UK politics – latest: Inflation falls as minister defends government over Michelle Mone PPE scandal

An “ambitious” target of growing rail freight by at least 75 per cent by 2050 has been set by transport secretary Mark Harper.

The cabinet minister said this will lead to economic and environmental benefits.

Laurence Fox’s fringe Reclaim Party has lost its only MP after disgraced former Tory Andrew Bridgen quit over a “difference in direction”.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride has defended the government’s PPE procurement system as he was grilled on the Michelle Mone scandal, Adam Forrest reports.

Asked if he looked at it as “shameful” episode, Mr Stride told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he did not want to “prejudice” the investigation by the National Crime Agency and the legal case raised by the government.

But the minister defended the government’s “fast lane” for PPE deals. “If you turn the clock back to a time this country was under inordinate pressure. We were worried and fearful about the level of PPE that we might need,” said Mr Stride.

“I think the government was absolutely right to expedite the provision of PPE. Inevitably one could look back and you can say’ We could have done things differently etc.’. But had we not expedited the provision of PPE the conversation would quite rightly be, ‘You just weren’t up to the mark.”

Mr Strike repeated Rishi Sunak’s answers on the investigation, saying the government takes it “extremely seriously”.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said the fall in inflation could allow the Bank of England to ease interest rates, helping homeowners struggling with mortgage costs.

He told LBC Radio: “The interesting thing is that this 3.9 per cent is a rather better number than was anticipated – many economists were thinking about 4.3 per cent.

“So it could be that this is coming down a bit faster than many had imagined.

“And I think this is really good news. I think this is a turning point. I think the economy will definitely start to benefit from this.”

He added: “A greater decrease in inflation of course means that monetary policy might be loosened a little bit more quickly than it would otherwise be – in other words, interest rates coming down.

“Those are matters for the independent Bank of England, they are not for me to predict, but if inflation comes down faster than expected, then that does take some pressure off the Bank of England in terms of keeping interest rates higher, which of course in time and in turn feeds into mortgage rates.”

Cabinet minister Mel Stride urged junior doctors to come back to negotiations with the government in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Ministers have said negotiations cannot take place until the strikes are called off.

The work and pensions secretary told LBC Radio: “What the junior doctors have got to do now – they’re the ones that have walked away from the table – is to come back to the table.

“What they really should not be doing is putting people in these very difficult situations, over this very difficult period for the NHS when the pressure is that much more acute.

“They’ve walked away, we have our door wide open to continue these discussions.

“We’ve been making some progress, but they really should be coming back to the table now. It’s deeply disappointing that they’ve done what they’ve done.”

A cabinet minister has said it is “all to play for” in the Wellingborough byelection despite Labour’s double-digit lead in the national polls.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, said the opposition’s lead was large “but it’s very thin”, adding there was no “burning passion” for Keir Starmer.

“We will be fighting for every vote”, he added. Listen to more of Mr Stride’s comments in the clip below:

Parliament is now in recess for Christmas and won’t return until 8 January – the earliest date on which the writ for the Wellingborough byelection can be moved.

The byelection timetable is between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.

If the Conservatives, who control the timing of the contest because it was their MP who vacated the seat, decide to go as early as possible, the election could be held on 8 February, Politico reports.

Peter Bone, who was ousted in a recall petition, won an 18,540 majority for the Tories at the 2019 election. Labour’s candidate came second with 13,737 votes (26.5 per cent) compared to Mr Bone’s 32,27 (62.2 per cent) on a turnout of 64.3 per cent.

Mr Bone first won the seat from Labour in 2005 with a majority of 687.