Mr. Karan Rana appointed as Honorary Trade Commissioner for Strengthening India–PNG Trade Relations

Nearly half of Britons support Andy Burnham’s plan to axe the triple lock, a bombshell snap poll revealed.Earlier this afternoon, the Prime Minister announced changes to the state pension triple lock to fund a new National Care Service. Under the changes, which will take effect from April 2030, the pension will continue to rise in line with inflation or by 2.5 per cent, while maintaining its value relative to average earnings over time.And, just hours after the announcement, pollsters at YouGov conducted a snap poll which revealed some 48 per cent of Britons back the amendments. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Delivering a rousing speech in Liverpool, Mr Burnham said he will honour Labour’s manifesto pledge to keep the triple lock on pensions through to the end of this parliament.But from 2030, he said the Government will “adjust it”.”From then, the state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5 per cent,” the Makerfield MP declared.”And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation. This change will generate significant savings, which we will use to build up our own National Care Service.”He admitted that he “may pay a political price” for this announcement, but “someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off”.Some 28 per cent of Britons oppose the plans, while a quarter of those surveyed today remain unsure.Reform UK is just one party up in arms after Andy Burnham vowed to abandon the pensions triple lock at the next election.Nigel Farage said: “By potentially scrapping the triple lock, Andy Burnham will abdicate his responsibility to British pensioners.POLITICS LATEST:Giving millions of pounds to Afghanistan and Iran will stop migrant crisis, suggests Labour MPAndy Burnham accused of ‘turning on pensioners’ over decision to scrap triple lockAndy Burnham’s new social care system handed expiry date by ex-Labour minister”Instead of cutting our bloated benefits bill, stopping migrants from accessing benefits, or slashing foreign aid, he’s considering launching an offensive against our elderly.”If he is so desperate to pick a fight with pensioners, he should get on with it, call a general election now, and let the public decide.”Reform UK will always protect our pensioners and maintain the triple lock.”Ahead of Conference, Mr Burnham attempted to quash rumours he was due to call a snap election. When asked whether he was considering calling a contest, he said: “Not particularly. No, I’m not.”And I see all the speculation and it just races ahead. And, you know, the media love to do that. No, no election any time soon.”I’m focused on the job as Prime Minister doing what I said I would do.”Mr Burnham has then used his time at Labour Conference to lay out what proposals he would turn into a manifesto pledge at the next election. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

There has been a coup. The Government has been supplanted, and a left-wing neo-communist Government has been put in its place. Two years ago, people voted for Sir Keir Starmer, a soft left, almost Blairite figure who in his manifesto was really promising not to frighten any horse in sight. There was the so-called Ming vase strategy that they had to carry the vase so carefully and not slip up on a polished floor, so they would get in and get the majority. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say They did get a majority, but they got a majority on only 33 per cent of the vote. So they didn’t have a huge mandate, and they certainly didn’t have a mandate for hard left socialism that wasn’t on offer two years ago.But it’s what’s been announced today in Liverpool. Andy Burnham has taken the party to the real left, not the Blairite or brown eyed left.Not even really the Wilson White left, but back to the aptly right left, where they believed in the state ownership of everything.The public sector is the answer to all our problems, but it’s not. The public sector fails.The National Health Service is not working. The roads are full of potholes. DVLA can’t deal with complex licences and the borders, which he didn’t mention remain porous.The state is failing and has failed, but Andy Burnham wants to give it more power. He also wants to take your property from you.Did you know that probate in this country takes six to nine months? But if you leave a property empty for six months, the Labour Party wants the state to be able to take it from you.How are you going to keep it occupied when somebody has died? What will the heirs do? This is just undermining one of the basic principles of our constitutional settlement the rights of property. So property rights are out.The state is going to control things. Nationalisation is back in its practically bringing back clause for.Oh, and then of course, he’s going to gerrymander the electoral system so that you get even more left wing people advising him to try and find seats for his friends like Zack Polanski.It’s a disastrous approach to governing. It has failed before. Every Labour government in history has had a financial crisis, other than the one that lasted nine months in 1924.That is what we’re headed towards. But we have had a coup. There is no democratic mandate. Your power has been taken from you. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Andy Burnham can stop the small boats crisis by increasing foreign aid to Afghanistan and Iran, a Labour MP has suggested.Stella Creasy, who made headlines this conference season by comparing Epping migrant hotel protesters to a proscribed terror group, hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to cut foreign aid as Prime Minister.Speaking at a fringe event hosted by the Refugee Council, the Walthamstow MP said: “You talk about how to make it a more stable country, clearly aid has a role. “So on the left we need to join the dots, why do we see international aid as part of our national security… it also helps stabilise a nation.” TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The UK had committed to spending 0.7 per cent of its national income on foreign aid while Sir Tony Blair was Prime Minister.However, the Tories cut the amount spent assisting other countries to 0.5 per cent before Sir Keir slashed the fund to just 0.3 per cent. Ms Creasy added: “Too often we talk about deterrent, we ought to be talking about prevention.”I want to stop the boats, I don’t want anyone to suggest anything otherwise. “The best way to stop the boats is often to stop the conflicts, and we have to talk about the fact that cuts to international aid have had consequences on our ability to be on the ground and to intervene and to help manage the causes that make people flee, fearing their lives.”Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran topped the list of nationalities for small boat migrants in the year to June 2026, Home Office data has revealed.Labour spent £420million in foreign aid to Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia in its first full year.The funding, which was predominantly paid to UN agencies and charities, was largely spent on emergency food, healthcare and support for women and children.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSAndy Burnham just fired the starting gun on a general election and Brexit is next – Jack WaltersMuslims must organise, bombard Andy Burnham with letters and challenge far-right, says Labour MPMinister whose dad loves GB News, the Strictly star schmooze and the Nigel Farage questionThe total number of small boat migrants who have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power in 2024 now stands at 84,375.The figure includes 6,666 who arrived on British shores since Mr Burnham succeeded Sir Keir.Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp pointed out the figure means the number of small boat arrivals under Labour has now surpassed the number of soldiers in the British Army. However, 126,844 migrants arrived in Britain via dinghy under the Tories, taking the total to 211,219, which is roughly the same size as Portsmouth. During his first conference speech as Prime Minister, Mr Burnham looked to tackle the Channel crisis head on.He said: “I understand the anger about what is happening in the Channel.”The Prime Minister added: “People arriving on small boats down 40 per cent on the last year, 50 per cent from the early 2020s.”However, Mr Burnham also claimed leaving the EU had weakened Britain’s grip on its borders.He said: “Brexit hasn’t given us control. We’ve lost some of our control over immigration.”But Mr Burnham failed to mention foreign aid in his speech.The Prime Minister was mulling over increasing foreign aid to 0.7 per cent ahead of entering No10.Sources told The Independent that Mr Burnham was planning a roadmap towards 0.7 per cent. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Andy Burnham’s newly announced plans for a National Care Service has been handed an expiry date by a former Labour Cabinet Minister.Speaking to GB News, Shaun Woodward pinpointed just how long the Prime Minister has to set out an implement his reforms of the care system.Announcing the changes at the Labour Party Conference, Mr Burnham announced plans to axe the triple lock in favour of “no care charges” and a “high quality national care service to give peace of mind in later life”.He said: “Conference, I am going to go out and argue for that, a good deal for our pensioners and for older people in the 21st century, and I will do it. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say “I will do it in memory of my dad and out of complete respect for everyone who cared for him.”Delivering his verdict on the plans, Mr Woodward told GB News that Mr Burnham has “a lot of work to do” before the next general election, which he predicts will take place within the next few years.He said: “It is now probably less than two years before I think there’ll be a general election in May or June of 2028. There’s a lot of work to be done to get all this into place, and we actually have to look at the detail of what social care would look like. “We have to look at what the detail of the savings that would come out of changing from the triple lock to what might be now best described as the double lock.”The ex-Labour minister questioned how much the new care system is going to cost the Government.He explained: “The Prime Minister has given the reassurance that the double lock will mean either inflation or 2.5 per cent each year, whichever is higher. “We know from the Institute of Fiscal Studies that we are talking about saving probably around £20billion a year by the time we get to 2050. So what’s the social care package going to cost? What would it look like?”Mr Woodward predicted that the PM has less than two years to iron out all possible issues and flaws with his proposed plan.