Starmer nationalises British Steel and visits Ukraine on last full day as Labour leader – UK politics live

Good morning. Conventional wisdom has it that, once a PM announces they are going to stand down, all their power vanishes faster than water down a clear plughole. Broadly that’s correct. But in the last week or so Keir Starmer seems to have been acting with a decisiveness that eluded him for most of his time in office: finalising the defence investment plan; delivering the long-awaited apology to victims of forced adoption; over-ruling the security services to deliver the concession that got the Hillsborough law bill over the line; and finally securing a conditional pardon for Ruth Ellis.

This is not happening because being on the way out makes a PM more powerful. But it does help them focus, and forces them to give up on faffing around.

British Steel is part of the fabric of our nation and a cornerstone of Britain’s industrial strength.

Today’s decision secures the future of steelmaking in the UK, protects skilled jobs and safeguards a vital national capability.