Starmer meets Scholz with Germans keen on youth mobility deal – UK politics live | Politics

Keir Starmer has arrived at the German chancellery for his meeting with Olaf Scholz.

He was welcomed by Scholz and an honour guard of German soldiers as a military band played God Save The King and the German national anthem. The two men then went inside the chancellery for their bilateral meeting, at which they are expected to discuss a proposed treaty between the UK and Germany as well as other matters including the war in Ukraine.

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of UK politics as Keir Starmer meets the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on a flying visit to Berlin.

The British prime minister says he wants to “turn a corner on Brexit” with talks expected to focus on defence and trade.

But Nils Schmid, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the SPD’s parliamentary group, told BBC Radio 4’s Today that Germany would like a deal on youth mobility, despite UK reservations about anything that would open the door to free movement of labour.

more on this shortly. In other developments:

• Keir Starmer has given his strongest hint yet of tax rises to come in October’s budget, warning he will have to make “painful” decisions after finding what Labour says is a £22bn black hole in the public finances. Giving his first major speech from No 10 since becoming prime minister, Starmer said on Tuesday it would take years to clean up after the previous Conservative governments, which he said had overseen “14 years of rot”.

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves is scheduled to be in Glasgow today on a growth-related visit. She will make a trip to a manufacturing centre and host a business roundtable.

• Energy firm bosses will meet the government on Wednesday to discuss support for vulnerable households ahead of the winter. Ofgem has recently increased the price cap and it comes as the government is withdrawing winter fuel payments from millions of pensioner households not in receipt of benefits.

• Scotland’s financial watchdog has said Scottish ministers are largely responsible for a spending crisis that is leading to deep cuts to non-essential services. The Scottish Fiscal Commission, which has a similar role to the Office for Budget Responsibility in London, said ministers in Edinburgh had spent heavily on public sector pay deals without proper planning.

• A man is due to be sentenced for throwing a coffee cup at Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage on his battlebus during the general election campaign. Josh Greally, 28, of Clowne, Derbyshire, admitted a public order offence and will be sentenced today at Barnsley magistrates court.