UK

The defence secretary has failed to rule out tax rises to pay for Britain’s “war readiness” amid concerns that the government does not have enough money to fund the plans outlined in a major defence review.John Healey said the government would “set out how we’ll pay for future increases in the future” when quizzed over how Britain can afford to boost its military funding to 3 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. Speaking a day after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the long-awaited defence strategic defence review, Mr Healey said he is “100 per cent confident” the target would be met — but he struggled to say how it would be paid for after economists warned that significant tax rises would be needed. Questions have been raised over the government’s big ambitions to make Britain “safer and stronger” after Sir Keir refused to commit to hitting the 3 per cent target by 2034 — which the review warned was essential to ensure the plans were affordable.Defence Secretary John Healey announced new defence investment More

Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, The Independent’s chief political commentator.Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A, click here.Nigel Farage has never been far from the headlines, but now his messaging – and Reform UK’s platform – has shifted in ways that have sent the party’s poll numbers soaring. This shift has caught Sir Keir Starmer’s attention, prompting the prime minister to launch a series of attacks on Mr Farage’s plans to spend “billions upon billions upon billions, tens of billions of pounds, in an unfunded way”, describing them as an “exact repeat of what Liz Truss did”.Starmer said he wants to “protect” working people from the impact of these policies.One pollster has suggested the UK is on the verge of “a political earthquake”. Martin Baxter, chief executive of Electoral Calculus, said: “On these figures, Nigel Farage would be prime minister with a working majority and no need for a coalition with other parties.”However, others have urged caution, warning against reading too much into the polls and questioning some of the assumptions behind the Electoral Calculus forecast.With Farage’s rise gaining momentum, the stakes have never been higher. Critics warn of risks to democracy, supporters see a fresh alternative to the tired two-party system, and many remain uncertain what Reform truly represents beyond a protest vote.So, what’s driving this surge? What does Reform really stand for, and how credible are Farage’s £80 billion spending promises?Join me live at 3pm BST on Wednesday, 4 June to explore Farage’s evolving strategy, Reform’s policies, and what this political shake-up could mean for Britain.Submit your questions in the comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to participate. For a full guide on how to comment, click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question right away – some may be hidden until the Q&A starts. See you at 3pm! More

The government is facing renewed calls to suspend all arms exports to Israel as an MP warns of the risk that British-made weapons are being used to “ethnically cleanse” Palestinians.Labour MP Steve Witherden described Gaza as “already a slaughterhouse,” during a parliamentary debate, imploring ministers to outline the specific conditions that would trigger a halt to further exports.Mr Witherden also highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding the true extent of UK military exports to Israel, particularly regarding the supply of components for the F-35 fighter jet programme.In response, Business minister Douglas Alexander clarified that the UK Government does not directly sell F-35 components to Israeli authorities, and that export licenses prohibit direct shipments to Israel for use within the country.He added that the UK’s exports of spare F-35 parts are integrated into a global supply network, where exporters have limited oversight of the ultimate end-users.People take part in the National march for Palestine in central London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign More

Trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds is meeting US officials on Tuesday as the UK faces a race against time to prevent Donald Trump bringing in new tariffs on steel.Earlier this month, a UK-US trade deal was unveiled that should have exempted Britain from steel tariffs; however, the move has yet to be implemented, and the details are still being worked out ahead of a formal deal.On Tuesday in Paris, Mr Reynolds and US trade representative Jamieson Greer are expected to discuss implementing the agreement.It comes amid uncertainty about the future of Mr Trump’s tariffs after a US court last week ruled many of them unlawful, before an appeals court reinstated the levies pending a further hearing.Last week also saw Mr Trump announce that he would double tariffs on steel to 50 per cent, starting on Wednesday, and it remains unclear how the UK would be affected by his declaration.Mr Reynolds’ visit to Paris is part of a three-day trip, during which he is expected to meet other trade ministers and attend a G7 ministerial meeting before heading to Brussels for meetings with his EU counterparts.Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds will meet the US trade representative Jamieson Greer in Paris More

Gang leaders who coerce vulnerable individuals into concealing drugs and cash within their bodies could face up to a decade behind bars, thanks to a proposed change in the law.Ministers are seeking to establish a new criminal offence to combat the practice known as “plugging”. This method is commonly employed by organised crime groups to transport illicit goods in county lines drug operations.Children and vulnerable adults are often forced to swallow or hide items inside their bodies, which can result in serious harm. There is also a risk of fatal overdose if drug packages rupture internally.The amendment will be incorporated into the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament.The proposed law change will form part of the Crime and Policing Bill More

Keir Starmer’s bold defence plans have been overshadowed by a row over money as he was warned Britain may not be moving quickly enough to counter the rapidly growing threats from countries such as Russia. The prime minister vowed to make Britain “a battle-ready, armour-clad nation” as he unveiled his strategic defence review (SDR) at the Govan shipbuilding yard in Scotland, which included an army boosted to 100,000 personnel, 12 new submarines, drones and a rollout of Artificial Intelligence.Defence secretary John Healey said Britain’s army needed to become “10 times more lethal” in the face of the “immediate and pressing threat” from Russia and the rise of China. “ We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence,” he told MPs. But questions were raised over the government’s big ambitions to make Britain “safer and stronger” after Sir Keir refused to commit to spending 3 per cent of Britain’s gross domestic product on defence by 2034 — which the review warned was essential to ensure the plans were affordable.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he would not resile from his duty to stabilise the economy (Andy Buchanan/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has announced a major change in UK foreign policy in exchange for an economic deal with one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies.Since the end of Spanish rule in 1975, there has been a long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front) over a region known as Western Sahara. Britain has so far stayed out of the controversy. But now, after five decades, the British government has agreed for the first time to join Israel, France and Germany in supporting the north African kingdom’s claim to the territory. The deal puts British companies at the front of the queue to deliver infrastructure for the 2030 Fifa World Cup as well as other major projects.Archway to Western Sahara with image of the Moroccan king More

Keir Starmer has unveiled the results of his “root and branch” review of Britain’s armed forces, with a pledge to make the UK “battle-ready”. The prime minister has ordered up to a dozen new attack submarines, £15bn worth of nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons after the report concluded that the country should prepare for war.Here The Independent looks at what is in the prime minister’s long-awaited strategic defence review, which warns of the threat posed by Russia and draws heavily on the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. A ‘more lethal’ army and other ‘immediate’ stepsMinisters have announced they will implement all 62 of the report’s recommendations in full – but there will be a number of “immediate” steps. These include creating a British Army that is “ten times more lethal” with more personnel, long-range missiles and “land-drone swarms”. As well as the new nuclear warheads and nuclear-powered attack submarines, ministers will also buy new autonomous vessels ‘to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond’, create a “next generation” RAF with F-35s, upgraded Typhoons and “autonomous fighters”. They will also spend £1bn on a homeland defence system to protect the UK from drones and missiles, use defence spending to drive economic growth and create a £400m defence innovation fund. Review backs spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence The PM is embroiled in a row over defence spending after he failed to make a firm commitment to hike it to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. The defence review’s authors say the government’s “ambition” to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence is “good news”, but they add: “However, as we live in such turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”. Sir Keir Starmer ordered a review of Britain’s defence capabilities within weeks of taking office(Andy Buchanan/PA) More