Cabinet ministers accepted hundreds of thousands of pounds in union donations before reaching pay deals with the public sector.

Sir Keir Starmer’s top team have accepted a total of £480,030 in cash and donations in kind from the party’s union backers since 2019.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has already announced inflation-busting pay rises for millions of public sector workers since Labour took office last month.

Teachers and nurses are in line for a 5.5 per cent pay boost, while prison service workers and senior NHS managers will see their pay increase by five per cent.

Train drivers have also been offered a bumper pay rise of 14 per cent over three years.

The recommendations are drawn up by independent pay boards but it is ultimately Ms Reeves who has the final say.

Analysis of the MPs’ register of financial interests shows Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has received £14,286 in support from unions in the past five years.

This included £3,143 from Unison given to cover the costs of printing campaign leaflets.

Unison voted for strike action two years ago over the Government’s four per cent pay offer at a time of soaring inflation, which stood at just under 11 per cent when the submission was made.

Thousands of its members have taken part in strikes that have affected the NHS.

Christina Mcanea, the general secretary of Unison, said in December 2022 it was not the fault of ambulance unions if patients died during a series of nationwide strikes.

Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, has received a total of £24,289 in union support since 2019.

More than £12,000 of this sum was donated either to her local party or indirectly via the central party by the GMB union in January 2020.

Train drivers’ pay races away

Ms Haigh said the Government is putting “passengers first” with its offer to train drivers, whose pay will have grown at double the rate of teachers, doctors and soldiers since 2011.

A total of £10,040 in indirect donations from the GMB union has been made to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary.

Ms Cooper was the chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee at the time the donations were made.

Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, received £310 from the Association of School and College Leaders in April to cover the cost of hotel rooms for its annual conference.

She also had a drinks reception sponsored by the Community trade union, and has received a total of £3,495 in donations in kind in the past five years.

Senior Conservatives have accused Labour of being in thrall to the unions, whose backing has traditionally been central to the party’s finances.

Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, last week claimed the generosity of public sector pay offers showed the Government prioritised its union “paymasters” over national security.

Unions are already urging Sir Keir to cut workers’ hours and make industrial action easier, noting that British employment laws are “significantly weaker” than elsewhere in Europe.

Labour was contacted for comment.

Dame Laura Kenny has been spoken to by the BBC after appearing to promote luxury brands she wore on air during the Olympics

The former track and road cyclist fronted the corporation’s coverage of the games from Paris, and posted photographs on social media from her time in the studio.

Dame Laura mentioned fashion brands in these social media posts, and also appeared on air wearing a £2,000 watch by Breitling, a brand which has named her as an “ambassador”.

Now BBC bosses have spoken to Dame Laura to remind her of the rules around promoting products on air, and it is understood that the former cyclist, Britain’s second most successful female athlete, has removed mention of brands from her social media posts.

Several posts featuring photographs of Dame Laura in a dress tagged the fashion brand Reiss, although insiders have said that the former athlete has no commercial ties to the company.

BBC rules state that “No on-air talent should promote products, goods, services or clothing they use on air.

“On-air talent, in any genre, engaged by the BBC must not accept clothing or products free, or at considerably reduced cost, in exchange for wearing or using them on air.

“Nor should they appear on air wearing clothes or using products, goods or services which they have agreed, or been contracted, to promote or in which they have any financial interest.”

It is not clear if Dame Laura purchased the items or was given them as gifts.

The BBC rules have come under strain in recent years as more presenters continue to enjoy large social media followings. The corporation has indicated that it regularly reminds presenters – who provide their own wardrobe – to adhere to regulations.

In June, Gary Lineker stopped wearing clothing from his own Next range to present the Euros after at first appearing to flout the guidelines.

The Match of the Day host, who signed a deal with the clothing brand in 2023, led coverage of England vs Serbia in a pale green knitted T-shirt which appeared to be from his Next collection.

In 2018, the BBC said Lineker had made a “genuine mistake” when he breached guidelines by promoting a TM Lewin shirt on Instagram after signing a deal to become the face of the brand.

