• Minister defends long delays to UK military spending plan

    Luke Pollard says blueprint expected last autumn is ‘a bigger task than many people outside defence realise’A government minister has defended long delays to a military spending plan that are also stalling the UK’s next-generation Tempest fighter jet programme, but refused to say when it will be complete.The defence investment plan (DIP), originally expected last autumn, has faced repeated postponements amid warnings that the military faces a £28bn funding gap over the ne
  • UK should consider resuming talks on EU defence pact, Starmer says

    PM says Europe must ‘step up’ and signals he wants to work more closely with other states to build military capability The UK should consider re-entering talks for a defence pact with the EU, Keir Starmer has said, arguing that Europe needs to “step up and do more” to defend itself in uncertain times.The prime minister signalled that he wanted to work more collaboratively with other European countries to increase defence spending and build up military capability, and doin
  • Ex-British army chief calls on ministers to back MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans

    Nick Carter says easing controls on MDMA will allow drug to be used as alternative treatment for those with PTSDA former head of the British military is calling for the government to ease restrictions on the party drug MDMA so that it can be tested more cheaply as a treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Sir Nick Carter, who was chief of the defence staff until 2021, said existing regulations meant a single gram of “medical grade” MDMA cost about £10,
  • Calls for King Charles to formally apologise for slavery after research shows crown’s role

    Book The Crown’s Silence details how crown profited from and protected trade in enslaved African people for centuriesMPs, experts and campaigners have called on King Charles to make a formal apology for transatlantic slavery, after research highlighted how the British crown and Royal Navy extended and protected the trade in enslaved African people for hundreds of years.The king has previously expressed “personal sorrow” at the suffering caused by slavery and has spoken of commi
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  • UK unlikely to join a US attack on Iran – but may help Gulf states if Tehran retaliates

    Deployment of RAF Typhoon squadron to Qatar signals willingness to protect country from a counterattackBritain is unlikely to assist the US in an attack on Iran but a deployment of RAF Typhoons to Qatar last week signals a willingness to help regional allies if Tehran tries to widen the conflict in retaliation.A first strike on Iran is unlikely be in line with the UK’s interpretation of international law, but British forces could become involved if there is a need to help Qatar or other re
  • Labour movement ‘on the line’ because of Starmer’s mistakes, says union boss – as it happened

    Starmer’s ‘control freakery’ could end up leading Nigel Farage into No 10, Unison boss Andrea Egan saysBadenoch is now taking questions.Asked if she agreed with Reform UK that Britain is broken, Badneoch said she believed that it can be fixed.I was not elected to reheat the party with 1990s policies, and I was not elected to dismantle the party so that Nigel Farage can finally have a go.I was elected by Conservative party members to renew and rebuild. That is exactly what I am
  • British army officer dies during live fire training in Northumberland

    Capt Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died after an incident at one of the UK’s largest army training ranges, the MoD confirmsA British army officer has died after an incident during live fire training in Northumberland, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.Capt Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died on Sunday after the incident at Otterburn Training Area, one of the UK’s largest army training ranges. Continue reading...
  • 30% of Britons think Burnham would do better job than Starmer as prime minister, poll suggests – as it happened

    This blog is now closed. View all our UK politics coverage hereAs Dave Burke reports for the Daily Mirror, the Reform UK MP Lee Anderson posted a picture on social media of himself and activists campaigning in the Gorton and Denton byelection – standing outside a hotel that is actually in Angela Rayner’s neigbouring Ashton-under-Lyne constituency. Rayner told the paper: “Farage’s Reform can’t even find the Gorton and Denton constituency on a map. Perhaps it’s
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  • Tories withdraw ‘mental health’ briefing about Suella Braverman after former Tory home secretary joins Reform – UK politics live

    Her defection means there are now eight Reform MPs in the CommonsKeir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to what he would say to Labour MPs who think he is being “cowardly” and just blocking Burnham to avoid the risk of a leadership contest.Millions of people will be better off if we have the continua
  • The government must act now on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse | Letters

    There is no justification to delay political action, say Dr Mike Barrett and Dr Steven R Smith, while Olivia Blake MP says the breakdown of nature is not a side issue that can be buriedThe government’s delay in publishing its national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse – which was finally issued last week, more than three months later than planned – is inexcusable, not least because much of the content is already out of date (Biodiversity collapse t
  • UK military sexual abuse investigation widened as more than 500 contact police

