2+ day, 20+ hour ago   (646+ words) Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the government’s decision to reprioritise Army training, insisting that military exercises have not been halted despite growing concern over pressure on the defence budget. Mark Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, questioned…...

2+ day, 21+ hour ago   (629+ words) A Labour minister has refused to rule out the party committing to rejoin the European Union in its next general election manifesto, reopening a politically sensitive question over Britain’s long-term relationship with the bloc. Hamish Falconer, a Foreign Office minister,…...

2+ day, 22+ hour ago   (722+ words) Andy Burnham is facing growing pressure to introduce a “social tariff” on energy bills as unions call for higher taxes on banks, wealth and investment income to help cut costs for millions of households. The Trades Union Congress is urging…...

3+ day, 1+ hour ago   (653+ words) The UK’s agreement with France to return small boat migrants is facing renewed uncertainty, with Andy Burnham appealing directly to President Emmanuel Macron to preserve a deal that officials fear Paris could abandon. The arrangement, which is due to expire…...

3+ day, 3+ hour ago   (679+ words) English mayors are set to gain powers to impose uncapped taxes on overnight visitors, under plans that could increase the cost of hotel stays and holidays for British families as well as international tourists. The proposed “overnight visitor levy” would…...

3+ day, 2+ hour ago   (766+ words) Andy Burnham has indicated that a second Scottish independence referendum could be considered if public opinion shifts decisively in favour, appearing to soften the government’s previous position that another vote was “off limits”. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham…...

3+ day, 20+ hour ago   (832+ words) Britain is preparing to dust off its military reserves and put tens of thousands of former troops on a longer war footing as the government confronts what ministers describe as an increasingly dangerous security environment. New legislation will make it…...

3+ day, 21+ hour ago   (725+ words) Ed Miliband has faced a growing backlash over the UK’s decision to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements, after the Israeli embassy accused the Foreign Secretary of creating “an atmosphere for violence against Jews” in Britain. Miliband told MPs that a…...

3+ day, 23+ hour ago   (608+ words) Andy Burnham has been accused of putting Britain’s expanding welfare bill ahead of national security after refusing to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030. The row erupted at Prime Minister’s Questions, where Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch…...

4+ day, 4+ hour ago   (914+ words) Ed Miliband has been accused by Israeli and British political figures of creating conditions that could increase hostility towards Jewish people in Britain after the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The diplomatic dispute…...