Alex Scott, the former Arsenal and England footballer turned pundit, was reminded of the rules during the 2022 World Cup after she posted a selfie on Instagram, taken in the BBC studio in Qatar, wearing a suit from Reiss, for whom she was an ambassador.

Ski duo seen wearing brand’s clothes on air

The BBC had further issues with brand exposure and sports coverage in 2022, when Chemmy Alcott and Graham Bell, the Ski Sunday presenters, posted online about their brand of choice.

The two brand ambassadors for Snow Finel were spotted wearing items from the range while on air.

A BBC spokeswoman at the time said that they too were “reminded of the BBC’s guidelines in relation to commercial conflicts of interest”.

Helen Skelton has been similarly reminded after an appearance on Morning Live. The presenter posted several photographs on Instagram of herself in the show’s Salford studio, tagging fashion, jewellery and cake brands.

Concerns about presenters plugging brands go back a number of years, and in 2013 the BBC was forced to defend Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury, the presenters of Countryfile, after they both wore branded Rab coats on the same programme.

The BBC said that outdoor clothing was needed for the show’s presenters, and sometimes the brand logo of the clothing provided would inevitably be visible

The King has heaped further pressure on the Duke of York by axing his ten-strong private security team, it has emerged.

It means that Prince Andrew will be forced to find millions of pounds to fund future security operations at Royal Lodge, his Windsor home, if he wants to avoid eviction.

The security guards have been told their services will no longer be required from the autumn, according to reports.

A source told the Sun on Sunday: “Everyone is speculating this means the Duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?

“They are all working the final weeks of their contract till the end of October. It’s not thought anyone is being lined up to replace them. It isn’t a secret that the King wants him out.”

The Telegraph revealed in January that the King was prepared to withdraw the private funding he ploughs into the security operation in what has become an increasingly bitter standoff over the future of Royal Lodge.

However, at the time, the Duke did not believe his elder brother would be so unkind, it is understood.

His determination to remain at the home, which he also shares with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, has proved an increasing bone of contention.

Having been stripped of his patronages and duties as a working member of the Royal family, it is considered too vast a property for someone befitting his new status.

Attempts to relocate him to the much smaller Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor property that until recently the Duke and Duchess of Sussex called home, have so far proved unsuccessful.

The Duke is said to be determined to bequeath the lease on Royal Lodge to his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

But by insisting he pay for his own security, Buckingham Palace courtiers know they may force his hand.

In May, one palace source warned: “As things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the Duke.”

Weeks later, a source said the move could either be accomplished “with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him”.

The latest salvo will all but force the beleaguered Duke out of the vast, 30-room property unless he can conjure up a small fortune. He has no discernible income and the house is in need of extensive repairs.

The Duke’s lease gives him the right to live in the Grade II-listed property until 2078. But the contract includes a clause that he must maintain it to an appropriate standard.

The terms of the 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate, which was signed in 2003 and expires in 2079, requires the Duke to repaint the house every five years and also to “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild” the property.

One source previously insisted that he would not be evicted “so long as he can fulfil his contractual obligations”.

The disgraced Duke stepped down from royal duties in 2019 following a disastrous Newsnight interview in which he failed to express regret over his former friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, the US financier and convicted sex offender.

He later paid several million pounds to settle a civil case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, who claimed he had abused her, although he did not admit liability.

The Duke has consistently denied all charges, but the King has remained adamant that he will not be permitted to reprise any of his public roles.

Prince Andrew’s own finances have long remained opaque, seemingly structured around a string of secretive business dealings.

The Duke’s office could not be contacted for comment. Buckingham Palace said it did not comment on security matters.

More people think the recent riots were about migration than the Southport killings, polling shows.

Six days of unrest swept British towns and cities after three young girls were fatally stabbed in the Merseyside town.

The violence followed false online rumours that the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat last year, which prompted an outbreak of far-Right disorder.

A survey of 2,237 people carried out by Savanta found that almost two thirds (64 per cent) of responders said the UK’s immigration policy had been responsible for the riots, compared to 59 per cent who cited the stabbings in Southport.

The public were most likely to blame those taking part in the civil unrest (82 per cent), followed by far-Right groups (75 per cent) and social media companies (73 per cent).

