Tag: News Story

STORY

The Government has set out a wide-ranging legislative programme in the King’s Speech, with ministers promising new laws on immigration, energy security, national security, public services and the possible public ownership of British Steel. The programme was presented by King Charles at the State Opening of Parliament, but the speech was written by the Government and sets out its plans for the new parliamentary session.

The package includes more than 35 bills and draft laws, with Downing Street saying the measures are intended to “restore order and control” to the immigration system, strengthen public services and reform the state. Sir Keir Starmer said the public expected the Government to “get on with the job” of changing the country, including cutting the cost of living, reducing hospital waiting lists and keeping Britain safe.

Among the most politically significant measures is legislation giving ministers powers to bring British Steel into public ownership if required. The Government has said the move would be subject to a public interest test and is intended to protect strategically important steelmaking capacity, including production at Scunthorpe.

The speech also included immigration legislation designed to toughen the system, including stricter rules on settlement, as well as national security measures aimed at countering state threats, cyber-attacks and extremist content online. Reports ahead of the speech also pointed to reforms affecting asylum, human rights interpretations and the response to hostile activity by countries such as Iran and Russia.

Energy and economic security were another major part of the programme. The Government is expected to introduce an energy independence bill to support clean power and nuclear construction, alongside wider reforms aimed at improving growth, infrastructure and resilience. Ministers are presenting the package as a response to global instability and domestic pressure on living standards.

STORY

The UK is to contribute drones, Typhoon jets and a Royal Navy warship to a multinational mission intended to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced the UK contribution at a virtual summit of defence ministers, with more than 40 nations represented. The Government said the defensive mission would become operational when conditions allow and would be backed by £115 million of new funding for mine-hunting drones and counter-drone systems.

The UK package will include advanced autonomous mine-hunting equipment, military mine-clearance specialists, Typhoon jets ready to conduct air patrols and HMS Dragon, which is deploying to the Middle East. The Royal Navy’s modular ‘Beehive’ system will also be available, using autonomous drone boats to help detect, track and identify potential threats.

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Wes Streeting has held a brief meeting with Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street as the Prime Minister continues to face pressure over his leadership following Labour’s poor local election results.

The Health Secretary spent less than twenty minutes inside Number 10 on Wednesday morning, with reports putting the meeting at around 16 or 17 minutes. The talks came shortly before the King’s Speech, as Starmer attempted to project authority while dealing with the most serious internal challenge of his premiership.

Streeting has been widely discussed as a potential successor if Starmer is forced into a leadership contest. Speculation around his intentions has grown after several junior ministers resigned from the Government, including Dr Zubir Ahmed, a former health minister and ally of Streeting, who said Starmer’s leadership had become “unsustainable”.

There was no immediate sign after the meeting that Streeting was launching a formal challenge. The Guardian reported that UK bond yields fell after a Streeting challenge failed to materialise, while allies of the Prime Minister sought to play down the idea that Labour had a viable replacement candidate ready to move.

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Rhun ap Iorwerth has been elected First Minister of Wales, becoming the first Plaid Cymru politician to hold the post and ending Labour’s 27-year dominance of devolved Welsh government.

The Plaid Cymru leader was chosen by Members of the Senedd after his party’s historic victory in last week’s Senedd election. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in the expanded 96-member parliament, short of an outright majority but enough to form a minority government with support from the two Green MSs.

Ap Iorwerth succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the election and later resigned as Welsh Labour leader after a severe defeat for the party. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and others abstained in the vote to nominate the new First Minister, while Reform UK nominated its leader, Dan Thomas, but did not have enough support to block Plaid Cymru’s candidate.

STORY

Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed has resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, becoming the fourth junior minister to quit in a day as pressure intensifies on the Prime Minister to stand down.

Ahmed, the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said he had resigned “after reflection” and added that “Country first. Always.” In his resignation letter, he said Starmer’s position was now “wholly untenable” and argued that individual achievements in Government had been “dwarfed and undermined by a lack of values-driven leadership at the centre”.

The timing of the resignation will inevitably attract scrutiny. Ahmed served in the Department of Health and Social Care under Wes Streeting, who is widely seen as a possible contender if Starmer is forced into a leadership contest. Several reports described Ahmed as an ally of Streeting, and his resignation came on the same day as other ministerial departures, including Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh.

STORY

The UK has warned that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future must not be held back by divisive politics, as it raised concerns about threats to democracy, the rule of law and the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, Ambassador James Kariuki, the UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, said the UK remained “deeply concerned” by the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said some political actors were continuing to obstruct legislative activity, abuse constitutional safeguards and stall progress on Euro-Atlantic integration.

The UK also raised concerns about recent elections in Republika Srpska, which it said had been marked by significant electoral fraud. Kariuki said international support remained vital while democracy and the rule of law were under attack, and backed the rollout of election technology as a way to reduce fraud and rebuild public confidence.

Kariuki said the UK continued to support a fully empowered High Representative as the cornerstone of civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. He thanked High Representative Christian Schmidt for his work and said the Peace Implementation Council would now take forward the selection of a successor.

The UK statement also criticised rhetoric that stokes ethnic and religious tension, including calls for secession or the creation of a third entity. Kariuki said such rhetoric was anti-Dayton and risked peace and stability, urging politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina to respect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order.

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More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a statement backing Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, in an attempt to halt the growing internal rebellion over his leadership after Labour’s poor local election results.

The statement, organised by backbenchers, says now is “no time for a leadership contest” and argues that the Government should focus on delivery rather than a damaging internal fight. Supporters of Starmer said the number of signatures showed that he still had majority support among Labour MPs, despite dozens of colleagues publicly calling for him to resign.

The show of support came after a difficult 24 hours for the Prime Minister, with ministerial resignations and open criticism from MPs who say Labour has lost touch with voters.

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Four Palestine Action activists convicted over damage caused at an Elbit Systems UK site near Bristol could face sentencing consequences normally associated with terrorism cases, despite not being convicted of terrorism offences.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were found guilty of criminal damage after a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK facility at Aztec West, near Bristol. Prosecutors said the action caused around £1 million of damage to drones and other equipment. Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm after a police officer was violently assaulted during the incident.

The Guardian reported that a judge had previously ruled the case had a possible “terrorist connection”, a decision that was not put before the jury during the trial or retrial. The four defendants were not convicted of terrorism charges, but the ruling could still have a major effect when they are sentenced.

If the court treats the offending as terror-connected, the activists could face tougher sentencing conditions, including having to serve a larger proportion of any prison sentence and being subject to long-term notification requirements after release.

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Pat McFadden, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has left a Cabinet meeting this morning and confirmed that no members of the Cabinet have resigned or said that they wish to stand against Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister has said that he intends to carry on governing as a growing number of Labour MPs are issuing support for Keir Starmer to remain.

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Green Party leader Zack Polanski has apologised after admitting he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in east London. The issue emerged after questions were raised about whether the boat was his main residence. Government guidance says council tax may be payable on a boat if it is someone’s sole or main home. A Green Party spokesperson said Polanski had lived on the boat “until relatively recently” and had “immediately taken steps” to pay any council tax he may be found to owe.

The admission followed earlier claims that Polanski only stayed on the boat occasionally while renting a room elsewhere, where council tax was included in the rent. That explanation came under scrutiny after reports that his partner had described the boat as their home in a sales advert, and after questions were raised about his voter registration near the marina.

Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, of Tax Policy Associates, said that if the boat had been Polanski’s sole or main residence, council tax should have been paid. He also argued that if the boat was not his main home, separate questions could arise over electoral registration.