Key points
- First Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips of 2025 from 8.30am
- Health Secretary and Tory frontbencher to face questions
- Parliament urged to begin criminal checks on new MPs and peers
- NHS app to give patients 'more choice' in bid to cut waiting lists
08:15:01
Parliament urged to begin mandatory DBS criminal record checks on new MPs and peers
By Serena Barker-Singh, political correspondent
MPs and peers could be forced to submit to criminal record checks under proposals submitted by a new Labour MP.
In a letter seen by Sky News, Jo White urged the leader of the Commons to examine whether a new committee set up to modernise parliament should force all new members to have checks due to their access to young and vulnerable people.
She suggests in-depth background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service - commonly known as DBS checks - as the initial stages of introducing MPs to parliament.
Candidates are currently banned from running to be an MP if they have been jailed for more than a year in the UK.
However, there is no requirement for DBS checks, something most other jobs require when applying for positions working with vulnerable people.
08:00:01
Coming up on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips
Our flagship Sunday morning show, hosted byTrevor Phillips, will be live on Sky News at 8.30am - and we have a packed line-up for you.
Trevor will be chatting to:
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting;
- Shadow home secretary Chris Philp;
- Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice;
- Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
And throughout the show, Trevor will be joined by his expert panel, which today includes:
- Former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber;
- Former Newsnight diplomatic editor Mark Urban;
- Financial Times Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher.
Watch live on Sky News and in the stream at the top of this page - and follow updates here in the Politics Hub.
WatchSunday Morning with Trevor Phillipsfrom 8.30am every Sunday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on theSky News websiteandappor onYouTube.
07:45:01
NHS app upgrade to give patients 'more choice' in bid to cut waiting lists
The NHS app is set to receive a major upgrade which will let all patients receive test results, book follow-up appointments and even choose where to be treated.
The overhaul is part of the government's plan to slash waiting lists and wait times, and will "give working-class patients the same choice, control, and convenience as the wealthy receive," Health and Social Care SecretaryWes Streetingsaid.
Patients have a legal right to choose their provider for treatments, yet fewer than a quarter recall being offered a choice, the Department of Health said.
Under new measures, patients will be offered a wider choice of providers and the app will help smooth out the booking process, it added.
Patients who need non-emergency elective treatments will be able to use the app to view and manage their appointments, choose from providers - including those in the independent sector - and book diagnostic tests.
07:34:41
Good morning!
Welcome back to the Politics Hub on Sunday, 5 January.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a major overhaul to the NHS app, which he says will let patients receive test results, book follow-up appointments and even choose where to be treated.
The overhaul is part of the government's plan to slash waiting lists and wait times, and will "give working-class patients the same choice, control, and convenience as the wealthy receive", he said.
Also today, Sky News has learnt that MPs and peers could be forced to submit to criminal record checks under proposals submitted by a new Labour MP.
In a letter, Jo White urged the leader of the Commons to examine whether a new committee set up to modernise parliament should force all new members to have checks due to their access to young and vulnerable people.
Today will also mark the first Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips of the year. He will speak to:
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting;
- Shadow home secretary Chris Philp;
- Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice;
- Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
And throughout the show, Trevor will be joined by his expert panel, which today includes:
- Former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber;
- Former Newsnight diplomatic editor Mark Urban;
- Financial Times Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher.
Join us from 8.30am for the show, and follow along for the very latest political news.
10:00:01
Goodbye
That's it for Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips for 2024.
Thank you for joining us.
09:45:23
Trump 2.0 will be like a '24/7 bar-room brawl'
Lord Kim Darroch was the UK's ambassador to the US the last time Donald Trump was in the White House.
He is speaking to Trevor Phillips this morning about the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson to his former role.
Recently, a campaign adviser for Mr Trump posted strong criticisms of Lord Mandelson's former words on the returning president.
Lord Darroch says it is the kind of thing to be expected now.
"This is what life is going to be like under Trump 2.0.
"It's like a 24 seven bar-room brawl, you get this sort of stuff going on all the time.
"You need to have a thick skin and you need to manage it."
He says Lord Mandelson is experienced and will be able to cope.
Beware the early morning social media posts
Amongst his pieces of advice for Lord Mandelson, Lord Darroch says he should be aware of Mr Trump's social media habits.
The president wakes up early and his tweets are "completely unfiltered Donald Trump".
He says they can cause big stories in the UK and the ambassador needs to be firm - including criticising the White House if needs be.
09:35:56
Raising income tax would have been better than increasing NI - former Bank of England deputy governor
Sir Charles Bean, the economist and former Bank of England deputy governor, is being asked for his opinion on Labour's start in charge of the economy.
He says that while the budget did add pressures on the supply side by raising national insurance contributions for employers, it could increase demand by opening up planning regulations.
On the NI increase, Sir Charles says it factored into a "doom and gloom" narrative, as the tax increase cut the ability of businesses to spend.
He said it would have been better to put the levy on households with an increase on income tax.
However, this would have run against Labour's election promise.
"There's been there's this tension between what would be economically a better way forward, and what is what the politics dictates," Sir Charles says.
09:10:04
Local election results 'good' for Conservatives
Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake is speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the Conservatives.
He is asked why the Tories are not benefitting in the polls while Labour sinks - with Reform the ones mostly gaining.
Mr Hollinrake says his party is performing well in council elections when they happen - saying Labour has lost 27, the Tories have gained 24 and Reform have gained seven.
He then repeats the Tory campaign line from the last election that anything but a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for Labour.
Is Kemi Badenoch making the right choices?
Mr Hollinrake is asked about Kemi Badenoch's start as Tory leader.
He defends her position on farmer's inheritance tax - saying it is not a defence of rich farmers like Jeremy Clarkson.
The shadow minister praises Ms Badenoch for saying "what she thinks".
Are the Tories becoming the junior party of Reform?
Asked if Nigel Farage's Reform UK party is going to overtake the Tories, Mr Hollinrake says "absolutely not".
He says he understands why voters left the Conservatives - but he believes the Tories can win them back by seeing his party's offering at the next ballot.
All donations welcome
Trevor Phillips asks Mr Hollinrake if Elon Musk should be able to donate to Reform UK.
The Tory says it should be allowed if it's within the rules.
Asked if the Conservatives would take Mr Musk's money, Mr Hollinrake says "all donations are welcome".
08:54:15
Getting economic growth like 'turning round a huge oil tanker'
Senior Labour MP Lucy Powell is asked about the government's plans for economic growth - and the lack of progress that has been made.
Ms Powell says recent figures have been "disappointing" and wants to see "more growth".
However, she says that it is "a bit like turning round some huge oil tanker".
She says people voted for Labour to do so, as going into the election they could see "the country was going down the swanny".
Challenged that she was repeatedly blaming the previous government, Ms Powell repeated Labour's often repeated points about black holes, long waiting lists and high spending.
Why a peerage for Sue Gray?
Trevor Phillips asks Ms Powell about Labour's recent peerages.
This includes Sue Gray - Sir Keir Starmer's short-lived chief of staff.
Ms Powell says Ms Gray was a long-serving senior civil servant, as well as being a capable political figure.
She goes on to say Labour are still in a minority in the House of Lords which can be challenging for governing.
The MP says that while they have appointed a slew of peers recently, the system does need "reform", because the House of Lords is "not the kind of system that people think works all that well".
08:46:18
Will MPs get a vote on Waspi compensation?
Commons Leader Lucy Powell is asked about Labour's decision to not pay out to Waspi women.
She says MPs can bring about debates if they want - and says she is "sure" this will happen in the new year.
The MP continues to defend the government's decision not give around £10bn to women who feel they were not told their pension age would increase to be the same as men's.
She says there was no commitment in the manifesto to do so.
Ms Powell adds that the report the recent decision was made on was about how women were informed in 2004, not the decision in 2011 to accelerate the changes.
She says Labour opposed those changes at the time.
Trevor Phillips asks how Labour could find £1.5bn for mostly male mineworkers' pensions, but not the £10bn for women.
Ms Powell says that was a decision based on a "long-standing injustice" for mineworkers.