Markus Andrews

The intervention by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, on Monday morning to spare the blushes of Keir Starmer was significant. And it follows a deliberate pattern of engagement between a right-wing White House and a centre-left Downing Street that has been in evidence throughout this year.Things were getting out of hand for the UK prime minister over his involvement in the Middle East peace process.The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and the Israeli government had publicly humiliated the British government by pouring scorn on a statement made by education secretary Bridget Phillipson claiming that the UK had played a significant role in achieving the deal.The decision by Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state clearly still rankled, both in Tel Aviv and among members of the wider Trump administration, and they were in no mood to give the British prime minister any credit at all. But as Starmer faced international embarrassment ahead of flying out to Egypt for the signing of the Gaza deal, the Trump administration came to his aid.Witkoff, almost certainly under instruction from the US president, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel. In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”One of the more notable things about this was the political cover it afforded Powell in particular, who is facing demands that he be sacked following a row over the collapse of a case against two alleged Chinese spies. Donald Trump has bailed out Keir Starmer once again as the British PM was facing international humiliation More

Donald Trump has questioned whether Sir Tony Blair would serve on a new “Board of Peace” that is intended to oversee the governance of Gaza, amid ongoing criticisms of the former prime minister for his role in the Iraq war.Sir Tony, who met the deputy chief of the Palestinian Authority on Sunday, took the UK into the controversial Iraq war in 2003 and then served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.Earlier this month, Mr Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for the Middle East, saying Sir Tony would be among a group of international leaders that would oversee a transitional governing committee for Gaza.But asked whether he had spoken with Sir Tony about the possibility of his involvement in the peace plan, the US president told reporters: “I have, but first I want to find out that Tony would be popular with all, because I just don’t know that.“I like Tony, I have always liked Tony. But I want to find out that he is an acceptable choice to everybody.”Donald Trump: ‘I like Tony, I have always liked Tony’ More

“Reduce taxes for working people”, declared Reform UK as the party pledged £90 billion in tax cuts ahead of last year’s general election, where it won 14 per cent of the vote and five seats in Parliament.The party’s “Our Contract with You”, which featured the word “tax” on 58 occasions across the 26-page manifesto, said it would increase the income tax personal allowance to £20,000, while raising the threshold for paying the higher rate to £70,000.The party also pledged to scrap inheritance tax on estates under £2 million. But after The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) questioned the realism of its tax plans, and opinion polls now suggest a lack of voter trust on its fiscal responsibility, party bosses appear to be rethinking earlier plans.After deputy leader Richard Tice’s told the BBC in September that the manifesto was “not appropriate” for the next election, leader Nigel Farage will look set to go a step further by saying he will break the 2024 policy to make £90 billion in cuts.Nigel Farage will deliver a speech next month, outlining his part’s economic campaign ahead of the next general election More

Rachel Reeves has been warned against a tax raid on pensions and levying an annual wealth tax, as the chancellor weighs up options to fill a black hole of at least £30bn at the upcoming budget. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that restricting income tax relief on pension contributions “should be avoided” and repeated its cautions against an annual wealth tax, which it says would penalise savers, or increasing stamp duty.Instead, they said the chancellor could raise tens of billions from tax reforms without breaking Labour’s manifesto pledges – but urged her to avoid “half-baked fixes” to Britain’s economic woes at the Budget. Rachel Reeves is looking at different options to rescue Britain’s troubled finances More

There are growing questions over the collapse of a case against two men accused of spying for Beijing, with the former chief of the Secret Intelligence Service saying he is unsure why the prosecution was dropped. It comes amid allegations that the prime minister’s team had access to multiple documents that proved China was a national security risk but supposedly chose not to hand them over to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) before the case was brought to a close.And on the eve of Sir Keir Starmer’s trip to Egypt where he will attend a Middle East peace summit chaired by Donald Trump, the White House has reportedly warned that the failure to prosecute the two alleged Chinese spies risks undermining the special relationship – and could threaten intelligence sharing between Britain and the US.Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash More

UK travellers visiting countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy are being urged to prepare for four-hour queues when a new EU border system comes into force on Sunday, while industry bodies have warned that delays could cost the economy £400m. The Entry Exit System (EES) means UK travellers will need to have their fingerprints registered and photograph taken to enter the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries, mainly in the EU.While the Home Office said the extra checks “should only take one to two minutes” for travellers to complete, they admitted they may lead to “longer waits at busy times”, with travel firms warning passengers to allow four hours for the checks to take place. Meanwhile, there are fears longer delays for hauliers could cost the UK economy millions. Ready and waiting: Entry-exit system kiosks at Palma airport More

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the Budget, as part of a new attack on the Reform UK leader. Treasury officials are bracing for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to lower its forecasts for productivity growth – a downgrade that is likely to create an extra shortfall of around £20bn at November’s Budget. The shortfall is expected to be filled by a swathe of tax rises. But sources told The Times Sir Keir and chancellor Rachel Reeves are planning to argue that this downgrade would not have happened were it not for Brexit, pinning the blame on the Reform leader for leading the campaign to take Britain out of the EU. Sir Keir Starmer has ramped up attacks on Reform UK More

Sir Tony Blair met with Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street while he was prime minister, after lobbying from Lord Peter Mandelson, new documents have revealed.The former prime minister was briefed by a senior civil servant about “super-rich” financial adviser Epstein ahead of a meeting scheduled on 14 May 2002 at 5pm that day, according to a memo seen by the BBC.The meeting took place six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.A spokesperson for Sir Tony said: “As far as he can remember, Mr Blair met with him for less than 30 minutes in Downing Street in 2002, and discussed US and UK politics. He never met or engaged with him subsequently. This was, of course, long before his crimes were known of and his subsequent conviction.”Lord Mandelson is said to have encouraged then prime minister Sir Tony Blair to meet Jeffrey Epstein in 2002 More