Politics LIVE: Starmer makes Trump feelings ‘crystal clear’ after Zelensky’s White House bust-up as PM warns taking sides is ‘totally unserious’

PM addresses MPs in the Commons on latest Ukraine developments

Keir Starmer is currently speaking to MPs in the House of Commons to update the legislators on the latest developments in regard to Ukraine.

His speech this afternoon has followed the largest European peace summit since the end of World War Two - attending by Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky and other key allies across the continent.

Starmer is set to answer questions on his peace plan for Ukraine and will receive responses from Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch.

'No quick fixes' to migration 'chaos', Starmer warns

There are "no quick fixes to curb the global problem of illegal migration", the Prime Minister's official spokesman has said today following the news that 592 migrants had crossed the Channel.

"We are focused on delivering a credible plan," the spokesman said, adding that the Government is focused on taking "practical steps" to deal with an asylum system which was "in chaos" under the Tories.

He said Labour was planning to amp up its returns resources, increase illegal working arrests, remove foreign national offenders, "smash the gangs", and extend a deal with France to step up international work to curb the crisis.

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Reform UK FRONTRUNNERS to snatch disgraced MP Mike Amesbury's seat - bookies

Reform UK has overtaken Labour among bookmakers in the market to win disgraced MP Mike Amesbury's Runcorn & Helsby seat, according to Star Sports.

Back in January, Reform was the 6/4 second-favourite to win the seat, with Labour strongly in the lead at an odds-on 4/5.

Now, it has since moved into first place at 4/7 to snatch the seat from Sir Keir Starmer's party, which has drifted to 6/4 to retain control of the constituency.

William Kedjanyi, Political Betting Analyst at Star Sports, said: "It looks a two-horse race between Reform UK and Labour for the Runcorn & Helsby seat, should a by-election be triggered in the constituency following ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury's whip being removed six weeks ago.

"Reform UK have already started to campaign for the seat and have seen plenty of support since we opened the market in January, shortening from 6/4 all the way into 4/7 favourites to take control of the constituency given their continued improvement in the polls.

"Keir Starmer's Labour, on the other hand, have drifted from 4/5 favouritism out to 6/4 to retain their seat in the Cheshire-based constituency."

Healey heads stateside as Starmer refuses to rule out White House return

Defence Secretary John Healey will travel to the US this week for crunch talks with American counterpart Pete Hegseth, Downing Street has said.

After a monumental few days for British, Ukrainian and European defence prospects, the Prime Minister's official spokesman has been fielding questions on potential plans for peace.

A 30-day air and sea truce in the Ukraine war to is one of the "options put forward", the spokesman said.

"There are clearly a number of options on the table," he added. "Any peace deal must be lasting and durable."

No10 also refused to rule out another visit to the White House by the Prime Minister - his spokesman said he will carry out "whatever engagement is necessary in order to make progress" on the peace deal, and spoke over the weekend with President Trump.

Britain will also not demand any money in return for the £12.8billion in loans and grants given to Ukraine since Russia's invasion, Downing Street added.

"Ukraine's security is the UK's security - defending Ukraine is absolutely critical to UK national security."

Reform UK hits back at 'mass immigration architect' Patel's Farage attack

Reform UK has hit back at Priti Patel's attack on Nigel Farage.

A spokesman tells GB News: "It is astounding that the architect of open border mass immigration, Priti Patel, wilfully ignores Reform UK's repeated calls for security guarantees for Ukraine in any peace deal.

"Whilst the Tories try to politicise this situation, Reform UK will continue to call for peace and security guarantees for Ukraine."

'What is he up to?!' Lord Mandelson splits from Labour policy as he goes rogue to back Trump peace deal

Labour has been forced to clarify that Lord Mandelson's call to back Donald Trump's Ukraine peace deal is "not Government policy" after the British ambassador to the US appeared to split with Sir Keir Starmer on American TV.

On Sunday, Mandelson told US broadcaster ABC that Volodymyr Zelensky and Europe should give their "unequivocal backing to the initiative President Trump is taking" to foster peace between Ukraine and Russia.

"Ukraine should be first to commit to a ceasefire and defy the Russians to follow," he added.

But following Starmer's multi-billion-pound push to arm Ukraine on Sunday, fears have been raised that Labour's "actual position" on the war is unclear.

"What is Mandelson up to?" Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey asked.

"You cannot square what the Prime Minister said this morning with this. What is the Government's actual position?

"Our man in DC should be securing US protection for our brave Ukrainian allies, not telling President Zelensky what to do."

Asked whether Mandelson's remarks fell in line with Government policy, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard told Sky News: "No. It's certainly right that Ukrainians want peace. I think of all the people on our continent that want peace, the Ukrainians want it the most."

Pressed further on whether the ambassador misspoke, Pollard said: "That's not Government policy, and you wouldn't expect me to commentate on every up and down in negotiations."