    Inquiry into enlistment medical examinations has been expanded from army to also include navy and RAFMore than 500 people have contacted police investigating sexual abuse that allegedly took place during armed services medical examinations over almost 50 years.The investigation was launched after reports about the abuse of some recruits at army enlistment medical examinations but its scope has been expanded to include the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Continue reading...
  • Donald Trump’s remarks about UK troops will not be soon forgotten | Letters

    Readers respond to the US president’s widely condemned comment that Nato allied troops stayed off the frontline in AfghanistanIn response to your article (Trump claims Nato troops ‘stayed a little off the frontlines’ in Afghanistan, 22 January), I write this letter to the people of the United Kingdom.I served 20 years in the US Navy and had many interactions with Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel. They might say they suffered us, but the camaraderie was real. (I remember
  • ‘If you haven’t served, respect those who have’: Nato soldiers on Trump’s slurs

    For those who fought alongside US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, president’s remarks have cut deepIt was shortly before dawn and Bruce Moncur was eating breakfast when the American warplane roared overhead.The 22-year-old reservist had been stationed in Afghanistan for three weeks when the A-10 Warthog strafed the camp west of Kandahar City where and he and 30 other Canadian soldiers had spent the night. Continue reading...
  • UK politicians welcome Trump’s retreat over British troops’ role in Afghanistan

    Home secretary says climbdown was ‘as good as it gets’ from US president despite failure to apologise for remarksDonald Trump’s climbdown over his claim that UK troops avoided the frontline in Afghanistan has been greeted with cross-party relief in Westminster despite his failure to apologise for remarks widely condemned as offensive and false.In a rare clarification, the US president praised British troops as being “among the greatest of all warriors” and acknowled
  • Starmer rebukes Trump over ‘frankly appalling’ remarks on Nato troops in Afghanistan

    PM joins veterans in condemning claim that troops avoided frontlines and suggests US president should apologiseKeir Starmer has issued an unprecedented rebuke to Donald Trump for his “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks about British troops in Afghanistan and suggested he should apologise.After a week of fractious relations with the White House, Starmer said he was not surprised that relatives of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan were hurt by Trump claiming they avoided the
  • UK politics: Trump’s Nato claims ‘insulting and frankly appalling’, says Starmer –as it happened

    President’s assertion that Nato troops were not on the front line in Afghanistan has sparked widespread angerKeir Starmer’s allies have launched a “Stop Andy Burnham” campaign to prevent the Labour mayor from returning to parliament after the resignation of a Manchester MP triggered a byelection, Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Josh Halliday report in their overnight story.In a good analysis, Jess explains why, if Burnham does decide that he wants to return to the Commons
  • Starmer calls Trump's comments on Nato and Afghanistan ‘insulting’ – video

    Keir Starmer has condemned comments made by the US president, Donald Trump, suggesting that Nato troops stayed away from the frontline in Afghanistan. Speaking in London on Friday, the UK prime minister said the claims were 'insulting and frankly appalling'UK politics live Continue reading...
  • British crown was world’s largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals

    Exclusive: Author of The Crown’s Silence tells how navy and monarchy protected slave trade for hundreds of yearsThe British crown and the navy expanded and protected the trade in enslaved African people for hundreds of years, unprecedented research into the monarchy’s historical ties to slavery has found.The Crown’s Silence, a book by the historian Brooke Newman, follows the Guardian’s 2023 Cost of the crown report, which explored the British monarchy’s hidden ties
  • British army veterans call to keep immunity clause in Northern Ireland legacy law

    Government’s remedial order would give judges the power to revive Troubles-related civil actionsUK politics live – latest updatesBritish military veteran groups have condemned a government attempt to remove immunity provisions from Northern Ireland legacy legislation, claiming it will expose former soldiers to “hounding” through the courts.MPs are to vote on Wednesday on a motion to reverse a Tory-era law that granted conditional immunity to those accused of wrongdoing du
  • What are the Chagos Islands – and why is the UK returning them to Mauritius?

