Starmer faces final Cabinet and PMQs as Burnham nears Labour leadership finish line – UK politics live

Good morning. Everyone likes a leaving do and today it’s Keir Starmer’s, or at least his parliamentary one. If the colleague who is going is someone you like and admire, then the chance to see them thanked and celebrated is welcome. And if the colleague who is going is someone that you don’t like, or who has stayed too long, then that’s even better. At a good leaving do, there are also decent jokes. And, in politics, a final PMQs is one of the rare moments when even opponents tend to be polite and respectful (which is something people watching from outside the circus tend to like). Starmer is chairing his last cabinet meeting this morning, and taking his final PMQs at noon. Doubtless he has had a chance to study how his predecessors handled this challenge, and he may have read what Tony Blair said on the day he left the Commons – worth quoting again because it is a good summary for those of us who think politics is still a worthy calling. double quotation mark Some may belittle politics but we who are engaged in it know that it is where people stand tall. Although I know that it has many harsh contentions, it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. If it is, on occasions, the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes. I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. That is that. The end. In his memoirs, writing about his final PMQs, Blair also said he felt this was a day when there was “no point in my trying to advance things; no point in the opposition trying to criticise things”. At that point he clearly hadn’t met Kemi Badenoch, and it will be surprising if she can get through six questions without lashing out at least some of the time. The Tories wanted to use an opposition day debate today to force a vote on their (entirely reasonable) call for the recess to be delayed so that Andy Burnham can address MPs before they all disappear for a six-week summer break. Yesterday, in an act of “low skulduggery” of the kind described by Blair, the government changed Commons business to stop that vote taking place . A minister claimed it was vital for MPs to debate Iran instead. But it is hard not to conclude that No 10 just wanted to silence the Tories on this issue, and Burnham is happy with the Commons recess starting tomorrow. The papers are full of speculation about who will be doing what jobs in Burnham’s cabinet when he announces it on Monday. More on that soon. Here is the agenda for the day. Morning: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet. 10.30am: Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, holds a press conference. 11.30am: Matt Brittin, the BBC director general, and Samir Shah, the BBC chair, give evidence to the Lords communications committee about BBC charter renewal. Noon: Starmer takes PMQs. 2pm: Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate for Greater Manchester mayor, launches her manifesto. Afternoon: Dan Jarvis, the defence secretary, is on a visit in Yorkshire. If you want to contact me, please po