54 m. ago Starmer hikes defence spending to 2.5% ahead of crunch meeting with Trump

Labour PM cuts foreign aid funding as he prepares to fly to Washington to meet the US President who has piled pressure on Britain to bolster its armed forces

Politics

57 m. ago Keir Starmer vows to slash aid spending to pump 2.5% of GDP into defence by 2027 in dramatic statement to MPs ahead of 'mission impossible' trip to meet Trump in White House

In a dramatic Commons statement, Keir Starmer finally laid out a trajectory for boosting the military amid rising alarm about America withdrawing support.

Events

58 m. ago UK defence spending to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 with aid budget slashed to help fund move

Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces move in the CommonsThe rightwing historian Niall Ferguson is in the audience for Badenoch’s speech, according to James Heale from the Spectator.Niall Ferguson spotted at Kemi Badenoch’s big speech on foreign affairs hearing we might get some policy tooTractors’ horns interrupt Badenoch’s speech shortly after she begins speaking. Attendant spinner heard swearing furiously Continue reading...

Economics

66 m. ago Kremlin disputes Trump claim Russia would accept Nato peacekeeping troops in Ukraine – live

Kremlin says it has nothing to add to the foreign ministry’s position on the unacceptability of Nato peacekeepers in UkraineUkraine’s presidential press service has issued a photograph showing president Volodymyr Zelenskyy introducing the world leaders visiting Kyiv some new developments in Ukraine’s defence industry.British prime minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a cut to the country’s aid budget to immediately hike defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, ahead of his visit to the White House on Thursday, according to The Sun. Continue reading...

Politics

70 m. ago Starmer slashes aid to fund biggest increase in defence spending since Cold War

Sir Keir Starmer set out plans for defence spending to reach 2.7% of gross domestic product in 2027.

Economics

71 m. ago Keir Starmer slashes aid budget to fund 'biggest sustained rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including the cut to foreign aid

Economics

78 m. ago Sir Keir Starmer announces cuts to UK aid budget to fund defence spending increase

The Prime Minister announced the increase ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump

Economics

1 hour ago Watch live: Keir Starmer gives statement on defence ahead of pivotal meeting with Donald Trump

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer is expected to give an unexpected statement on defence today (25 February), ahead of his pivotal meeting with Donald Trump later this week.

Politics

2 h. ago Keir Starmer 'will pledge to boost defence spending' in statement to MPs TODAY amid mounting fears about 'mission impossible' trip to White House

Keir Starmer will make a statement on 'defence and security' amid mounting concerns that he is facing mission impossible at the White House.

Events

2 h. ago BREAKING: Watch live as Keir Starmer gives major update on defence and security

The Prime Minister is making a rare statement to the Commons about defence and security amid growing calls to ramp up spending due to the crisis in Ukraine and Donald Trump's interventions

Events

2 h. ago Keir Starmer to make major defence spending announcement ahead of crunch Ukraine talks with Trump

The Prime Minister is under increasing pressure to increase the UK’s defence spending amid the war in Ukraine

Politics

3 h. ago Merz warned he must change tone during Germany coalition talks – Europe live

Friedrich Merz aiming to build government before Easter but SPD co-leader says man expected to be chancellor must change courseBut, but, but before we even get to the new Bundestag in late March, there is some plotting under way to change the country’s constitutional debt brake in this parliament before it finishes its term.Once the new parliament gets in, two opposition parties – the far-right AfD and the far-left Die Linke – will have a blocking majority for constitutional changes and are unlikely to be willing to agree to fund further defence spend this way. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Putin signals he is ready to AGREE to Trump's proposal for massive cuts in defence spending

France could be ready to use its nuclear deterrent to shore up Europe's defence, according to reports, at a time when the US has threatened withdrawing its forces on the continent.

Politics

12 h. ago Boris Johnson urges Keir Starmer to boost UK defence spending to 3% of GDP

Speaking from Kyiv on the third anniversary of the start of the conflict, he demanded a rise to at least three per cent of GDP to help guarantee European security against Russian aggression.

Politics

14 h. ago Boris Johnson urges Starmer to increase defence spending to 3%

Mr Johnson was on Monday in Kyiv for the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Politics

20 h. ago Jeremy Hunt says welfare cuts would let Starmer commit to 3% defence spend now

Mr Hunt said the UK raising defence spending to match the US relative to GDP would secure the future of Ukraine and of Nato.

Economics

22 h. ago Merz strikes urgent tone in calling for more European independence from US

Stance of German alliance’s leader could herald closer ties with France but ‘debt brake’ poses obstacle to spendingGerman election live – latest updatesFriedrich Merz marked his conservative alliance’s victory in Germany’s election by urging Europe to make itself more independent from the US – a project that will be music to the ears of Emmanuel Macron but may turn on whether Merz can build a Bundestag majority to lift the so-called debt brake that slows increases in defence spending.One possibility for the CDU/CSU alliance leader, who is on course to become Germany’s next chancellor, is to claim that the country is in an emergency, to try to force the change through the Bundestag before its dissolution. Continue reading...

Events

26 h. ago Confusion at US agencies over whether to comply with Elon Musk email demanding workers justify their jobs – US politics live

Government agencies give conflicting advice after email from Elon Musk demanding employees list accomplishments from past weekThe Trump administration has blocked a crucial step in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) process for funding medical research, likely in violation of a federal judge’s temporary restraining order on federal funding freezes.The NIH has stopped submitting study sections – meetings in which scientists peer review NIH grant funding proposals – to the Federal Register after the Trump administration paused health agency communications. By law, study sections must appear on the register 15 days in advance of meetings.Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning.Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago Ukraine latest: Macron to present Trump with peace proposal as EU leaders meet Zelensky in Kyiv to mark third year of Russia's invasion

MAILONLINE BLOG: Follow live updates of the Ukraine peace talks as French President Emmanuel Macron meets Donald Trump in Washington.

Politics

32 h. ago How Donald Trump has betrayed UK as well as Ukraine. We must increase defence spending

The UK will have to dig deep to help Ukraine defend itself, for the sake of our own security as well as theirs

Politics