    Donald Trump has called the plan to transfer sovereignty ‘stupid’ and linked it to his own push to acquire GreenlandIn a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump has described the UK’s plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as “an act of great stupidity”. He claimed that it had made it all the more important for him to take Greenland from Denmark. Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, while critical of Trump over his threats of tariffs on European countries who oppo
  • UK should consider expelling US forces from British bases, says Zack Polanski

    Exclusive: Green party leader advocates leaving Nato and says Britain should wean itself off its reliance on the USThe UK should consider expelling the US from British military bases, the leader of the Green party has said, as he advocated leaving Nato and spending less on American weapons as part of a wider dismantling of the two countries’ defence alliance.Zack Polanski told the Guardian he believed Britain should wean itself off its reliance on American military cooperation, though woul
  • Secrecy around UK military civilian harm ‘risks undermining public confidence’

    Tribunal ruling follows Airwars investigation into Britain’s conduct in bombing campaign against IS in Syria and IraqUK politics live – latest updatesThe British government’s secrecy around how it tracks civilian deaths in UK military campaigns risks undermining public confidence in the process, a tribunal has found.The UK has no published guidelines for how it reviews and assesses allegations that civilians have been killed or injured in an attack, unlike its closest ally, the
  • Royal Navy shipbuilder in limbo owing to cash shortage at Liberty Steel plant

    Call for UK state to step in after Gupta-owned Dalzell works in Scotland unable to produce metal for three new warshipsA shipbuilder for the Royal Navy faces an uncertain wait for the steel to build three warships because of a shortage of cash at the Scottish steel mill that has won the contract.Liberty Steel Dalzell in Scotland has been unable to start production in earnest because there is “no cashflow to buy slab”, despite an order to supply 34,000 tonnes of metal plates to build
  • UK politics: Reform UK mayoral candidate apologises for Lammy ‘go home’ tweet – as it happened

    Chris Parry, who is contending for the Hampshire and Solent mayoralty, says his post was intended ‘ironically’Downing Street has defended its decision to single out pubs for special help with the problems created by rising business rate costs.At the No 10 lobby briefing this morning, the PM’s spokesperson confirmed that a package of measures to help pubs will be unveiled in the coming days. But he did not give any further details.We recognise that pubs are at the heart of our c
  • Farage accused of ‘parroting Kremlin lines’ after remarks on UK troops in Ukraine

    Pat McFadden says stance on potential peace deployment casts doubt on Reform leader’s commitment to national securityNigel Farage has been accused of “parroting Kremlin lines” after saying that he would vote against any UK government plans to deploy the military in Ukraine.On Tuesday, Britain and France said they would be ready to send troops to Ukraine after a peace deal, but the Reform UK leader said he would vote against any such move to put boots on the ground. Continue rea
  • Coalition of the willing must be ‘robust’ to deal with Russia, warns ex-US general

    Ben Hodges says multinational force to aid Ukraine would need thousands of troops to stop Russia breaking ceasefireAn Anglo-French led stabilisation force for Ukraine would have to deploy thousands of combat troops if it is to successfully dissuade Russia from breaking a post-war ceasefire, according to a former commanding general of the US army in Europe.Ben Hodges said the proposed multinational force, discussed this week by the British and French leaders with Ukraine’s president Volodym
  • Why has Trump seized a Russian-linked oil tanker? – The Latest

    The US has dramatically seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker between the UK and Iceland, with the support of the UK government. The operation comes after US attacks on Venezuela, the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, and threats against Greenland. Lucy Hough speaks to Russian affairs correspondent Pjotr Sauer Continue reading...
  • UK helped US seize Russian-flagged tanker, defence ministry says

    John Healey confirms RAF provided extra surveillance and navy refuelling while capture under wayEurope live – latest updatesBritain’s Ministry of Defence said it had provided military help to the US forces that seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker north-west of Britain and Ireland, arguing the operation was legitimate because the vessel had breached sanctions on Iran.John Healey, the defence secretary, said the UK had allowed US aircraft to use bases to prepare for and carry out the m
  • Man fined for dressing as fake admiral at Remembrance Sunday event

    Jonathan Carley, 65, ordered to pay nearly £800 after pleading guilty to attending ceremony in Royal Navy uniform without permissionA man has been fined after he admitted dressing as an admiral without permission at a Remembrance Sunday event.Jonathan Carley, 65, pleaded guilty to wearing uniform bearing the mark of his majesty’s forces without permission and was fined £500, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £200 surcharge, at Llandudno magistrates court on Monday.
  • British and French aircraft attack underground Islamic State weapons store in Syria

    Guided bombs used to target tunnels at site near to city of Palmyra in raid intended to ‘eliminate dangerous terrorists’British and French aircraft have carried out a joint strike on an underground facility in Syria that had been occupied by Islamic State, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.Guided bombs were used to target access tunnels to the site, in the mountainous region near the ancient city of Palmyra in the centre of the country, on Saturday evening. Continue reading...
  • ‘Truly humbling’: inside the centre where UK medics are helping Ukrainian amputees

