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Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that work has started on deepening cooperation with Europe to tackle illegal migration, as the new prime minister used the European Political Community summit to declare that Britain is “back on the world stage”.
Announcing new deals with Slovakia and Slovenia to tackle organised crime and £84m of funding for projects across Africa and the Middle East in a bid to tackle illegal migration “at source”, the PM insisted Thursday’s summit at Blenheim Palace represented the start of a “reset” in Britain’s international relationships.
The work has started on deepening the UK’s cooperation with Europe on defence, security and illegal migration, Sir Keir Starmer said, vowing to “smash the gangs, break their business model and secure our borders”.
Following the 47-member summit, Sir Keir insisted there was “a real appetite” for a Britain “which is back on the international scene, playing a leading part with maturity”, as he claimed “most of the leaders – if not all of them – are leaving here with a sense of renewed confidence in their relationship with the UK.
Key Points
- Keir Starmer insists ‘work has started' with Europe to tackle migration ‘crisis'
- ‘There is a real sense Britain is back on the world stage’, claims PM
- Top EU diplomat hails Starmer’s ‘new tone’ on improving post-Brexit relations
- David Lammy warns UK ‘nowhere near’ negotiating Brexit agreements
- Labour government pressured to recognise state of Palestine ‘immediately'
- Liz Truss ramps up row with civil service chief
Climate change a bigger threat to natural world than ground-mounted solar panels, says Miliband
Climate change threatens the natural world more than ground-mounted solar panels do, Ed Miliband has claimed to the House of Commons.
The Labour minister has faced criticism from Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, after he signed off on the 350-megawatt Mallard Pass Solar project across about 2,000 acres in her constituency.
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has also questioned the government’s approach to a proposed 114-mile string of electricity pylons across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, which could help carry electricity generated by offshore windfarms, calling for “a pause while the other options are considered”.
But Mr Miliband told MPs on Thursday: “The biggest threat to nature and food security, and to our rural communities, is not solar panels or onshore wind – it is the climate crisis which threatens our best farmland, food production and the livelihoods of farmers.”
“We have to make judgments as members of this House, which is: given the scale of the climate crisis we face, given the scale of energy insecurity we had and energy security threat we face, do we believe we need to build infrastructure? Now I happen to believe we do – yes with community consent, yes with community benefit, yes with the planning rules I’ve set out.”
Andy Gregory19 July 2024 02:45 1721349180Defence secretary pledges to ‘take the politics out of national security'
The new defence secretary John Healey has pledged to “take the politics out of national security” as he warned MPs that Russia is “far from a spent force” in Ukraine.
“The UK is united for Ukraine,” Mr Healey said on Thursday, introducing a King’s Speech debate to examine the government’s pledges for home affairs and defence.
“I want to work together to ensure we remain united for Ukraine and the government is now stepping up support, so with President Zelensky I was able to say, ‘we will speed up the delivery of the military aid already pledged.
“‘We will step up support with a new package of more ammunition, more anti-armour missiles, more de-mining vehicles, and also more artillery guns.”’
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Healey said: “As defence secretary, I want to take the politics out of national security”, warning that “Russia is far from a spent force, and if Putin wins, he will not stop at Ukraine”.
Andy Gregory19 July 2024 01:33 1721346360Zelensky to make first in-person address to UK Cabinet since Bill Clinton in 1997
Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address an extraordinary meeting of Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet on Friday as the prime minister seeks to underline Britain’s continued support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president will be the first official visitor to Downing Street under Sir Keir’s premiership, and the first foreign leader to address the Cabinet in person since US president Bill Clinton in 1997.
He is expected to brief ministers about the situation in Ukraine and the need to expand Europe’s defence industrial base, as well as agreeing a £3.5bn defence export finance deal with Sir Keir.
Sir Keir said: “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelensky will make a historic address to my Cabinet. Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine, or the strength of ties between our people.”
Andy Gregory19 July 2024 00:46 1721342964Starmer ‘reset’ on UK-EU relations is ‘small thing that could make big difference’, analyst suggests
A Brexit and trade commentator has suggested the “reset” in UK-EU relations touted by Sir Keir Starmer and echoed by other European leaders today is a “small thing that could make a big difference”.
David Henig, a director of the European Centre For International Political Economy think-tank, said: “Keeps being asked, so is there any actual value to the UK reset of EU relations so far?
“A bit of goodwill basically, enough perhaps to get a hearing for a plan, overcome a false step, make the other side think a bit more creatively. Small thing that could make a big difference.
“Brexit and its appalling handling to date suggested international relations as rather selfish and transactional, but more traditionally agreements come from an awful lot of goodwill and mutual interest. A small start has been made in changing that. Much more to do.”
Andy Gregory18 July 2024 23:49 1721341224Starmer hands three more first-time MPs frontbench jobs
Three more new MPs have been given government jobs as Sir Keir Starmer continues to appoint ministers two weeks after becoming Prime Minister.