More than half (53 per cent) said the previous Conservative government was responsible, 51 per cent traditional news organisations and 46 per cent immigrants and asylum seekers themselves.

Football fans

According to 44 per cent the riots were the fault of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government while 33 per cent said football fans were partly responsible.

A slim majority of respondents (52 per cent) believed Sir Keir had handled his first major crisis in office well, although 38 per cent said he had done badly.

Voters were more split on what they made of the wider Government response to the disorder, with 49 per cent saying it did well in general and 43 per cent that it did badly.

Reform UK voters were most likely to believe Sir Keir had done a bad job, with almost three-quarters of those surveyed criticising his response.

Nigel Farage was criticised for his response to the Southport killings after questioning if the truth was being “withheld” amid rumours about the suspect’s identity.

The Reform leader was at least to some extent “responsible” for violent protests, said 51 per cent of people polled, with 40 per cent saying the same about Sir Keir.

Mr Farage later said he was referring to claims made by controversial influencer Andrew Tate when he asked if the alleged attacker was known to the security services.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: “Now that the dust appears to have settled, it is a good time to get a proper gauge of what the public think of who was responsible for the civil unrest that swept through the UK this summer, and how the Government did in response.

“Contrary to online talking points, the country is broadly more likely to say Keir Starmer did well in managing the situation than not.

“Our research probably makes grimmer reading for Nigel Farage, who is only behind EDL former leader Tommy Robinson in being seen as ‘responsible’ for the violent protests.

“The public think that swift justice for violent protesters is the best way to stop them from happening again – a course of action being followed by the government. The next thing they think needs to happen is public concerns about immigration being addressed.”

Almost two-thirds of people (64 per cent) said the police had dealt with the riots well despite criticisms of “two-tier policing” that have been levelled at their response.

Critics have claimed that Right-wing protesters have been dealt with more harshly than Left-wing demonstrators, with Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, labelling the Prime Minister “two-tier Keir”.

But these arguments were rejected on Sunday by BJ Harrington, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead on public order.

Mr Harrington, chief constable of Essex Police, told the Observer: “We’re not anti-protest, we’re anti-crime. Policing will deal with stuff where it’s unlawful, where it’s violent.”

He went on to insist that police had not been more lenient towards pro-Palestinian activists, who have demonstrated most weeks since the Oct 7 attacks, or environmental protesters.

“They weren’t setting fire to hotels, they weren’t lobbing bricks. That’s not two-tier policing, that’s about dealing with threat, risk and harm.”

Police will be unable to make arrests if prisons are full up with rioters, it has been suggested.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) predicts that ministers will be forced to impose new bottlenecks within days to avoid prisons filling up.

That would require triggering Operation Early Dawn, which prevents inmates being taken from police cells to court unless a prison space is available for them.

Mark Fairhurst, the national chairman of the POA, predicted an announcement could come as early as Monday morning.

However, Mr Fairhurst warned such a move would put increased pressure on police forces and compel officers to limit the number of arrests they make in order to free up cell space.

‘As of Friday, we only had 340 spaces left’

“Last week we had the biggest influx of new receptions I’ve seen for quite some time. We had 397 new receptions. As of Friday we only had 340 spaces left in the adult closed male estate which is feeling the most pressure.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point tomorrow morning the Ministry of Justice would announce that Operation Early Dawn kicks into play at some point next week, probably Tuesday onwards,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme on Sunday.

“You’re now clogging up police cells, so they haven’t got the power to arrest people and put them away in a police cell. It has a massive knock-on effect on the entire criminal justice system.”

More than 1,000 people have been arrested so far for their part in the recent riots which gripped towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland.

Some 480 have been charged and at least 99 sentences handed down as cases continue to be brought to court.

Around 90 adults have been sentenced. Of these, eight have received custodial sentences of three years or more, while three-quarters of them have got more than a year of jail time.

Longest term so far of six years

The severity of sentences ranges from community orders and fines at the lower end, to the longest term so far of six years, handed to David Wilkinson, 48, for his role in the Hull disorder.

Wilkinson was a prominent member of the “baying mob” which forced three terrified Romanian men from their car.

