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    Former White House communications director explains why Barack Obama visited Downing Street

    Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has opened up on why Barack Obama paid a surprise visit to Downing Street.The former US president made the unexpected visit to No.10 on Monday (18 March) to meet with Rishi Sunak.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (19 March), Mr Scaramucci was quizzed over Mr Obama’s visit by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls.He said: “I think Obama is going to help Joe Biden in the coming months. He is probably expressing some sentiment from the White House to the prime minister about the coalition we need to have with the Ukrainian war.” More

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    Barack Obama jokes with reporters as he leaves Downing Street after visiting Rishi Sunak

    Former US president Barack Obama met with Rishi Sunak in a “courtesy visit” to Downing Street on Monday 18 March.Mr Obama spent around an hour inside the No 10 study with the prime minister.He joked he was “tempted” to discuss the state of Russian democracy when members of the media asked him to stop as he left with the US ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, just after 4pm.It is understood Mr Sunak and Mr Obama discussed a range of subjects, including artificial intelligence, in a largely one-on-one meeting. More

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    Labour MP compares cost of Rwanda flights to Virgin Galactic ‘sending six people to space’

    A Labour MP has compared the cost of the government’s Rwanda scheme to Virgin Galactic “sending six people to space” during a debate in the House of Commons.Neil Coyle urged the Tories to “rethink” the bill ahead of another vote on Monday 18 March, in which Rishi Sunak will seek to reverse the defeats from the House of Lords.“Is the minister aware that Virgin Galactic can send six people into space for less than this government wants to spend sending one person to Rwanda?” Mr Coyle asked illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson.“Is it not time to rethink this absurd policy and extortionate cost?” More

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    London ‘a safer city’ than Berlin, Madrid and Paris, says Sadiq Khan as he launches re-election bid

    London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed London is a “safer city” than Berlin, Madrid and Paris but admits he does not want to be “complacent” as he launched his bid for a third term in office.Citing research from University College London, Mr Khan claimed that the capital was safer than most major cities in Europe and the United States despite recent ONS figures suggesting knife crime had risen.“Both as a member of parliament and as the mayor I have met too many victims of crime,” he admitted on Monday 18 March.Mr Khan added that Londoners have the “opportunity” to vote in a Labour government and mayor to “work together” this year. More

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    Obama arrives at Downing Street for surprise private meeting

    Barack Obama arrived at Downing Street on Monday, 18 March, for an undisclosed private meeting.The former US president, who served in the White House from 2009 to 2017, smiled and waved at members of the press before he entered Rishi Sunak’s residence just after 3pm.The reason for his visit was not immediately confirmed at the time of reporting.Mr Obama’s London trip came after he met the Belgian royal family over the weekend at their official residence, the Palace of Laeken. More

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    Kemi Badenoch criticises continuation of Tory donor racism row for ‘well over a week’

    Kemi Badenoch dismissed the Tory donor racism row as “trivia” during an interview on LBC on Monday, 18 March.Speaking to Nick Ferrari, the business secretary commented on the ongoing conversation regarding Frank Hester’s alleged remarks about Diane Abbott.“We need to get to a place where we stop chasing people around and looking everywhere for the racism… We’ve been talking about this for well over a week now,” Ms Badenoch said.Mr Hester, who gave the Conservative party £10m in 2023, allegedly made derogatory comments about Ms Abbott during a 2019 company meeting, suggesting she “should be shot”. More

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    Watch: Alexei Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya attends protest against Russian elections

    Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya joined election protesters outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday (17 March).The crowd could be heard chanting her name as Ms Navalnaya shook hands with protesters.Protesters could also be seen holding up a fake street sign reading “Alexei Navalny Street”.The sham Russian election, taking place this weekend, is widely expected to confirm Vladimir Putin’s fifth term of presidency, set to last for at least another six years.Putin, 71, faces little competition; his opponents are either in jail or in exile abroad. His most prominent competition- Mr Navalny – died in a remote Arctic penal colony last month. More

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    Russian voter floods ballet box with green paint in protest against Putin

    A Russian voter flooded a ballet box with green paint in protest against Vladimir Putin.The resident took disruptive action at the polling station in the Alekseevsky district of the Belgorod region of Russia, by flooding a stationary ballot box with green paint on the second day of the presidential elections.The resident was promptly arrested by police at the scene.The sham election is widely expected to confirm Putin’s fifth term of presidency, set to last for at least another six years.Putin, 71, faces little competition; his opponents are either in jail or in exile abroad. More