UK Politics

A US software company’s £1.5 billion investment in the UK’s defence sector is a “major vote of confidence”, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.Palantir has announced plans to establish the UK as its European headquarters for defence, creating 350 “high-skilled” new jobs.The partnership will see the development of artificial intelligence-powered capabilities to speed-up decision making, military planning and targeting, the Ministry of Defence said.It is part of a £150 billion American investment package announced during US President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit.Mr Healey said: “This partnership is a major vote of confidence in UK leadership in defence, data and AI technology and as an ideal location for companies to invest and expand.“By harnessing the power of AI, we will boost the effectiveness of our armed forces, ensuring they have the tools they need to keep the British people safe.“The work will unlock billions of pounds of investment into UK innovation, creating hundreds of skilled UK jobs and making defence the leading edge of innovation in Nato.”As part of the agreement, Palantir has committed to mentoring small and medium enterprises in the UK to develop innovative products and solutions, including in AI.Palantir chief executive Alex Karp said: “This partnership reflects our deep commitment to the UK. It will see up to £750 million invested in the most advanced AI-enabled defence technology, honed on the battlefield in Ukraine and used extensively by the US and Nato.“It will reinforce the UK’s position as a major military force protecting the West from our adversaries. And it will underline the UK’s status as our largest presence outside of the US.”A tactic known as the “kill chain”, whereby military planners fuse information and data sources from open source and military platforms to provide military commanders with faster options for attacking an enemy target, is expected to be developed as part of the deal. More

As Donald Trump bid farewell to King Charles on Thursday morning after what the US president clearly considered to be a successful state trip, all eyes turned to the political arena where the UK-US “special relationship” will truly be put to the test. For Keir Starmer, his mini summit with President Trump at Chequers carries enormous significance – not just for his foreign policy but also his own standing at home, given that Labour MPs are openly questioning whether he should continue as PM.But the prime minister knows that, as well as being a potential boost for him domestically, the two face clashing over difficult issues, which could really test Trump’s description of the relationship. Among these are steel, tariffs, Ukraine and even the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which put paid to Peter Mandelson and threatens to drag in the US president. But, most pressing, is Gaza, a subject on which Starmer and Trump are in no way aligned. Donald Trump with King Charles at the state banquet More

Labour deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell has dubbed fevered speculation around the possible return of Andy Burnham “kind of sexist”. As the crisis facing Sir Keir Starmer continues to grow, there have been mounting calls from Labour backbenchers for the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Westminster politics and launch a leadership bid. But asked about the possibility of such a return, Ms Powell said the conversation is “just a classic Westminster bubble obsession”. Bridget Phillipson is running against Lucy Powell (PA) More

A former Labour councillor has been charged after a probe into the Westminster honeytrap scandal. Oliver Steadman, 28, has been charged with one count of blackmail and five counts of improper use of a public phone network.He will appear in court on 3 November. The former Labour councillor was arrested last June in a probe More

Nigel Farage has secured his first Labour defector as a borough councillor became the first to abandon Sir Keir Starmer’s party for Reform UK. In a significant shift, Mason Humberstone became the first Labour politician to jump ship to the insurgent right-wing party. His defection follows a series of Labour councillors joining the Green Party or switching to a pro-Gaza independent ticket. And it follows a slew of former and current Tory MPs and councillors joining Mr Farage’s ranks. Mason Humberstone has defected from Labour to Reform More

Donald Trump and his allies have done “the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”, Sir Sadiq Khan has said. As the US president arrived in the UK for his historic second state visit, the London mayor attacked him for “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens and deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities”. “These actions aren’t just inconsistent with Western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” Sir Sadiq added. Sadiq Khan said Donald Trump has fanned the flames of the far-right More