Markus Andrews

Sir Keir Starmer has declared that plans to put a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have now entered an “operational phase”, as Britain prepares to host military chiefs from a group of Western countries ready to support a ceasefire. Sending the strongest signal yet that the “coalition of the willing” is pressing ahead with the pledge to back a ceasefire deal with troops on the ground, the PM said allies would be prepared to “help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea and in the sky”.“We won’t sit back and wait for Putin to act,” the prime minister warned, vowing to “keep pushing forward” with the plan for peace. Sir Keir Starmer said planning for a peacekeeping force would move to an ‘operational phase’ More

Controversial plans to freeze some disability benefits may be dropped as ministers consider abandoning the plans to avoid a potentially damaging vote in the Commons. Initial reports had suggested that Personal Independence Payments (PIP) would be frozen from rising in line with inflation for a year, but the plan has been met with strong opposition. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to lay out the reforms to our current welfare system next week, with the government expected to announce billions of pounds worth of cuts. However, plans for the PIP not to rise in line with inflation for a year, could be dropped, as reported by the BBC.It was one of several elements of a wider package to welfare cuts that are designed to save between £5bn and £6bn, but it has drawn the ire of several Labour MPs and peers. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is set to lay out the reforms on Tuesday More

Sir Keir Starmer maintained that Donald Trump is “absolutely committed” to lasting peace in Ukraine, while urging allies to move forward together to achieve an end to Russia’s invasion of the country.After praising the close relationship between the two nations, Sir Keir reiterated the need for “As many countries as possible, thinking together, discussing together, and moving forward together as a group” in a speech on Saturday, 15 March.Mr Trump described US talks with Putin as “very good and productive” and said there was “a very good chance” that Russia’s invasion could “finally come to an end.”It follows his chaotic Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, during which he and JD Vance shouted over the Ukrainian president. More

Watch as Sir Keir Starmer held a press conference after hosting a meeting with world leaders to discuss peace in Ukraine on Saturday, 15 March.The prime minister urged countries in his “coalition of the willing” to keep pressure on Moscow after he warned Vladimir Putin not to “play games” over a ceasefire deal.Around 25 world leaders joined Sir Keir for a virtual call on Saturday, including Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.The meeting was aimed at discussing plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.Sir Keir has accused Putin of having “complete disregard” for 30-day ceasefire proposals put forward by Ukraine and the US earlier in the week.Despite Donald Trump describing “good and productive” talks with Russia on Friday, Mr Putin has been accused of using delaying tactics by raising “nuances” and further questions, as well as suggesting that Ukraine would not be permitted to rearm, mobilise or receive Western military aid during the truce. More

Rachel Reeves reportedly accepted free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert last week, in a move which threatens to reignite the freebies row which rocked the government last year. According to the i, the chancellor sat in a corporate box last weekend to watch the O2 arena show, for which some resale tickets cost almost £1000, as the Cabinet geared up to announce sweeping cuts to disability benefits. There is no suggestion the chancellor broke any rules, as it is not against lobbying rules for ministers to accept free tickets if declared in the normal way. Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Yui Mok/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace in Ukraine as he urged Western leaders to ramp up economic pressure to force him to the negotiating table. The prime minister accused the Russian leader of “playing games” over peace talks, as he prepared to host a virtual summit of around 25 countries on Saturday. The countries in the “coalition of the willing”, which include Britain, France, Australia and Canada, will discuss how to help Kyiv deter future Russian aggression in the event of any peace deal.Starmer has accused Putin of playing games More

A coalition of leading charities has urged Labour to introduce new rental laws which will ensure poorer tenants are not “filtered out” of the housing market. Unfair guarantor rules are allowing landlords to discriminate against “undesirable” tenants, they say, and should be changed as part of Labour’s forthcoming renters bill.Research from Shelter has found that one in three renters who are asked for a guarantor struggles to provide one, meaning around 600,000 renters have struggled to secure a home in recent years.In an open letter to housing secretary Angela Rayner, 28 organisations including Shelter and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation say that this issue will only grow worse if not brought in alongside other anti-discrimination measures set to come into effect as part of the bill. This is because landlords, “will simply switch to further abusing their power to request a guarantor, even when there is very little danger that a tenant will not pay rent,” the letter said.Angela Rayner said the Government’s plans would unleash ‘the biggest building boom in a generation’ (Leon Neal/PA) More

Nigel Farage should consider sacking Reform chairman Zia Yusuf to stop the bitter feuding that threatens to destroy their party.That is the controversial message from Raheem Kassam, a close ally of Mr Farage and who is also closely linked to Donald Trump’s White House.It comes as Techne’s weekly tracker poll for The Independent has shown Reform falling to their lowest point since January in the wake of Mr Farage’s suspension of fellow Reform MP Rupert Lowe over claims that he made threats against Mr Yusuf.Mr Lowe claimed Mr Farage threw him out of Reform because he had challenged Mr Farage’s leadership, deriding him as a “Messiah.”Farage and Yusuf at a press conference More