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Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to forge new migration deals with European countries and become EU’s “friend and partner” during a meeting with continental leaders as part of the fourth European Political Community summit.
The prime minister is using the 47-member EPC meeting at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, to push for action to secure the continent’s borders, and reiterate the UK’s support to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to channel Winston Churchill’s “bravery” in the fight against the Russian aggression and declared that Putin has sacrificed “tens of thousands of his citizens but has achieved nothing significant”.
During the meeting, senior European leaders and representatives welcomed Sir Keir’s approach on improving post-Brexit relations with Josep Borrell praising the “new tone of the British Government”
Despite the positive noises being made by EU leaders, David Lammy has warned the UK is unlikely to be able to begin renegotiating a deal with the bloc for some time.
Speaking this morning, he said the European Union and the European Commission will not be up and running until December following their elections.
Starmer welcomes the King at Blenheim Palace
King Charles has arrived at Blenheim Palace where he will be hosting a reception as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s European summit.
The King will meet all European leaders at the historic palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
The prime minister greeted the King as he arrived at Blenheim’s Great Court before they both headed to the Long Library for the reception.
Pictured: Inside the gardens of Blenheim Palace
Starmer urges EU nations to work together to end ‘vile trade’ of people smuggling
During the closing plenary at the EPC summit, Sir Keir Starmer has urged leaders to tackle the “vile trade” of people smuggling.
The prime minister said it is wrong to call small boat crossings a “challenge”, instead he declared: “This is now a crisis with a criminal empire profiting on human misery and desperation.”
He said European leaders have the opportunity to “set a new path” on illegal migration and combine resources and tactics to shut down smuggling routes and “smash the gangs”.
Rachel Reeves warns of ‘difficult decisions’ to fix public finances
Rachel Reeves has warned she will have to make “difficult decisions” as she seeks to “fix the foundations” of the public finances.
The Chancellor is set to announce the date of her first budget before the Commons summer recess, as well as an assessment of the “spending inheritance” left behind by the Conservatives.
In the autumn budget, all eyes will be on whether Ms Reeves is forced to raise taxes or slash spending to avoid a squeeze on public services and to meet her fiscal rule to have debt falling as a share of gross domestic product in five years’ time.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, she said: “I’m not going to announce any tax breaks or tax changes without saying where the money is going to come from, and we will have a budget later this year.
“But I also just need to be really clear and honest about the scale of the challenge that we’ve inherited with the public finances.
“We’re going to have to make difficult decisions. We need to fix the foundations before we can start rebuilding things in Britain.
“But unlike the previous government, I am going to be honest about the scale of the challenge. I’m going to level with people.”
Watch: Hungarian prime minister’s blunt response when asked what more Europe can do to tackle migration
Hungarian prime minister’s blunt response on how Europe can help tackle migration
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gave a blunt four-word response when he was asked what more Europe can do to tackle migration. Mr Orban attended a 47-member European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace on Thursday (18 July), as Sir Keir Starmer promised to repair ties with European countries. Speaking to reporters, Mr Orban was asked: “What more can Europe do to tackle migration?”. He replied: “Don’t let them in.” Asked about a Donald Trump victory in the US, Mr Orban said it would be “the best news for everybody”, describing the former president as a “man of the peace”.
Labour government pressured to recognise state of Palestine ‘immediately’
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran called on the Government to recognise the state of Palestine “immediately” in order to send a “powerful message” to the Israeli government.
The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said her professional and personal life “collided” when Hamas launched its attack in Gaza in October last year, she has previously told the Commons that a family member of hers has died during the Israel-Gaza war.
She added: “We need that immediate ceasefire, and we needed it six months ago.”
Tories: Starmer made ‘a mistake’ by not committing to defence spending
Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell has warned that the Government is making a “mistake” by not to committing to a 2.5% of GDP spend on defence.
Speaking in the Commons during the second day of debate on the King’s Speech, the Tory former minister said: “In spite of their legitimate desire for yet another defence review, I think the Government has made a mistake in not honouring immediately our commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.”
He added that this “gives the wrong signal to our allies and adversaries about our determination to confront the multitude of dangers the world faces”.
Later in the debate, Conservative former minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke questioned whether the Government would spend more than 2.5% on defence, if its strategic review recommended this.
He said: “If this review adds up to more than 2.5%, saying this is what we need to be able to defend this changing arena, is the government going to spend that money?”
Farage doubles down on JD Vance’s attack claiming ‘parts of the UK are Islamist’
Nigel Farage has backed Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance in claiming that the UK was the “first truly Islamist country to get a nuclear weapon”.
The right-wing MP, who is a friend of the former US President, has said that “parts of our cities are Islamist”.
The Reform leader, who is attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, defended the vice president wannabe saying Mr Vance was “half-joking” in his remarks.
He said: “It is not an Islamist nation, but there are parts of our cities that are.
“When you see sectarian voting you need to have a real think about what is going on people elected on religious lines. That is not the same as Islamist.”
Jeremy Corbyn: Is the government serious in pushing Israel to a ceasefire in Gaza?
At the Commons, Jeremy Corbyn has pressed defence secretary John Healey on whether the Labour government would push Israel to take part in a ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine.
Intervening in a speech by Mr Healey, former Labour leader and now independent MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn said: “The question of the conflict going on and the bombing in Gaza has resulted in 40,000 deaths already. Is the Government serious in pushing Israel to take part in an immediate ceasefire?
“Is it also prepared to suspend or stop all arms sales to Israel in order to save further life? But also, he made a point in his speech about the need to adhere to international law – there are international court judgments at the ICJ (International Court of Justice) and the ICC (International Criminal Court). Is the Government going to support those judgments and ensure that they are carried out whatever the political consequences because they do require action taken internationally to bring a halt to this appalling conflict?”
In response, Mr Healey said the government will apply international humanitarian law “without fear or favour”.
He said: “It’s why the foreign secretary (David Lammy) has already been out to Israel to press that case.
“And on the question of arms sales to Israel – on the first day in post, the Foreign Secretary commissioned the most up-to-date assessment of the British Government through the established system that we work on the degree to which any of our UK arms export licences may be facilitating a serious risk of a breach of international law. He has said clearly he wants this to be a process that is as swift and as transparent as possible and he is looking hard at exactly that.”
Mr Healey added: “Yes, this Government is serious about the application without fear or favour of international humanitarian law.”
Peer suspended for drunken bullying of women
Booze-fuelled bullying by a Tory peer had a “serious effect” on its young women victims, Parliament has heard as he was banned from all House of Lords bars for a year.
Lord Ranger of Northwood, a former adviser to Boris Johnson who was handed a peerage in the former prime minister’s resignation honours list, has been suspended from the upper chamber for three weeks,
The House of Commons has been invited to impose a similar sanction.
A report by the Lords Conduct Committee said Lord Ranger had been “visibly drunk” and made “various inappropriate comments” to a group of people in Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar in January.
He also “acted aggressively, shouting and swearing”, calling them “f*****g useless” and “invading their personal space”.
He subsequently apologised to the two complainants and resigned the Conservative whip, to sit as a non-affiliated peer.
The House of Lords Standards Commissioner originally recommended Lord Ranger be suspended for just one week but the Conduct Committee felt this “failed to do justice to the seriousness of the offence” and so increased the proposed penalty.
