A Labour minister has U-turned on previous calls to abolish the Royal Family. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said during the 2020 Labour leadership campaign she would vote to scrap the monarchy if there was a ballot.

But Ms Nandy today admitted she has changed her mind on getting rid of the royals. She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I have, actually, yeah.

Ms Nandy said she had been able to work closely with members of the Royal Family since coming into Government, on issues like tackling knife crime, and the UK Soft Power Council aimed at extending Britain's influence abroad.

She added: "Yes, I have changed my mind about that. I think, in principle I believe that people should have the power to decide who rules them.

"But I think the monarchy under the Queen and under this current King command strong public support.

"I think right now, if you look at the turmoil going on in the world, then we do need a royal family who are able to help us to deliver the benefits to Britain.

"So I'm not afraid to say when I change my mind and I have changed my mind about that."

Ms Nandy made her previous comments during a live TV debate on Channel 4 in February 2020.

She said: “I’m a democrat, so I would vote to scrap it, but actually this is not the priority as a country.”