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STORY

The Government has announced a new partnership with industry and trade unions to support young people into entry-level jobs as artificial intelligence changes the labour market. The Early Careers Jobs Alliance will bring together employers, unions, Government and young people to examine how first jobs can be protected and reshaped.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Work and Pensions said 400,000 young people in disadvantaged schools across the UK would receive AI and technology training. New AI bootcamps will also be rolled out in England, beginning with a pilot in the North West this summer.

Ministers said the scheme was intended to help young people move into further education, training or work, while ensuring that technological change does not close off routes into skilled careers. The announcement forms part of a wider focus on youth employment and skills.

STORY

A Labour MP has called for Reform UK to expel Karl Catchpole, a Reform UK councillor in Norfolk, following allegations about social media posts and comments attributed to him. Ben Goldsborough, the MP for South Norfolk, said he had written to Reform UK urging the party to remove Catchpole, who was elected for the Long Stratton division on Norfolk County Council with 1,517 votes.

The allegations include claims that Catchpole called Enoch Powell “one of the greatest visionaries of the last 50 years”, praised Tommy Robinson as “a caring family man” and shared a post about David Lammy which described him as “like some corrupt African official”. The remarks have prompted criticism from political opponents, with Goldsborough arguing that the posts were unacceptable and that Reform UK should take disciplinary action.

The row adds to wider scrutiny of Reform UK’s vetting of candidates following the local elections, after several councillors around the country faced allegations over past comments, social media posts or political associations. Reform UK has previously said it investigates allegations against candidates and councillors, but Goldsborough has accused the party of failing to act in this case. Reform UK said that they were not planning to expel Catchpole and were unable to make any further comment.

STORY

Sir Keir Starmer is reported to be considering reductions in capital spending across Whitehall to help fund the Government’s defence ambitions. Reports suggest departments could face a 1% cut in capital investment, with net zero and transport budgets potentially facing deeper reductions.

The savings would be intended to support commitments linked to the Strategic Defence Review and the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. Ministers are under pressure to show how new equipment, infrastructure, military housing and wider defence capabilities will be funded over the coming years.

The issue is politically sensitive because it places defence spending against other Government priorities, including infrastructure and the transition to clean energy. The debate is likely to intensify before the NATO summit, when the Government has promised to set out the investment plan.

STORY

The Public Accounts Committee has warned that the Government’s delay in publishing the Defence Investment Plan has damaged the UK’s credibility with allies and industry. The committee said the absence of the plan had undermined confidence in the Ministry of Defence and weakened the Government’s ability to set out how the armed forces will be modernised.

The report said the delay risks squandering the opportunities created by technological change, including lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience. It warned that smaller defence companies were particularly exposed because they need clearer demand signals before investing in capacity and innovation.

The committee said the Ministry of Defence had not yet settled which capabilities, infrastructure and personnel it requires to put the armed forces on a warfighting footing within the available budget. The Government has said the plan will be published before the NATO summit in July.

STORY

Sir Keir Starmer is hosting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in Downing Street for talks on continued support for Ukraine. The meeting comes after a week of intensified Russian and Ukrainian attacks and follows Vladimir Putin’s rejection of direct talks with Zelenskyy.

The UK, France and Germany are among Ukraine’s most important European backers and have been central to efforts to build a coalition of countries willing to provide security guarantees. The talks are expected to focus on the next phase of military, diplomatic and economic support for Kyiv.

The meeting also gives Starmer an opportunity to reinforce the UK’s role in European security at a time when his Government is under pressure over the delayed Defence Investment Plan. Ministers have argued that the UK remains one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters and that European allies must maintain pressure on Moscow.

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David Lammy has said he told US Vice-President JD Vance that he was wrong to link the murder of Henry Nowak to migration. The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary said he spoke to Vance after the American politician used the case to criticise what he described as mass migration and the politics of western elites.

Lammy said the case had nothing to do with mass migration, adding that the convicted killer was British. He said it was not helpful for senior overseas figures to intervene in a way that risked inflaming an already sensitive domestic debate about policing, justice and public confidence.

The Government is facing pressure over the police response to Nowak’s murder, after the teenager was handcuffed as he lay dying following a false accusation of racism. Lammy said reviews were under way into policing, sentencing and the wider handling of the case, but argued that any reforms should be based on evidence rather than anger.

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The new Reform UK leader of Bradford Council has promised to look beyond the city centre when considering future investment. Councillor Stephen Place made the comments in his first address to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Business Board.

The remarks follow Reform UK’s takeover of Bradford Council and reflect the party’s attempt to show it will deliver for communities outside the traditional centre of regeneration spending. Place argued that voters in other parts of the district expected visible investment and attention from the new administration.

The comments are likely to shape early scrutiny of the new council leadership, particularly in areas that feel they have previously been overlooked. Bradford’s new administration now faces the task of turning broad political promises into specific budgets, projects and decisions.

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City Hall has overturned Barnet Council’s refusal of two major housing schemes totalling more than 1,700 homes. The Mayor of London used call-in powers after the council had rejected proposals at the Great North Leisure Park and near High Barnet tube station car park.

Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe approved the developments after City Hall said it intended to be more interventionist where rejected applications could help deliver more homes. The Great North Leisure Park plan includes tower blocks of up to 25 storeys and 1,485 homes, including 341 affordable homes.

Barnet Council had objected to the scale and density of the scheme and raised concerns about character and planning obligations. Local critics argued that the development was too dense, while the developer said the brownfield site was suitable for new housing.

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Hungary’s Government is preparing to submit anti-corruption legislation to parliament as part of efforts to unlock suspended European Union funding. Reuters reported that Transport and Investment Minister David Vitezy said the bill would be tabled next week and would address EU rule of law criteria.

The proposed reforms are expected to strengthen Hungary’s Integrity Authority and increase transparency around public officials’ asset declarations. Omissions from declarations could be punishable by up to two years in prison under the proposed legislation.

The move follows Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s pro-EU shift after Hungary’s April election. The Government says the reforms could release up to €10 billion in EU funds for transport, renewable energy, small business support and housing, while also helping to protect access to recovery and cohesion funding before deadlines expire.