Rishi Sunak is seeking a deal with the European Union to make post-Brexit travel to Europe easier for British passport holders, it has been claimed.

The Prime Minister is hoping to reach a deal with Brussels which would allow British nationals to use EU passport e-gates when heading to the continent, according to a report published by Bloomberg.

This would remove the need for more time-consuming manual checks, speeding things up at the border and reducing the likelihood of lengthy queues.

The UK is reportedly yet to raise the matter formally with Brussels but it has been talked about informally after relations between the two sides have improved in recent months. Downing Street has been approached for comment.

You can follow the latest updates below. 

10:37 AM

Labour pledges to make drink spiking specific criminal offence

A Labour government would make drink spiking a specific offence in order to help make it easier to prosecute the crime, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

He told ITV's This Morning programme: "Drinks are spiked… usually of young women out and about and the spiking of the drink has an effect on them and is often a step towards sexual assault of some sort.

"And that has never been a specific offence, so what I’m saying today is an incoming Labour government would make it a specific offence."

10:34 AM

Starmer: ‘Fight against anti-Semitism is never over’

Sir Keir Starmer said the “fight against anti-Semitism is never over” as he was grilled over Labour’s response to Diane Abbott’s comments about Jewish people.

Asked if anti-Semitism was still a problem within the Labour Party, Sir Keir told ITV’s This Morning programme: “Well, obviously what Diane Abbott said was anti-Semitic so that is why we took the action that we did. We have done a lot in the last three years.

“I will admit that the fight against anti-Semitism is never over in any organisation, any political party, any society.

“I don’t think anybody believes that you get to a point where you don’t need to concern yourself anymore.”

Ms Abbott was stripped of the Labour whip on Sunday after she suggested Jewish people do not suffer racism “all their lives”.

Following a backlash to her remarks, she apologised for any “anguish” caused and said she wanted to “wholly and unreservedly withdraw my written remarks and disassociate myself from them”.

09:38 AM

Sajid Javid backs 'dynamic duo' Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are the "dynamic duo" that can get the economy on a "much stronger footing", former chancellor Sajid Javid said this morning.

Asked how confident he was that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor could grow the UK’s economy, Mr Javid told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: "I have a very high level of confidence, I’ve got to say, Nick. I know both Rishi and Jeremy very, very well. They obviously haven’t been there together in that role for that long.

"I think they’ve done a terrific job already in stabilising the economy. They’ve set out their priorities when it comes to the economy, and in particular, investment.

"And I think if anyone can get the economy on a much stronger footing this is the dynamic duo that’s going to do it."

09:07 AM

Lib Dems: Borrowing figures highlight Tories' 'shambolic mismanagement' of public finances

The Liberal Democrats claimed today's government borrowing figures (see the post below at 08.47) highlighted the Tories' "shambolic mismanagement" of the public finances.

Sarah Olney, the party's Treasury spokeswoman, said: "The Government’s shambolic mismanagement added billions to the UK’s borrowing whilst leaving our economy growing at a snail’s pace. Voters will never forgive the Conservative Party for the economic vandalism of the mini-Budget.

"Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt made hard-working families clean up the Government's mess through unfair tax rises when they could have put in place a proper windfall tax and reversed their massive tax cuts for the big banks. People are just sick of being taken for granted."

08:50 AM

Jeremy Hunt: UK cannot borrow eyewatering sums forever

Jeremy Hunt said today's "eye-watering" government borrowing figures (see the post below at 08.47) were the "inevitable consequence" of the UK's Covid recovery and the impact of the Ukraine war but he warned the nation "cannot borrow forever".

The Chancellor said: "These numbers reflect the inevitable consequences of borrowing eye-watering sums to help families and businesses through a pandemic and Putin’s energy crisis.

"We were right to do so because we have managed to keep unemployment at a near-record low and provided the average family more than £3,000 in cost of living support this year and last.

"We stepped up to support the British economy in the face of two global shocks, but we cannot borrow forever. We now have a clear plan to get debt falling which will reduce the financial pressure we pass onto our children and grandchildren."

08:47 AM

Government borrowing surges with national debt above £2.5 trillion

Public sector borrowing stood at £139.2 billion in the financial year ending March 2023 - the fourth highest borrowing figure since records began in 1946.

New data published by the Office for National Statistics this morning put borrowing over that 12 month period some £18.1 billion above what was recorded in the year to March 2022.

Meanwhile, public sector borrowing in the single month of March 2023 stood at £21.5 billion, some £16.3 billion more than in March 2022.

The national debt at the end of March was just above £2.5 trillion.

08:31 AM

Rishi Sunak: UK has 'begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan'

08:30 AM

Sudan crisis: Full evacuation of UK nationals on military flights begins today

Britain is beginning a "large-scale" evacuation of UK nationals on military flights from Sudan after a three-day ceasefire was agreed.

James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, announced early this morning that the operation would begin after ministers came under pressure to help at least 2,000 citizens flee fierce fighting.

RAF flights leaving an airfield outside the capital, Khartoum, will open to British passport holders, with priority given to the most vulnerable.

The Foreign Office has told citizens not to travel to the area unless they are contacted directly, and warned that the ability to carry out evacuations could change at short notice during the "volatile" truce.

You can read the full story on the evacuation flights here and you can follow live updates on the Sudan crisis here.

08:27 AM

Former chancellor Sajid Javid backs calls to scrap 'tourist tax'

Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, has backed calls from business leaders for the Government to scrap the so-called "tourist tax".

There are growing calls for ministers to reinstate tax-free shopping for overseas visitors to the UK in order to boost tourism. Visitors were previously able to get a VAT refund on their purchases but the Treasury brought the scheme to an end in 2021.

Asked if he supported getting rid of the "tourist tax", Mr Javid told LBC Radio: "I do know about the issue. This is about VAT for tourists coming into the UK.

"Look, I think it would be good to find a way to remove that but I say that deliberately very carefully because I know as a former chancellor that you have got to just make sure that obviously that you are getting enough income to pay for all the services that people rightly expect.

"But I think this is one that if you can remove it it can actually generate more income and help to grow the economy and I don’t think any other country in Europe for example has a similar tax for tourist spending so I think it would be good to find a way to remove it."

08:22 AM

Rishi Sunak ‘wants deal with EU to smooth post-Brexit travel for UK holidaymakers’

Rishi Sunak is reportedly seeking a deal with the European Union to make post-Brexit travel to Europe easier for British passport holders.

The Prime Minister is hoping to reach an agreement with Brussels which would allow British nationals to use EU passport e-gates when heading to the continent, according to a report published by Bloomberg which cited people familiar with the matter.

This would remove the need for more time-consuming manual checks at the border, speeding things up and reducing the likelihood of lengthy queues.

The UK is reportedly yet to raise the matter formally with Brussels but it has been talked about informally after relations between the two sides have improved in recent months.