House of Lords pushes for Andy Burnham to face Parliament

Live coverage from the House of Lords as Kemi Badenoch blasts Andy Burnham’s Cabinet for joking about the Government’s “disgusting” early‑release plans. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have apologised after a hot mic caught their remarks. Mr Streeting, who rejoined Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s revamped Cabinet on Monday, was overheard on Tuesday speaking with Ms Mahmood and new Justice Secretary Alex Norris. In the exchange, Mr Streeting quipped to Ms Mahmood that Mr Norris was “the enemy now” and “wants to let them all out.” Ms Mahmood later insisted there was “no ill intent” behind the “ribbing” of Mr Norris. The row intensifies amid reports that killers linked to the death of PC Andrew Harper are set for early release under Labour’s overcrowding plan. Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were in the car that dragged the officer to his death in 2019, when his ankles were caught in a towrope. Conservative leader Mrs Badenoch said: “While Andy Burnham’s Cabinet are joking about letting criminals out of prison early, Conservatives are listening to victims and will continue to fight this disgusting policy.” A last‑ditch Tory move to force Labour to face questions in Parliament over Mr Burnham’s plans was blocked last night. Conservatives pushed for a Lords vote to ensure the new Prime Minister’s policies were debated before the summer recess, and to summon one of his ministers to the red benches tomorrow. The motion was defeated by 234 votes to 173. Mr Burnham faces accusations of dodging scrutiny after not taking questions from MPs before they rose for summer last week. He entered No10 on Monday; the Commons adjourned last Thursday. Read Daily Express: https://www.express.co.uk Like Daily Express on Facebook:   / dailyexpress   Follow Daily Express on X: https://x.com/Daily_Express Follow Daily Express on Instagram:   / dailyexpress   #DailyExpress #News #ukpolitics #houseoflords #ukparliament #ukgovernment #labourparty #conservativeparty