News about Tony Benn

However, Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to impose a mandatory retirement age of 80 on peers was kicked into the long grass, as ministers announced a consultation. Nick Thomas-Symonds, minister for the constitution, said the legislation was a 'landmark reform to our constitution'. He said: 'The hereditary ­principle in law-making has lasted for too long and is out of step with modern Britain.' But Conservative critics have called the move a 'vendetta' and 'political vandalism'. The last Labour government removed most hereditary peers from the Lords in 1999 but allowed 92 to remain in what was initially intended to be a short-term compromise.

Abolishing the 92 peerages was one of Labour's manifesto commitments at the election. A retirement age of 80 is also expected to be imposed for members of the Upper House. Nick Thomas-Symonds, minister for the constitution, said the legislation was a 'landmark reform to our constitution'.

Labour have a murky record of post-election bombshells which are not mentioned in any manifesto. They made ferocious efforts to keep secret the plan to raid private pensions, a devastating move which would have cost them many votes in 1997 had it become public. So it is no surprise to find that Sir Keir Starmer's party is covertly working to reverse Brexit, as revealed in The Mail on Sunday today. The disclosure comes thanks to Fiona Urquhart, chair of Labour International, the group tasked with rallying expatriate British citizens to vote for Labour in next month's Election.

Heroes, whether it's Superman or Indiana Jones, have long been a central focus of blockbuster movies. But who would you say is your biggest personal hero? Scientists set out to find the most famous celebrities in the United Kingdom in a new survey. Their findings revealed some key points, including family members, religious leaders, and politicians, as well as authors, actors, and even adventurers. So, would you say any of these popular choices is your hero?

Margaret Thatcher (left) was vilified by the KGB, who orchestrated a 'fake news' movement to destabilize her premiership. Cynthia Roberts (pictured right), who had also worked as a researcher for Tony Benn and Robin Cook, was employed by Soviet intelligence to disseminate anti-Thatcher disinformation against politicians, influential pressure groups, and voters. Gwendolene Stuart, a former apolitical working class woman, recalled how she had been 'betrayed' by the Conservatives after her husband lost his career, a colleague died in the Falklands war, and she saw riot police beating striking police.

Today, Mark Drakeford resigned as Wales' First Minister. In a tweeting this morning, Labour politician Ed Miliband fired the start gun on a bid to replace him. 'I said I would stand down during the new Senedd term when I stood for election as Leader of Welsh Labour,' he said.' It's now,'t.' It has been a privilege to serve as the party's leader. We have accomplished a lot in the last five years in some of the worst times we have ever known.'

QUENTIN LETTS: All the King's horses and all of the King's spin-doctors have been able to be tracked. The King bestowed royal blessings on his first parliament by a combination of ceremonial bling and modern political jargon. The last King's Address was more than 70 years ago. He was'mindful of the contribution and sacrifice made to this country by my beloved mother, the late Queen.' When announcing a government's legislative proposals, her late Majesty's razor-posh accent never exuded cool dispassion. Charles's voice? Less austere but not so deadpan.

Mr Drakeford said he wants to step down as a member of the Senedd, where he currently represents the Cardiff West constituency in parliament later this decade. Mr Drakeford, who spoke at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan, north west Wales, said it was "important to have a refresher." The Welsh First Minister said, 'I think it's impossible for those who will be doing the job in the future to have people like me sitting behind them.'

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: When it opened in New York less than six years ago, Wetherby-Pembridge School in Notting Hill, 'the alma mater of both William and Harry' (pictured). However, the spell has been irretrievably broken. Wetherby-Pembridge, which had been charged with 'a whopping $45,000 [£35,600]-a-year]-a-year' right from the start, has closed and its website has been suspended, according to me.

CRAIG BROWN: When I was browsing old photographs of Sir Noel Coward, who died 50 years ago next Sunday, something struck me. His cigarette holder! In virtually every photograph, it was a symbol of luxury that had long ago. The cigarette holder has turned into a relic from bygone days, a reminder of what has been and gone, like Tipp-Ex, floppy disks, alcopops, skiffle, and Yellow Pages. I would guess that, nowadays, if you showed one to someone under the age of 30, they might mistake it for a pen or a tiny fishing rod. With a cigarette holder, Coward became the first celebrity to be photographed on a regular basis. Princess Margaret used to brandish one, almost as a weapon, but she was more suspicious of being photographed with it: even then, smoking in public was considered bad form.

A law change to enable the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex to stand in for the King 'would give the bench a lot of strength and depth,' a former courtier told Parliament. Lord Janvrin, who served as private secretary to the late Queen from 1999 to 2007, made the footballing analogy against the World Cup's backdrop as peers debated the Counsellors of State Bill, which is now being fast-tracked at Westminster.

According to a source, Charles had been warned by the Queen's senior staff that Andrew's 'persistent lobbying' of the ailing monarch to replace him as a 'working royal' was 'taking its toll.' The future king made it abundantly clear to Andrew that he would never return to royal duties at his Birkhall estate in Scotland. Charles also told his brother that if he were ever restored to his position, it would be impossible to find a charity that would want him to be patron.