'Staggering!' Reform UK FURIOUS after Home Office revises Sunday migrant crossing figures to nearly 600

Reform UK and its MPs have reacted with fury after the Home Office revised its total number of migrant arrivals on Sunday from 500 to almost 600.

Figures published on Monday indicated that some 592 migrants arrived on March 2 across 11 boats - the highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year.

It takes the total number of arrivals this year up to 2,716. Before Sunday, the previous daily high for arrivals was 260, which was recorded on January 13.

Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP who poured scorn on the initial 500 figure earlier today, wrote on social media: "592 illegal migrants crossed the Channel yesterday.

"592. Staggering. Every single one should be securely detained, and swiftly deported. No excuses, no appeals. Gone. Deported. And never allowed back."

While a party statement read: "592 illegal migrants crossed the Channel yesterday alone. Labour promised to smash the gangs, they have already failed. Only Reform will stop the national security emergency in the Channel."

Leftie luvvies dealt hammer blow as two thirds of Britons back defence spending boost

Critics of Labour's foreign aid slash to fund increased defence spending have been dealt a hammer blow after a new poll found that nearly two thirds of Britons support the move.

A new survey by pollsters at YouGov has revealed that 65 per cent of voters back the cuts, with a majority of voters for all four major parties either strongly supporting or "tending to support" axing aid.

In total, 91 per cent of Reform UK voters supported the decision, followed by 83 per cent of Tory voters, 62 per cent of Lib Dems and 61 per cent of Labour voters.

Justin Trudeau meets his King amid mounting threat of Trump 'annexing Canada'

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been pictured at Sandringham House with King Charles III amid mounting threats that Donald Trump may move to annex the world's second-largest country.

The PM, whom Trump has repeatedly called "Governor Trudeau", has been forced to oversee one of the greatest downturns in US-Canada relations in recent history, with the US threatening to make its northern neighbour the 51st state.

As a result, Canadian media and public figures have been ramping up the pressure on the King to speak out in defence of the Commonwealth Realm.

Ex-Alberta premier Jason Kenney said on social media that "under the circumstances, it is critical" that Trudeau has an audience with his King.

"This is not complicated," Kenney added. "Even an audience with the King would be a helpful statement at this turbulent time, just as King Charles' meeting with President Zelensky sent a strong message.

"This is a test of basic competence. If No10 objects, tell them to mind their own damned business... The Canadian Monarchy represents continuity with the most stable constitutional order on Earth, that of Westminster parliamentary government centred on the Crown in Parliament.

"The institution embodies the foundational principles of our society, rooted in the Magna Carta and centuries of organic development flowing from it."

Yesterday, Trudeau vowed to discuss matters of importance to Canadians with the monarch.

"Nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation," he said.

The King has also been urged to show greater solidarity with Canada - Tory peer Daniel Hannan has called on Charles to speak in person at the opening of the country's next parliamentary session from the throne in capital Ottawa.

Rachel Reeves found to have spent just TWO days at Treasury's northern hub since Labour took power

Rachel Reeves has spent just two working days at the Treasury's multi-million-pound northern hub since the General Election, it has emerged.

The Chancellor had vowed to use the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) "regularly" and said she "absolutely will" have meetings there during a visit last summer, and urged her Ministers to do the same.

She had also hailed the campus as a "real success story" - but now, the Northern Echo reports that Reeves has spent just two days working at the DEC.

Reeves's first working day in Darlington came on July 11, and the second remains unknown.

Now, she has since been accused of "ignoring the North" and "failing to capitalise" on the Tories' "incredible legacy" at the site.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Starmer to address Commons today as Nato reels from Trump-Zelensky row

Sir Keir Starmer will address the Commons today after four days in which the Western order appears to have been turned on its head.

MPs will likely hear a statement from the Prime Minister following his meeting with Donald Trump in Washington DC, as well as the emergency defence summit of European leaders he convened at the weekend.

It comes amid a string of major international developments - following which Starmer has pressed to drop Britain into a leading role in Nato and Europe.

He rescheduled commitments on Saturday to receive Volodymyr Zelensky at No10 following his now-infamous White House bust-up with Trump.

The Ukrainian President has since declared that he would be prepared to stand down in exchange for Nato membership, and has suggested he is ready to sign the minerals deal with the US.

Meanwhile Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet the King, with whom he will raise the US President's threat to annex Canada - a Commonwealth Realm with Charles III at its head.

And on the continent, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she will present a plan to "rearm" Europe in the coming days.

Elon Musk backs Reform UK's deportation plea following GB News exclusive

Elon Musk has put his weight behind a Reform MP's call to "detain and deport" illegal migrants after GB News revealed 500 "asylum seekers" crossed the English Channel on Sunday.

