UK Politics

The defence secretary has hit out at “shocking” scenes of migrants being picked up by people smugglers “like a taxi” to be brought to the UK on dangerous small boats while French police stand by. A furious row has erupted over the lack of action after more than 1,000 people crossed the channel in a single day on Saturday. French police officers were seen watching as migrants, including children, boarded at a beach in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, while authorities were then pictured escorting the boats.John Healey said it was a “big problem” that French police had not intervened to intercept the boats in shallow waters and said ministers were pushing the French government to implement an agreement that they would. The authorities in France had to “stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore,” he added. People thought to be migrants board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

After months of behind the scenes wrangling, the government’s long-awaited strategic defence review (SDR) is finally set to be published on Monday. The flagship review, which was promised by Sir Keir Starmer immediately after assuming office, is intended to address the “true state of the armed forces” – and the money available to spend on it.Whenever ministers have faced questions over Britain’s ailing military in the past few months, they have pointed to the SDR as a fix-all remedy. But when the review is published on Monday – and inevitably pored over by defence experts, journalists and MPs – there will no longer be anywhere for the government to hide. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Defence Secretary John Healey (Oli Scarff/PA) More

One of Sir Keir Starmer’s first acts as prime minister was to order a “root and branch” review of Britain’s armed forces. The prime minister said the UK’s military capabilities had been “hollowed out” during 14 years of Conservative rule, warning that an urgent revamp was needed with the country facing an increasingly dangerous world. And 10 months on, Sir Keir will on Monday unveil the outcome of the so-called strategic defence review.The Independent looks at what we know about the defence review and what to expect. Sir Keir Starmer ordered a review of Britain’s defence capabilities within weeks of taking office More

Britain is being attacked by Russia every day, the defence secretary has warned hours before Keir Starmer unveils his plans to make the UK ready for war. John Healey said Russia was “attacking the UK daily” in cyberspace as part of 90,000 assaults on Britain’s defence systems linked to different states. Asked if he expected a real-world attack, he added: “We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force… it’s part of the growing Russian aggression.”Keir Starmer in front of one of the UK’s aircraft carriers More

Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to consider the “overwhelming evidence” from New Zealand to consider banning smart phones from schools.In an exclusive interview with The Independent, New Zealand’s education minister Erica Stanford said she has heard “overwhelmingly positive feedback” about the world-leading phone ban in her country, with more engagement and less cyberbullying in schools.The New Zealand National Party government now hopes to take it further and introduce a ban on social media for under-16s.It comes as Sir Keir’s government is under increasing pressure to introduce similar measures in English schools, with the Tories and campaign groups pressing for a ban.A schoolgirl with her mobile phone More

Spending commitments on defence mean it is “impossible” for the chancellor to invest in economic growth, public services and net zero policies when she allocates money for the next three years, leading economists have warned. Rachel Reeves will face “unavoidably” tough choices as she set out her plans in a spending review in just over a week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says. The government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GPD within the next two years. But on Saturday, ahead of the launch of a new defence strategy on Monday, the defence secretary John Healy went further as he said there was “no doubt” the UK would meet its target to raise the level to 3 per cent by 2034.Rachel Reeves faces tough choices with limited resources More

British citizens will be required to have their fingerprints scanned whenever they go to the European Union due to delays in the development of digital biometrics software.Every UK passenger entering the Schengen area will need to exit their car to be photographed and fingerprinted individually. A spokesperson for the Port of Dover, which facilitates transit and trade with countries like France and the Netherlands, told The Independent the plans will be rolled out in the autumn.This is because a new biometric entry-check system for non-EU citizens was expected to be implemented last year, but this has been postponed.The Independent initially reported on the delay to the new system at the end of 2024, with suggestions that the demand for fingerprints may quietly be dropped.Every UK passenger entering the Schengen area will need to exit their car to be photographed and fingerprinted individually More

The government has announced plans to build six new munitions and weapons factories – at a cost of £1.5bn – as ministers seek to improve the UK’s war readiness in the face of growing hostility from Russia.The plans will form part of a war-ready – or “always on” – pipeline that can be scaled up at short notice. Making the announcement ahead of a new defence review published on Monday, defence secretary John Healey said the “hard-fought lessons” of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine “show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them”.The defence review is expected to warn of an ‘immediate and pressing’ threat posed by Russia amid the war in Ukraine More