Downing Street: UK would comply with the law on Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant Downing Street has hinted that Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK after an international arrest warrant was issued for him. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would “not get into hypotheticals” when asked if the Israeli prime minister would be detained if he arrived on British soil. “I’m not going to get ahead of the process or provide commentary on individual cases,” he said. But, PA Media reports, asked if the UK would comply with the law, he said: “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law.” Home secretary Yvette Cooper was coy on the subject during her morning media round appearances earlier. She told viewers of Sky News “That’s not a matter for me as home secretary. What I can say is that obviously the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.” On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she expanded on the position, saying: The international criminal court is obviously independent. We respect the court, its independence, and we are clear of its role, which is different from the UK government’s role. The vast majority of international criminal court cases do not become a matter for the UK legal processes, law enforcement processes, or for the UK Government. In the event that they ever do, there are both proper legal processes that have to be followed and also proper government processes that have to be followed – and Foreign Office processes that have to be followed. So for that reason, you would not expect me to, and I can’t, as home secretary, comment on how those legal processes would be implemented in any individual case. That would be speculative, because I have to respect that legal process. Taoiseach Simon Harris said earlier today that Irish police would arrest Netanyahu if he arrived in Ireland, adding during an interview on RTÉ that “We support international courts and we apply their warrants.” Alongside Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Spain are among EU states that have said they would meet their ICC commitments. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, however, has said he would invite Netanyahu to visit the country in defiance of the warrant. Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel labelled the ICC’s decision “deeply concerning and provocative”, while defeated Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, now shadow justice secretary, said “The UK should not enforce this farcical arrest warrant from a politicised court.” Yesterday, Green party of England and Wales Carla Denyer said that the arrest warrants “make clear that to continue selling arms to Israel is to aid and abet war crimes” and that “the Government must recognise that their approach to the war in Gaza has failed.” She said the government “must consider far more direct measures to incentivise a ceasefire,” including an “end to arms sales, [and] the introduction of divestments, boycotts and sanctions.” The Liberal Democrats also backed the court, with foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller MP saying on Thursday “The previous Conservative government denigrated the international criminal court and undermined the UK’s standing on the world stage. It is vital that the new government complies with our obligations under international law by committing to upholding this ruling, including enforcing arrest warrants.” Summary of the day … Downing Street has hinted that Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK after an international arrest warrant was issued for him. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would “not get into hypotheticals” but added “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law” Home secretary Yvette Cooper had earlier said “That’s not a matter for me as home secretary” when asked about the prospect of an arrest if Netanyahu visited the country. Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel labelled the international criminal court’s decision to issue the warrant for alleged war crimes relating to the Gaza war “deeply concerning and provocative” Keir Starmer defended what he called “difficult budget” appeared on six regional BBC Radio stations over a 45 minute period. He was interviewed about farmers and inheritance tax, winter fuel payments, local government financing, whether there will ever be a public inquiry into the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, pylons and solar panels among other topics Former prime minister Gordon Brown has declared his opposition to the legalisation of assisted dying, saying the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002 convinced him of the “value and imperative of good end-of-life care”. In an article for the Guardian, Brown says the debate on assisted dying is moving too fast given the “profound ethical and practical issues” and that instead of a yes/no vote in parliament he suggests a commission to devise a “fully funded, 10-year strategy for improved and comprehensive palliative care” Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, is proposing to cap bus fares in the region at £2.50 next year when the existing Tory £2 cap in England expires and is replaced by the Labour government’s £3 cap Large parts of England’s adult social care market face collapse as a result of tax and wage rises announced in the budget, with devastating consequences for vulnerable and older people who rely on care services, a leading thinktank has warned An average annual energy bill in England, Scotland and Wales will rise by 1.2% to £1,738 from January, regulator Ofgem has said. Energy secretary Ed Miliband said “Every wind turbine and solar panel we install, every home we insulate will help to protect consumers and bring down bills once and for all”. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on the government to freeze people’s energy bills, saying it was “time for government to live up to their word” on energy bills People who persistently demonstrate antisocial behaviour will face up to two years in jail under Labour’s new “Respect” orders, the home secretary said The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has u-turned on his plan to “double job” by sitting in Holyrood and the Commons after a furious backlash Edinburgh Liberal Democrat councillor Louise Spence has stood down just over a week since being elected, after telling the party her “familial work circumstances” had changed suddenly, which meant they had to sell-up and move overseas Supporting Brexit is not a belief that is protected from workplace discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled Gordon Brown: improve end-of-life care rather than allow assisted dying Former prime minister Gordon Brown has written for the Guardian today about the proposal for assisted dying that will be discussed in parliament next week, arguing the debate is moving too fast and calling for a commission into palliative care. Writing about both the death of his baby daughter Jennifer in 2002 when he was chancellor and later volunteering in a hospice, Brown argues that what is needed is not assisted dying, but better end-of-life care. You can read his piece in full here: Spending time with people in their final days showed me that we need not assisted dying, but better end-of-life care My colleague Harriet Sherwood has this report on his intervention into the debate: The former prime minister Gordon Brown has declared his opposition to the legalisation of assisted dying, saying the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002 convinced him of the “value and imperative of good end-of-life care”. In a rare and poignant glimpse into the tragedy, he says the time he and his wife, Sarah, spent at their baby Jennifer’s bedside “as her life ebbed away” were “among the most precious days of [our] lives”. In an article for the Guardian, Brown says the debate on assisted dying is moving too fast given the “profound ethical and practical issues”, and the state of the NHS means this is not the right time for a far-reaching decision. Instead of a yes/no vote in parliament, Brown writes that a commission to devise a “fully funded, 10-year strategy for improved and comprehensive palliative care” should be set up. He cites unpublished polling showing that half the public are not confident of the government’s ability to fund specialist end-of-life care, and that more than two-thirds back a commission on the issue. The Conservatives, whose own prime ministers didn’t always exactly flourish when being interviewed on BBC local radio, have clipped up what they are describing as the five worst moments from Keir Starmer’s effort at it today. It mostly consists of questions being posed to him – “Do you have a problem with Lincolnshire?”, “What are you for?” – rather than Starmer’s answers, although they have clipped some moments of him sounding flustered. The clips chosen arrow in on the issue of winter fuel payments and energy bills. You can have a listen to what Tory HQ thought were the key moments here … PA Media has a little more here on the prime minister’s official spokesperson suggesting that the UK would arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit the country, after the international criminal court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest for alleged war crimes relating to the war in Gaza. Downing Street said that the domestic process linked to ICC arrest warrants has never been used to date by the UK, because no one wanted by the international court had visited the country. The relevant provisions are set out in the International Criminal Court Act 2001. The Act states that the secretary of state must, on receipt of a request for arrest from the ICC, “transmit the request and the documents accompanying it to an appropriate judicial officer”. Downing Street, PA Media reports, would not specify which Cabinet minister would be responsible for doing so. In 1998 Gen Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, became the first former head of state travelling on a diplomatic passport to be arrested on British soil. That, however, was after an extradition request by Spanish judges, and was four years before the ICC was founded in 2002. He was released in March 2000. The changes to winter fuel allowance announced by the Labour government earlier this year were the subject of quite a bit of questioning during prime minister Keir Starmer’s series of interviews with BBC regional radio stations this morning. It is also the focus of this piece today by our north of England correspondent, Robyn Vinter. She has visited Copley, near Bishop Auckland in County Durham, which is known as the snowiest place in England. Severin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor The Scottish Liberal Democrats have been left ashen-faced after a newly-elected councillor who pulled off a shock byelection victory over Labour last week has been forced to stand down. Louise Spence unexpectedly triumphed in a byelection in Colinton last Thursday to replace Labour’s former transport convenor, Scott Arthur, after he became the new MP for Edinburgh South West. To Labour’s embarrassment, it came third behind the Tories, with 1,441 first preference votes, nearly half the 2,683 votes won by Spence. But on Thursday she told her new comrades that her “familial work circumstances” had changed suddenly, which meant they had to sell-up and move overseas. Her suggestions of becoming a long-distance commuter, flying in for a week a month, were rebuffed. “Having campaigned as being the local candidate, she instead offered her resignation, and said this wouldn’t be the right thing to do,” a party source said. The contest for her seat is expected to coincide with another byelection in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward scheduled for January after a Scottish National party councillor, Marco Biagi, quit to become a special adviser to John Swinney, the first minister. This contest offers the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar another chance to redeem the party, which despite a handful of council byelection victories, has seen its popularity slip significantly in Scottish opinion polls. It raises tensions too in Edinburgh City Chambers. Despite being the third largest party in the council, Labour runs Edinburgh as a minority administration with the goodwill of the second-placed Lib Dems, and often the Tories, working as an anti-nationalist block to lock out the SNP – the city’s largest party. Downing Street: UK would comply with the law on Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant Downing Street has hinted that Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK after an international arrest warrant was issued for him. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would “not get into hypotheticals” when asked if the Israeli prime minister would be detained if he arrived on British soil. “I’m not going to get ahead of the process or provide commentary on individual cases,” he said. But, PA Media reports, asked if the UK would comply with the law, he said: “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law.” Home secretary Yvette Cooper was coy on the subject during her morning media round appearances earlier. She told viewers of Sky News “That’s not a matter for me as home secretary. What I can say is that obviously the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.” On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she expanded on the position, saying: The international criminal court is obviously independent. We respect the court, its independence, and we are clear of its role, which is different from the UK government’s role. The vast majority of international criminal court cases do not become a matter for the UK legal processes, law enforcement processes, or for the UK Government. In the event that they ever do, there are both proper legal processes that have to be followed and also proper government processes that have to be followed – and Foreign Office processes that have to be followed. So for that reason, you would not expect me to, and I can’t, as home secretary, comment on how those legal processes would be implemented in any individual case. That would be speculative, because I have to respect that legal process. Taoiseach Simon Harris said earlier today that Irish police would arrest Netanyahu if he arrived in Ireland, adding during an interview on RTÉ that “We support international courts and we apply their warrants.” Alongside Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Spain are among EU states that have said they would meet their ICC commitments. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, however, has said he would invite Netanyahu to visit the country in defiance of the warrant. Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel labelled the ICC’s decision “deeply concerning and provocative”, while defeated Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, now shadow justice secretary, said “The UK should not enforce this farcical arrest warrant from a politicised court.” Yesterday, Green party of England and Wales Carla Denyer said that the arrest warrants “make clear that to continue selling arms to Israel is to aid and abet war crimes” and that “the Government must recognise that their approach to the war in Gaza has failed.” She said the government “must consider far more direct measures to incentivise a ceasefire,” including an “end to arms sales, [and] the introduction of divestments, boycotts and sanctions.” The Liberal Democrats also backed the court, with foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller MP saying on Thursday “The previous Conservative government denigrated the international criminal court and undermined the UK’s standing on the world stage. It is vital that the new government complies with our obligations under international law by committing to upholding this ruling, including enforcing arrest warrants.” Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, is proposing to cap bus fares in the region at £2.50 next year when the existing £2 cap in England expires. The former Labour MP said the proposal was “devolution in action,” adding: More affordable and simpler fares are the only way to get more people using public transport, reducing congestion, improving air quality and tackling the climate emergency. Improving our bus network and bringing it back under public control is central to our plan to build a greener, better-connected region that works for all. Chancellor Rachel Reeves extended the Tory £2 bus fare cap in England, which had been due to expire, for another year, but at the higher rate of £3. West Yorkshire’s Mayor’s Fares scheme will see the £2 cap retained until March 2025, with the £2.50 rate for single fares and a capped £6 day ticket introduced from then until December. The proposals will be presented at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on 12 December. Promoting the proposal on social media, Brabin said “We’re taking action to make sure bus passengers in West Yorkshire continue to pay some of the lowest fares in the country.” It is Friday, and so often a day when politicians chirrup on social media about byelections held the day before – well if they’ve won, anyway. Anas Sarwar, Labour’s leader in Scotland, is celebrating three local council byelection wins for Labour. He was also named Scottish politician of the year by the Herald last night, as “a unanimous choice for the independent judging panel.” John Swinney and Kate Forbes were also up for the gong. Accepting the award, Sarwar said: Whilst I may have received this award, the reality is that it is a team effort. This year has been one of seismic change in our politics with the election of a UK Labour government, with Scotland at its heart, seeing us also win the election here in Scotland and return 37 Scottish Labour MPs. Also celebrating on social media is Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, boasting of two local byelection victories in Kent. Not celebrating, it would seem, are Liberal Democrats in Edinburgh, where councillor Louise Spence, who won a seat on 14 November, has stepped down. It appears, according to this Daily Record report, that having campaigned stressing her local roots, she put her house on the market the day after the election. It means a third byelection will take place in the Colinton and Fairmilehead ward in just a few months, the paper reports. Across the six BBC local radio the most obvious common themes were farmers and inheritance tax, and winter fuel payments and energy prices. As expected Keir Starmer defended the budget decisions by saying more money was needed for the NHS, and pushed more renewable energy as the solution to rising energy costs. Probably the most uncomfortable exchange was Starmer’s unwillingness to commit, or even commit to a timetable for making a decision, about a public inquiry into the 1974 Birmingham Pub bombings, during a long section of the BBC Radio WM interview with Kath Stanczyszyn. Keir Starmer will be grateful that after 45 non-stop minutes of interview, the last question is a bit of a softball. John Darvall of BBC Radio Bristol asks him about the introduction of “Respect” orders, which is Downing Street’s media grid policy launch today, allowing Starmer to trot out pre-prepped lines on antisocial behaviour being a blight, and how the previous government weakened powers to deal with it. Duvall signs off cheerfully “Enjoy the football of the weekend!” Starmer’s Arsenal are at home to Nottingham Forest. And that’s a wrap! John Darvall of BBC Radio Bristol has said a lot of people work in defence in the area, and will be worried about reports of Storm Shadow missiles being used against targets inside Russia by Ukraine. “Very brief answer to a very brief question,” he says to Keir Starmer. “Are we at war?” “No, we’re not at war,” the prime minister replied “but Ukraine certainly is, because Ukraine has been invaded by Russia” Keir Starmer is on more confident ground here, and is able to effectively restate what he said in parliament earlier in the week, that he is proud of the UK’s support of Ukraine. He adds “in the general election, wherever we went, it was clear that people absolutely understand why Russia cannot be allowed to win this war.” Keir Starmer continues on the theme of local councils: After 14 years at the last government, they’re in a real mess. They’ve been underfunded for years. We’ve had four-and-a-half months. We’re beginning to turn this around, and I’m determined that local people have the services that they need from their council. John Darvall of BBC Radio Bristol has asked the prime minister what is he going to do to stop local councils going bankrupt. Starmer says “by going to multi-year settlements so that they can make much better use of the money that’s available.” John Darvall of BBC Radio Bristol has said that due to changes in national insurance a local publican is saying they will have to raise the price of a pint from £4.50 to £4.70-£4.80. “I’m no economist,” says Darvall, “but that sounds like inflation to me.” Keir Starmer again says he is happy to look into the individual case, saying: There are a number of provisions we put in place for small businesses, particularly those employing four or so employees on the living wage and that therefore their national insurance bill shouldn’t go up, and in many cases, will go down. So it is worth looking just at some of the small detail on this.