‘Nothing off the desk’ over potential UK troop deployment for Ukraine, says No 10 – UK politics stay | Politics
Try our newest merchandise
![[Windows 11 Pro]HP 15 15.6″ FHD Business Laptop Computer, Quad Core Intel i5-1135G7 (Beats i7-1065G7), 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Numeric Keypad, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 4.2, Type-C, Webcam, HDMI, w/Battery](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71LYTzK2A8L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
‘Nothing off the desk’ over potential UK troop deployment for Ukraine, says No 10
“Nothing is off the desk” by way of potential troop deployment on air, land or sea for Ukraine, Downing Avenue stated amid questions on whether or not the prospect of floor forces had change into much less probably.
Requested whether or not the main focus had shifted away from the prospect of floor troops for Ukraine, a Quantity 10 spokesman stated: “No, nothing is off the desk on any of those fronts, so I wouldn’t begin ruling something out, however clearly hundreds of troops will likely be required to help any deployment, whether or not that’s at sea, on land or within the air.”
Any deployment would require important help and the firming up of “fundamental logistics of … transferring individuals and making certain deployment rotations, in order the PM stated we have to be ready for all eventualities,” the official stated.
Key occasions
Closing abstract
Good afternoon,
This weblog will likely be closing quickly.
Thanks for all of your energetic contributions within the feedback part right this moment.
You’ll be able to nonetheless comply with the Guardian’s political reporting right here and in tomorrow’s newspaper.
Have a stunning weekend.
Right here’s a abstract of right this moment’s prime tales, which included Downing Avenue saying they weren’t ruling out deploying British troops to the bottom, air and sea in Ukraine; a tense assembly with MPs over a brand new period of austerity, leaked messages from Nigel Farage and assaults on endangered bats…
-
“Nothing is off the desk” by way of potential troop deployment on air, land or sea for Ukraine, Downing Avenue stated amid questions on whether or not the prospect of floor forces had change into much less probably.Requested whether or not the main focus had shifted away from the prospect of floor troops for Ukraine, a Quantity 10 spokesman stated: “No, nothing is off the desk on any of those fronts, so I wouldn’t begin ruling something out, however clearly hundreds of troops will likely be required to help any deployment, whether or not that’s at sea, on land or within the air.”
-
Labour MPs having ‘tense conferences’ over return to austerityLiz Kendall has been having “tense’ conferences with Labour MPs to reassure them about cuts to incapacity advantages,” Shebab Khan, ITV’s Political Correspondent, studies.n a submit on X, Shebab wrote that “One MP instructed me they left the assembly ‘feeling worse than after they walked in’ whereas one other stated they weren’t positive ‘how for much longer we will declare this isn’t austerity’.”
-
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage described the behaviour of suspended Reform MP Rupert Lowe as “disgusting” and “contemptible” in personal WhatsApp messages leaked to the BBC. In a single message, Farage says Lowe is “contemptible”. When requested by the BBC’s nameless supply, who was once a celebration member and can be being investigated for bullying, a declare they deny, why Reform didn’t permit an investigation to be accomplished by a lawyer earlier than suspending Lowe, Farage stated: “As a result of he’s damaging the occasion simply earlier than elections. Disgusting.”
-
A YouGov ballot discovered that 61% of individuals both strongly supported or considerably supported the federal government’s dedication to chop carbon emissions to internet zero by 2050, whereas 24% stated they considerably opposed or strongly opposed it and 15% stated the didn’t know.Even amongst those that voted Conservative on the final basic election, 52% supported the web zero dedication, 38% opposed it and 11% didn’t know.
-
The Well being Secretary, Wes Streeting, accused the NHS of appearing in an “immoral” method by depriving needy international locations of homegrown well being professionals. Brexit has left the NHS more and more depending on docs and nurses from poor “purple record” international locations, from which the World Well being Group says it’s mistaken to recruit.
