UK and France order more Storm Shadow missiles and step up military co-operation
The two countries have discussed co-operation on a replacement for years but, as French president Emmanuel Macron visits the UK, the nations will commit on Thursday towards the next phase of the project for Storm Shadow's successor.
The joint development will help to sustain more than 1,300 jobs in the UK, according to the Government.
On the third day of Mr Macron's UK state visit, he and Sir Keir Starmer will also agree to deepen nuclear ties.
Britain and France, the only two nuclear powers in Europe, will state in a declaration that their nuclear deterrents – while independent – can be co-ordinated, with the aim of deterring threats like Russia from attacking Europe.
The declaration comes at a time when Donald Trump's US administration is calling on European Nato powers to take on a larger role in the alliance.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'From war in Europe, to new nuclear risks and daily cyber-attacks – the threats we face are multiplying.
'As close partners and Nato allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration and today's agreements take our partnership to the next level.
'We stand ready to use our shared might to advance our joint capabilities – equipping us for the decades to come while supporting thousands of UK jobs and keeping our people safe.'
Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'The UK and France are stepping up together to meet today's threats and tomorrow's challenges. We are committed to driving defence as an engine for growth, delivering better fighting capabilities faster, and ensuring our armed forces can operate side by side – from the High North to the Black Sea.
'This partnership strengthens our leadership in Europe, ensures continued support for Ukraine, and sends a clear signal to our adversaries that we stand stronger, together.'
Building on the 2010 Lancaster House treaties between France and the UK, the two countries will also bolster a shared military venture, known as the Combined Joint Force.
They also plan to forge closer military industrial ties, including in AI and direct energy weapons, as part of a programme dubbed the 'Entente Industrielle' by the UK Government.
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Landlords must lose the fight over Scotland's rent controls
Last year, the government declared a national housing emergency, recognising record levels of homelessness, the toll high rents are taking on tenants, social housing waiting lists of nearly a quarter of a million across Scotland, and disrepair rampant across our housing stock. Yet as Professor Duncan Maclennan points out, the 'housing emergency' is a misnomer. Read More: This so-called emergency did not happen overnight; it has been created by design through the privatisation of our housing stock and unregulated growth of the private rented sector. Scotland's tenants have faced the hard end of these economic decisions for decades, and bold structural solutions are urgently needed in response. Tenants don't have time to wait. Rent controls, as outlined in the Housing Bill, are an important first step towards ending decades of housing misery. Robust, universal rent controls which have the ability to bring rents down could begin to transform our housing system by making private rented accommodation more affordable and disincentivizing exploitative landlordism overall. It's important to state that forms of rent control seen in recent temporary measures have included too many loopholes for landlords to exploit. Any exemptions to upcoming rent controls would create a multi-tier system, leaving thousands of tenants open to unregulated rents and undermining future policy efforts. The current consultation on rent controls has laid bare the Government's intention to appease landlords by introducing significant exemptions to rent controls. Ruth Gilbert, national campaign chair of Living Rent (Image: Newsquest) At this last hurdle rent controls are under threat. Since the government first committed to rent controls, the landlord and developer lobbies have eroded support for proper regulation of the private rented sector among politicians. The constant barrage of criticism - combined with empty threats of a mass exodus of landlords - have pushed a pliant government into conceding to appease the market at the expense of tenants. The most egregious exemption proposals concern 'build to rent' developments. The government has proposed a suite of amendments designed to encourage these sorts of developments, but this dangerous trend towards large-scale private developments is not something they should sensibly support. Build to rent properties are expensive, and beyond the reach of most tenants. Anyone who has walked through either Glasgow or Edinburgh recently will have seen these buildings springing up alongside billboards that promise convenient locations, fun perks, and luxury accommodation. Worryingly, this is just the start of the build to rent boom, over 3,800 units have been built, and there are 12,767 still in the pipeline. This explosion of the sector should highlight that it does not need any further government incentives. Indeed, across the UK the industry received over £1bn in investment from North America in the last quarter of 2024 alone. Developers' push for exemptions only highlights the business model they are touting. The bill, as introduced, already allows for above inflation rent increases, and so lobbyists' greedy demands for more exposes a model that is more concerned with creating dividends for overseas investors than delivering on the needs of Scotland's people. The government is deeply misguided if it thinks that expensive, luxury accommodation is going to fix our housing emergency. These are development sites which can and should be used for much-needed and genuinely affordable housing for social rent. Also proposed for exemption are mid-market properties. Mid-market tenants are some of the most vulnerable in our housing system. Apparently designated for tenants with low to middle incomes, mid-market properties exist to ensure that those unable to afford rents in the private sector and who cannot access social housing are able to better afford their housing costs. By threatening to exclude mid-market tenants from rent controls, this will see mid-market landlords able to increase rent however