Category: News Story

STORY

In an abrupt reversal of transatlantic foreign policy, President Donald Trump has struck a deal with Vladimir Putin to import hundreds of thousands of metric tons of Russian refined fuel into the United States. The move has ignited fierce outrage across Europe, where allied leaders have vowed to maintain their embargoes on Kremlin energy despite acute domestic economic pressures. Critics have suggested that Trump’s capitulation is for domestic reasons to secure more votes in the mid-terms.

Trump announced the agreement following a direct phone call with the Russian president, confirming that Moscow will supply Russian diesel to ease record-breaking pump prices in the United States. Facing intense voter pressure over rising logistics and farming costs, Trump framed the decision as a pragmatic economic rescue package.

“Diesel prices for Americans and, indeed, the world, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Trump declared on Truth Social. Speaking to reporters shortly afterwards, he added: “I want to thank President Putin. To be honest with you, we have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it’s diesel, which is what we want”.

STORY

The Environment Agency has completed the removal of 39,500 tonnes of illegally dumped commercial waste from Hoad’s Wood in Kent. More than 50 specialist workers took part in the operation at the ancient woodland, where waste had been piled as high as 15 feet in some places.

Hoad’s Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest containing rare plants and wildlife. Access will remain restricted while the damaged land is allowed to recover, with the Environment Agency now working alongside Kent Police and the Joint Unit for Waste Crime to identify those responsible. Three men have been arrested as part of the continuing investigation.

The clearance forms part of a wider Government campaign against organised waste crime, which also includes work at illegal sites in Wigan and Bradford. Ministers have announced greater use of drones, stronger confiscation powers and plans to increase some fines for illegal waste activity from £300 to as much as £5,000.

STORY

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has revealed that two possible compromises were considered before he banned the Orange Order procession along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The decision followed almost two weeks of negotiations between the Portadown District Lodge and local nationalist residents, but no agreement could be reached.

One proposal would have allowed the Orange Order to complete one final march along the disputed route on the condition that it did not apply to use it again. The alternative would have involved the organisation accepting that it had secured the legal right to march while agreeing not to exercise that right. Bryant said the parties had come close to an agreement, but neither option received the necessary support.

The procession was banned after PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned that allowing it to proceed could create a risk of serious injury, disorder and wider unrest across Northern Ireland. Bryant defended his intervention as being in the interests of peace and called for associated protests and rallies to end, while saying that the original Parades Commission determination remained legally significant.

STORY

Donald Trump has launched an angry attack on the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay. Speaking at a rally in Syracuse, the US President described the decision as “disgraceful and embarrassing” and claimed that it had left an “indelible stain” on Norway.

Trump dismissed Pillay as a “mystery person” and used his speech and a lengthy social media post to promote his own diplomatic record. He claimed that he deserved several Nobel Peace Prizes for conflicts he said he had resolved or prevented, before attacking members of the committee as ideological extremists and warning Norway that the United States would not forget the decision.

Pillay, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former International Criminal Court judge, received the prize for her longstanding work on international justice and the rule of law. The Nobel Committee praised her efforts to ensure that those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide could be held accountable. The prize is decided by the independent Norwegian Nobel Committee rather than the Norwegian Government, despite Trump directing much of his anger towards Norway itself.

STORY

A man accused of murdering former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe had an “extreme left wing and/or anti-establishment mindset” and a particular hostility towards Reform UK, prosecutors have told the Old Bailey. Joshua Kerry, 28, is charged with murdering Widdecombe at her home in Devon in July and with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism. The allegations have not been proven and Kerry has not yet entered a plea.

Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay told the court that Kerry had researched the home or office addresses of politicians and other prominent people between May 2024 and Widdecombe’s death. The prosecution alleges that he compiled a list containing the names of political figures, including Widdecombe and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Kerry is also accused of attempting to gain entry to Farage’s home in April 2025.

The prosecution is expected to argue that Widdecombe’s death had a terrorist connection and was politically and ideologically motivated. Kerry appeared at the hearing by video link from prison and was remanded in custody until a further hearing in January, with a trial expected to begin in June 2027. Proceedings remain active and the court will determine whether the allegations against him have been proved.

STORY

Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard has resigned from the party’s frontbench and is reported to be seeking the replacement of Sir Ed Davey as leader. The Witney MP left his position as a Treasury spokesman on Friday and has reportedly asked parliamentary colleagues to support a vote of no confidence in Sir Ed.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said that the vast majority of the party’s MPs continued to support Sir Ed and were furious about the distraction. The resignation follows the departure of Alison Bennett from her frontbench position as spokeswoman for care and carers earlier in the week, although her decision is not understood to have been connected to the leadership dispute.

Under Liberal Democrat rules, a leadership contest can be triggered if a majority of the party’s MPs support a vote of no confidence. Sir Ed has led the party since 2020 and oversaw its strongest general election performance in 2024, but critics have questioned whether it has built sufficient political momentum since then. The party has also faced internal disagreement over issues including Sir Ed’s continued support for the state pension triple lock.

