Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has slammed Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs for “Britain getting weaker every passing day” as the Prime Minister refused to rule out tax rises to fund denfence spending.
Mrs Badenoch, referencing how the world was “becoming a more dangerous place”, following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing hostility between the US and Iran, asked Sir Keir if he would rule out increasing taxes in order to fund defence.
She said: “The reason he is dithering is that he doesn’t know where the money is coming from.
“He only has three options: cutting spending, more borrowing or higher taxes. We know the Chancellor wants to put up taxes to pay for it. Will he rule out putting up taxes?”
Sir Keir responded, saying he would “take no lectures” from the Conservatives who cut defence spending during their time in Government.
He said: “You can’t forget all that for the damage they did to our armed services.”
Sir Keir continued that they have increased spending from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.6 per cent, having signed 1,400 defence contracts, 40 per cent of which are with British companies.
Mrs Badenoch swiped back, saying the Prime Minister was actually referring to “hopeful increases” and, in reality, was in a state of “total paralysis” over defence spending.
She said: “There is still no Defence Investment Plan! He is the Prime Minister now – at least I think he is. Shall I be calling Andy Burnham now instead?
“The reason he is dithering is he doesn’t know where the money is coming from.”
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Government confirms ‘electronic device’ found hidden in office
The Government has confirmed that an “electronic device” was found hidden in the ceiling of a government building, as it denied reports that a tracking device had been put on a prime ministerial car.
Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint told peers that a device, which reports have suggested was a camera, was found in a routine check at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Concerns were raised that the device may have been placed near offices where discussions were held over the proposed Chinese “mega-embassy” that is planned for the City of London.
Lord Hanson said the device was found in a communal area rather than near ministerial offices. But members of the House of Lords raised fears it may have been where civil servants working on the application may have been.
Conservative shadow Home Office minister Lord Davies of Gower said he believed it was “highly likely” that China was behind it because of the embassy bid.
New laws to be introduced to tackle illegal content online
The technology secretary has announced changes will be made to the law to require social media companies to take “quicker action” to remove illegal content.
Liz Kendall said: “Those who use social media to incite violence and disorder are breaking the law.
“Next week we will lay in parliament an update to the Online Safety Act requiring services to take quicker action to remove illegal content circulating during times of crisis.”
She told Sky: “I stood up to Grok, X and Elon Musk when they spread those vile, disgusting, deepfake, sexualised images of women and children.
“I think that shows my attitude to anyone, from anywhere else, who tries to interfere with what I believe is best for Britain.”
‘No incentive to employ under-21s’ pub boss warns
Simon Emeny, executive chairman of Fuller’s, has said that Government policy to improve pay is having the “opposite effect” as businesses are hiring fewer workers.
“There has always been an incentive for businesses like ours to employ lots of young people who are raw, inexperienced and untrained,” he said.
“By reducing the differential between the national living wage and the national living wage for 18 to 21-year-olds, that incentive has gone away.
“Not surprisingly, businesses are gravitating towards people with experience, and that’s creating a situation where 15% of our young adult population can’t get work.
“That’s entirely been caused by what the Government has done with the national living wage for young people.”
‘MPs are becoming second-class citizens’ Speaker warns after Government appear set to publish defence plan on Friday
The Speaker of the House has warned that ‘MPs are becoming second-class citizens’ following reports that the Government could publish it’s defence investment plan whilst parliament is not sitting.
In a statement, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “There are strong rumours that the government is going to produce its defence investment plan on Friday. That would be an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face to the members of this House.
“I will say to Downing Street, government’s responsibility in the ministerial code states major announcements should be made here.
“Once again, this may be speculation, and I am sure it will be corrected, but I will be appalled if it is done on a Friday when members have been waiting so long.”
‘Utter disgrace!’ Lindsay Hoyle warns Labour against publishing the defence investment plan on Friday
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has warned Labour against publishing the defence investment plan on a Friday when MPs are not in Westminster, telling the Commons it would be an “utter disgrace”.
In a statement, he said: “There are strong rumours that the Government is going to produce its defence investment plan on Friday. That would be an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face to the members of this House.
“I will say to Downing Street, Government’s responsibility in the ministerial code states major announcements should be made here.
“Once again, this may be speculation, and I am sure it will be corrected, but I will be appalled if it is done on a Friday when members have been waiting so long.
“This is all parties, including the Government benches, who has great interest in the defence plan. We all have jobs, we all have people who serve in the armed forces, so surely we must end this speculation and treat this House with the respect that members were elected here to.
“Once again, it seems to me we are becoming second-class citizens with the Government. I don’t want that to be the case and I hope that I’m going to be proved wrong.”
