US urges UK to U-turn on Israeli sanctions
As if the Labour government didn't have enough on its plate with Rachel Reeves's spending review to be announced at midday, it is also facing pressure from the US over sanctions imposed on two Israeli cabinet ministers. Late last night, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the travel ban and asset freezes imposed on security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich 'Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said that the asset freezes and travel bans on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war'.
Rubio hasn't just taken aim at the UK – President Donald Trump's man has also urged Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to row back on their sanctions, while Israel has slammed yesterday's sanctions as 'outrageous'. The move by the UK and allied countries came after remarks made by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were deemed to have 'incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights' by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
31 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Exclusive: Huntly councillor becomes SIXTH Aberdeenshire Tory to join Reform
A Huntly councillor has become the SIXTH Tory in Aberdeenshire to join Reform as momentum continues to build for Nigel Farage's party. Lauren Knight became the latest Conservative in the north-east to make the switch just hours after leader Russell Findlay branded defectors 'opportunists'. Ms Knight said she believes the Conservative Party has 'left her' and she 'feels let down by so many broken promises'. 'I am honoured to have joined Reform UK', she exclusively told The Press and Journal. Ms Knight, who represents the Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford ward, previously battled Aberdeenshire Council over a deferral for her premature son starting school. Her son, Henry, was born three months early and spent five months fighting to survive in the neonatal unit while he was unable to breathe by himself. Ms Knight, who lives in Forgue, said: 'As the mother of a child with additional support needs, I have experienced firsthand the challenges families face when navigating a system that too often overlooks the most vulnerable.' Speaking to the P&J, the Aberdeenshire mum said local cuts to additional support needs services passed by the ruling Tory-led administration influenced her defection. Ms Knight felt she was unable to speak out against her own party on the topic. 'It wasn't an environment where you could have a voice,' she said. Ms Knight said she was 'sad' to leave behind some Tory colleagues, but said many of her allies were the councillors who had already left the party. She told the P&J: ' I realised of the people I aligned with and was friends with have all decided to move to Reform.' Her defection to Reform represents another blow for the Tories in a region where they are losing multiple councillors. Former Aberdeenshire council chief Mark Findlater and Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie became the first to join Reform in Scotland last year. Ellon councillor John Crawley and Dominic Lonchay, who represents East Garioch, later followed them over to Mr Farage's party. Robbie Withey, another councillor in Ms Knight's Huntly ward, continues to sit as an independent but has joined Reform. John Cox, a former SNP councillor, has also signed up to Reform UK – but also still sits as an independent. And Aberdeen councillor Duncan Massey announced his defection from the Tories last week when Mr Farage visited the city. The defection comes one day after Scottish Tory chief Mr Findlay exclusively told the P&J he 'despairs' at councillors leaving his party for Reform and believes they will later regret it. 'Some of them you know personally and you know their politics – you're left to conclude they're doing so because it's complete opportunism,' he said on our weekly politics podcast, The Stooshie. He added: 'A lot of our members are very angry at those who defect. 'Those who defect are only in the post they're in because of the fact they were wearing a Tory blue rosette. 'I just feel disappointed. I suspect what we'll see is some regret.' Reform councillor Thomas Kerr welcomed Ms Knight to the party. 'Lauren Knight brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to Reform UK,' he said. A Scottish Tory spokesperson said: 'Under Russell Findlay, we're reconnecting with common sense conservative values of enterprise, self-reliance, fiscal responsibility and the rule of law. 'Every poll shows that Reform will only help the SNP. 'As we saw in last year's general election, they handed several seats to the SNP which would have otherwise gone to a pro-UK party. 'Reform are likely to stand pro-independence candidates in the 2026 election and Nigel Farage has even said he's not worried about the SNP getting another five years in power.'
North Wales Chronicle
44 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Badenoch urges business leaders to ‘get on the pitch' and support Tories
The Conservative leader also appealed to business leaders to support her party, suggesting there was no credible alternative which would represent their interests. Speaking at the FTSE 250+ conference in central London, Mrs Badenoch said: 'My message to business is: I'm on your side, but I need you to be on mine too.' The Tory leader's appearance at the gathering came as the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures showed the UK economy shrank more than expected, the day after the Government unveiled spending plans prioritising health and defence over the next few years. Speaking to an audience of business and investment chiefs, Mrs Badenoch hit out at Labour's tax rises, including the inheritance tax on family farms and national insurance employer contributions. She added: 'You need to support policies that back enterprise, and you need to challenge those who want more state control. 'Don't just wait for other politicians to do it. 'You need to get on the pitch too.' The Tory leader claimed the UK has 'forgot that business is a good in and of itself, and it pays for everything. It is the source of our prosperity'. Mrs Badenoch added: 'The challenge all of us in this room have now is that many people don't believe this anymore.' People instead believe 'business hoards wealth' and is 'greedy and needs to be taxed more', she said. Mrs Badenoch continued: 'This is a crisis. 'And the question before us is simple: Who has credible solutions? 'And I know many of you will be asking, 'Why should we trust the Conservative Party?' 'And I say because no-one is making the argument for business … except me and my party.' At PMQs I talked about Labour creating an economic spiral. A reminder we have 4 more years of this… — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 12, 2025 Mrs Badenoch's rallying call to businesses comes after the most recent political donations data showed a boost to the Tory war chest. The Conservatives raised nearly £3.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, the Electoral Commission revealed this week, outstripping Labour's £2.4 million and Reform UK's £1.5 million. Labour offers only 'managed decline', Mrs Badenoch also told business chiefs, before taking aim at Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Mrs Badenoch appealed to the audience, signalling voters cannot 'allow Farage, with no experience of legislating – he's never in Parliament, let alone government – to just come in'. She added: 'Can you imagine 360 random people suddenly taking over government saying they are going to fix everything? 'We were there for 14 years, sweating and labouring, it was unbelievably difficult. 'How many of you would allow your businesses to be run by people who have never been in that business and say 'Come on in, I'm sure you can fix it'? 'That's what he's offering, it's not real. 'It is a scam, and it's my job to expose that scam.' A Reform UK spokesman said: 'Kemi admits they had 14 years and yet all they achieved was sky high taxes, low growth and open borders. 'The only scam is her telling the British public that the Tories have changed. 'It's the same people and the same old failed ideas. 'Quite simply, the Tory party is irrelevant.'
North Wales Chronicle
44 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Three killed in Ukraine as Russia continues drones offensive
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defences destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, nurseries and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Mr Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and north-eastern parts of the 600-mile front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids, with Russia's defence ministry saying air defences downed 52 Ukrainian drones early on Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as non-starters, making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of south-east European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from 60 US dollars (£44) to 45 dollars (£33) as the bloc has proposed is not enough. German defence minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present', according to German news agency dpa. Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial co-operation, but also other support,' he said.