-
Excessive-profile celebrities together with Sir Stephen Fry, Brian Cox and Stanley Tucci have criticised the federal government’s £5bn cuts to incapacity advantages, calling the plans “shameful” and “a stain on this nation”. Fry stated the cuts burden ought to fall on the best-off in society, moderately than hitting susceptible disabled individuals: “The social safety system must be rooted in justice and compassion, equity and want. It’s not too late to rethink this.”
-
Greater than 9,000 unpaid carers taking care of in poor health and disabled family members have change into the most recent to be hit with carer’s allowance overpayment money owed up to now 12 months, prompting requires ministers to droop the controversial apply. In complete, 144,000 carers now have excellent repayments after falling foul of drastic “cliff-edge” guidelines limiting the quantity they’ll earn from part-time jobs whereas nonetheless claiming carer’s allowance profit.
Tommy Robinson loses court docket case
The Excessive Courtroom has dismissed an try by the far-right agitant Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, higher generally known as Tommy Robinson, to problem his jail circumstances.
Yaxley-Lennon argued that his segregation at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, was destroying his psychological well being and breaching his human rights.
Dismissing the case, Mr Justice Chamberlain stated Yaxley-Lennon’s personal barrister had accepted there was no proof his consumer had been segregated “for the aim of breaking his resistance or humiliating or debasing him”.
Quite the opposite, all of the proof exhibits [the decision] was taken for his personal safety and within the pursuits of preserving the protection of different prisoners and workers.”
He himself had stated, when first detained at HMP Belmarsh, that he had a battle with the followers of Islam.
It was thus comprehensible the governor must be involved that Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s presence would possibly foment unrest or violence between Muslim and non-Muslim prisoners.
The previous chief of the English Defence League, identified for organising racist and violent protests, was handed an 18-month sentence in October after admitting he breached a court docket order which had instructed him to not repeat lies a couple of Syrian refugee.
Yaxley-Lennon has an extended historical past of criminality and has been discovered responsible of offences together with a number of assaults, mortgage fraud, faking a passport, stalking, contempt of court docket and numerous public order offences.
The chief of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has warned individuals to “beware” Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Nigel Farage at his occasion’s spring convention speech.
Talking on Friday, Iorwerth stated:
Braveness calls to braveness all over the place, and its voice can’t be denied That suffragist mantra rings simply as true now because it did when it was first uttered greater than a century in the past.
As a result of be in little doubt, these wishing to silence that voice are extra energised, extra organised, extra enfranchised than they’ve been in a really very long time.
So, as Trump and Musk and Farage and their followers search to revenue from the foreign money of concern and hate, we too should present braveness.
We should be united and decided in exposing these morally bankrupt millionaires and billionaires who know the value of every part and the worth of nothing.
Trump believes in Trump. Musk believes in Musk. Farage believes in Farage.
Beware these males whose solely actual ideology is their ego.
First minister John Swinney says he’s “sorry” that veteran MSP Fergus Ewing won’t stand for the SNP in subsequent Could’s Holyrood elections, the PA information company studies.
Earlier on Friday, Ewing, who beforehand served because the Scottish authorities’s rural financial system secretary, stated he may run as an unbiased candidate within the elections.
Ewing stated: “Amongst a number of causes, the principal one is that I’m afraid that I merely can not defend the report of the SNP Authorities to fail to ship on its longstanding pledges to twin the A9 and A96 – each so very important for my constituency.
I’ve stood in each election on these pledges, and so, as a matter of honour, I merely can not defend the shortage of supply.”
Swinney stated he was “sorry Fergus Ewing has determined to not stand for the SNP on the subsequent election”.
The SNP chief praised the veteran politician for being a “devoted servant of his constituents” and added he has “contributed a lot” to each the parliament and the Scottish authorities. “I stated I’d be the primary minister for all of Scotland, and that’s what I’ll do.”
Labour MPs having ‘tense conferences’ over return to austerity
Liz Kendall has been having “tense’ conferences with Labour MPs to reassure them about cuts to incapacity advantages,” Shebab Khan, ITV’s Political Correspondent, studies.
