PM will try to shift attention to economy this week - but questions remain over his chancellor's future

Rishi Sunak will seek to refocus attention on the economy this week amid questions about how long his chancellor will remain in post.

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‘Can’t even walk up the stairs!’ Eric Trump says Biden WON’T be Democrat nominee for president

Eric Trump has said that Joe Biden won't be the Democrat nominee for the 2024 election.

Speaking to Nigel Farage on GBNews America, the son of Donald Trump said: "Biden is a very weak president. Clearly not physically up to the job or mentally up to the job.

"Do you think he would still be the candidate come November? I don't, you know, if you can't walk up the stairs to Air Force One if you can't walk across the room if you can't get off the stage.

"I don't mean to disparage because that's not my style. But that's a rigorous job I saw my father go through it every single day.

"It's the toughest job in the world. I mean these are real decisions every second of every single day. Real leadership.

"I just don't think he has a stamina. My father was a great cheerleader for the United States of America. We're the best country.

"We should be saying we've got the best economy we can manufacture better than anybody. We've got the greatest military.

"We've got the greatest economy. We've got the greatest cities. Come invest in America, come build in America. We can build your products. We're not going to let other countries rip us off.

"We don't have a cheerleader under this president. And that's sad because it creates a global void.

"America is the epitome of power and might and keeps so many seams together and all of a sudden you start seeing weakness coming from one person and those fissures start to crack.

"And you see instances like what we're seeing in Israel.

"What the sad thing about the Israel conflict is? If that happened under Donald Trump, he would have been thrown out of office.

"Meaning if our intelligence agencies missed thousands and thousands of people assembling thousands of rockets and taking over outpost camps in Israel and coming across the border and gliders.

Biden is widely expected to come up against Trump in the November election in what would be a rematch of the 2020 election.

Trump romped to victory in the Iowa caucus with over half of the vote as he took his first step towards securing the Republican nomination.

The US President has lashed out at suggestions he is no longer capable of performing the job to his best ability despite being the oldest-ever incumbent.

Trump is facing former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in New Hampshire before voters go to the polls on Tuesday.

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Sadiq Khan launches bid to overturn Brexit with new 'Freedom of Movement' policy

Sadiq Khan has launched a fresh bid to water-down Brexit as the London Mayor pushes for the relaxation of immigration restrictions.

Khan, a vocal Remainer who previously called for a second referendum on EU membership, argued a “youth mobility agreement” would enable young people to travel more freely to and from the bloc.

He claimed such an agreement would lessen the economic and cultural damage inflicted by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Khan revealed he backs either a bespoke “youth mobility agreement” with EU countries or changes to post-Brexit visa rules.

Current visa rules restrict travel and the ability to work in other European countries.

Despite consistently bashing Brexit, Khan is not expected to advocate rejoining the bloc.

However, the London Mayor has called for a “pragmatic debate” on membership of the single market and customs union when the terms of the Brexit deal come up for discussion again in 2025.

Khan told The Observer: “The Government’s hard Brexit has done damage right across London and it is young people who have been hardest hit in so many ways.

“Not only is it more difficult for young people to move abroad for work, but the Government’s wrong-headed decision to leave the Erasmus scheme has made it much harder for students to study abroad too.

“I’m clear that I’d be supportive of a youth mobility scheme, which would benefit us economically, culturally and socially.

“While the UK may no longer be part of the EU, London is, and always will be, a European city.”

A Labour source also said: “I think Sadiq’s people realise how anti-Brexit most voters are in London and understandably they want to appeal to them.”

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Londoners were split on the Brexit debate, with a number of outer boroughs voting to leave the EU.

The division is perhaps best summarised by the difference between the 70 per cent Brexit-backing borough of Havering and 79 per cent Remain-supporting borough of Lambeth.

However, unlike the majority of UK voters, the capital ultimately decided it would rather stay in the bloc by 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

Khan’s comments come after Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn argued the EU would welcome Sir Keir Starmer’s expected victory against Rishi Sunak by breathing a "sigh of relief".

The Leeds Central MP, whose father Tony Benn was an ardent Eurosceptic, also appeared to suggest Labour could look to pursue closer ties with the Brussels bloc.

Tories have frequently blasted Khan for his Brexit-bashing and for echoing Benn’s comments about pursuing closer ties with the EU.

Conservative Party Chairman Richard Holden MP said: “It’s hardly surprising Sadiq Khan wants to drag us back into the EU given Sir Keir Starmer spent years trying to block Brexit then overturn the largest democratic vote in British history – and now he’s plotting to rip up our new relationship with the EU and even drag us back into the EU by ‘stealth’ with plans to hand millions of EU nationals the vote.

“Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will continue to build on our freedoms and stick to the plan which is working and has seen us have higher economic growth than either France or Germany.

“It couldn’t be more clear that Labour would take us back to square one.”

Khan also appeared to blame Brexit for his City Hall failings during London Mayor’s Questions earlier this week.

He said: “One example of something that has gone wrong is the disastrously hard Brexit that has so far shaved £30billion off growth in London’s economy, meaning 290,000 fewer jobs and Londoners being £3,400 worse off.

“City Hall’s analysis has shown that the cost to the UK economy has been a staggering £140billion already and that is projected to rise to £300billion in 2035 if our current trading arrangements don’t change.”

Speaking to GB News after locking horns with Khan, the Conservative Party’s City Hall candidate Susan Hall argued the London Mayor always reverts to Brexit-bashing when he comes under pressure.

Hall, who supported Brexit, argued: “Sadiq Khan always ends up banging on about Brexit when he gets into trouble.”

Conservative Assembly Members recently boycotted Khan’s inquiry into Brexit after claiming it showed the London Mayor is not looking forward.

City Hall’s independent report by Cambridge Econometrics showed London has 290,000 fewer jobs than if Brexit had not taken place.

Half of the two million job losses nationwide linked to it are in the financial services and construction sectors.

Despite a number of issues threatening Khan’s popularity, the former Tooting MP is expected to romp to victory come polling day.

A Find Out Now survey conducted in November gave the London Mayor 46 per cent of the vote, with Hall languishing behind in a distant second on just 25 per cent.

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Do the Conservatives have a death wish? | Adam Boulton

Isaac Levido, the man in charge of the Conservative general election campaign, did not hold back.

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Hunt hints at tax giveaway as he compares himself to Nigel Lawson

Jeremy Hunt has compared himself to tax-cutting former chancellor Nigel Lawson as he suggested using his spring budget to "relieve pressure on families".

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Sturgeon not being investigated by police 'at this time' over 'deleted' pandemic WhatsApp messages

Scottish police have told Sky News Nicola Sturgeon is not being investigated "at this time" after it emerged the former first minister wiped pandemic related WhatsApp messages.

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MPs consider forcing Cameron to answer questions in Commons

MPs are considering using an arcane parliamentary mechanism to force Lord Cameron to take questions in the House of Commons.

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