high they like with tenants left with no recourse to challenge it. For example, this summer at Water Row mid-market development in Govan, tenants were hit with a 10.6% rent increase after being given a rent increase of 39% before they had even moved in. The rent increase was delivered despite a previous commitment to keep rent below the local housing allowance. However, tenants had no legal recourse to challenge. It was only through Living Rent members organising together and fighting back did the landlord eventually concede and cancel the rent increase. This government needs to stop listening to the empty threats of landlords and legislate to protect those who have been most impacted by decades of mismanaged housing policy. Scotland's tenants need universal and comprehensive rent controls that bring rents down. Anything short of this will ruin the housing bill, undermine the possibility of a more just housing system for years to come, and damage the wavering trust that Scotland's tenants have that politicians will take the urgent action needed to end the national housing emergency. Ruth Gilbert is the national campaign chair of Living Rent
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Four Moscow airports shut as Ukraine blasts capital with massive drone blitz for fourth night as explosions rock city
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UKRAINE unleashed chaos at Moscow's four airports with a fourth successive drone blitz rocking the city. Hundreds of passenger planes had to be diverted as waves of flying bombs converged on the Russian capital. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 The moment of a Ukrainian strike on the Russian-occupied Donetsk region on Saturday Credit: East2West 8 Ukrainian drone attack disrupted four Moscow airports Credit: East2West 8 Stranded passengers at Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow Credit: East2West 8 Footage captured the moment a Ukrainian drone was downed in Zelenograd, Moscow region Credit: East2West Footage showed explosions as Russian air defences attacked incoming unmanned planes in Zelenograd, a district 23 miles northwest of the Kremlin. Ukraine has stepped up assaults since Donald Trump reportedly told Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky it was time to make Russians feel 'the pain' of war. Russia's defence ministry claimed to have downed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight across nine regions - 19 of them over the Moscow area alone. Authorities were forced to twice close airspace over Moscow, hitting airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky. A total of 134 planes were diverted, as confusion and frustration gripped passengers caught up in the escalating fallout of the war. State airline Aeroflot was forced to adjust its schedule, while regional airports in Kaluga, Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod were also thrown into disarray. Frustrated passengers - including tourists on summer vacations - were hit by delays, diverted flights and numerous cancellations in an apparent new tactic by Ukraine to paralyse air travel in Vladimir Putin's capital. Passengers — many travelling for summer vacations — were left bedding down on the airport floor. 'The restrictions are necessary for ensuring the safety of civil aircraft flights,' announced Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency. In Zelenograd, a district on the northwestern edge of Moscow, explosions were heard as air defences intercepted drones. 'Really p****d' Trump gives Putin 50-day ultimatum as he unveils major plan Debris sparked fires that damaged buildings and set vehicles alight, according to local reports. In nearby Golube, residents described powerful blasts that shattered windows and shook homes, The Kyiv Post reported. While Russian officials claimed success in intercepting the majority of drones, the repeated closures of Moscow's airspace suggest Ukraine is successfully placing pressure on the capital - targeting not just military assets but the daily functioning of civilian infrastructure. In a separate blow, anti-Kremlin partisan group Atesh claimed responsibility for sabotage on a key rail line in Tula region. They set fire to a relay cabinet, causing what the group described as 'serious disruptions in railway communication'. Atesh said the attack had critically crippled the movement of weapons and military gear from key defence factories. It was a hammer blow to Putin's logistics — and a taste of the chaos Ukraine and its allies are now willing to unleash. Elsewhere, drone strikes were reported on Russian-occupied Donetsk, with footage showing what appeared to be an attack near a regional trauma hospital. In Ukrainian-held Sloviansk, one person was killed in a Russian drone strike. The Kremlin continued its own strikes in response, targeting the Sumy region in Ukraine's northeast after scoffing at Trump's 50-day peace ultimatum. A 78-year-old woman was killed in Shostka, close to the Russian border, while in the Zaporizhzhia region a 69-year-old woman was wounded in another attack. Putin's war machine, ever indiscriminate, continues its campaign of terror against civilians. 8 The aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on the Russian-occupied Donetsk region on July 19 Credit: East2West 8 Explosion of a Geran-2 drone next to a Yak-52 aircraft that was acting as an interceptor Credit: East2West 8 Shostka in Sumy region, Ukraine, was attacked with drones and aerial bombs on Saturday Credit: East2West The Russian Defence Ministry, desperate to project strength, released footage of a MiG-31K jet launching a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, a menacing display as the Kremlin signals no intent to back down. And in a chilling twist, a Russian Shahed drone exploded dangerously close to a Yak-52 aircraft used as an interceptor. Despite Moscow's bluster, president Zelensky continues to push for peace - on Ukraine's terms. 'The pace of negotiations must be increased. Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire,' he said. 'And the Russian side must stop hiding from decisions. 'Prisoner exchanges. Return of children. End to the killings. 'And a meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure peace – a really lasting one. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting.' But Kremlin is showing no signs of backing down. According to German General Christian Fröding, Russia is now preparing to swarm 2,000 drones at Ukraine, launching them simultaneously to try to overwhelm its defences. He warned of growing Chinese support behind the scenes. 'The current situation is such that China is effectively exporting exclusively to Russia, while Ukraine is excluded from this market,' Fröding said. And while Kyiv has not officially commented on its role in the latest strikes, officials have repeatedly insisted that 'Ukraine consistently adheres to international humanitarian law and targets only legitimate military objectives.' According to Ukraine's military: 'All actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducted in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, with a clear distinction made between civilian and military targets.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband blasts 'stalling' government over Brit couple