In a submit on X, Shebab wrote that “One MP instructed me they left the assembly ‘feeling worse than after they walked in’ whereas one other stated they weren’t positive ‘how for much longer we will declare this isn’t austerity’.”
It’s true that Reeves’ cuts to public spending are among the largest since austerity was first inflicted on the UK in 2010 by the coalition authorities.
The final bout of deep spending cuts launched by the coalition and subsequently sustained by the Tories was an unmitigated catastrophe for probably the most susceptible individuals within the UK.
Over 300,000 extra deaths have been attributed to austerity, which additionally noticed important rises in little one poverty, homelessness, crime charges, well being inequality, and a decline in life expectancy.
The UK’s largest fact-checking charity, Full Truth, has compiled just a few points with statements the prime minister has made this week about welfare spending, the PA information company studies.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and one other minister advised that such spending is ready to succeed in £70 billion by the tip of the last decade.
Sir Keir stated at an occasion final week: “The welfare system because it’s arrange, it will possibly’t be defended on financial phrases or ethical phrases. Economically, the price goes via the roof. So if we don’t do something, the price of welfare goes to go to £70 billion per 12 months.”
And in a broadcast interview on Monday, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds MP stated that with out adjustments “we’ll be spending £70 billion on social safety by the tip of the last decade”.
Nonetheless, in line with Full Truth, these figures seem to refer particularly to the forecast price of working-age well being and incapacity profit spending by 2029/30 – not the general price of welfare spending, which is far increased.
Figures revealed by the Workplace for Finances Accountability (OBR) previous to this week’s announcement forecast that spending on well being and incapacity advantages for working-age adults would improve from £56.4 billion in 2024/25 to £75.7 billion in 2029/30.
Full Truth stated:
It’s been 4 months since we at Full Truth launched our Authorities Tracker – a serious ongoing mission monitoring the Authorities’s progress in delivering some key pledges, made each within the Labour manifesto and within the eight months since Labour took workplace.
We’re now monitoring progress on 51 pledges. And whereas the Authorities’s made clear progress on a spread of commitments, we imagine it nonetheless must do rather more to clarify what a few of its pledges imply and the way progress on them must be measured.
Whereas lots of the Authorities’s guarantees are clear, or have been clarified since Labour shaped a Authorities, we’ve discovered it tough or not possible to meaningfully charge 12 pledges, due both to unclear wording or inadequate details about the small print of the pledge.
That represents practically 1 / 4 of the pledges we’re monitoring to this point, chosen from an preliminary record of just about 300 trackable commitments in Labour’s election manifesto and among the commitments the Authorities has made subsequently.
We’ve been unable to provide any significant verdict on three pledges – together with the dedication to “not improve taxes on working individuals” and to ship “hundreds extra GPs” – due to a scarcity of readability and important details about what Labour initially pledged.
We expect an additional 9 pledges – resembling the guarantees to recruit “6,500 new professional academics in key topics” or halve critical violent crime – lack essential info to find out how success must be measured.
We’ve to this point rated eight of the 51 pledges we’ve examined as ‘achieved’, and an additional 16 as ‘seems on monitor’. Three pledges are presently rated as ‘seems off monitor’ nevertheless, together with the dedication to “safe the very best sustained development within the G7” and the promise to finish the usage of “asylum accommodations”.
The Authorities lately declared it had achieved one manifesto pledge – to ship an additional two million NHS appointments – though that pledge seems to have initially been set within the manifesto as an annual goal, which suggests we gained’t be capable of say for positive if it has been achieved till the primary 12 months of the parliament is full. For now, we’ve rated that pledge as ‘seems on monitor’.
Well being secretary will take into account nationwide inquiry into child deaths at NHS belief
Well being secretary Wes Streeting says he’ll take into account making a public inquiry right into a maternity scandal after stress from affected households.