STORY

Zack Polanski has said that he would not have voted for the Green Party motion declaring Zionism to be a form of racism in the form approved by members. The party leader described the motion as imperfect and said that, although he agreed with parts of its substance, he opposed its support for establishing a single Palestinian state across historic Palestine. He said he would instead have backed an amended version which did not attempt to determine the future political settlement of the region.

Polanski did not attend the debate or vote at the Green Party conference because he had returned to London to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. He defended that decision by saying voters expected him to be present in the constituency dealing with local issues. Polanski also sought to reassure Jewish members following the vote, saying that no-one would be excluded from the party because of their faith, religion or involvement with a communal organisation.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, who voted against the motion, accused Polanski of failing to show leadership and said that he should have attended the debate. Four of the party’s five MPs also opposed the policy, which has led to resignations and criticism from Jewish organisations. Polanski has rejected suggestions that he has lost control of the party and confirmed that he intends to remain leader following his defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

STORY

The previously unnamed grave of a Cornish soldier killed during the Second World War has been identified as that of Private Sidney Allen, 81 years after his death. A rededication service organised by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany, where a new headstone bearing his name was unveiled.

Private Allen grew up in Saltash and worked at HM Dockyard alongside his father before enlisting in the Army in February 1944. He arrived in France six months later and joined the 7th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, taking part in the Allied advance through Normandy, the liberation of Brussels, Operation Market Garden and subsequent fighting in the Netherlands and Germany. He was killed aged 19 during heavy fighting near Cleve and the Reichswald on 15 February 1945 and was officially recorded as missing.

Research submitted by a member of the public established that Private Allen had originally been buried at Materborn alongside other soldiers killed during the same action. He was the only member of the battalion lost during the engagement who remained listed as missing, allowing investigators to identify the grave. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has replaced the previously unnamed headstone and will maintain his grave in perpetuity.

STORY

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has accused Zack Polanski of failing to show leadership during the party’s controversial debate on Zionism. Lucas told BBC Newsnight that Polanski, who left the Green Party conference early to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, “should have been there and he should have voted.” She described the motion as dangerous, divisive and fundamentally flawed.

The motion declared Zionism to be a form of racism and supported the creation of a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine, including present-day Israel. Lucas voted against it, as did four of the Green Party’s five MPs, but it was approved by party members and became official policy. The decision has caused substantial internal division, led to resignations and attracted criticism from the European Green Party and Jewish organisations.

Asked whether Polanski should resign as leader, Lucas declined to support him directly and said his position should be judged over the coming days and weeks. Polanski subsequently rejected the criticism, defended the Green Party as a democratic grassroots organisation and said he intended to remain leader despite losing the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. He said the party’s membership had risen to around 220,000 and argued that members were entitled to hold different opinions.

STORY

Labour has retained Holborn and St Pancras after Sagal Abdi-Wali defeated Green Party leader Zack Polanski in the parliamentary by-election. Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes, representing 45.17 per cent of those cast, while Polanski finished second with 8,928 votes and 32.81 per cent. The result gave Labour a majority of 3,364.

The contest was triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and had been regarded as an important electoral test for both Labour and the Greens. The Green Party’s vote share rose substantially from the 10.44 per cent it secured at the 2024 General Election, although independent candidate Andrew Feinstein had received a further 18.94 per cent at that contest and did not stand in the by-election. Labour’s share fell by 3.75 percentage points, while turnout declined to 38.76 per cent.

The result came shortly after the Green Party conference backed a controversial motion describing Zionism as racism, which prompted internal criticism and several resignations from the party. Polanski said after the count that he intended to remain as Green Party leader and argued that the result demonstrated the party’s growing ability to challenge Labour. Abdi-Wali described her election as a victory for diversity and said she wanted to address housing, homelessness and inequality in the constituency.

Full result

Sagal Abdi-Wali – Labour Party – 12,292 – 45.17 per cent

Zack Polanski – Green Party – 8,928 – 32.81 per cent

Ewan Cameron – Conservative Party – 1,922 – 7.06 per cent

Peter Newman – Reform UK – 1,612 – 5.92 per cent

Patrick Stillman – Liberal Democrats – 924 – 3.40 per cent

Tyler Kurtis Johnson – Restore Britain – 692 – 2.54 per cent

George Galloway – Workers Party – 314 – 1.15 per cent

Briony Anne Lonbay Kapoor – Rejoin EU – 236 – 0.87 per cent

Barmy Brunch – Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 87 – 0.32 per cent

Helen Spiby-Vann – Christian Peoples Alliance – 63 – 0.23 per cent

Clare Fischer – Climate Party – 51 – 0.19 per cent

Ben Walker – UKIP – 51 – 0.19 per cent

Ketankumar Pipaliya – UK Voice Safer and Stronger UK – 23 – 0.08 per cent

Jonathan Silberman – Communist League – 9 – 0.03 per cent

Tom Darwood – No party description – 7 – 0.03 per cent

Labour majority – 3,364

Turnout – 38.76 per cent

Rejected ballots – 108