NEW: Labour drops case against ex-staffers

"The Party is discontinuing its legal claims against Karie Murphy, Seumas Milne, Georgie Robertson, Harry Hayball and Laura Murray on a ‘no order as to costs’ basis. The five welcome the resolution of the claims." The Labour Party has dropped its lawsuit against five ex-staffers who had been accused of leaking a controversial internal report: politicshome.com/news/article/l…

I’m at an event by the Centre for Social Justice, “From baby boom to baby bust”. Miriam Cates says polling shows 92.4% of UK young women want to become mothers but 69% of young women believe waiting til 35 to start a family is no problem despite fertility stats. Cates says she was surprised by how toxic the response was when she talked about this subject in parliament. She says Rosie Duffield was supposed to be on the panel but hasn’t joined today as she fears for her safety due to the controversial nature of the discussion.

NEW: Sam Tarry has been sacked A Labour Party spokesperson said:

“The Labour Party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.

I’m told “There hasn't been anything from LOTO ahead of the latest set of strikes.” i.e. there was no fresh warning from the Labour leadership to frontbenchers not to join picket lines. Whether there is a reaction to Sam Tarry’s decision to join one today remains to be seen.

https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak/status/1552195167624511488

It's been more than three months since I moved to @TheHouseMag, where I'm interviewing parliamentarians of all parties and writing features on all sorts of subjects. Here's a lil thread on highlights so far... 🧵 I was particularly pleased with this feature, speaking to Labour MP Andy McDonald and Conservative Duncan Baker about opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees – personal stories with heart: politicshome.com/thehouse/artic…

Keir Starmer is addressing the PLP tonight at an in-person meeting.

“Two and a half years ago people said Labour was finished,” he says. “After the Hartlepool by-election last year, we all felt the profound disappointment that we weren’t yet where we needed to be.” But Starmer says the local election results showed “red shoots” – “not just the red shoots of recovery… but the red shoots of a new beginning”

Labour is “now fighting its way back to government”, he says

Reporting today from @thefabians 2022 new year conference, their first ever hybrid one. Half of the delegates are here in person and half online. #fepsfab22 Keir Starmer has taken to the stage for his keynote speech. He’s expected to set out an NHS reform plan that will lead to a health system focused on “prevention as much as cure”: labourlist.org/2022/01/starme…

Unbelievable lobby just now as PM's press secretary said Boris Johnson was not sent the email inviting staff to the party and did not see the email, but would not clarify whether he knew about it before 6pm that day. Perhaps he joined the party in his garden by lucky coincidence? Questions included "did he bring a bottle?" and, more generally, "how often does the PM drink at work?". No answers came because these are matters for the review, we were told.

PM: 'I believed implicitly this was a work event. But with hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside, I should have found some other way to thank them... I offer my heartfelt apologies'. Asks that 'Sue Gray be allowed to complete her inquiry'. Strong words from Keir Starmer: "His defence that he didn't realise he was at a party is so ridiculous it's actually offensive to the British public." Calls on Boris Johnson to "do the decent thing and resign". #PMQs

EXCL: Labour general secretary David Evans revealed further details of the 'Organise to Win' new party structure in an all-staff meeting this morning. Here's what was said: labourlist.org/2021/08/exclus… - Sources say video, data, targeting and membership mobilisation teams in particular are being downsized, with MeMo scrapped completely
- Evans acknowledged that some Labour employees feel the burden is falling mostly on junior, rather than senior, staff labourlist.org/2021/08/exclus…

NEW: Code of conduct on Islamophobia passed by Labour NEC. It includes the APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia (with examples such as suggesting that Muslims, individually or as a group, pose a threat to British or European society, civilisation or values). Naz Shah said: “This code of conduct confirms that the party takes Islamophobia extremely seriously and builds on the commitment we made when we adopted the APPG's definition two years ago. We must do everything we can to fight all forms of Islamophobia."

The new complaints process is going to Labour's NEC tomorrow, but it's hardly being talked about. At the moment, the ire of the Labour left is solely being directed at the plans to proscribe four groups. Momentum has said "We oppose guilt by association", called it "cynical and desperate politics" and said it is an attempt to "drive Momentum and the broader left out" of Labour.

Keir Starmer speaking to broadcast media now: "Freedom Day is just the latest in a long list of slogans not backed up by policy." He says Labour wouldn't weaken the sensitivity of the app and wouldn't lift the restrictions at once today. He's kept the app and his bluetooth on. Starmer raising questions over Boris Johnson now isolating at Chequers. "You would have thought given the amount of money spent refurbishing Downing Street he would have been happy staying there as the Chancellor has. But we know the Prime Minister likes to look for a loophole."

Labour’s Shadow Cabinet team is as follows:

•Deputy Leader, Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work: Angela Rayner
•Party Chair & Chair of Labour Policy Review: Anneliese Dodds •National Campaign Coordinator: Shabana Mahmood
•Shadow Chief Whip: Alan Campbell
•Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer: Rachel Reeves
•Shadow Chief Secretary to HM Treasury: Bridget Phillipson
•Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs: Lisa Nandy

Angela Rayner being sacked as party chair. Wow. Source close to Rayner: "Keir takes full responsibility, that's what I saw on the news"

Khalid Mahmood, shadow minister in Labour's defence team, quits frontbench in a piece for right-wing think tank Policy Exchange... He says Labour has been captured by a "London-based bourgeoisie". Khalid Mahmood used a Policy Exchange pamphlet last year to defend Trevor Phillips when he was suspended over Islamophobia allegations.

Keir Starmer emphasises at the campaign launch that the May elections "will be tough" for Labour, saying for example: "We’ve been constrained. I’ve yet to make a speech to a live audience." Asked about Sarah Everard, Starmer says "the first thing we need to do is recognise the scale of violence against women and girls", need to "tackle it at root" and "it’s very important for men to speak out".

I'm told Labour Holyrood candidate Hollie Cameron, standing for Glasgow Kelvin, has been removed as a candidate following comments on indyref2. No confirmation from party so far. Story from Sunday on Hollie Cameron's comments: thenational.scot/news/19141908.…

Oldknow v Evans outcome: ex-staffer's bid to force Labour to identify leakers of internal report fails. Judge said Oldknow's application “smacks of a fishing expedition”. Oldknow's Norwich Pharmacal order application asked Labour to identify who it "reasonably believes" was responsible for leak, rather than those definitely responsible for the leak.

Latest in Oldknow v Evans. Unite has applied to intervene (union represents 5, currently anonymous, accused of leaking the report). Oldknow's QC opposes the application and says it's too late. Lawyer of Unite and 5 members says they applied asap after Tuesday hearing. Purpose of Unite intervention would be to allow general submissions on Oldknow's application (to force Labour to reveal identities of leakers), not to directly allow unnamed to intervene. Judge expected to give decision shortly.

David Evans, Labour's general secretary, has just told the NEC that the Forde Inquiry into the 'Labour leaks' report says its findings could have the potential to prejudice the ICO’s work – so the report will only be delivered once the ICO inquiries are completed and resolved. Evans was reading out a letter from the inquiry chair, Martin Forde QC, to the NEC.

The ICO is involved because an internal party investigation was set up to look into potential security breaches with report leak, and it made a disclosure to the ICO.