    British military doctors and therapists provide support at base where innovative treatments aid recovery of those who have lost limbsAt a specialist treatment centre in Ukraine, as other amputees play volleyball nearby, Vladislav shows a video on his phone of how he lost his left leg. He found the footage – of a drone closing in rapidly on a buggy, Vladislav standing exposed at its rear – on a Russian military social media channel.The 31-year-old, an arbitration lawyer before Russia
  • Blair pressured officials over case of UK soldiers accused of beating Iraqi man to death, files show

    Then PM wrote on note from aide in 2005 that case ‘must not’ be dealt with in civil court, archives revealCabinet Office accused of covering up for royal family after blocking release of Andrew documents‘Too complacent’: how Blair’s advisers misjudged his disastrous WI speechBrown’s allies could wreck Labour’s 2005 election hopes, Mandelson warnedTony Blair put pressure on officials to ensure that British soldiers accused of beating an Iraqi man to death
  • Ministry of Defence to offer gap year–style scheme to young people

    Pilot programme for under-25s will offer paid placements aimed at introducing participants to military lifeYoung people in Britain will be offered a gap year-style scheme by the Ministry of Defence, in an effort to introduce citizens to military life early as part of a new “whole of society” approach to defence.After initially announcing plans to implement the scheme earlier this year, the government has now confirmed that about 150 under-25s will be recruited for the pilot programme
  • UK politics: Polanski claims Green support surging in London as five Labour councillors defect in Brent – as it happened

    Party leader says Labour ‘has abandoned any sense of progressive politics’In his Q&A, Danny Kruger was also asked whether he was concerned whether the Guardian reports about people at school with Nigel Farage saying they recall him being racist as a pupil, which have been widely followed up, and the party’s response to them, which has alternated between outright denial and suggestions that any comments were banter, or taken out of context, or misremembered, have damaged the
  • Who is Al Carns? Former Marine and Labour minister with sights on leadership

    Ex-special forces colonel, who is sounding alarm on Russia, has risen swiftly to role of armed forces ministerA former special forces colonel, government minister Al Carns was this week on manouevres warning that the UK needs to be preparing for war with Russia.“The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to deter it,” he said, in comments that go beyond previous warnings by his boss, the defence secretary,
  • Donald Trump is pursuing regime change – in Europe | Jonathan Freedland

    The US made it clear this week that it plans to help the parties of the European far right gain power. Keir Starmer and his fellow leaders have to face this new realityWhen are we going to get the message? I joked a few months back that, when it comes to Donald Trump, Europe needs to learn from Sex and the City’s Miranda Hobbes and realise that “He’s just not that into you”. After this past week, it’s clear that understates the problem. Trump’s America is not
  • ‘He served with honour’: Starmer pays tribute to British soldier killed in Ukraine

    L/Cpl George Hooley, 28, reportedly died in accident away from frontline while observing test with Ukrainian soldiersThe British soldier who died in Ukraine on Tuesday has been named as L/Cpl George Hooley, 28, of the Parachute regiment.Keir Starmer told the Commons on Wednesday that Hooley had died in a “tragic accident” away from the frontlines while watching a test of “a new defensive capability” with members of the Ukrainian military. Continue reading...
  • Member of UK armed forces killed in ‘tragic accident’ in Ukraine, says MoD

    Ministry says Briton, who has not publicly been named, was injured while observing a test, away from the frontlineA member of the UK armed forces died on Tuesday morning after an accident in Ukraine, believed to be the first time a serving member of the British military has been killed in the country since the full-scale Russian invasion.The victim was not immediately named, though the Ministry of Defence said their family had been notified, after an incident that appears to have taken place dur
  • Britain’s ‘golden egg’: how IRA agent Freddie Scappaticci was protected to the end

    ‘Agent Stakeknife’, who carried out sadistic killings then was helped to relocate to England, only once saw the inside of a courtroomMI5 impeded inquiry into Stakeknife agent who murdered for IRA, says official report‘I’m not going to hide again’: Stakeknife report met with relief by victims’ familiesWhen Freddie Scappaticci, 77, suffered the stroke on the morning of 16 February 2023 that would kill him, he had not worked for two decades.It was nevertheless in
  • British troops accused of human rights violations and sexual abuse in Kenya