John Honey, who was part of the mob and also looted shops including a Lush cosmetic store, received a sentence of four years and eight months.

Hull Crown Court heard how Honey pulled the passenger door open as the man inside tried to close it to protect himself, while Wilkinson was seen attacking the windscreen of the car, which was left with damage worth £1,500.

The men, in fear of their lives, eventually left the car with their hands raised, before fleeing to a nearby hotel, the court was told.

Sentences far from home

Mr Fairhurst described the pressure on the prison system as “really, really tight,” warning that offenders in the most pressured regions would face sentences far from home.

“The pinch points at the moment are the North East and the North West, so it’s likely that if you commit an offence in those areas you will be carted 100, 200 miles away from home to serve your sentence because there’s simply very few spaces,” he said.

Operation Early Dawn has not yet been triggered. The public would be informed if it had, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) previously said. The MoJ was approached for comment.

Parents still may not get their first choice of nursery by September 2025, the Education Secretary has said.

Bridget Phillipson vowed not to “sugarcoat” the state of the childcare sector as she set out to manage expectations over the Government’s expansion plans.

Experts have warned of a chronic shortage of childcare places across the country.

Just 35 per cent of local authorities in England have enough spaces for children under two, down from 50 per cent last year, according to a recent survey by nursery provider Coram Family and Childcare.

The Education Secretary reiterated that Labour would commit to the previous government’s expanded childcare roll-out, the first stage of which came into effect in April.

It means working parents of two-year-olds are now eligible for 15 hours of government-funded childcare each week during term time.

This will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September, before the full roll-out of 30 hours a week to all eligible families a year later.

‘Big shortage of staff and places’

However, she said it would require ministers to “triple capacity” in some parts of the country as the sector grapples with “a big shortage of staff and places”.

“The roll-out won’t be the sunlit uplands promised by the Tories. While some parents may receive the hours promised, they might not get their first choice of nursery,” she wrote in The Sun on Sunday.

“It’s not what parents want to hear. But this Government will always be honest… Parents should be in no doubt who is to blame if they don’t get their first choice – the irresponsible Conservative government which didn’t plan for this expansion.”

Labour’s election manifesto set out plans to create an additional 3,000 nurseries to aid the expanded childcare roll-out by “upgrading space” in existing primary schools.

It will form part of a wider package of reforms aimed at the childcare sector, with ministers accusing their predecessors of pouring money into the system without a proper plan to cope with demand.

The previous government estimated that the extension would require 85,000 more childcare places and 40,000 more staff by September 2025.

It comes as the overall number of childcare providers registered with Ofsted dropped by 1,400 between March 2023 and March this year to 61,800 – a fall of 2 per cent, according to the latest statistics.

Funded by private school raid

The number of childminders registered with Ofsted also decreased by 1,340 over the same period to 26,500 – down 5 per cent.

Labour is proposing to spend around £135 million to convert primary school classrooms into nursery centres. It claims the plans will be funded by its VAT raid on private schools, which will come into force in January.

However, while opening up new nurseries in schools would save money on rent and mortgages, staffing costs make up the majority of childcare providers’ budgets.

Official figures show staff costs accounted for 85 per cent of budgets for nurseries based out of schools last year, and 75 per cent for private settings. Meanwhile, rent and mortgage repayments made up just 2 per cent of costs in school nurseries and 7 per cent in private providers.

The Telegraph understands that the Government has balanced this against the increasing number of childcare providers that are closing in some parts of the country and creating “childcare deserts”.

The latest Department for Education statistics show that school-based nurseries are most popular in the poorest parts of England, making up 26 per cent of childcare providers in the most deprived regions in 2023, compared to 13 per cent in the least deprived regions.

Ms Phillipson said: “Parents up and down the country will have their own experiences of travelling miles to the nearest available place, or forking out for nursery bills higher than their rent. This issue is historic, and in some places it is far worse than in others.

“My promise to parents is that I will do everything I possibly can to bridge these gaps as we reform the childcare system, so that all families – wherever they live – have equal access to brilliant early education, but I must be honest with parents in some areas that they might not get their first choice of childcare place in September 2025.”