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    Starmer warns Labour rebels there will be no more concessions on benefit cuts

    Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour rebels that he will not budge any further on plans to slash disability benefits.With dozens of backbenchers threatening a revolt over plans to cut personal independence payments (PIP) and other benefits, the prime minister is facing his next big test with his own party.Already, there had been rumblings about economic policy during the run-up to the spending review, with a number of MPs supportive of a proposal by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to impose eight new wealth taxes on the super-rich and corporations instead of making cuts.Keir Starmer on a visit with Liz Kendall to the Bridge Cafe in Bolton More

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    Fewer than half of young men believe abortion should be legal, poll finds

    Fewer than half of young men believe abortion should be legal, far less than the general population, a shocking new poll has found. Just 46 per cent of 18 to 36-year-old men believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with 71 per cent among the general population. Amid concerns about the rise of the manosphere – a growing online community of hypermasculine influencers – the Ipsos poll showed a stark drop in support for abortion in those aged under 36. More than a third of young men think abortions should be illegal More

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    The UK should protect its allies in the Gulf and Middle East – but Israel isn’t one of them

    For Britain, Israel is mostly a strategic liability – but it’s also a very close ally in stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.Now that Israel is locked in a war with Iran and Britain is rushing to send a handful of RAF jets to the region, that relationship needs careful management.The UK cannot afford to be seen as guilty by association in respect of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, or to suffer reputational damage by offering Israel unnecessary help – there is plenty for the RAF to do aside from that. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has said that the aircraft may be used to defend the UK’s allies – in other words, shoot down Iranian missiles heading towards Tel Aviv.Helping Israel to stop the erratic and malevolent Iranian regime from making an atomic bomb is smart. Being seen to do so, and protecting Israel against the consequences of its endeavours, is not.Iran has threatened to attack any US ally that defends Israel. The US has already helped to shoot down ballistic missiles fired by Tehran in retaliation for the ongoing, and widespread, Israeli attacks on Iran’s air defences, missile systems, military leadership and nuclear programme. The US has a vast array of military assets very close to Iran, with air force and navy bases positioned across the Persian Gulf, in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. These are all vulnerable to attack.Rescue teams clear rubble in a neighbourhood in the northern Israeli town of Tamra following an overnight missile attack by Iran More

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    ‘I’ll use private sector to help clear NHS backlog’, says Streeting

    Wes Streeting has said he will consider leaning more heavily on the private sector as he bids to clear NHS waiting lists.The health secretary said he will not be “bound by outdated ideological battles” when tackling the crisis in the service, where 7.39 million people are currently waiting to be seen by doctors. He said it would be “foolish to turn away” from the private healthcare sector, but cautioned that “we must see it for what it is”. Wes Streeting said he would not be ideologically opposed to expanding the use of the private sector in the NHS More

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    Starmer resists recognising unilateral Palestinian state as unions demand deepens Labour split

    Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will not agree to recognise a unilateral Palestine as a state, as a civil war over the issue threatens to erupt in his party.With tensions mounting in the Middle East, given the ongoing blockade of Gaza by Israel and the region on the brink of all-out war between Israel and Iran, Sir Keir made it clear that the UK government will not budge.The prime minister said: “Our position on recognition of Palestine as part of the process hasn’t changed for us. I hold very strongly to the belief that the only long-term solution to the conflict in the Middle East is a two-state solution. However hard that may seem at the moment in the current circumstances, that is the only way to peace. So that continues to be our position.”His comments came as the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Labour’s biggest financial backer, issued a joint statement with its Canadian and French counterparts calling on the UK government to change its position.The prime minister is not currently planning to change his position on Palestinian recognition More

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    Britain ‘not at war’ despite sending more RAF jets to the Middle East, Reeves says

    Rachel Reeves has insisted Britain is not at war despite sending more RAF jets to the Middle East amid devastating strikes between Iran and Israel. The chancellor said the UK could play a military role defending Israel from ongoing Iranian attacks, but said moves so far “do not mean we are at war”. Speaking to Sky News, she said: “We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. I’m not going to comment on what might happen in the future, but so far, we haven’t been involved, and we’re sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.” Rachel Reeves said Britain is not at war More

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    Starmer’s rebuke to Trump as he prepares for Canada trade talks ahead of crucial summit

    Keir Starmer is to put trading relations with Canada back on track with a rebuke to Donald Trump and the tariffs which have sent global trade into turmoil.The prime minister has flown out to Ottawa for a bilateral meeting with newly elected Canadian PM Mark Carney ahead of a G7 summit in Alberta next week.Downing Street has made a point of wanting to “retain Britain’s status as a free and open trading nation”, as Sir Keir flew across the Atlantic.The line was a direct rebuke to the strategy pursued by Donald Trump with his tariffs ahead of an expected bilateral meeting with the US president at the summit.Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney to 10 Downing Street More

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    UK moving jets to Middle East as Israel warns more severe strikes coming

    The UK is sending more RAF jets to the Middle East, Sir Keir Starmer said, after Iran threatened to target British, French and US bases if the countries help stop strikes on Israel.The prime minister said further military assets are being deployed to provide “contingency support” across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes.Sir Keir’s announcement comes as Iran and Israel continue to bombard one another with airstrikes in the wake of Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear bases. Civilians took cover in bomb shelters as air raid sirens sounded across Israel, while plumes of smoke were seen rising from the streets of Tel Aviv after deadly attacks in both countries. Rejecting international calls to de-escalate the violence, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks would intensify as he claimed to have set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities, possibly by years. “We will hit every site and every target of the ayatollah’s regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he vowed in a video message on Saturday. Ahead of a gathering of world leaders at a crunch G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed Britain was moving military assets to the region.Buildings in Israel were destroyed by strikes More