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Andy Burnham accused of ‘turning on pensioners’ over decision to scrap triple lock: ‘Complete lies!’Hard left Labour MPs celebrate PM’s ‘socialist’ speech and plot to shape tax-hiking manifestoLouise Haigh refuses to rule out rejoining the European Union under Andy BurnhamHe stated: “I think what this means is we’ve got 18 to 24 months for the Prime Minister to sketch out in real detail, not just the back of an envelope, what this means, how it would be paid for.”Comparing the plans to those of Theresa May in scrapping the triple lock, Mr Woodward made clear that the Prime Minister’s plan would actually “give something back” to elderly Britons.He told GB News: “I think a very important point here is the comparison that’s been drawn, where Theresa May speculated with ending the triple lock and she faced a big penalty from the voters for it. “What Andy Burnham has done, which is very different from Theresa May, is to say, I’m doing this so I can fund social care.”In other words, you’re getting something significant and possibly bigger back for that, and that’s the big difference with Theresa May.”Mr Woodward argued that Mr Burnham is looking for “cross-party consensus” on the plans, which he argues is a “good thing”.He concluded: “We all want to see elderly people looked after, you do, I do. What he’s doing is saying, I want to reach out to all the parties to see how we can do this. “If I can’t get agreement, I’m going to go there, but he is looking for consensus, and I think that’s a good thing.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

A suspect in a firebombing attack on Nigel Farage’s home was caught on CCTV but police failed to spot him.The Independent Office for Police Conduct is examining whether the Metropolitan Police “missed an opportunity to protect the public”. When the attack took place in April 2025, the police force told the Reform leader that security cameras did not capture the suspect at this London home.But after party spokeswoman and former minister Ann Widdecombe was found bludgeoned to death in her Devon home earlier this year, Mr Farage’s investigation was reopened. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Further examination by counter-terror police found the suspect and their car had been spotted “over an extended period”, The Telegraph revealed.Now, the officer who originally reviewed the footage has been placed under investigation by the police watchdog.The IOPC is investigating whether the officer in question could be found guilty of discreditable conduct. No one has yet been charged with the attempted firebombing attack on Mr Farage’s property.It is further alleged that they “may not have undertaken the CCTV tasking to the standard required, leading to a missed opportunity to protect the public”.On April 20, 2025, Mr Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, came home to find their door at their Greater London home had been damaged.An empty can of lighter fuel was discovered nearby, with its contents spattered over the front door.The MP suspects the firebomber’s plans had been foiled by a neighbour with three large dogs.LATEST FROM REFORM UK:Reform UK’s military credibility is squandered without a defence spokesman – Lt Col Stuart CrawfordRichard Tice takes aim at ‘ridiculous’ Andy Burnham after blaming Brexit on small boat crisisReform warns Donald Trump diesel ban will ‘hammer millions’ as he urges US Treasury to exempt UKThe police then took 74 hours’ worth of CCTV footage from security cameras around the property and interviewed Mr Farage and Ms Ferrari following the incident.While on the campaign trail earlier this year, the Clacton MP opened up about the attack, detailing how a lit incendiary device was placed into his letterbox last year.At the time, he admitted there were “huge dangers in this job” as the political leader called for increased security for his MPs.”It was an outright arson attempt. I wasn’t at home at the time, but when I came back and opened the door I found the damage,” Mr Farage told The Telegraph.”Luckily it had burned itself out in the porch, and we think maybe the perpetrators were disturbed in the act. The police were all over it.”Mr Farage also discussed how he received a seven-figure gift to spend on his security arrangements from British billionaire Christopher Harborne ahead of re-entering politics in 2024.The hefty sum for his security is believed to fall within the region of £5million.”This money was given to me so that I would be safe and secure for the rest of my life,” he said.A month after Ms Widdecombe’s murder, Mr Farage was alerted to the new discovery on the CCTV footage supplied. Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said: “As part of the ongoing investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing South East into the murder of Ann Widdecombe, officers have reopened an investigation into an incident reported to police last year.”In April 2025, the Metropolitan Police received a report of an attempted burglary at an address in the Greater London area.”Inquiries were carried out by the Metropolitan Police, supported by Counter Terrorism Policing London. No arrests were made, and the investigation was subsequently closed, pending any new lines of inquiry.”Following the re-opening of the attempted burglary investigation, Counter Terrorism Policing London identified a line of inquiry which was not identified and pursued by them at the time, which may have been relevant.”As a result, to ensure their support to the initial investigation is thoroughly reviewed, Counter Terrorism Policing London made a mandatory conduct referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) today, Friday August 7 2026.”We will engage fully and comprehensively with the IOPC on this matter. The victims and families in both investigations have been updated today, and we continue to support them.”Given the nature of this matter and the significant public interest in the investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death, it was of critical importance for us to provide this update.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter