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Politics latest: UK sanctions Israeli ministers in 'major step' - as minister warns two-state solution 'is in peril'

Israel has condemned the "outrageous" decision by the British government to sanction two of its ministers. Earlier, the chancellor committed more than 拢14bn to build nuclear plant Sizewell C to improve Britain's energy security.

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拢3 bus fare to be extended until March 2027

It's spending review eve, which means announcements are continuing to dribble out ahead of the main event.

The latest is that the 拢3 cap on bus fares will be extended until March 2027.

The bus fare cap - which Labour increased to 拢3 last year - was introduced in January 2023 under Rishi Sunak at 拢2.

It is part of a scheme to improve transport in England, outside of London.

We haven't had any detailed info on the announcement, but Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has posted on social media: "Buses provide a lifeline and opportunity for people across the country.

"Keeping fares affordable is a top priority for me, as our landmark Buses Bill overhauls how services are delivered.

"Better buses are around the corner with Labour."

The Labour Party social media account also shared the news.

When will energy bills start to come down?

The government has been trumpeting its multibillion pound vow to get Sizewell C built today.

The new nuclear plant in Suffolk has been talked about for years, but Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have today talked up the prospect of finally getting it built - as the UK embraces green power.

Energy minister Michael Shanks joined Ali Fortescue a little while ago, and she asked him when people will benefit via cheaper bills.

"Bills will start to come down the more we push gas off the system," Shanks said. "Gas is the price setter 80% of the time at the moment, it's subject to the volatility of fossil fuel markets set internationally. 

"Every wind turbine we put up, every solar panel we switch on, and every megawatt we generate鈥� will push gas off the system and protect bill payers in the long term."

Ex-Tory chancellor reveals he chats to Reeves on WhatsApp

Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt is speaking to Ali Fortescue this evening.

If you cast your mind back to the autumn of 2022, you might remember he was the one brought in by Liz Truss to try to clear up the mess made by her and Kwasi Kwarteng at the mini-budget.

Truss followed Kwarteng out of the Downing Street gates shortly after.

Ali asks the Tory MP if Rachel Reeves has ever asked him for advice.

Hunt says he wouldn't say it was asking for advice, but they have a "perfectly friendly relationship via WhatsApp, and we exchange messages" - including fairly recently.

'She wants to do the right thing'

While "politics is a brutal sport", Hunt believes it is a "good thing" to "preserve the personal relationships".

The former chancellor says he does have sympathy for Reeves having to deliver the spending review tomorrow, as "you are everyone's worst enemy inside government".

This is because the chancellor has to balance the government's budgets.

Hunt says he believes "in her heart, Rachel Reeves actually wants to do the right thing" - but that raising taxes in the autumn budget would be "absolutely catastrophic".

In a series of quick-fire questions, however, Hunt is asked for his preference between Kwarteng or Reeves.

He says he cannot make a choice as he disagrees "with both of them".

Five things to know about tomorrow's spending review

Tomorrow is the spending review - they do not come around too often, but they are incredibly important.

Rachel Reeves will set out budgets for every government department over the coming years - covering everything from the NHS and public transport to policing.

Who better to guide you through the numbers than our economics and data editor Ed Conway - watch below:

Israeli ministers bullish in wake of sanctions

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were the two Israeli ministers sanctioned by the UK, as well as a number of other countries, earlier.

They have responded to the action taken.

'Britain has already tried once'

Ben-Gvir said "sanctions don't frighten me" - likening the situation to the UK's historical actions in the Middle East.

He added that he will continue to work to "ensure that humanitarian aid will not enter [Gaza] for Hamas".

Smotrich used similar language, saying: "Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow them to do so again. 

"We are determined, with God's help, to continue and to build."

The Israeli government has said it will meet to discuss its response to sanctions next week.

Government has shown it's willing to fracture ties with Israel - and maybe the US too

We've seen a significant UK response today to the situation in Gaza - and it feels like a moment we might well look back on as a turning point. 

The prime minister has so far been determined not to speak out of turn, incredibly careful with his words.

But we have seen a change in tone in the last week. 

Senior ministers willing to condemn Israel in a way they haven't before.

The government has been treading a tightrope with Israel on one side, Gaza on the other - today they've undoubtedly tipped one way. 

Not just words but action on Israel.

It's a big deal - two senior Israeli ministers banned from entering the UK, their assets frozen. 

That's the sort of action usually reserved for authoritarian regimes, for politicians from countries like Russia and North Korea. 

It also shows the government is willing to risk fracturing relations with Israel, and potentially the US too.

Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue is live

Joining us ahead of the spending review tomorrow is former chancellor Sir Jeremy Hunt MP, and to discuss the plans for Sizewell C is energy minister Michael Shanks MP.

On the panel are James Starkie and Kirsty Blackman MP.

Watch live in the stream below - if you'd prefer to keep watching the Commons, use the stream at the top of this page.

Two-state solution 'in peril', warns Foreign Office minister

Hamish Falconer, the Foreign Office minister, is giving a statement in the Commons on the sanctions on Israeli ministers announced today.

They are Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

He starts off by saying the "two-state solution is in peril".

Falconer goes on to describe a "catastrophic conflict in Gaza" and a "shocking deterioration in the West Bank".

'An attempt to entrench one-state reality'

After laying out recent violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Falconer says Itamar Ben-Gvir has led seven "provocative intrusions" into the region since 2022.

He says one outburst of violence from Israeli settlers saw "houses and injured residents" set of fire.

Falconer says the "violence and rhetoric is deeply concerning" and is "an assault not just on Palestinian communities, but on the very fundamentals of a two-state solution".

"This is an attempt to entrench a one-state reality where there are no equal rights."

The minister is met with "hear, hears" when he confirms the sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

'Appalling rhetoric'

He says the sanctions were imposed as Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are "responsible for inciting settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, violence which has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole towns and village".

Falconer says the two ministers continued their "appalling rhetoric" despite warnings from the UK government, and so action was taken.

But this does not "diminish [UK] support for the security of Israel and Israeli people", as Falconer says their agendas "are not even supporter by the majority of Israelis".

Watch live: Middle East minister giving Commons statement on Israel sanctions

Hamish Falconer MP is up in the Commons to update MPs on news that the government has sanctioned two Israeli ministers.

You can watch live in the stream at the top of this page.

Why the UK has warmed up to nuclear power again

By Victoria Seabrook, climate reporter

For years nuclear was a dirty word. Now, the tide is turning.

For the past 20 years or so, global nuclear power has stagnated amid concerns about its environmental damage and its safety after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

Another nail in its coffin appeared to be its appalling record of delays and costs, while wind and solar plummeted in price and soared in supply.

But leaders are warming up to nuclear again, driven by a few key trends.

Demand for energy

First and foremost, they are anxious to keep pace with booming demand for low-carbon energy, driven by an explosion of data centres and the switch to electric cars and heat pumps.

Data centres for AI and cloud computing not only have a voracious appetite for energy, but as they operate 24/7, they need a more steady, reliable stream. Enter: nuclear, which can provide this most of the time.

The 'flat pack' power plant

Secondly, a new type of nuclear power plant may be on the horizon.

The much vaunted small modular reactors (SMRs) promise to be much faster and cheaper to build, as the parts can be built in a factory and assembled on site - the flat pack furniture of nuclear power.

The government wants Rolls-Royce to get the UK's first SMRs online "in the 2030s". That's most likely another 10 years from now, so a mid-term solution, with much more clean power is needed in the meantime, hence the announcement of 拢14bn for Sizewell C in Suffolk.

Beyond the UK, even Japan - which suffered the 2011 Fukushima disaster - and Germany - which detests nuclear - are warming up to it. So are tech giants like Google and Meta.

The undeniable price tag

That's not to say nuclear does no damage.

Sizewell C has been very unpopular with some local campaign groups that protest its local damage to trees, birds and coastline, and they recently launched a fresh legal challenge to additional flood barriers.

Large reactors like have also been eye-wateringly expensive and slow, and must be routinely taken offline for maintenance.

Critics argue solar and wind power, backed up by batteries, are faster, cheaper, and safer. Others want the money to be spent on reducing demand for power in the first place by insulating homes.

But societies and leaders are slowly becoming less concerned about nuclear disasters and other environmental impacts, and much more worried about climate change and reliable energy supplies.