Hamish Falconer, who was elected MP for Lincoln on 4 July, has been made a junior minister in the Foreign Office, while Martin McCluskey and Kate Dearden have been made assistant Government whips.
Mr Falconer has previously served as a diplomat and is the son of Lord Charlie Falconer, who was solicitor general and later lord chancellor under Tony Blair, his former flatmate. Mr McCluskey, a former adviser to Ed Miliband when he was Labour leader, was elected MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West.
Ms Dearden, a former chair of Labour Students, became MP for Halifax at the General Election and previously worked for the Community Union.
The trio join other new MPs in gaining frontbench roles shortly after entering Parliament, such as veterans minister Al Carns, Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould and pensions minister Emma Reynolds.
Christopher McKeon, PA18 July 2024 23:20 1721339484People rescued in Channel returned to France by UK Border Force ‘for first time'
In a significant move, it emerged that migrants rescued in the channel on Wednesday night were returned to France by a UK Border Force vessel – the first time this is thought to have happened.
Sir Keir played down the significance of the incident, describing it as an “operational” decision. But sources say other European countries are more willing to discuss challenges around migration with Britain since Labour’s election victory removed the threat of Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
During the summit, the prime minister also spoke with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama about Italy’s plan to send migrants to Albania for processing.
He will have dinner with President Macron, with the topic of small boats expected to be discussed, although the French leader ruled out the prospect of a returns agreement between the two countries, insisting that any such deal would have to be negotiated through the EU.
Kate Devlin, Tom Watling18 July 2024 22:51 1721337744Opinion | The Lords know who among them are dishonourable grifters
Labour’s House of Lords reform is a good start, writes Independent columnist Alan Rusbridger – now we should ask them to finish the job and start getting some of these turkeys to vote for Christmas:
The Lords know who among them are dishonourable grifters
Labour’s House of Lords reform is a good start, says Alan Rusbridger – now we should ask them to finish the job and start getting some of these turkeys to vote for Christmas
Andy Gregory18 July 2024 22:22 1721335764Justice secretary to seek removal of criminal case review commission chair after review uncovers ‘serious’ failings
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced she has started the process to seek the removal of the chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) – the body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice.
The announcement came after a review into the case of Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted of rape and jailed for 17 years, found he could have been exonerated almost a decade earlier if not for serious failings by officials at the CCRC.
Ms Mahmood said it was her “firm view” having read the report that Ms Pitcher is “unfit to fulfil her duties” and had “begun the process to seek her removal from that position”.
Wrongly jailed Andrew Malkinson ‘could have been freed decade earlier’
Justice secretary announces she is seeking to sack chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission after ‘utterly damning’ findings
Andy Gregory18 July 2024 21:49 1721334024Lammy clashes with BBC presenter over Trump as he avoids saying ’neo Nazi’ comment was wrong
Hours before Sir Keir Starmer declared confidently that Britain is “back on the world stage”, his foreign secretary David Lammy was questioned by the BBC about his previous remarks calling former US president Donald Trump “a neo Nazi sympathising sociopath” and a “tyrant in a toupet”.
Mr Lammy, who started reaching out to Republicans and rightwing think tanks in America once he became shadow foreign secretary before Labour won the election, insisted to BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty that he had not been alone in making comments about the current Republican nominee.
He said: “You are going to struggle to find any politician who has not had things to say about Donald Trump in his first term particularly on Twitter.”
Our political editor David Maddox has more on the exchange:
Lammy clashes with BBC presenter over ’neo Nazi’ Trump comment
David Lammy pointed out that even Trump’s current running mate J. D. Vance once called him ‘America’s Hitler’
Andy Gregory18 July 2024 21:20 1721332289Zelensky meets UK arms industry to secure support for Ukraine
The UK defence industry has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in London.
Representatives of the industry, alongside defence secretary John Healey and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, met the Ukrainian president at Lancaster House following his appearance at the European Political Community summit in Oxfordshire on Thursday.
The group discussed how to deepen co-operation and boost defence industrial production for Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Mr Healey said he had “emphasised the Government will continue to work in partnership with industry and the need to boost industrial production of vital military kit for our own armed forces”. He said: “The Ukrainians are fighting with huge courage, the military and civilians alike.
“Our new government has already pledged to step up support, confirming £3bn a year to help Ukraine and a new package of ammunition, anti-armour missiles and artillery guns.”
The MoD said deals such as an agreement with BAE Systems to maintain and repair UK-supplied weapons in Ukraine and an arrangement with Sheffield Forgemasters to support the repair and overhaul of Ukrainian vehicles would help both Ukrainian and British armed forces secure the equipment they needed.
Christopher McKeon, PA18 July 2024 20:51 Newer1 / 10OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
