Politics latest: 'Nobody has all the facts' of 'violent' airport incident, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham tells Sky News (2024)

The last show of the summer has finished - and will be returning in the autumn.

We're also pausing our live political coverage here for the day - join us again tomorrow.

Israeli foreign affairs and defence committee chair Yuli Edelstein is speaking to Trevor Phillips.

It comes after 12 people were killed in a rocket strike in northern Israel yesterday, which Mr Edelstein says was caused by an Iranian-made rocket fired by Hezbollah.

Asked how Israel will respond, Mr Edelstein says: "It's terrible to mourn 12 young children but, at the same time, it leads us to the obvious conclusion.

"We can't live here peacefully, develop our country, strike new peace accords with our neighbours here in the area as long as we will be threatened by Hezbollah in the north and Hamas, in the south and by Iranians running this whole show.

"We will have to react not to react in terms of revenge, but to react in terms of getting rid of that danger and bringing back dozens of thousands of Israeli citizens who right now can't be in their homes now in northern border, and had to be evacuated to the centre of the country."

Mr Edelstein says part of their operations will be "destroying the infrastructure" of Hezbollah.

Asked about the deaths of civilians in Gaza, Mr Edelstein says Hamas has given a "new meaning to the word human shield", saying the group's strategy is to push "as many civilians as possible into the line of fire".

When he is asked about the UK's decision to drop its objection to the arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Edelstein says it is "very disappointing" and a "strategic mistake".

With any government comes parliamentary groups trying to influence their party's policies.

One new such grouping is the Labour Growth Group, which looks to be pro-growth - including building housing.

More than 50 Labour MPs have signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to ramp up building.

"We know this will mean tough choices," they write.

"It will mean backing the builders, and not the blockers.

"It will mean delivering infrastructure and public services alongside new homes to unlock economic opportunities, and prioritising grey belt development.

"And it will mean difficult conversations in our own communities about how, not whether we deliver our targets."

Asked about whether councils will be overridden to build by Trevor Phillips, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said it would be a "partnership" - but the government had a mandate to build and intends to do so.

Speaking to Trevor Phillips on behalf of the Conservatives is shadowpaymaster general John Glen.

He is asked if he is "embarrassed" about the National Insurance cuts put in place before the election.

Economists have said this contributed to the black hole in public finances Labour are now claiming to exist.

Mr Glen says he is "not embarrassed at all".

The Tory MP also denies that plans to cut the Civil Service to save money were "fanciful".

He attacks the government for breaking its election promises by threatening to raise taxes.

Mr Glen says the new administration is finding out that "to govern is to make tough decisions".

"What they're trying to say is they need more money and they're going to break all their promises," he says.

"My point is, in my eight years, most of the last eight years, I've been involved in the Treasury.

"Every fiscal event involves pressures.

"But you have to work out how you're going to push back on some of them and how you have to prioritise."

Asked about the future leader of his party, Mr Glen says he is undecided, but will back whoever takes control of the party.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed is asked by Trevor Phillips about the Labour government saying things in government are worse than expected.

Mr Reed accuses Rishi Sunak, the last prime minister, of "deliberately covering up" the state of prisons.

He says the last PM was told the situation in prisons was critical but did nothing to solve it.

Mr Reed says this is why Labour Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood had to pass legislation that would release prisoners early.

The Labour minister is then asked about the £20bn "black hole" his government is set to reveal tomorrow.

It is put to him that economists were using this figure before the election.

Mr Reed maintains it is right that the new government has discovered a worse situation than what they expected.

He points to the Rwanda scheme, which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the last administration spent £700m - more than publicly stated.

Asked about potential tax rises, Mr Reed says the Labour plan is to grow the economy to bring in more revenue - although he does not rule out increasing levies.

Steve Reed, the environment secretary, is speaking to Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government.

He is first asked about the recent scenes in the Middle East.

Mr Reed says: "Well, I'm sure anyone that has seen the latest images just like so much of what we've seen over recent months, it's heartbreaking to see what's going on, and it's such a painful human reminder of why we need to get to a situation where the fighting can stop."

He then restates the government's position, which is calling for an immediate ceasefire "respected by both sides", and the immediate release of hostages and aid being allowed to enter Gaza.

Mr Reed says the situation in Lebanon is "worrying".

You can follow live updates on the Middle East in our separate blog...

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is speaking with Trevor Phillips this morning, following the incident at Manchester airport.

The mayor says he had seen footage which recently surfaced showing officers being attacked before it became public.

Mr Burnham says: "It's a complicated situation, a very violent situation, actually, and there were issues on both sides.

"And that's why I asked other people not to rush to judgement because of the complexity of it.

"And simply nobody out there - everyone who's having their say - nobody has got all of the facts."

He says he wanted more of the footage to become public, but wasn't allowed to publish it.

Mr Burnham then goes on to explain there is more context that has not been seen in public.

The mayor says there was a "prior incident" that took place that led to a dispute on a plane.

He adds that there was then an incident in the arrivals area, and the footage in the public domain taking place subsequently.

The last episode of Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips for the Summer is under way.

Coming up:

• Manchester mayor Andy Burnham;
• Environment Secretary Steve Reed;
• Shadow paymaster general John Glen;
• Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson;
• Israeli foreign affairs and defence committee chair Yuli Edelstein.

New footage has emerged showing the alleged assault of three police officers at Manchester Airport before a man was kicked in the head.

The video, obtained by the Manchester Evening News, shows the chaotic scenes which led to an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man who was lying face down on the floor.

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was suspended on Thursday after the footage was shared widely on social media, leading to protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Friday that the officer had been advised he was under criminal investigation for assault.

A decision will then be made on whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service and whether the officer involved should face disciplinary proceedings.

Police are appealing for witnesses over three incidents in Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 on Tuesday, including two altercations before what they describe as an assault of three police officers.

All suffered head injuries, including a female constable who suffered a broken nose, and four men were arrested, who have since been released on bail.

Read more below:

The government is expected to agree to above-inflation pay rises for public sector workers in the coming days, amid concerns over the costs of not settling, Sky News understands.

Independent pay review bodies have already recommended the above-inflation figure to ministers for teachers and nurses of about 5.5% to keep them in line with increases in the private sector, reports have suggested.

Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby understands Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely sign off on the independent recommendations as early as next week for all public sector staff, despite the Institute for Fiscal Studies warning such a rise could cost an extra £10bn on top of the 3% rise ministers have reportedly already budgeted for.

Speaking on her Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Rigby said government sources were worried about the other costs of not agreeing to the pay review bodies' recommendations - namely industrial action from the unions.

"[It would be] noise around a new government that they don't want, [especially] when they criticised the Conservatives so much for not settling on pay deals," she said.

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