who flout time-limited lobbying bans.

• Ensuring the government responds swiftly to recommendations from the committee on standards in public life.

• New protections to prevent wealthy foreign interests influencing politics through mega donations. A cap on individual contributions is under consideration.

• Returning the electoral commission to being an independent body free of government guidance.

Britain’s attorney general has warned ministers that getting involved in Israel’s war against Iran could be illegal beyond offering defensive support, it has emerged.

Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior legal officer, is understood to have raised concerns internally about the legality of joining a bombing campaign against Iran.

An official who has seen Hermer’s official legal advice told the Spectator, which first reported the story, that “the AG has concerns about the UK playing any role in this except for defending our allies”.

Keir Starmer is considering whether to provide the US with military support if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, and whether to approve the use of the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean for the attack. Hermer’s advice could limit the degree of UK support for the US.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said:

By longstanding convention, reflected in the ministerial code, whether the law officers have been asked to provide legal advice and the content of any advice is not routinely disclosed.

The convention provides the fullest guarantee that government business will be conducted at all times in light of thorough and candid legal advice.

Ministers will restart the approval process for two controversial oilfields on Thursday, even as new figures show the UK will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050 regardless of whether they are approved.

Michael Shanks, the energy security minister, will on Thursday announce the results of a government consultation on the giant Rosebank field and the smaller Jackdaw one, in a move the industry says will set the tone for the future of production in the North Sea.

The announcement comes as new figures from the climate group Uplift suggest Britain will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050, even if the fields are given the green light.

One oil and gas industry source said:

This consultation is not about decisions on specific projects but it’s about how and if we as an industry can continue to produce oil and gas in the UK.

Tessa Khan, the executive director of Uplift, said:

This Labour government needs to do the right thing and stand up to the oil and gas firms that have got obscenely rich while millions of people in the UK have struggled, and stop their endless polluting. All eyes are now on the government to see if this guidance provides a credible climate test.

Government sources said they expected the consultation response to be relatively technical and not to give an indication about whether the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, intends to approve the schemes if their developers do reapply for consent.

However, industry sources say they are watching keenly for what the government says about how much power Miliband will have over the decision, whether it distinguishes between oil and gas production and what mitigations it suggests companies could put in place.