A sunny day on the South Coast saw a record day of arrivals - with the first small boat making its way into British waters shortly after 5am.

After GB News brought the crossings to light, Reform UK's Rupert Lowe wrote on social media: "We need to get real. Honestly, every single one of these fake asylum seekers needs to be immediately deported.

"I do NOT want these men in our country, and I make NO apologies for stating that. This has gone on for too long. Detain, deport. This is the ONLY way."

And on Monday morning, tech magnate and close Donald Trump ally Elon Musk handed Lowe a message of support...

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Chagos 'D-Day' looms as deal set to be signed as soon as TOMORROW

The controversial Chagos deal will be sent to Mauritius for sign-off as soon as tomorrow, sources in the island nation have said.

Just days after Donald Trump appeared to give the handover his backing, one senior insider familiar with the deal has told The Telegraph that Tuesday is expected to be the agreement's "D-Day" following months of argument and speculation.

On Sunday, Reform UK announced it would "cancel" any deal after the next General Election - and leader Nigel Farage had previously vowed that a Trump-led United States would "veto" the agreement.

But on Thursday, the President said he had "a feeling it’s going to work out very well".

Trump added: "They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years. Actually, it's a long time. And I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country... I think it’s a little bit early - we have to be given the details - but it doesn’t sound bad."

Mauritius was "just awaiting confirmation" from Britain before taking the final agreement to its cabinet, according to The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, Britain was waiting for the US to approve the deal - and Trump's comments are said to have been seen as a "green light" to take the handover further.

In Mauritius, the President's remarks have also been welcomed. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said: "It seems positive. We will wait and see what the final proposals are."

A Whitehall source said they were "not going to get into timeframes", but added: "With President Trump's comments last week, we are getting close and an agreement is within sight."

Assisted suicide could be outsourced to private firms as NHS bosses and MPs left fearful of 'hugely complex task'

Assisted suicide could be outsourced to private healthcare firms dentistry-style to protect the NHS, The Times reports.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is currently undergoing an intensive impact assessment to ensure it is workable - and one option being considered is taking euthanasia private.

As it stands, NHS chiefs are apprehensive about the "hugely complex task" of having to arrange assisted dying ­services, while MPs are also worried about the unknown costs to the health service.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting had previously warned Times Radio: "There would be resource implications for doing [assisted dying]. And those choices would come at the expense of other choices."

Ministers are said to be "not dogmatic" about how the service is structured - and have looked at other countries where doctors with a particular interest in assisted dying run specialist services.

"You could end up with what you have in the States and Australia, where a ­cohort of doctors specialise in assisted dying and are passionate about it," one Government source said.

Leadbeater herself is also understood to be open to the idea of a mixed approach - with the NHS contracting out some services and patients paying privately alongside this, but has pushed hard for a free-at-the-point-of-use option of some kind.

But with the Bill still facing a lengthy process of review and debate, the Department of Health and Social Care has said: "This continues to be a matter for Parliament, not Government.

"As the public would expect, the Government has a responsibility to make sure any legislation... is effective and enforceable."

Labour distances itself from Macron's UK-France 'truce plan' 

Labour's Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has distanced Britain from reports of a Franco-British "truce plan" between Ukraine and Russia.

The two countries are proposing a partial one-month deal between Russia and Ukraine that would not cover ground fighting, French President Emmanuel Macron told the daily newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday.

But now, Pollard has said he does not recognise claims a plan has been agreed.

Asked about the Le Figaro report, he told Times Radio: "No agreement has been made on what a truce looks like, and so I don't recognise the precise part you mentioned there.

"But we are working together with France and our European allies to look at what is the path to how... we create a lasting and durable peace in Ukraine."

Pressed again on whether the UK and France had presented the summit on Sunday with a plan for a month-long ceasefire, he said: "You wouldn't expect me to get into the details of what that plan looks like, because at the moment, the only person that would benefit from those details being put in the public domain before any plan is agreed would be President Putin."

Ex-Russian President Medvedev in MELTDOWN after Britain steps forward to lead Europe on Ukraine - 'Shameful!'

Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev descended into a social media meltdown last night after Sir Keir Starmer convened a crunch meeting of Nato allies to mull over the next steps on Ukraine.

Writing on X, the outspoken Putin ally said: "The anti-Trump Russophobic coven gathered in London to swear allegiance to the Nazi nobodies in Kyiv.

"It's a shameful sight worse than the verbal diarrhoea of a clown in the Oval Office.

"They want to continue the war till the last Ukrainian!"

The weekend's top story: Keir Starmer announces major £1.6bn missile deal with Ukraine in address to the nation

Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £1.6billion finance deal which will allow Ukraine to buy more than 5,000 missiles, following a summit of European leaders in London.

During a national press conference, the Prime Minister said the missiles "will be made in Belfast, creating jobs in our brilliant defence sector".

"This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthen Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE