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Kemi Badenoch has reacted to unemployment figures out this morning, showing the number of people out of work has risen.

The Tory leader has firmly placed the blame on the chancellor's strategy, after the ONS data showed unemployment has risen and the number of job vacancies has fallen.

Badenoch said: "Jobs are disappearing. Businesses are closing, blaming Labour's jobs tax and more regulations from the unions. 

"We're back to the 1970s."

The 'jobs tax' refers to Rachel Reeves' decision to hike employers national insurance contributions (NICs) earlier this year.

The former business secretary added: "Remember we still have four more years of Labour to go."

She concluded that only her party "can clean up the mess they're leaving behind".

Unemployment in the three months to April rose to the highest level since July 2021.

A little earlier today, Ed Miliband defended the government's record, telling Sky News that unemployment remains "historically, relatively low".

The energy secretary added that the UK has the fastest growing economy in the G7, while the government is making "big investments... for the future of this country", which is "good for jobs".

We're expecting to hear from Reeves herself in the next half an hour or so.

Increasing salary thresholds for immigrants has been touted in political circles as a way to reduce immigration and make it harder for people to bring their families with them.

But a government-commissioned review has said that could put the UK in direct breach of people鈥檚 human rights.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has produced a report on family visas, requested by Yvette Cooper, to advise government on setting the income threshold for people in the UK wanting to bring family members over from another country.

The MAC said an income threshold of 拢38,700 鈥� proposed by the Conservatives 鈥� for those on a skilled worker visa to be able to bring a family member to the UK was too high.

The committee argued it could "conflict with international law and obligations", such as Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): the right to private and family life.

Despite admitting that a higher salary threshold would reduce migration numbers, it instead recommends the threshold ought to be much lower at 拢23,000-拢25,000 - an income it says is achievable by a full-time worker on minimum wage.

It also warns against raising the threshold for families with children, despite them having higher living costs, as this would impact the children in those families.

However, Sky News understands the home secretary is poised to reject the committee鈥檚 recommendations and push ahead with tougher immigration rules regardless.

Reducing migration numbers is one of the key pledges from Labour and with persistent criticism of their Tory predecessors for huge annual migration figures, Yvette Cooper will be aware she will look hypocritical if she fails to make a significant dent in the numbers.

If immigration figures don鈥檛 come down enough to placate voters, Cooper and Sir Keir Starmer will be in the unenviable position the Tories found themselves in - being forced to defend a poor record at the next general election.

Ignoring the MAC鈥檚 advice on salary thresholds may be politically expedient, but if it leads to legal challenges using Article 8,  Starmer - a former human rights lawyer - could be in a very uncomfortable position. 

The Conservatives are set to introduce a bill that would block the government's deal over the Chagos islands. 

Last month, the prime minister announced that a deal had been agreed with Mauritius to give them control of the Chagos Islands. 

In exchange, the UK would be allowed to lease a military base in the territory for the next 99 years for an average of 拢101m a year. 

The whole deal was estimated to cost the UK around 拢3.4bn, though other people have estimated it could cost as much as 拢30bn - something the government disputes. 

Now, Priti Patel will introduce a bill to parliament today, which aims to stop this deal from happening. 

The bill will specify that the Chagos Achipelago falls under British sovereignty and cannot be negotiated away without parliamentary approval. 

It will also seek to prevent any money being given to foreign governments unless authorised by parliament.

The Tories have accused Labour of refusing to grant a debate in the Commons on the deal during the treaty ratification process, which they have called a "desperate attempt to avoid scrutiny and subvert democracy".

The bill is being introduced before the government's own legislation on the deal - and will also require British Chagossians to be consulted. 

The government's deal was briefly held up after Chagossians sought an emergency injunction in the courts, which was later dismissed. 

Currently, the UK has agreed to pay 拢40m a year as part of a Chagos Devlopment Fund, though the Conservatives say this is at Mauritius' discretion. 

Surrender deal has betrayed British Chagossians

The shadow foreign secretary said: "Labour鈥檚 Chagos surrender deal undermines our national security, will cost British taxpayers 拢30bn and has betrayed British Chagossians. 

"Keir Starmer and David Lammy have been too busy cosying up to their left-wing lawyer friends and activists to defend our national interests."

Patel added that "parliament must put a stop" to the deal and "legislate to protect our sovereignty".

Today's episode of Politics at Sam and Anne's has now dropped. 

Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy discuss the day's agenda. On Tuesday's edition:

Negotiations for the spending review are complete - with reports Chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to meet Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's demand for extra police funding. We won't have heard the end of this.

Reform UK hold (another!) news conference, and the government announces its intentions to go nuclear - "ushering in a new golden age of nuclear [power]".

You can listen to the episode below or wherever you get your podcasts.

There's been broad support for the government's announcement that it is putting billions into building the Sizewell C nuclear power plant.

Ed Miliband has said it hails the beginning of the "golden era" of nuclear power.

The energy secretary told Sky News construction would also be "faster and cheaper" than previous projects such as Hinkley Point C, and that the new cash is the "biggest investment in nuclear for half a century".

The announcement has also been welcomed by Conservatives, though they have called for its delivery to be sped up through regulatory reform.

However, one party that's definitely not happy with the news is the Greens.

The party's co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, said: "Nuclear power is hugely expensive and far too slow to come online. 

"The only thing delivered by EDF so far at Hinkley Point in Somerset is overspend and delay. Electricity was promised by 2017 with a price tag of 拢22bn but this has mushroomed to 40bn and Hinkley is still producing no power."

Nuclear not 'genuinely green power'

Instead, the Greens would rather the money was spent on insulating and retrofitting homes to bring down energy bills.

Ramsay said the government should also be focussing more on "genuinely green power" such as solar and tidal power. 

"All this would create many more jobs than nuclear ever will", he added.   

Andrew Griffith has joined his Conservative colleagues in welcoming the government's announcement that it is putting more than 拢14bn into building the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.

But the shadow business and trade secretary says "the key thing is not to lose any more time".

He tells Sky News: "We've lost almost a year on things like Sizewell C. The government has got to get on and do it. 

"We all know this is going to take between nine and 12 years. That itself is too long. If there are reforms to regulations and planning processes that would speed that up, that would be helpful."

Griffith says the UK has almost the most expensive industrial energy costs of any developed nation, which "is making our businesses uncompetitive".

He is then challenged on why the Conservative government did not reform regulation at the time and why the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset has taken so long. 

Griffith responds that it took "a long time to restart a programme", citing how all forward-looking nuclear programmes were cancelled in the late 1990s. 

He says that the "energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine" has "produced a new consensus", which he hopes will speed up the embrace of nuclear power.

The British Chambers of Commerce has said rising unemployment shows that the government's tax hikes are "starting to bite".

It follows figures out today showing that unemployment is at its highest since July 2021, while the number of people in payrolled employment fell last month by 109,000. (See our previous post for more).

The business body says the chancellor's spending review tomorrow "is a golden opportunity to invest more in the skills system".

It would like to see Rachel Reeves put more money behind apprenticeship reform and local skills improvement plans.

Jane Gratton, the chamber's deputy director of public policy, added: "The 拢5bn cost associated with the employment rights bill poses a further threat to firms鈥� investment plans. 

"Without further amendment, the legislation will add even more to employers' costs."

Yesterday, the chancellor U-turned on her cuts to winter fuel payments and today, she has announced the government is putting more than 拢14bn into Sizewell C nuclear power plant - all in a bid to grab some more positive headlines ahead of the spending review tomorrow.

The UK's unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6% in April while the number of people in work fell sharply, according to official figures released in the last hour.

The ONS said the new unemployment rate covering the three months to April was the highest since July 2021.

It previously stood at 4.5% - a total of more than 1.6 million people.

At 4.6%, it is above the peak level predicted for this year, just in March, by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

It follows a number of tax hikes taking effect in the spring.

Figures highlighted by the ONS also show the number of people in payrolled employment during May fell by 109,000 - double April's revised figure of 55,000 - and the biggest monthly drop in five years.

The numbers put further pressure on Rachel Reeves ahead of her spending review tomorrow.

Figures are disappointing but no surprise, says Tory

Reacting to the figures, the shadow business secretary said rising unemployment is "disappointing but no surprise".

Andrew Griffith added: "Businesses are still absorbing a 拢25 billion Jobs Tax, but things are about to get even worse as Labour鈥檚 拢5 billion 鈥楤ill for Unemployment鈥� hits businesses with higher regulation."

The 'jobs tax' refers to the rise in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) introduced by the chancellor earlier this year.

We will be hearing more from Griffith on Sky News shortly.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have said the figures "could not be a clearer signal to the chancellor that the government must change course".

Daisy Cooper said Reeves' "pig's ear of a jobs tax is crushing the growth potential of our high-streets and small businesses, pushing people out of work and ramping up the benefits bill".

She has called for the government to "take handbrake off our economy" and create a bespoke EU-UK customs union.

Ed Miliband said it is "regrettable" whenever someone loses their job, but said unemployment remains "historically, relatively low".

The energy secretary told Sky News: "We're the fastest growing economy in the G7. We're making big investments. And you know what you'll see from the chancellor tomorrow in the spending review... is a determination to invest for the future of this country. And that's good for jobs."

Ed Miliband has defended the chancellor as someone with "an absolute commitment to fiscal stability".

The energy security and net-zero secretary is being asked about Rachel Reeves' decision-making after she U-turned on her cuts to winter fuel payments yesterday. 

Miliband says most of the cuts have been reversed, as the chancellor has now "stabilised the public finances".

He believes making more pensioners eligible for payments is "the right thing to do".

Pushed on whether Reeves was forced into the U-turn by a wave of frustration and anger from pensioners, MPs and pressure groups, Miliband responds that Reeves "heard from lots of people".

He says: "The feeling [was] that the level of the threshold is unfair - that it isn't set high enough. And that's why she's responded."

Yesterday, Reeves raised the threshold so that any person of pension age with an income of 拢35,000 or less will now receive the benefit. Previously, only those receiving pension credit or similar were entitled to winter fuel payments.

Winter fuel payment threshold 'wasn't correct', admits minister

Pushed again, this time on the fact that the return of winter fuel payments is now an unfunded commitment Reeves did not want to make, Miliband responds that "chancellors always get criticism".

He says: "I think one of the criticisms of Rachel Reeves that people wouldn't make is she showed real fiscal responsibility. This is somebody who's shown a willingness to take the tough decisions, and this is somebody who's had an absolute commitment to fiscal stability."

Miliband says he thinks "it's correct what she's done".

But he acknowledges that many people felt the principle of removing benefits from the richest pensioners "wasn't wrong but the threshold wasn't correct".

A top team of former government ministers and military and security chiefs have taken part in a wargame that simulates a Russian attack on the UK for a new podcast series by Sky News and Tortoise Media.

The first two episodes premiere today across Sky News.

As the government unveils its strategic defence review, the scenario is designed to test Britain's defences and national resilience at a time of mounting tensions with Russia.

It also explores the reliability - or otherwise - of key allies like the US.

Join us for a live Q&A to coincide with the launch with security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, who wrote and presents the podcast, and Sir Richard Barrons, a leader of the major defence review who plays the role of chief of the defence staff, the UK's top military officer.

Our lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge will be putting your questions to her on anything from the UK's preparedness for a hostile attack to the making of the podcast.