According to a royal expert, King Charles' decision to allow the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex (both inset with Charles and Camilla) to deputise for him when he is unable to do official duties is a "snub to Prince Harry" (right, with Andrew). The 'light to Harry and Andrew', which royal biographer Angela Levin called "necessary," would make Prince Harry and Prince Andrew much less likely to step in if the King is absent. The monarch's intentions were revealed in a signed letter sent by Lord Chamberlain, the monarch's highest official in the royal household, to the House of Lords. Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal analyst, told MailOnline that the 'important and long-awaited change' was also'symbolically significant' that it was announced on King Charles' birthday.'

ROBERT HARDMAN: The King will be able to draw on a larger pool of royal substitutes, not least the Princess Royal (left inset) and Earl of Wessex (right inset), if he is outside the country, under legislative jurisdiction. The scheme is being devised to prevent the two dukes (left) from being interested in any state affairs in the absence of the King (right).

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Politicians, not weather vaping, must be signposts, not weather vanes, according to Tony Benn. Not constantly spun around by the fumbling winds of public opinion, but pointing the way forward - unyielding in the face of criticism or challenge. Liz Truss said that she'd be the signpost in tough times. She revealed that rather than chasing positive headlines, she had the courage to make controversial decisions based on what she felt was right for Britain.

GYLES BRANDRETH: Because I have met her - because, at close quarters, I have observed her as she carried out a range of her official duties - people often ask me, leaning forward, narrowing their eyes: 'What was the Queen really like?' My answer disappoints them. 'Very nice,' I say. Quite normal, actually; very straightforward; much as you might have expected.' We wonder how fortunate we have been. Elizabeth II was neither eccentric nor quixotic, and her husband was as honest and straightforward as the day goes. If there is one word that sums up Elizabeth II, it is 'dutiful.' Her life was fueled by passion. She was a dutiful daughter and a dutiful queen.

DOMINIC SANDBROOK: Elizabeth was up for a challenge she had never faced before in October 1964. For the first time in her reign, the British people voted in a Labour government. Courtiers were worried that Harold Wilson, the product of a Yorkshire grammar school, would bring a 'culture shock,' at first. In fact, some of Wilson's ministers discovered the rite of kissing hands with the Monarch, in which they were supposed to walk backwards and bow, which was bizarre. Richard Crossman, the Labour minister, described being led into a vast drawing room to see the Queen. "This little woman with a beautiful waist was on the other hand," he said. We were anxious, she was uneasy.' "You all moved backwards really well," then exclaimed at the end of formality, and we chuckled.

ANDREW MARR: On our television screens, she has been living 'over there,' at Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Balmoral. But she has also been living inside us, nestling in our imaginations. So the atmosphere is not only characterized by deep national mourning but also by profound unrest. For the first time, this is a deeply troubling time. It takes away one of the few places in our national life marked by stillness and hope. To that extent, her death is as much about us as it is about her.

GYLES BRANDRETH: Because I have met her - because, at close quarters, I have observed her as she carried out a range of her official duties - people often ask me, leaning forward, narrowing their eyes: 'What was the Queen really like?' My answer disappoints them. 'Very nice,' I say. 'Rather normal, actually; very straightforward; as you'd expect.' I wonder if we should remember how fortunate we have been. Elizabeth II was neither eccentric nor quixotic, and her husband was as honest and straightforward as the day goes. If there is one word that sums up Elizabeth II, it is 'dutiful.' Her life was fueled by passion. She was both a dutiful daughter and a dutiful Queen.

DOMINIC SANDBROOK SANDBROOK Obviously, it is testament to the late Queen's extraordinary tact and reserve that even though she held weekly audiences with 15 Prime Ministers, from Sir Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. However, it is also likely that by piecing together court rumors and political convictions, you would get a good idea of the Queen's interactions with those who ruled her governments. She was naturally attracted to premiers who shared her passions as someone who loved horses and the countryside. In fact, the tweedy Conservative Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who served from 1963 to 1964, was already a family friend before he accepted the top position. They were 'the same kind of people' and spent their meetings discussing 'dogs and shootings,' as one aide said.

TOM UTLEY: Try reminding most young people that the most effective way to assist the poor, secure jobs, and boost job growth is to keep taxes and government spending down, and you'll be labeled a heartless liar, interested only in increasing the rich's coffers. But then what can we expect, in an age when Labour MPs boast, as a matter of pride, that they have no Conservative friends - and T-shirts fly off the shelves at Labour Conferences, emblazoned with the slogan: 'Never kissed a Tory'? I don't know about you, but I kissed a lot of Left-wingers in my teenage years, and they didn't seem to be concerned. Life has become so lonely for young people with Right-of-centre views that many people are resorting to something called 'woke fishing.' This means that people are expected to have PC opinions on topics such as identity politics and climate change, as the only means of starting a romantic relationship.