
Can Starmer contain Trump on Iran?
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics.
The prime minister is in Canada at the G7 as conflict escalates in the Middle East. Can Sir Keir Starmer contain any further flare-ups between Donald Trump and other allies and attempt to bring some calm to the region?
The prime minister is also set to authorise a national inquiry into grooming gangs, six months after he said people calling for one were "jumping on the bandwagon".
It comes after a national inquiry was recommended by Baroness Louise Casey in her 200-page report, which is due to be published today. How will Sir Keir respond to the rapid review?
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South Wales Guardian
25 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer says France needs to co-operate more over migration
The Prime Minister said he wants 'more co-operation' over migration and will raise the issue with the country's president as the number of people making the journey climbed again over the weekend, taking this year's provisional total to 16,317. On the way to the G7 conference in Canada, where leaders from the world's wealthiest countries will meet for talks on global security, Sir Keir said he was determined to 'absolutely bear down' on the crossings. Data from the Home Office indicated 919 people made the journey in 14 boats on Friday and 134 crossed the Channel on Saturday. The highest daily number so far this year was on May 31, when 1,195 people arrived. Asked whether he was satisfied with the response from French border authorities, Sir Keir told reporters: 'One of the things we've worked hard at is improving the relations with the French in relation to the work we both need to do to stop these boat crossings, which I'm determined we will absolutely bear down on. 'Nobody should be making that journey. 'As a result of that we are seeing a much greater co-operation in northern France – I want to see more co-operation in northern France, and it's an issue that I have raised and will raise again with President Macron. 'We have good relations between the Home Secretary and the interior minister now that we're working on jointly. 'It's one of the issues I'll be discussing – not just with Macron, actually, but discussing it with Giorgia Meloni, Freidrich Merz, and others.' Downing Street said the Prime Minister had 'lengthy discussions' about migration with his Italian counterpart during his first bilateral meeting at the summit in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday. 'The Prime Minister raised the UK's world-leading work on people smuggling sanctions, adding that he looked forward to working with other European countries on this approach,' Number 10 said. Sir Keir's Government has pledged to 'smash the gangs' behind people-smuggling operations but has so far struggled to bring down crossings in the Channel, which is one of the busiest and most dangerous shipping lanes in the world. Chancellor Rachel Reeves last week committed £200 million to overhauling the asylum system and said the Government will end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament. The 'reset' deal struck between the UK and EU in May this year included commitments to co-operate more on migration, including greater intelligence-sharing. It did not include an EU-wide returns agreement, which the Prime Minister said in 2023 he would seek to secure. Sir Keir's agenda for the G7 summit has not been confirmed but he is expected to hold talks with Mr Macron as well as US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Mr Merz over the course of the conference.


South Wales Guardian
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
UK warns the situation in Middle East ‘has potential to deteriorate further'
The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Israel, but Britons already in the country now face difficulties getting home – with the airspace closed due to the conflict with Iran. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We, of course, recognise this is a fast-moving situation that has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning.' The UK now advises against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. My message to British nationals there is clear – your safety remains our top priority. Follow our travel advice for the latest updates: — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 15, 2025 He added: 'We are keeping all our advice under constant review and we plan for a variety of developments, as you would expect.' Poland has announced an evacuation of around 200 of its citizens in a bus convoy to Jordan, while the Czech Republic and Slovakian governments have organised repatriation flights from the region. Iran fired further missiles at Israel overnight, while Israel's military claimed to have 'full air superiority' over Tehran as strikes continued. The escalating conflict will be high on the agenda as leaders from the G7 group of wealthy democracies meet in Canada. Sir Keir Starmer said that the G7 meeting in Alberta would provide an opportunity for allies to make the case for de-escalation in the 'fast-moving' situation in the Middle East, with US president Donald Trump among those set to attend. Sir Keir called for 'restraint and de-escalation' during a bilateral meeting with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni in Kananaskis, Canada, on Sunday evening. Mr Trump is reported to have vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Downing Street would not be drawn on whether the UK was aware of the plan to assassinate the Iranian leader. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We wouldn't comment on private conversations or intelligence matters. 'We are concerned by further escalation, which is in no-one's interest, and we're working closely with our allies to press for a return to diplomacy.' The UK has been calling for de-escalation, and Sir Keir confirmed on Saturday that more RAF jets would be sent to the region for 'contingency support'.


The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Wes Streeting thinks the private sector could help NHS
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would consider a greater role for the private sector in the NHS to tackle waiting lists, which currently affect 7.39 million people. Streeting stated he would not be bound by 'outdated ideological battles' and that it would be 'foolish to turn away' from private healthcare, emphasising that treatment remains free at the point of use. He argued that utilising private sector capacity does not contradict NHS principles and is essential to provide timely care, drawing from his personal experience with cancer treatment. His comments are expected to spark controversy among Labour MPs on the left, with concerns about expanding the private sector's role in healthcare. The government stated that previous partnerships with the private sector have delivered more than 500,000 treatments, and the Patients Association welcomed the potential for increased private sector involvement to address the NHS backlog.