Two migrants jailed in first convictions under landmark small boat crossings law
Two migrants have been jailed in the first convictions under the landmark small boat crossings law
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CPS
Two migrants have been jailed in the first convictions under the landmark small boat crossings law.
Afghan national Mohammad Tajik, 32, and Sudanese national Alnour Ali, 26, have been jailed at Canterbury Crown Court for two years and 27 months respectively.
They are the first people to be sentenced for a new offence of endangering others during a Channel crossing.
The boat piloted by Mohammad Tajik had more than 70 people on board, including a toddler and several children.
The other vessel piloted by Ali Alnour, with 73 other people on board, contained no safety equipment, such as a radio, flares, a first-aid kit, a tube-repair kit, paddles, lights, or navigation aids.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Chris Philp: ‘There is ultimately only one way to end illegal immigration’
Chris Philp has suggested that there is “ultimately only one way to end illegal immigration”, arguing the UK must leave the ECHR.
Mr Philp told the Commons: “Violence of any kind in protest is never justified. Innocent people should never be targeted, and nobody should ever set fire to houses or cars.
“Speaking as a father, no one should ever feel unsafe in their homes. The police, I hope, will bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice.”
“I do understand, though, why people are angry. The suspect came into the UK illegally. He should never have been here in the first place. Mainstream politicians must now understand how angry the public are about mass illegal immigration.
“If mainstream politics does not stop this, the public will turn elsewhere.
“Since the election, 73,000 people have entered the country illegally via small boat, mostly young men.
“Many have committed serious crimes. I recently met the mother of Rhiannon White, a young woman brutally murdered by a Sudanese small boat migrant. There have been multiple rapes and sexual assaults with victims as young as just 13.
“I’ve come over time to realise there is ultimately only one way to end illegal immigration by leaving the ECHR so we can deport all illegal migrants on arrival.
“Then illegal migration will stop, and these appalling crimes with it.”
Arrests made following disorder in Northern Ireland
Three people have been arrested after widespread disorder in Belfast last night after a knife attack in which victim Stephen Ogilvie lost an eye.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis told the Commons: “I would like to pay tribute to the police and the other emergency services for their work last night.”
“Faced with an extraordinarily challenging situation, they responded with great courage and they are owed our thanks.
“Our message to those responsible for last night’s disorder is altogether different. To them, we say this, ‘you will be caught, and you will face the consequences of your actions’.”
He continued: “As of this morning, there have been three arrests, but more will surely follow. To those considering joining further disorder, my message is clear, do not do it. You will be held accountable for your actions. You will feel the full face of the law.”
Protesters set fire to a bus in the city and firefighters had to remove residents from their homes on another street after flames spread to properties.
More than 200 masked men and youths broke off from a main gathering in Cloughfern to torch the bus, while several cars were seen ablaze later into the evening.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
James McMurdoch calls out ‘two-tier justice’ during PMQs
Reform MP James McMurdoch has addressed an exemption in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 that allows the carrying of blades up to five inches long at certain major public events.
He asked the Prime Minister: “Does he recognise the dangers and the risks associated with that, and does he recognise what a solicitor might call an exception [or what] our voters would call two-tier justice?”
Sir Keir Starmer agreed that any knife used to harm others is illegal and added: “We will work with the Sikh community, knife crime campaigners and the police to learn the right lessons.
“That is the responsible thing to do.”
Richard Tice calls for Keir Starmer to resign in heated row
Richard Tice has called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign
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GB NEWS
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice has called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign in a heated row during PMQs.
Mr Tice said: “We all condemn, of course, the appalling violence in Belfast last night after the horrific attack on Monday. But this Prime Minister, this Prime Minister, is in denial of the rising despair across the country over his failure to stop the boats and related criminality.
“His failure to recognise two-tier policing, his failures over Mandelson, his failures over the scourge of anti-Semitism.
“He’s lost the confidence of the country, his own trade union members and his own very quiet backbenchers.
“Mr. speaker. When will he do the right thing, and when will his Prime Minister resign here?”
Keir Starmer responded: “Last week we had the terrible case of Henry Novak, which they sought to exploit.
“Now we have a very difficult situation in Northern Ireland where families and communities are extremely frightened.
“What do they do? They try to whip up fear and division because that’s all they’ve got. And he talks about stopping the boats. Mr Speaker, when we passed legislation to help stop the boats, what did they do? They voted against it.
“And to take those measures, you need money. And he is still not properly addressing why his companies didn’t just aggressively avoid tax, but failed to pay the tax that they legally owed.
“His investment company then gave huge donations to reform if he paid his tax with more money to deal with these issues.”