On Thursday, Streeting met with households who had misplaced infants and girls underneath the care of Nottingham College Hospitals (NUH) NHS Belief.
The belief is now the topic of the biggest evaluation within the historical past of the NHS, with senior midwife Donna Ockenden scrutinising 2,500 particular person instances.
Streeting claimed he would “mirror rigorously” on requires a public inquiry and take into account the ”subsequent steps”.
Streeting stated in a press release that he heard “private and painful accounts” together with tales of “useless infants, life-changing accidents” and ongoing trauma. He added that the two-hour assembly “will stick with me for the remainder of my life”.
“Whereas my phrases can’t do justice to what they – and different households throughout the nation – have suffered, actions from authorities and the NHS can a minimum of attempt to put proper previous wrongs. I’ll do every part in my energy to make sure all ladies and infants obtain the protected, personalised and compassionate care they deserve.”
The prime minister is predicted to take a name on Friday to debate progress in the direction of safeguarding any Ukraine peace deal.
The PM will get his personal briefing from European Council President António Costa, and presumably Fee President Ursula von der Leyen, in a name to transient their non-EU allies this afternoon.
Keir Starmer is predicted to additionally replace them on the “coalition of the keen” of nations ready to help Ukraine. Turkey, Norway and Iceland are anticipated to additionally dial in.
Leaked messages reveal Farage’s antipathy to Lowe amid Reform rows
Aletha Adu
Nigel Farage accused the suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe of “damaging the occasion”, calling his behaviour “disgusting” in leaked messages which reveal the antipathy between the 2 right-wing politicians.
Farage had despatched the personal Whatsapp messages to somebody who had labored for Lowe lately. His criticism got here after Lowe known as Reform a “protest occasion” and Farage “messianic” in an interview with the Every day Mail in March.
Within the interview, Lowe – who had been touted as a alternative chief by Elon Musk earlier this 12 months – was requested if Farage would make a very good prime minister. He instructed the Mail: “It’s too early to know whether or not Nigel will ship the products. He can solely ship if he surrounds himself with the appropriate individuals.
“Nigel is a fiercely unbiased particular person and is extraordinarily good at what we’ve got executed to this point. He has obtained messianic qualities. Will these messianic qualities distill into sage management? I don’t know.”
Learn the complete story right here
The power secretary, Ed Miliband, has confronted questions on how one fireplace may shut down a whole airport.
He stated electrical energy distribution community Nationwide Grid had instructed him they’d not seen “something like the dimensions” of what occurred.
“However it makes Heathrow look fairly susceptible and due to this fact we’ve obtained to be taught classes, as I say, about not simply Heathrow however how we defend our main infrastructure,” he instructed ITV information.
The chair of the parliamentary transport committee, Ruth Cadbury, stated it was “speculative” to counsel for the time being that arson may need brought on the fireplace.
However she instructed Instances Radio: “There are clearly questions on it.”
Requested concerning the Heathrow fireplace, the No 10 spokesman stated it “wouldn’t be unreasonable to count on checks on resilience” to be carried out at different main airports.
Counter terror police are main the investigation into the “unprecedented” electrical substation fireplace that has closed down the airport, stopping greater than 1,300 flights on Friday. You’ll be able to comply with our weblog on developments right here
‘Nothing off the desk’ over potential UK troop deployment for Ukraine, says No 10
“Nothing is off the desk” by way of potential troop deployment on air, land or sea for Ukraine, Downing Avenue stated amid questions on whether or not the prospect of floor forces had change into much less probably.
Requested whether or not the main focus had shifted away from the prospect of floor troops for Ukraine, a Quantity 10 spokesman stated: “No, nothing is off the desk on any of those fronts, so I wouldn’t begin ruling something out, however clearly hundreds of troops will likely be required to help any deployment, whether or not that’s at sea, on land or within the air.”
Any deployment would require important help and the firming up of “fundamental logistics of … transferring individuals and making certain deployment rotations, in order the PM stated we have to be ready for all eventualities,” the official stated.
