Category: News Story

STORY

Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, rejected comments made by Donald Trump, the US President, regarding the situation in Ukraine. Trump lied about the level of support for Zelensky in Ukraine and the White House refused to justify or explain the President’s remarkable comments. Starmer did though say that the UK would continue to back US led efforts to find peace in the region, with a spokesperson for the Prime Minister saying:

“The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy this evening and stressed the need for everyone to work together.

The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II.

The Prime Minister reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression.”

STORY

Bernie Sanders, an independent US senator, has condemned the recent alignment between Russian and American leaders. Writing on X, he stated:

“Trump and his American oligarchs are now openly aligning themselves with Putin and his Russian oligarchs. This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions.”

STORY

Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Conservative Party, has rejected comments made by Donald Trump, the US President, that Ukraine were responsible for the war in their country. Writing on Twitter, Badenoch said:

“President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine. President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight – and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending – there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.”

STORY

Joe Haines, the former Press Secretary to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, has died at the age of 97 his family have confirmed. Born in Rotherhithe in January 1928, Haines got a job on the Glasgow Bulletin and built a career in journalism and politics, becoming the press secretary to Harold Wilson in 1969. A spokesperson for the Labour Party said in a statement:

“He was pre-deceased by his wife, Rene, and they had no children. Though Joe had been struggling with physical illness for some time, requiring three trips to hospital for dialysis every week, and had also lost his sight, he remained mentally alert to the end. He spent Christmas and new year on a cruise of the Iberian peninsula and recently held a 97th birthday party – he was born 29 January 1928 – and insisted on dying at home, where he was looked after by carers.”

Joe Haines wrote the Politics of Power about his time in Downing Street.

STORY

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leader of Ukraine, has said that he fears that Donald Trump, the US President, is living in a “disinformation space” where he believes false Russian propaganda. Trump falsely alleged that Zelenskyy had just 4% support, despite former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that the Ukrainian leader was popular and had similar levels of support to Trump. The Ukrainian leader is polling at around 58% support in the opinion polls, with the White House unable to give a source for the President’s false figures.

STORY

Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister, has launched an extraordinary attack on Donald Trump, the US President, saying that he has lied about the situation in Ukraine and knows that it is historically inaccurate. Johnson said on X:

“When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?

Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.

Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.

Of course Zelenskyy’s ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump’s.

Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.

In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets – mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support.

Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash?

The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It’s absurd. We need to get serious and fast.”

Trump had earlier said that Zelenskyy’s support in the opinion polls were sitting at around 4%, with Johnson pointing out that the actual figure was the same as Trump’s own popularity.

BBC Verify also backed Johnson’s statements that Trump had lied and gave evidence to show that Trump had made a series of false comments about the situation in Ukraine.

STORY

Oliver Ryan, who was elected as the Labour MP for Burnley at the 2024 General Election, has been suspended by the party following his membership and involvement of a controversial WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers. Ryan said in a statement:

“Between 2019 and early 2022, I was a member of a WhatsApp group created by my MP and former employer, Andrew Gwynne.

Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them. I regret not speaking out at the time, and I recognise that failing to do so was wrong. I did not see every message, but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what was said.

I also made some comments myself which I deeply regret and would not make today and for that I wholeheartedly apologise.

I will cooperate fully with the Labour Party’s investigation.”

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said in a statement:

“As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, Oliver Ryan has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party. As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was immediately launched and this process is ongoing in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures.”

STORY

The UK has announced plans to boost Ukrainian grain supplies to Syria, forming part of the 100 Year partnership announced by the Government last month. Working in conjunction with the World Food Programme, the support is expected to provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable in Syria.

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said in a statement:

“Our support for Ukraine remains unbreakable. We are determined to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, both in its fight against Russia and beyond, with our long-term relationship cemented by the 100 Year Partnership. We believe in building for the future between our two countries, as well as supporting Ukraine in the present, as Russia’s barbaric and relentless attacks on vital infrastructure, communities, and businesses continue. That is why we are announcing more support for innovation in Ukraine, to rebuild a more resilient and sustainable society for years to come. Delivering change at home, against the backdrop of an increasingly volatile world, means we must bolster the resilience of our partners.”

STORY

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, has rejected a plan announced by Donald Trump, the US President, to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in a takeover of the land by the United States. Trump, speaking at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the Gaza Strip area needed rebuilding and it could be “the Riviera of the Middle East”. The UK, Australia, Russia, China, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and a growing number of other countries have rejected the proposals.

Lammy, speaking in Ukraine, said:

“We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank”.

STORY

A poll commissioned for Yougov for the fifth anniversary of the UK leaving the European Union has shown a record low level of support, with just 30% believing that the UK was right to leave the EU and 55% thinking that the decision was wrong. The poll shows that only 11% of people thought that Brexit had been a success and 62% felt that it had been a failure, with 55% of people wanting to rejoin the EU.

The full results are at https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/Internal_Brexit_250121.pdf.