STORY
Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, has attacked lies told by Donald Trump on Ukraine and on the level of support for President Zelensky. Davey posted on Twitter:
“When the PM visits the White House next week, he must challenge Trump on his Ukraine lies in the strongest possible terms. It’s alarming to see the leader of the free world parroting Putin’s propaganda. Trump spoke in Mar-a-Lago but his words could have been written in Moscow.”
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.”
13 JANUARY 1925
Details are given of the settlement effected at Paris by the delegates of the major Allied Powers and recommended for final endorsement by the full session of the Conference today. Satisfaction was expressed at Washington’s acceptance of the agreement between Colonel Logan and Mr. Winston Churchill for the collection of war claims.
There is much speculation in Washington as to the cause of Mr Hughes’s resignation. It is suggested that Mr Coolidge and Mr Hughes have differed on some major issue in foreign policy—possibly the recognition of the Soviet.
Dr Luther’s efforts to form a Cabinet have failed through the reluctance of the Centre party to alter their standpoint.
Proposals for the expansion of the Royal Air Force are announced.
Statistics issued by the Commissioners of Prisons show decreased admissions in 1924. On the question of the habitual petty offender, especially elderly women, it is suggested that some kind of detention home would be the most appropriate treatment.
Lord Weir, in a broadcast talk from Glasgow, referred to the question of steel houses, and replied to recent criticism.
Railwaymen at a meeting at Chester resolved that 24 hours’ notice be given to the Railway Companies demanding the withdrawal of the Army Order relating to the Supplementary Reserve so far as it affects railwaymen.
A Bill forbidding Government officials to belong to secret societies has been introduced in the Italian Chamber.
12 JANUARY 1925
On all the main questions before the Inter-Allied Conference in Paris agreement has been reached by the delegates of the Great Powers. Confidence is felt that this result will be confirmed by the full Conference tomorrow.
Following the failure of Dr Marx to form a Government, the President of the Reich has asked Dr Luther to assume the task.
Mr Hughes, the United States Secretary of State, has resigned.
Mr Stephen Walsh, the Secretary for War who signed the Army Order constituting the technical reserve, has declared that the Order is explicit, and that members of the Reserve will not be called out in aid of the civil power.
Evidence as to the activities of M. N. Roy, an agent of the Third International, is contained in the judgment of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad in the revolutionary conspiracy case.
Mr A. J. Cook, secretary of the Miners’ Federation [ad], stated that if the Government passed an Eight Hour Day Act the men would refuse to operate it.
The return published by the Mines Department for the quarter ending last September shows a further reduction in the output per person per shift. A debit balance of £78,452 is shown in the quarter’s working of Scottish mines.
The death is announced of Lord Pentland of Blyth, a former Secretary for Scotland and Governor of Madras.
11 JANUARY 1925
US and British leaders argued at the Inter-Allied Financial Conference in Paris about money relating to war loans from the First World War. Belgium also said that it feared that their war reparations were being whittled down and Romania rejected allegations that it had done too well out of the conflict.
A telegram from Moscow stated that revolver shots were fired at Zinovieff, the leader of the Third International and President of the Leningrad Soviet. It was thought that none of the shots had hit their target.
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.