Extra London conferences subsequent week to ‘speed up’ Ukraine planning
Extra navy conferences will happen in London subsequent week amongst allied international locations to “speed up” planning to implement any future peace deal in Ukraine, Downing Avenue has stated.
As PA Media studies, a Quantity 10 spokesman stated: “We’ve moved into an operational section now and what meaning is … bringing collectively navy planners to take a look at the potential design of drive constructions, interoperability and what functionality is required to make sure a sovereign Ukraine is ready to defend itself for generations to return.
“That features taking a look at every part from plane, tanks, troops and intelligence capabilities, and the way we will greatest put them to make use of to help Ukraine.
“This delivers on the prime minister’s plan to help Ukraine by ramping up supply of weapons and gear, boosting Ukraine’s defensive capabilities within the long-term, working with allies to develop strong safety assurances and maintaining the stress on President Putin.
“Subsequent week, we’ll proceed to speed up the tempo and scale of operational planning with additional conferences at our Northwood headquarters as we glance ahead extra carefully on the particulars and construction of any future drive.”
Greater than 5,000 individuals have arrived within the UK in small boats after crossing the Channel to this point this 12 months, newest figures present.
PA studies that 341 individuals made the journey in six boats on Thursday, bringing the provisional complete for the 12 months to this point to five,025. That is the earliest level within the 12 months that crossings have reached the 5,000 mark since knowledge on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018. Final 12 months, 5,000 arrivals was handed on 31 March.
The cumulative variety of arrivals to this point in 2025 – 5,025 – is 24% increased than at this stage in 2024, when the determine stood at 4,043, and 36% increased than at this level in 2023 (3,683).
The very best quantity arriving in sooner or later this 12 months to this point stands at 592 individuals, crossing the Channel in 11 boats on 2 March.
The newest figures come after the French coastguard confirmed two individuals died in two days making an attempt to cross the Channel on Wednesday and Thursday. One particular person died after being pulled from the water whereas the opposite particular person died after making an attempt to cross in an overloaded boat, regardless of rescue efforts to avoid wasting them.
The UK signed a “road-map” settlement with France earlier this month aimed toward bolstering cooperation to sort out people-smuggling throughout the Channel. The federal government’s new border safety, asylum and immigration invoice additionally continues via parliament with plans to introduce new felony offences and hand counter terror-style powers to police and enforcement companies to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.
A Dwelling Workplace spokesperson stated: “All of us need to finish harmful small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border safety. The people-smuggling gangs don’t care if the susceptible individuals they exploit stay or die, so long as they pay. We’ll cease at nothing to dismantle their enterprise fashions and convey them to justice.”
Polly Toynbee
Incorrect, badly mistaken, and it gained’t simply, if ever, be forgotten or forgiven. To take £5bn from these with the least, incapacity claimants already nicely beneath the median revenue who’re clustered within the poorest cities, will go away a long-lasting scar on Labour’s repute.
Sending Labour ministers out on the airwaves to defend the indefensible has been like sending lambs to the slaughter. The welfare secretary, Liz Kendall, and the employment minister, Alison McGovern, used to talk with ardour about their optimistic plans for the way forward for work – however they by no means meant £5bn cuts. Torsten Bell, the treasury minister, is contemporary from heading the Decision Basis with its myriad studies on decreasing poverty and inequality, however he needed to again £5bn cuts on Newsnight. Stephen Timms, social safety and incapacity minister on the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP), is among the most considerate and knowledgable ministers about social safety. He absolutely by no means supposed this, but he too was despatched out on BBC Radio 4’s Immediately programme…
Bats are being “scapegoated” by Reeves – Chris Packham
Helena Horton
Chris Packham be part of campaigners exterior the Royal Courts of Justice in London. {Photograph}: Jordan Pettitt/PA
Nature broadcaster Chris Packham has instructed my colleague Helena Horton that Bats are being “scapegoated” by Rachel Reeves after the chancellor advised they have been getting in the best way of financial development.
“It’s completely absurd,” says the broadcaster and nature campaigner:
I’m all the time somebody who likes to cope with the details so I would love to know over the course of a 12 months what number of planning purposes are utterly refused due to bats, as a share of all these throughout the nation. I’m going to hazard a guess that it will be a fraction of 1%.
They picked bats as a result of most individuals by no means get to see them and have interaction with them as a result of they’re nocturnal. They wouldn’t choose on hedgehogs or purple squirrels for instance.”
The lifetime of Bats within the UK is precarious, with some species being endangered and others being thought of close to threatened. In line with the Bat Conservation Belief, though populations of the 11 species of bat surveyed in a examine “look like secure or growing, we all know there’s nonetheless an extended technique to go earlier than these species get better from enormous historic declines.”
For extra on the story:
Farage says suspended Reform UK MP’s behaviour was “contemptible” in leaked messages
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage described the behaviour of suspended Reform MP Rupert Lowe as “disgusting” and “contemptible” in personal WhatsApp messages leaked to the BBC.
In a single message, Farage says Lowe is “contemptible”. When requested by the BBC’s nameless supply, who was once a celebration member and can be being investigated for bullying, a declare they deny, why Reform didn’t permit an investigation to be accomplished by a lawyer earlier than suspending Lowe, Farage stated: “As a result of he’s damaging the occasion simply earlier than elections. Disgusting.”
When it was advised the investigation into Lowe was a response to his criticism of the management, Farage replied on WhatsApp: “We’re undoubtedly broken and inside two weeks of nominations. Terrible.”
Members of Rupert Lowe’s crew. Amongst them, individuals who have labored with Farage for years instructed the BBC that “Nigel is thin-skinned and egotistical. I’ve spent years defending him however the aura has gone for me now. Reporting Rupert to the police? Come on. They’re making an attempt to place him in jail!”
The workers member claimed the row was over Elon Musk’s reward for Lowe on X, saying: “Nigel may be very delicate about his American contacts.”
One other staffer added: “It’s completely horrible the occasion going to the police. You’d by no means discover somebody extra form and thoughtful than Rupert. If you happen to don’t have insurance policies as a celebration, you’re a joke, and that’s what Rupert was stating.”
Ed Miliband declares first main mission for the publicly-owned Nice British Power.
Responding to a query concerning the 650,000 new jobs pledged in Labour’s manifesto, the Secretary of State for Power and Local weather Change instructed BBC Radio 4’s Immediately programme on Friday:
We’re assured we’re going to supply tons of of hundreds of jobs on account of our drive to internet zero.
That is the expansion alternative of the twenty first century. Flip your again on internet zero and also you flip your again on enterprise funding, good jobs, innovation for the long run, and Britain main in the important thing industrial areas of the long run.
I’m very assured that we’ll create tons of of hundreds of jobs within the inexperienced financial system.” He additionally stated he’s “assured” the Authorities will meet its pledges.
The funding may even embody extra cash for councils and neighborhood teams to create clear energy initiatives, resembling community-owned onshore wind, rooftop photo voltaic and hydropower in rivers.
Miliband instructed ITV’s Good Morning Britain there are “many faculties and hospitals dealing with sky-high power payments on account of our dependence on fossil fuels. This may minimize payments for colleges, 200 colleges, 200 hospitals, a 300% improve within the protection of photo voltaic panels by way of the NHS by way of hospitals.”
He added that the common discount in a invoice could be “£25,000 for a faculty” and “£45,000 for a hospital”.
![[UPDATED 2.0] Phone mount and holder compatible with Samsung Z Fold 2 3 4 5 6 Pixel Fold or Foldable phone | bicycle, treadmill, handlebar, elliptical, stroller, rail, handle, roundbar, golf cart](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CjGlidGRL._SL1023_.jpg)