Ed Davey accuses Elon Musk of ‘spreading hatred and violence’
Ed Davey has accused Elon Musk of “spreading hatred and violence” with his social media platform X.
“Too many times we see the same pattern, an appalling crime that makes us all feel immense pain and anger, and then extremists who exploit that grief and anger to spread hatred and violence, aided and abetted by social media barons like Elon Musk and their divisive algorithms.”
Keir Starmer’s ‘real legacy will be a bloated welfare state and a weaker armed forces’, says Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch asked the speaker: “Isn’t it the case, Mr Speaker, that the real legacy will be a bloated welfare state and a weaker armed forces?”
The Prime Minister argued Labour had reduced waiting lists, reduced immigration, and reduced interest rates.
He added: “We’re investing in this great nation, standing up against those that divide us – a stronger, fairer Britain.”
Mrs Badenoch threw a jibe at the Prime Minister, suggesting she will soon be debating Andy Burnham, who is currently campaigning to become an MP in Makerfield.
Kemi Badenoch claims Labour must ‘cut spending, increase borrowing, or raise taxes’ to fund defence
Kemi Badenoch claims Labour must “cut spending, increase borrowing, or raise taxes” to fund defence.
The Prime Minister responded by accusing the Tories of “hollowing out” the armed forces.
He said: “She asked the House to simply ignore the last 14 years.
“‘We may have failed the armed forces, hollowed them out, but please just forget all that and act as if it didn’t happen.’
“Well, you can’t forget all that, given the damage they did to our armed services.”
When asked again, Sir Keir added: “We are not going to take lectures on defence from the party opposite after what they did to the armed forces, and nor are we going to take lectures on the economy, which they crashed and we’ve had to pick up.”
Keir Starmer fails to confirm if Labours full defence investment plan will be published this week
Keir Starmer has failed to confirm if Labour’s full defence investment plan will be published this week.
The Prime Minister said his party will increase defence spending from 2.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent next year.
He added: “We’ve carried out a strategic review of defence, and we’re committed to publishing the defence investment plan before the NATO summit, which is in just a few weeks’ time.”
After asking if the plan will be published this week, Mrs Badenoch responded: “That sounded like a no.”
Kemi Badenoch: ‘No one has a right to burn families out of their homes’
Kemi Badenoch has addressed the violence in Belfast.
She told the Commons: “People have a right to be angry – I am angry – and people have the right to expect their politicians to secure our borders.
“But no one has a right to burn families out of their homes, or to burn public property and attack the police.
“We all have a duty to stand up for public safety in every way.”
Keir Starmer repeats criticism of ‘totally unjustified’ violence in Belfast
Keir Starmer has repeated his criticism of the ‘totally unjustified’ violence in Belfast
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GB NEWS
Sir Keir Starmer has repeated his criticism of the “totally unjustified” violence in Belfast.
The Prime Minister told the Commons: “People are rightly sickened by the horrific attack on Monday night in north Belfast.
“As you have just said, the man arrested has been in court in Belfast this morning and charged.
“I want to thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other first responders and members of the public who responded with such bravery, and our thoughts are with the victim.
“But let me be clear, Mr Speaker – the acts of violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified.
“This morning I spoke with the first minister, the deputy first minister and the chief constable and the secretary of state for Northern Ireland is meeting leaders in Belfast today.
“We are united in calling for calm and determined to restore order, support the police and all those on the front line and ensure that justice is done.”
Keir Starmer pays tributes to three members of the Royal Navy and Belfast victim
Sir Keir Starmer has begun PMQ’s by paying tribute to three members of the Royal Navy and the Belfast victim.
Lieutenant Commander Chris Gayson, Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher of 846 Naval Air Squadron, and Petty Officer Owen Green of 845 Naval Air Squadron were killed in a helicopter crash last week.
Stephen Ogilvie, in his 40s and an NHS radiographer, was subject to a knife attack by a man in Belfast on Monday night.
The Prime Minister also wished luck to both the England and Scotland football teams ahead of the Fifa World Cup that kicks off tomorrow.
Kemi Badenoch repeated the tributes and echoed her support for both national football teams.
Hilary Benn slams ‘utterly shameful’ violence in Belfast
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn calls last night’s violence in Belfast “utterly shameful” as he spoke at a press conference alongside officers from the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Hadi Alodid, 30, a Sudanese migrant, was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in Belfast.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Benn said: “Nothing can justify the violence that we saw on the streets of Northern Ireland last night, with masked thugs trying to burn and intimidate people out of their homes.
“Those organising these protests claim they’re doing so to protect communities. In fact, they’re doing the very opposite.
