Is the UK preparing for war? New security report warns of possibility of 'direct threat'
'We are in an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security,' the report read. 'The most obvious and pressing example of this is Russia in its illegal war against a European neighbour. Ukrainians are paying the ultimate price as they find themselves at the frontline of this confrontation. '
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Trio of trade deals ‘restored identity' of UK, PM says as trade plan unveiled
Since Donald Trump's tariff announcements in April, the UK has reached new agreements with the US, India and the EU. Sir Keir said the deals showed 'that even in this volatile world, Britain is proudly, unashamedly, defiantly even, open for business, and today's trade strategy builds on that'. The Government's Trade Strategy aims to boost opportunities for UK businesses, particularly in the service sector, to export internationally, and vows to protect domestic firms from global threats to free trade. It comes at a time of heightened uncertainty following Donald Trump's tariff announcements in April, which have hiked charges on most US imports in a bid to boost home-grown production and support US businesses. In the paper, ministers pledge to 'confront the threat that protectionism poses to the UK by significantly upgrading our trade defence toolkit'. This includes clamping down on unfair trading practices, such as the 'dumping' of goods at low costs in foreign markets, which is believed to disadvantage domestic businesses. In the wake of the tariff announcements, some British retailers raised concerns that Chinese products were being rerouted from the US and deposited on UK and European online marketplaces like Shein and Amazon. Meanwhile, the strategy outlines measures to make it easier for UK firms to export, including reducing barriers to trading overseas and improving access to finance. Sir Keir suggested he would pursue a series of small deals rather than solely focusing on major trade agreements with countries. 'But perhaps most importantly, in this uncertain and challenging world, we will also give ourselves new powers on trade defence,' he said. 'To make sure that if your businesses are threatened by practices like dumping, that we have the right powers to defend you.' Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'The UK is an open trading nation but we must reconcile this with a new geopolitical reality and work in our own national interest. 'Our Trade Strategy will sharpen our trade defence so we can ensure British businesses are protected from harm, while also relentlessly pursuing every opportunity to sell to more markets under better terms than before.' In the plan, the Government pledged to introduce new laws to expand its power to respond to unfair trade practices, guarding under-threat sectors such as steel. Mr Reynolds said that a 'central problem is a lot of global overcapacity, mainly coming from China, and some associated countries' in relation to steel production. 'If we want a steel industry in any Western European economy we've got to take appropriate measures to defend that,' he said. 'We obviously have a relatively smaller steel industry… I'm doing some work on that to make sure it doesn't get any smaller.' The Government has said it wants to hear from steel producers and businesses across the supply chain about how future trade measures and safeguards should be shaped. Mr Reynolds stressed that leaders would 'not sit by idly while cheap imports threaten to undercut UK industry'.
Time Out
3 hours ago
- Time Out
Revealed: the London borough with the most surveillance cameras
Living in a huge metropolitan city like London, there's always someone looking at you. Usually it's just one of the nine million other people who live in this city, but sometimes, it's Big Brother. It's estimated that there are nearly 130,000 public CCTV cameras across the capital kitted out and ready to observe, but some places are more populated by them than others. Tech research company Comparitech have been crunching the numbers, and they've discovered which borough in London has the most surveillance cameras. But first, where does the Big Smoke rank globally? It turns out that we are the 12th most watched city in the world, with Hyderabad in India taking the crown (outside of China). London also has the third most cameras of any European city per person, beaten only by Moscow and St Petersburg. But where actually are these cameras? Well, you're most likely to be being surveilled in the City of London, where there are just over 75 cameras per 1000 people. This is a significant amount more than the average across Greater London, where there's only 13 for every 1000 people. Because the City is such a densely packed part of the capital – famously known as 'the Square Mile' precisely because of its small area – there's a much higher concentration of cameras dotted around this borough than any other. This is likely in part because, being home to St Paul's Cathedral, the Bank of England, and many other important buildings, the City has got a lot of goods to guard, and a lot of money that can go towards funding security systems. Surprisingly, Comparitech said that they found 'little correlation' between the number of CCTV cameras and the crime rates in an area, meaning that all that surveillance might not be doing much to deter criminals anyway. Whether more security cameras make you feel safer, or just a little bit uneasy, it's unlikely that we'll see a future where there's less of them than there are now. However, if you really don't want to be caught on camera, it might be best you stay away from the City of London.
Powys County Times
3 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Trio of trade deals ‘restored identity' of UK, PM says as trade plan unveiled
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the trio of recent UK trade deals has 'restored our identity' in a 'volatile world', as the Government laid out its new plan to better protect firms from rising threats to global trade. Since Donald Trump's tariff announcements in April, the UK has reached new agreements with the US, India and the EU. Sir Keir said the deals showed 'that even in this volatile world, Britain is proudly, unashamedly, defiantly even, open for business, and today's trade strategy builds on that'. The Government's Trade Strategy aims to boost opportunities for UK businesses, particularly in the service sector, to export internationally, and vows to protect domestic firms from global threats to free trade. It comes at a time of heightened uncertainty following Donald Trump's tariff announcements in April, which have hiked charges on most US imports in a bid to boost home-grown production and support US businesses. In the paper, ministers pledge to 'confront the threat that protectionism poses to the UK by significantly upgrading our trade defence toolkit'. This includes clamping down on unfair trading practices, such as the 'dumping' of goods at low costs in foreign markets, which is believed to disadvantage domestic businesses. In the wake of the tariff announcements, some British retailers raised concerns that Chinese products were being rerouted from the US and deposited on UK and European online marketplaces like Shein and Amazon. Meanwhile, the strategy outlines measures to make it easier for UK firms to export, including reducing barriers to trading overseas and improving access to finance. Sir Keir suggested he would pursue a series of small deals rather than solely focusing on major trade agreements with countries. 'But perhaps most importantly, in this uncertain and challenging world, we will also give ourselves new powers on trade defence,' he said. 'To make sure that if your businesses are threatened by practices like dumping, that we have the right powers to defend you.' Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'The UK is an open trading nation but we must reconcile this with a new geopolitical reality and work in our own national interest. 'Our Trade Strategy will sharpen our trade defence so we can ensure British businesses are protected from harm, while also relentlessly pursuing every opportunity to sell to more markets under better terms than before.' In the plan, the Government pledged to introduce new laws to expand its power to respond to unfair trade practices, guarding under-threat sectors such as steel. Mr Reynolds said that a 'central problem is a lot of global overcapacity, mainly coming from China, and some associated countries' in relation to steel production. 'If we want a steel industry in any Western European economy we've got to take appropriate measures to defend that,' he said. 'We obviously have a relatively smaller steel industry… I'm doing some work on that to make sure it doesn't get any smaller.' The Government has said it wants to hear from steel producers and businesses across the supply chain about how future trade measures and safeguards should be shaped. Mr Reynolds stressed that leaders would 'not sit by idly while cheap imports threaten to undercut UK industry'.
