Keir Starmer vowed to make Britain ‘battle-ready.' Now comes the bill.
LONDON — When British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled long-awaited military spending plans this week — promising to make the U.K. 'battle-ready' — he did so at a shipyard in Scotland that builds frigates and destroyers for Britain's Royal Navy, saying it was time to deliver a 'defense dividend for the British people' and answer the rising threat posed by Russia.
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18 minutes ago
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Nigel Farage is clearly unfit to govern Britain
For a party which, rightly in my opinion, calls out the failures of multiculturalism, Reform UK should have had a view on the burqa. Whether that garb represents a rejection of British culture and the repression of women, or whether it is simply a matter of personal choice, Reform should have had a settled position on it. It did not. Sarah Pochin, one of its MPs, is seemingly against it and Zia Yusuf, its now erstwhile chairman, is not. The party's failure to have a line on a subject, raised no less by Pochin at PMQs, is symptomatic of a greater problem within Reform. It has no settled political philosophy. This is evident from manifold self-contradictory statements made by Farage himself. He is on the record saying he is not concerned about the rate of demographic change in the country, though he is worried about the cultural damage being done to our country. They are two sides of the same coin. On that same point, he would be prepared to consider a return of Shamima Begum to the country. He is against illegal migration but has no intention of deporting all illegal migrants. He claims to stand up for the United Kingdom but readily accepts that Northern Ireland will inevitably be united with Ireland. He recognises the urgent need to cut government spending and reverse the culture of dependency, but would remove the cap on benefits for more than two children. His lack of a coherent philosophy is also evident in the people he has recruited into the party. Nick Candy, his treasurer, is a Blairite. He offered to put forward Charlie Mullins, an avowed Remainer, as a candidate. Even Pochin, a former Tory, had previously welcomed Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers. He has recruited councillors and members from all parts of the political spectrum – from Labour and Tory to the Liberal Democrats. There is no heart and soul in Reform. It is merely a campaigning vehicle for Farage to capitalise on the discontent with Labour and the Tories. It is a protest party. The events of the last few days also reveal, yet again, Reform lacks discipline. How is it that an MP would ask a question in Parliament which would so offend the chairman? And why did the chairman then feel able to publicly denounce her as 'dumb'? Farage is Reform and Reform is Farage. He likes it that way. He has seemingly failed to establish a proper party structure and constitution. I campaigned hard last year for the party's democratisation. I did so in part so that it would have in-built checks and balances. With due processes established, there would have been no way for an MP to go off-piste in Parliament or for the chairman to then make a fool of himself. If Reform intends to be the antidote to the nation's woes, Farage needs to honestly reflect on recent events. He must realise the party needs a coherent political philosophy and policies which flow from this. He must establish foundations for the party which allow it to function and grow as a proper organisation. Reform is doing extremely well in the polls. If sustained, this could propel it into office. The party therefore has an obligation to take itself seriously and do the heavy lifting required to form a successful government. The sort for which we all so yearn. Farage is a brilliant and cunning campaigner. But he proves, time and again, that he is not fit to create a government or lead it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
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Germany and US must exert more pressure on Russia, says Merz after meeting with Trump
After talks with US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has emphasised the shared responsibility of Berlin and Washington to increase pressure on Russia. Source: European Pravda with reference to DW Details: After talks with Trump, Merz said that he also reminded him that the US has always been responsible on a global scale for putting pressure on those who are going to wage war. The chancellor also noted that the two countries were now jointly obliged to exert greater pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. In this context, Merz recalled D-Day, the historic event of World War II when American, British and Canadian allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. This day marked the first step in the liberation of Europe by the Allies and the defeat of Nazi Germany. "Tomorrow, 6 June (Friday), is D-Day, when the Americans entered Europe to stop the war in 1944. This may be a similar historical situation, but not with military action but with pressure on Russia to end this war," he said. When asked if he thought his mention of the United States' historical role would change anything, Merz replied that he was optimistic. "But I am not so optimistic as to predict that something will change immediately in Ukraine," he added. Background: During his meeting with Merz in the Oval Office, Trump, whose monologues took up most of the public meeting, compared the Russo-Ukrainian war to children fighting in a park and said that he understood Putin after Ukraine's Spider's Web operation. Merz, for his part, avoided direct confrontation with the American president but gently emphasised that Germany stands with Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
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2 hours ago
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Scots have ‘voted for change', says Starmer following Labour's surprise win
Sir Keir Starmer has said people in Scotland have 'voted for change' following Labour's shock win in the Hamilton by-election. The Prime Minister congratulated his winning candidate Davy Russell and looked ahead to next year's Scottish Parliament election, saying it is a chance to 'turbo charge delivery'. Mr Russell took the seat vacated by the death of Scottish Government minister and SNP MSP Christina McKelvie. Posting on social media on Friday morning, Sir Keir said: 'People in Scotland have once again voted for change. 'Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. 'I look forward to working with you.' Labour's candidate, who is the deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, beat out SNP candidate Katy Loudon – who fell to her third defeat since 2023. The win comes against the backdrop of national polls which place Scottish Labour in third place behind the SNP and Reform UK – and will undoubtedly give a boost to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's bid to become first minister in next year's election. The Nigel Farage-led Reform UK saw a surge which took them into third place, just 800 votes away from the SNP, but fell short of expectations that they may place second. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice also reacted to the results, saying his party is 'delighted'. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'It's truly remarkable. 'We've come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we're within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so it's an incredible result.' At the election count earlier, Mr Tice told the PA news agency he was 'thrilled to bits' with the result. When the votes were counted, Mr Russell polled 8,559, with Ms Loudon coming second on 7,957, ahead of Reform's Ross Lambie, who secured 7,088 votes. Speaking to PA after the declaration, Mr Sarwar said: 'I think people need to change the script, because we've proven the pollsters wrong. 'We've proven the commentators wrong, we've proven the bookies wrong. 'We've proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.' In the final weeks of the campaign, the First Minister said it was a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform, but Mr Sarwar asked what it says about a Government that has been in power for 18 years and 'all it has to offer in a campaign is vote SNP to stop Farage'. Congratulations to @DavyRussell4HLS and the team on a fantastic victory. People in Scotland have once again voted for change. Next year there is a chance to turbo charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. I look forward to working with you. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 6, 2025 Mr Russell had faced criticism for his perceived lack of media appearances, but Mr Sarwar said such arguments were borne of 'an element of classism and elitism'. Speaking from the stage after his win, Mr Russell said: 'Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse has voted tonight to take a new direction with Scottish Labour. 'Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.' The newly-minted MSP also hit out at Reform, saying the win 'sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight – the poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland and we don't want your division here'. While First Minister Mr Swinney said Ms Loudon had 'fought a superb SNP campaign' and that he was 'clearly disappointed' they were unable to win. 'Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago – we came much closer tonight, but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do,' he added. 'Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully.'
