Tag: News Story

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.

STORY

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.

STORY

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.

STORY

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.

STORY

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.

STORY

The European Union and South Korea will hold their 11th bilateral summit in Brussels on 10 June. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (in photo) will represent the EU, while President Lee Jae Myung will represent the Republic of Korea.

The summit is expected to review progress since the previous EU-South Korea summit in Seoul in 2023. Leaders will discuss trade, investment, defence and security, digital technology, energy, research and wider geopolitical developments.

The EU described South Korea as an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific and globally. Trade in goods between the EU and South Korea exceeded €124 billion in 2025, with the relationship underpinned by the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and a wider strategic partnership framework.

STORY

European leaders have used a summit with Western Balkans countries in Tivat, Montenegro, to underline their support for EU enlargement. European Council President Antonio Costa said the summit had demonstrated renewed momentum, including work on Montenegro’s accession treaty and progress in Albania’s accession process.

Costa said Montenegro could become the 28th EU member state by 2028, while Albania had moved into the next phase of its accession process. He also said the EU was unlocking the process for opening the first enlargement cluster for Ukraine and Moldova, presenting this as evidence that reforms and engagement with civil society could accelerate accession.

The summit came amid wider pressure for the EU to make enlargement faster and more credible. EU leaders and western Balkan counterparts discussed gradual integration and closer alignment before full membership, while the accession process remains dependent on reforms, good neighbourly relations and unanimity among existing member states.

STORY

The European Union and UK car industries are pressing the European Commission for a further delay to electric vehicle tariffs due to take effect under the Brexit trade agreement at the start of 2027. The issue centres on rules of origin, which determine whether vehicles qualify for tariff-free trade between the UK and the EU.

Under the current timetable, vehicles will need to meet tougher local content thresholds, including requirements on battery packs and battery cells. Industry representatives have warned that European battery supply chains have not developed quickly enough to meet those thresholds, with one estimate suggesting that just under 20% of batteries will be made in the EU by 2027.

The dispute has direct political and economic importance for both sides of the Channel. The European Commission has said discussions can take place within the framework of ongoing EU-UK negotiations, while car manufacturers argue that tariffs would be self-defeating at a time when Governments are seeking to increase electric vehicle take-up and protect domestic manufacturing.