UK

Russia has seized on comments made by the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who said that Ukraine is fighting a “proxy war” on behalf of Western Europe. Russia’s embassy in London shared a clip of Ms Badenoch, claiming she had “called a spade a spade”. The Kremlin has long tried to justify its invasion of Ukraine by claiming Nato is using the country as a proxy for war. In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, the Tory leader also claimed that Israel is fighting a “proxy war on behalf of the UK” in Gaza against Hamas. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch made the comments on Sky News on Sunday More

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has accused Reform UK of disseminating “racist” political “disinformation” through a Facebook advertisement targeting Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Speaking during a campaign stop in Hamilton, Swinney urged Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to remove the advert, which he claims “deceives and distorts” voters.The Reform UK advert alleges that Sarwar will “prioritise” the Pakistani community in Scotland. It features clips of Sarwar advocating for increased political representation for individuals of South Asian descent. Swinney condemned the advert’s framing of Sarwar’s comments, arguing it misrepresents his calls for broader inclusivity.Mr Swinney said the advert, which Reform has spent thousands of pounds on ahead of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on June 5, is an “unacceptable” attempt to use Mr Sarwar’s race against him.He told the PA news agency: “What’s important here is that the advert that’s been put up clearly distorts and presents an impression which is not borne out by the contents of the material that is in the film.“So it’s clearly trying to deceive and distort the message.“As a political rival of Anas Sarwar, I think that’s unacceptable, because it’s trying to use race in this campaign against one of my political rivals.“I don’t think that’s acceptable, and the social media companies have got to act to address that circumstance.”He added that it meant the removal of the ad.He told broadcasters earlier that the ad amounted to a “racist attack” on Mr Sarwar.Speaking to reporters as SNP activists gathered at Hamilton Central Station, Mr Swinney said disinformation was “debasing” politics in Scotland.He said: “It serves none of us and this is what I’ve been concerned about for some time.“It’s why I took the steps I’ve taken in confronting this whole disinformation agenda.“One of the themes of the discussions we had at the gathering we had in Glasgow a few weeks ago was all about misinformation and distortion, and it’s debasing our politics.“People can’t make informed judgments because they’re having disinformation.”Anas Sarwar More

Rachel Reeves should spend any extra money in the Budget on investment — such as on major rail schemes — to help drive economic growth rather than funding policy U-turns, a former adviser has said. As the chancellor scrabbles to find billions for a potential hat-trick of benefit U-turns, Jim O’Neill, a former Treasury minister who quit the Conservatives and later advised Ms Reeves, told The Independent that moves to fund policy reversals were driven “by the politics” of the situation. “I would like to see any money available in (next month’s) spending review or Budget to be spent on positive multiplier investments,” he said. These are projects that generate multiple pounds for the economy for every £1 spent. These would include the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme, Lord O’Neill said. It is designed to link major cities in the North, following warnings it takes longer to travel between them than it does to get to Paris. Pressure is mounting on the Chancellor over the impact of Labour’s recent tax hike on the cost of living (PA) More

A former cabinet minister has called for drug companies to get easier access to NHS data. Greg Clark, who was the business secretary under Theresa May, has backed a report that says it would save lives and give the country’s finances a multi-billion-pound boost. It calls for firms to be able to see anonymised raw details – which would not reveal patients’ private information. But the call will prove controversial, amid warnings that the data could fall into the wrong hands.Mr Clark said the UK “cannot hope to compete on the international stage without… the right policies”.Pharmaceutical firms claim the NHS data could allow them to offer new types of treatments (Jeff Moore/PA) More

Donald Trump has revived his explosive free speech row with Keir Starmer, with a decision to “monitor” the case of Lucy Connolly, the woman jailed for an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks.The US State Department said it was “concerned about infringements on freedom of expression”. It is examining the treatment of 42-year-old Connolly, the wife of a former Conservative councillor, who was sentenced to 31 months after she made the post on X in the hours after three girls were stabbed and killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.US President Donald Trump has revived his row with Sir Keir Starmer (Carl Court/PA) More

Lawmakers have been issued a stark warning over plans to extend police powers to NHS staff allowing them to detain mental health patients, with a group of major health organisations expressing “grave concerns” over the proposed changes. The Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the Royal College of Nursing and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services are among those saying proposed changes to the Mental Health Bill will cause “significant harm with dangerous consequences.”In March, the government suffered several defeats in the Lords as peers debated ways to modernise mental health legislation.Conservative shadow health minister Lord Kamall proposed a change to the Mental Health Bill so that nurses, doctors and other staff could carry out detentions of patients without the need for police officers to attend incidents.It comes after the NHS unveiled plans to open more mental health crisis centres across England in a bid to keep those patients out of crowded A&Es More

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that announcing U-turns on controversial policies may not be enough to turn around his dwindling approval ratings or win back lost voters.Polling experts say last week’s climbdown on winter fuel payment cuts – as well as a potential reversal on the Tories’ two-child benefit cap – run the risk of making him look “insecure” and could trigger yet more talk of a leadership challenge. The warning comes as the prime minister scrambles to win over voters who have turned their back on Labour since the party’s historic general election victory 10 months ago. The PM is also facing a rebellion from his own MPs over controversial welfare cuts and a growing unease over the direction of the party. Polling guru Sir John Curtice warned that any policy reversals – even if deemed popular by MPs and the public – may not be enough to assuage concerns over his leadership, adding that “doubts have crept in” for Labour MPs over whether Sir Keir is the right person to lead the party to victory in 2029. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing questions over his leadership More

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week (Thomas Krych/PA) More