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has told the Mirror he believes the UK government has a "playbook of stalling" when it comes to detained Brits in Iran For nearly six excruciating years, Richard Ratcliffe's wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, was held hostage in Iran. Arrested on false charges of espionage and plotting to topple the Iranian regime, the British-Iranian citizen became a diplomatic pawn between the UK and Iran. Richard campaigned tirelessly to secure his wife's freedom, and reunite their family - with Nazanin cruelly separated from her daughter Gabriella when she was only a baby. Richard, who has advised the family of the British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who are currently detained in Iran, on their own campaign to help bring their parents home, told the Mirror that he believes the UK government has a "playbook of stalling" when it comes these cases. He also added that the way the Foreman family had allegedly been treated before launching their public campaign was "depressing" and suggested the Foreign Office had learned few lessons from Nazanin's case, despite making "promises" to change their approach. "I found it really alarming that in the six months since Craig and Lindsay were taken hostage, the family had not met the Foreign Secretary or any Minister, or even the Ambassador - and that only changed when they decided to go public," Richard said. "It had been the same in Nazanin's case. So it was depressing to see none of the lessons from our had been learned, despite the Foreign Secretary's promises in the elections to transform consular protections." The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, and a spokesperson said to the Mirror in response to Richard's claims, "We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.' Lindsay and Craig are believed to be held in Kerman Prison, but their family has had little contact, and distressingly, doesn't know very much about the conditions the couple is enduring. The couple were arrested at the start of the year, whilst embarking on a motorbike trip from Spain to Australia, and undertaking a project about what makes a good life as they went, connecting with strangers and learning about communities. They have been accused of espionage by the Iranian authorities, something their family has insisted is utterly false. It was supposed to be the adventurous trip of a lifetime: but the couple suddenly went out of contact with their family as they were travelling through Iran - and never arrived at their hotel. In early June, the Foremans were due to be transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran - where Nazanin was imprisoned between 2017 and her eventual release in 2022. However, just weeks later, Is raeli strikes hit the infamous facility, and Lindsay and Craig's family had no idea if they were safe, or whether the planned transfer had even gone ahead. Through the Foreign Office, Iranian authorities have since said that the couple are in Kerman - but their four children spent weeks in an unbearable limbo, with no idea what was going on. Richard told the Mirror he found it "really shocking" that the UK government had seemingly not stayed on top of the couple's whereabouts during the conflict. "I was really shocked that the government had lost track of them in the middle of the Iran-Israel war, and had just closed the Embassy and not updated the family," the campaigner said. "When Evin prison got bombed, the only thing that mattered was proof of life. Not a vague assurance from the Iranian authorities, but a phone call to the family where they confirmed where they were, and a visit from an independent doctor to confirm they are ok. "It is quite astonishing that after six months, the government still has not secured that." The embassy in Tehran has since been reopened, and Hamish Falconer MP - Minister for the Middle East said, "We will continue to play our full role to ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran." Richard explained that during his own family's ordeal, "The main thing that kept us going across the years was knowing we were not alone, finding all these people following our story and caring." He added, "So talking to other families in the same shoes helped me understand our own story better - to realise Iran's games weren't personal, and to better spot the UK's playbook for stalling. That made it gradually easier to navigate, to know the game we were a chess piece in. It takes us all time to accept. Richard revealed to the Mirror some of the advice he shared with Lindsay and Craig's family as they campaign to secure the release of their "generous and fun" parents. "The main thing I told them when we first met was that they needed to get it confirmed where they were, and that they were still alive," Richard said, but added that their journey will likely differ from his own during those difficult years when Nazanin was imprisoned. "I told them that there is no road map - and what works for them will be their own path. But they should remember that the government's interests were different from the family's, and that it would continually find ways to kettle the campaign, and stop their suffering getting in the way of other agendas. "They would get sympathy, but they would have to push hard for any action." Lindsay and Craig's children encourage anyone moved by their parents' story to write to their MP to help their campaign to secure the couple's release from Iran.