    Kenyan parliament says UK army training unit ‘dismissed most complaints as false, without publishing its findings’A report by the Kenyan parliament into the conduct of troops stationed at a British military base close to the town of Nanyuki in Kenya has alleged human rights violations, environmental destruction and sexual abuse by British soldiers.The inquiry into the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk) was carried out by Kenya’s departmental committee on defencе,
  • Special forces chief tried to cover up concerns about SAS conduct in Afghanistan, inquiry told

    Whistleblower says chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of children, after alarm was raisedThe former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers tried to cover up concerns that SAS units were carrying out unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an inquiry has heard.A senior special forces whistleblower said the chain of command failed to stop extrajudicial shootings, including of two small children, after the alarm was first raised in early 2011. Tha
  • Taliban used discarded UK kit to track down Afghans who worked with west, inquiry hears

    Whistleblower tells Afghan leak inquiry those affected were told to move and change phone numbers to protect themselves The UK left behind sensitive technology allowing the Taliban to track down Afghans who worked with western forces, a whistleblower has told the Afghan leak inquiry.The woman, known as Person A, said Afghans affected by the data leak were told to move homes and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban because it had the resources to track them down. Cont
  • British army halts Ajax vehicle training as noise and vibrations make soldiers ill

    Deployment paused after about 30 troops became sick while training to use heavily delayed £10m vehiclesThe British army has paused the use of its Ajax armoured vehicles after troops became unwell from noise and vibration.About 30 soldiers had become ill when training to use the vehicle over the weekend and the deployment had been halted for two weeks for an investigation, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Continue reading...
  • Uk politics: Streeting defends asylum policy, but says he’s not ‘comfortable’ with forced removal of children – as it happened

    Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are ‘right thing to do for the country’Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...
  • 'We are ready': Russian spy ship in British waters, says UK defence secretary – video

    A Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary, John Healey, has said. He said it was the second time the Yantar, designed to gather intelligence and map underwater cables, had been deployed to UK waters this year. Healey said a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 planes had been deployed to track the vessel and continued: 'So my message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you, we know what you’re doing, but if the Yantar travels sout
  • Russian spy ship enters British waters and shines lasers at military pilots

    Defence secretary reveals details of recent incursions as he warns UK is facing ‘new era of threat’ from hostile countries A Russian spy ship has entered British waters and shone lasers at military pilots, the defence secretary has said, as he warned the UK was facing a “new era of threat” from hostile countries.John Healey told reporters on Wednesday the “deeply dangerous” move was being taken “extremely seriously” by the government, adding the UK
  • UK lacks plan to defend itself from attack, warn MPs

    Public should be told nature of threat posed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says defence committee chairThe UK lacks a plan to defend itself from a military attack, MPs have warned as the government promised to boost readiness with new arms factories.The challenges facing the government and defence industry were laid bare in a stark report from the Commons defence committee about the UK’s ability to fight a war and meet its Nato obligations in light of Russia’s war in Ukra
  • UK downplays reports it has stopped sharing intelligence with US regarding narco-traffickers

    Yvette Cooper makes first public comments by minister over issue linked to bombing campaign in CaribbeanUK politics live – latest updatesUS politics live – latest updatesBritain’s foreign secretary has downplayed reports that the UK had stopped sharing intelligence with the US that could be used by the Americans to conduct deadly attacks against alleged narco-traffickers in the Caribbean.Yvette Cooper, speaking on a ministerial trip to Naples, said “longstanding intellige
  • How Britain replaced the US as Russia’s villain of choice

    London and Moscow’s rivalry stretches back to the imperial era, but the Ukraine war has brought relations to a new lowIn recent years, Britain has become the villain of choice in Moscow’s eyes. It has been accused of plotting drone strikes on Russian airfields, blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, directing “terrorist” raids inside Russia, and even abetting last year’s gruesome Islamic State concert attack in Moscow.This week, a new charge was added to the pile: Rus
  • Two-thirds of women in UK military sexually harassed in past year, survey finds

    MoD survey also finds nearly one in 10 have been subject to non-consensual sexual activity and a third have been groped or touchedNearly one in 10 women serving in the British military have been subjected to an assault or other non-consensual sexual activity in the past year, according to the first official survey of sexual harassment across the armed forces.A third said they had been groped or touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, according to the Ministry of Defence, and two-thir
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05 Feb 2026

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