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Will Meakin-Durrant
@wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
350 followers 360 following 220 posts
Parliamentary Reporter at the PA news agency
📌 House of Commons
Posts Replies Media Videos
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Benefit claimants risk falling victim to Government “mass fishing” exercises, as ministers receive new powers to look at bank account details to tackle fraud, says Steve Darling.

www.independent.co.uk/money/govern...
Benefit fraud crackdown should not see claimants ‘de-banked’ – minister
Several MPs urged the Government to consider widening the role of an independent person, whose job will be to keep ministers’ new powers in check.
www.independent.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 9:13 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Hiding money away in British overseas territories has a knock-on effect for British families, a Labour MP has warned.

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...
Hiding money away in overseas territories starves Treasury, warns MP
Phil Brickell will call for Whitehall clarity over ministers’ efforts to tackle financial secrecy in the British Overseas Territories.
www.independent.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 8:20 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Labour backbenchers David Smith and Maya Ellis challenged Treasury ministers to consider tweaking their plan to bring farms into inheritance tax

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...
Treasury ministers stand by farm tax plan
Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson said the Government made ‘the right decision’ at last year’s budget to end a tax relief for farmers.
www.independent.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Home Sec Shabana Mahmood to “look at the very serious problem of some trains operating without any staff on at all”.

www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
‘Pause’ operation of trains without carriage crew, urges Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn urged the Home Secretary to make the move in the Commons.
www.standard.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Are ferry firms leaving island and river communities high and dry? Joe Robertson has tabled the Ferry Services (Integration and Regulation) Bill in an effort to bring boats more in line with buses and trains.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
MP in bid to stop ferry firms leaving islanders high and dry
Tory MP Joe Robertson said the Isle of Wight’s 140,400 residents have little say over how Solent ferries are run.
www.independent.co.uk
November 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
There are “no current plans” to ban VPNs, but “nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping children safe”, a tech minister has said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
‘No plans’ to ban VPNs but ‘nothing off the table’ to bolster online safety
Baroness Liz Lloyd warned there was ‘limited evidence on children’s use of VPNs’.
www.independent.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Football fans have “ingenious ways” of breaking into grounds, a Labour peer has warned.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Football fans have ingenious ways of breaking in without tickets – Lord Mann
Lord John Mann cited an ‘ingenious’ example from an Oxford United game.
www.independent.co.uk
October 25, 2025 at 9:06 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
“A food allergy enthusiast will claim they saw a potato which has made them go blind.”

Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest, who is opening The North Star in Brighton with her charity Team Domenica, reads some advice she got from Jeremy Clarkson about running a pub.
October 25, 2025 at 9:02 AM
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"How people get to and from an airport is as important as the number of flights and planes that are landing and taking off," says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Minister vows to consider improving Heathrow rail links in third runway review
The Transport Secretary faced a call for a ‘cast-iron guarantee’ that towns near the airport will get a rail link, if work begins to expand Heathrow.
www.independent.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 2:35 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Scotland lands the most fish by quantity and value out of the four UK nations, but will get less than 8% of a new fund for fishing and coastal communities.

This is "ocean-going madness", says Alistair Carmichael.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Giving less than 8% of fishing fund to Scotland deemed ‘ocean-going madness’
Scotland is set to receive £28 million from the £360 million UK-wide Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.
www.independent.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
A postcard from Budva 🇲🇪
The still Adriatic Sea off the coast of Budva - with its Old Town in view - as parasailing takes place above. Budva's Old Town A view of Budva's suburbs from atop a hill, with mountains beyond.
October 5, 2025 at 8:42 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Labour has "no plan" to ease the debts blighting English councils, one Unite delegate warned on stage at the party's conference. Unite the Union is behind the long-running Birmingham bin strike

hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/b...
Labour has 'no plan' to fix Birmingham debt amid major bin strike
Labour has "no plan" to fix the debts blighting English councils, a trade...
hellorayo.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
"Let’s ban fracking," says Ed Miliband, as he warns it is "dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment"

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...
Miliband vows to permanently ban ‘dangerous and deeply harmful’ fracking
The Energy Secretary used the announcement to attack Reform UK, which has called for more extraction of oil and gas.
www.independent.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 2:52 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
EXC: When Reform UK overturned a 14,696 majority in the only by-election of the Parliament so far, it was a "wake-up call" for Sir Keir Starmer, Labour's losing candidate tells me

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Losing Commons seat to Reform UK in by-election was ‘wake-up call’
Labour’s Karen Shore lost to Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes.
www.independent.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 2:39 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
In a blow for Sir Keir Starmer and the Government, Labour conference has approved a motion which says Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Labour demands recognition and prevention of Gaza ‘genocide’ at conference
The Unison trade union tabled an emergency motion on Monday.
www.independent.co.uk
September 29, 2025 at 4:53 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
After a brief speech, where he said his “marching orders” to “get Britain building again” came directly from Sir Keir Starmer, Steve Reed signed bucket hats, caps and t-shirts.
September 27, 2025 at 8:32 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
It’s not even day one proper and the bucket hats are out
Caps with “Build Baby Build” on them, surrounded by similar merch, including bucket hats.
September 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Sir Keir Starmer is heading for the Labour conference in Liverpool, which begins this weekend.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Starmer faces calls to scrap two-child benefit cap as MPs head to Liverpool
The Prime Minister will be joined in Liverpool by delegates and activists for Labour’s annual conference.
www.independent.co.uk
September 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Sir Keir Starmer will pitch the idea of “difference under the same flag”, days after St George’s crosses appeared on landmarks such as the Westbury White Horse and Nottingham’s Goosey the Goose

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Starmer to call for ‘difference under the same flag’ at London summit
Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney will join Sir Keir Starmer in London.
www.independent.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 10:59 PM
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This summer, Nigel Farage "has been allowed to hog the political microphone", says Labour deputy leadership hopeful Lucy Powell in her pitch to voters ahead of this weekend's conference

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Lucy Powell: Labour must grab ‘political microphone’ back from Nigel Farage
The Manchester Central MP made her pitch just days before party delegates and activists gather in Liverpool for their annual conference.
www.independent.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 7:55 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
“Small numbers – I accept we want to ramp that up but we’ve been able to prove that you can actually remove people,” Sir Keir Starmer tells Kit Bradshaw as he faced questions about the one in, on out deal with France

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
‘We’ve proved the concept’ of deportations, says Starmer
Referring to a one in, one out returns agreement with France, Sir Keir said he wanted ‘to ramp that up’.
www.independent.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Royal Navy crews shadowed the Russian warship RFN Neustrashimy and freighter Sparta IV through the North Sea and English Channel

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Royal Navy deployed to shadow Russian warship and freighter through British seas
“Russian warships are increasingly transiting through the English Channel,” defence minister Luke Pollard warned.
www.independent.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 4:29 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
EXC: "We’re British citizens under attack," says Louie-Joe Findlater, from Poole, who is travelling to Gaza as part of a 52-boat flotilla

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Britons ‘under attack’ on 52-boat flotilla heading to Gaza
the Global Sumud Flotilla said ‘drones launched explosives and gases on boats’ earlier this week.
www.independent.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 11:39 AM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
Mandatory digital ID risks pushing “unauthorised migrants further into the shadows”, the leaders of eight civil liberties groups have warned in a letter to Sir Keir Starmer.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Mandatory ID risks forcing unauthorised migrants ‘into shadows’, warn groups
A compulsory identification system could be ‘uniquely harmful to privacy, equality and civil liberties’, the liberties group leaders wrote.
www.independent.co.uk
September 24, 2025 at 12:22 PM
wmeakindurrant.bsky.social
EXC: West Midlands manufacturing faces a "real cash crunch" amid cyber attack disruption at Jaguar Land Rover, says Labour MP Antonia Bance

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news...
Business Secretary visits Jaguar Land Rover as shutdown continues
JLR, the UK's largest carmaker, has extended its pause in production until October 1, having a knock-on impact to the companies that supply it.
www.walesonline.co.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:51 AM