UK

Keir Starmer has warned that Vladamir Putin cannot be trusted “as far as you could throw him” and that any peace deal must not be imposed on Ukraine.As Donald Trump prepares to meet the Russian leader in Alaska on Friday, Downing Street said the UK would stand with Kyiv until there was a “just” peace.It came after the UK and European nations rallied in support of Ukraine at the weekend as a defiant Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the US president’s suggestion that a deal to end the war may involve giving up land to Russia. ( More

Rachel Reeves has been dealt a fresh blow on the economy as company hiring plans fall to a “record low” following her national insurance contributions (NIC) hike. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said just 57 per cent of private sector employers plan to recruit staff in the next three months, down from 65 per cent last autumn, as they battle rising costs.The influential monthly report by accountants KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Federation (REC) also showed a “further steep decline” in permanent worker appointments last month, with recruiters blaming weak confidence in the economy and higher payroll costs. Anna Leach, the chief economist at the Institute of Directors, warned the trend “could undermine the UK’s weak growth outlook further, hitting both living standards and tax revenues”.Rachel Reeves has suffered another economic blow More

The education sector is facing disaster, a union boss has warned, after a new survey showed that one in 10 teachers could leave the profession in the next two years. A survey of 1,800 teachers found that 9 per cent say they are “very likely” to quit in the next 24 months, with over a third (37 per cent) saying their workload is overwhelming or unsustainable. With 468,258 teachers in England, this would amount to around 42,000 leaving the profession – a figure that dwarfs the 6,500 Labour has promised to hire, funded by charging VAT on private school fees. School teachers are under increasing pressure More

Labour has said it is returning more than £40,000 donated by a convicted criminal who the party had already expelled as a member.The donations came from businessman Abdul Sattar Shere-Mohammod, 55, known as Shere Sattar, who was convicted of actual bodily harm in 2022 and thrown out of Labour later that year. The money includes £10,300 given to the central party last June, a figure that is just below the threshold to be disclosed to the elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission.The revelations raise questions about Labour’s procedures for accepting political donations, an issue which hit the headlines following reports earlier this year that Elon Musk planned to give Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party $100m (£74m). In its manifesto at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party pledged to “protect democracy by strengthening the rules around donations to political parties”. As well as the money given to the party, £15,000 was donated by Mohammod to, in part, support the re-election of Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan, the early education minister. The party said Mr Morgan was not aware of his conviction.His local party should have declared these, but Labour has blamed an “administrative error” that it said was being rectified.Stephen Morgan, the early education minister More

Rachel Reeves has urged the public to be patient with Labour on the economy, saying that the change they voted for in last summer’s election was “never going to happen overnight”.The chancellor insisted she was “impatient” to deliver and said ministers had made a start on turning things around, but there was “lots more to do” as she blamed the last Tory government for the nation’s financial problems. Her comments come just days after the Bank of England warned the public of months of sharp price rises ahead, driven by higher food costs. Reeves says the changes were ‘never going to happen overnight’ More

European leaders have rallied in support of Ukraine after a defiant Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that a peace plan may involve giving up land to Russia.President Trump, who is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska as he seeks to bring an end to the war, has said the talks could include “some swapping of territories”.But an angry President Zelensky hit back on Saturday, insisting Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier”. Members of the so-called coalition of the willing – countries which have pledged support for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression – were quick to show their support, insisting that any deal must include Ukraine and Europe, warning its security is “at stake”.The joint leaders’ statement from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said: “We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tour the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine, after a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” at the Presidential Palace in France earlier this year More

The UK is set to deport foreign criminals to free up prison space in the government’s latest immigration crackdown.Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed the offenders will be sent “packing” immediately when they receive a custodial sentence.The proposed law change – which could save taxpayers an average of £54,000 per year, per prison place – would apply to prisoners serving fixed-term “determinate” sentences. Authorities would also retain their power not to deport a criminal but instead keep them in custody, for example, if the offender was planning further crimes against the UK’s interests or national security.“Our message is clear,” Ms Mahmood said. “If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing.”She added: “Deportations are up under this government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before.”Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed that the offenders will be sent ‘packing’ immediately when they receive a custodial sentence More

Leading pollsters have suggested Labour‘s plan to lower the voting age to 16 could “backfire” as Reform UK and Jeremy Corbyn‘s new party could end up gaining the most from the policy instead.The “seismic” move announced by the government as part of a raft of measures last month would allow around 1.5 million more teenagers to cast a ballot, bringing UK-wide elections in line with Scotland and Wales by the time the country next goes to the polls, due by the summer of 2029 at the latest.Keir Starmer encouraged 16 and 17-year-olds to use their vote at the next election, with No 10 saying the prime minister would “absolutely encourage them to be as engaged as they can be in the future of their country”.But top pollsters have warned the rewards Labour may have been hoping to reap from their plans might not come to fruition, with Nigel Farage’s Reform and Mr Corbyn’s party the potential real winners.Respected pollster and Conservative peer Robert Hayward told The Independent: “I just don’t think the policy will be as beneficial as the Labour Party thought when they first proposed it.The ‘seismic’ move announced by the government as part of a raft of measures last month would allow around 1.5 million more teenagers to cast a ballot More