Tag: News Story

STORY

Keir Starmer has used one of his final major policy interventions as Prime Minister to launch the Government’s long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, with Rachel Reeves confirming an additional £15 billion for defence. The announcement came ahead of the NATO summit and followed weeks of pressure over whether the Government was moving quickly enough to meet growing security threats.

The plan includes more than £5 billion for a major drone transformation across the Armed Forces, with investment in autonomous systems, uncrewed naval vessels, loitering munitions and new RAF capabilities. Ministers said the war in Ukraine and the recent Iran conflict had demonstrated how quickly warfare was changing, with drones reshaping the battlefield and requiring faster innovation cycles.

Opposition parties criticised the plan as late and underfunded, arguing that it still falls short of what defence chiefs had sought. The Government said the new investment would strengthen national security, support British jobs and help the UK move towards higher defence spending in the next Parliament.

STORY

Vladimir Putin has acknowledged fuel shortages in Russia after Ukrainian drone attacks continued to strike oil refineries and energy infrastructure across the country.

The Russian President admitted that there were still queues at petrol stations and that drivers could not always obtain the grade of fuel they needed. His comments marked a rare public acceptance that Ukraine’s long-range campaign against Russian energy targets is having a direct impact inside Russia.

Putin told officials that Russia had begun using previously accumulated fuel reserves to support the domestic market. He said petrol reserves stood at around 1.7 million tonnes and insisted that the situation was being managed, but his remarks confirmed that the Kremlin is now having to respond openly to supply problems caused in part by Ukrainian attacks.

STORY

Michelle Mone is among the individuals being sued in an attempt to recover millions of pounds owed to the Government by the collapsed PPE company PPE Medpro.

The BBC reported that the legal action is part of an attempt to recover money following a court ruling against PPE Medpro, which was awarded major Government contracts during the Covid pandemic. The Government was awarded £122 million plus interest last year after a court ruled that the company had breached a contract to supply sterile surgical gowns.

The case is the latest stage in a long-running controversy over pandemic procurement and the use of politically connected routes for companies seeking Government contracts. PPE Medpro became one of the most high-profile names linked to the Covid procurement scandal, with Mone facing sustained scrutiny over her connection to the company and the way it secured public contracts.

STORY

Donald Trump has launched a personal and politically inflammatory attack on Janeese Lewis George, describing Washington D.C.’s likely next mayor as a “Communist” and warning that he would block her agenda if she takes office.

The President made the comments on Truth Social after Lewis George’s Democratic primary victory placed her on course to become mayor of the capital. In the post, Trump claimed she would “empty the prisons”, make D.C. a sanctuary city, oppose ICE, defund the police and support other policies that he said would destroy Washington. He also said he would meet her, but warned that he would not allow the capital to be “destroyed”.

The tone of the intervention was seen as strikingly childish for a sitting President. Rather than setting out a serious federal position on crime, immigration or the limits of D.C. home rule, Trump reached for the familiar playground language of ideological name-calling.

STORY

Sheringham Town Council is facing questions over whether public money has been wasted after reversing its position on the future of the bus shelter at Otterndorf Green.

The council has now resolved to proceed with the demolition of the existing bus shelter to allow the transport hub scheme to move forward. The decision marks a reversal from the position taken in December, when councillors voted narrowly to save the shelter and revoke their support for the development of the land.

That earlier vote had immediate consequences. Norfolk County Council said works to deliver the Sheringham Travel Hub scheme stopped after the town council’s decision on 9 December 2025, with the county council beginning its withdrawal from the site the following day. Remaining funding allocated to Sheringham was then reallocated to other bus schemes in Norfolk to avoid the money being lost.

The result is that Sheringham has endured months of uncertainty, disruption and dispute, only for the council to arrive back at a version of the decision it had previously rejected. The Town Council is expected to make a statement about its conduct and professionalism to reassure local residents.

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Reform UK is facing scrutiny over its conduct in the Senedd after making a turbulent first impression as the official opposition in Wales.

The Guardian reported that Reform MSs have caused walkouts, emotional exchanges and procedural embarrassment since taking more than a third of seats in the Welsh Parliament. The party has defended its right to challenge the political establishment, but opponents have accused it of importing a more confrontational style into the chamber.

The developments matter beyond Wales because Reform UK remains a major challenge to Labour and the Conservatives at Westminster. Its performance as a parliamentary opposition in the Senedd is likely to be watched closely by other parties seeking to test whether Reform can convert electoral support into disciplined scrutiny and credible Government-in-waiting behaviour.

STORY

The House of Lords is due to debate regulations under the Climate Change Act 2008 covering international aviation and international shipping.

The debate is linked to the Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026 and an associated regret motion tabled by Lord Moynihan. The regulations form part of the continuing parliamentary scrutiny of how the UK accounts for emissions from transport sectors that have historically been more difficult to include fully in domestic carbon budgets.

The debate comes after renewed warnings from the Climate Change Committee that weakening net zero policy would damage investment and the economy. Ministers are likely to face questions over how aviation and shipping targets fit into wider climate policy, including the seventh carbon budget and the Government’s approach to economic growth.

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The House of Lords is preparing to complete detailed scrutiny of the National Security (State Threats) Bill, with committee and remaining stages scheduled for Tuesday.

The Bill would create a new power for the Home Secretary to designate bodies involved in foreign power threat activity, with new offences applying to those supporting, assisting or obtaining material benefits from designated organisations. Ministers argue the legislation is needed to respond to hostile state activity and the changing nature of national security threats.

Peers are expected to consider amendments on involvement with hostile states, financial concealment and the scope of the new powers. The legislation has already prompted scrutiny over how the designation system would operate and how ministers would balance national security with legal safeguards.

STORY

The House of Commons begins the week with questions to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, followed by the first allotted day of Estimates debates.

MPs are due to debate estimates relating to the Cabinet Office, Northern Ireland Office, Home Office and Ministry of Justice. The Hansard Society said Parliament is being asked to approve the Government’s request for £1.15 trillion of public expenditure for the current financial year.

The week’s Commons business also includes further Estimates debates on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Work and Pensions. Prime Minister’s Questions is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by proceedings on the Supply and Appropriation Bill and the Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill.

STORY

The Government is moving towards a major change in Royal Navy procurement, with plans for next generation destroyers replaced by at least six new Common Combat Vessels designed to coordinate drones and autonomous systems.

Sources reported that the Ministry of Defence will abandon the planned Type 83 destroyer replacement programme and instead invest in hybrid vessels able to operate with uncrewed air, surface and underwater systems. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has said the ships will be British built and intended to support domestic defence jobs as well as military capability.

The move forms part of the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan and reflects the Government’s focus on emerging threats, including Russian activity in the North Atlantic and around undersea infrastructure. The decision follows weeks of political pressure over defence funding and comes after John Healey resigned from the Ministry of Defence amid concerns over the scale of available investment.