“They are damaging communities and hurting people who are innocent and who have been terrified by what they have been through last night. It is utterly shameful, and it needs to stop now.”
Reform UK vows to ‘get tough’ on littering and fly-tipping
Reform UK has pledged to “clean up” Britain with a policy platform aimed at cracking down on littering and fly-tipping.
Deputy leader Richard Tice said Reform will launch efforts to “get tough” on rubbish, starting with the councils it currently runs across England.
Reform councillors will lead the first annual “national action day” on July 4 to clean up litter in their communities, as the beginning of the party’s plans, Mr Tice said.
He also called for much tougher fines of up to £5,000 for fly-tipping, as well as a new aggravated offence for large-scale fly-tipping, which could incur penalties of £20,000 and the forfeiture of the vehicle used to dump the waste.
The amount of litter on Britain’s streets is a “sign of just how broken Britain is”, Mr Tice told a central London press conference.
He added: “People say when they arrive, whether it’s in Dover or Gatwick or Heathrow, they then suddenly drive up our streets and our roads, and they cannot believe the state of the United Kingdom.
“Successive Labour and Conservative governments have utterly failed to address this issue. They just haven’t cared, and littering, fly-tipping, has become the norm.”
He added: “I think councils should be prepared to say that if fast-food chains and outlets are continually responsible for litter around their premises and beyond, then they’ve got to think about the consequences, and the consequences could be that they lose their licence.”
Belfast violence ‘utterly unacceptable’, says Richard Tice
Richard Tice said violence in Belfast was ‘utterly unacceptable’
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PA
The violence in Belfast overnight following the knife attack was “utterly unacceptable,” Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice has said.
Asked whether he condemned the unrest, Mr Tice told a London press conference: “Of course, we always condemn any violence, violent protest, or whatever. It’s completely unacceptable, and along with all politicians of all different stripes.
“Lawful protest is of course something that is a vital part of a democracy, but everybody has to understand that there is a huge difference between expressing one’s concern for what is going on lawfully, peacefully, respectfully, and violence, criminal activities, sort of the fires we saw last night, damage to public property – totally and utterly unacceptable.
He added: “We would urge calm, we would urge people to to recognise that the police have got to do their work in Northern Ireland, and those who want to express their concern, their anxiety, their frustration do that peacefully, lawfully.
“But that cannot cross the line into any form of violence or damage. It’s not who we are, it’s not what we do, it’s not the United Kingdom.”
Mr Tice also shut down as “outrageous” a question on whether the unrest could be linked to Nigel Farage’s comments on Henry Nowak’s murder, after the Reform leader last week said the public should feel “pure, cold rage” about the fatal stabbing of the 18-year-old student.
Britons could be clobbered with even MORE tax hikes in just months, warns Rachel Reeves
Rachel Reeves has warned that Britons could be hit with higher taxes to pay for defence spending.
The Chancellor suggested that further tax rises could come in the autumn budget because “borrowing can’t be the only answer”.
Ms Reeves told an investor conference: “The money has to come from somewhere. Everyone can see the challenges. We are spending 2.6 per cent of GDP [on defence] from next April and the pressures are only going in one direction.”
Sir Keir Starmer is poised to approve a £13.5billion increase for the armed forces, in an attempt to reach a 2.5 per cent GDP target, in an announcement expected as soon as Friday.
But Defence Secretary John Healey has warned the figure risks undermining Britain’s credibility in Nato.
New laws introduced in attempt to control dodgy high street shop crisis
Police and Local Authorities will be equipped with stronger powers to close rogue businesses for longer as they pursue prosecutions to put criminal bosses in jail.
While existing powers allow premises to be closed for up to six months, businesses can often reopen before investigations have concluded, allowing criminal activity to resume and creating additional burdens for local authorities, police forces and the courts.
Under the plans, the government will double the maximum duration of closure orders to give investigators more time to gather evidence, pursue prosecutions, and identify the criminal bosses directing activity from behind the scenes, while also preventing rogue operators from simply reopening and resuming illegal activity.
The government will introduce secondary legislation this year.
The Home Secretary has also instructed officials to urgently review the presence of vape shops, barbers, and car washes on the skilled worker sponsorship list, following concerns about potential misuse of the system. Any businesses seeking to abuse the system will have their licences revoked.
Shabana Mahmood said: “High streets across the country have been hijacked by criminal gangs operating in plain sight – running vape stories, dodgy barbers, and nail salons to launder their dirty money.
“I have launched a nationwide crackdown to raid and close thousands of illegal businesses, arrest bosses and seize their dirty cash.
“But I will go further – introducing new laws to close these shops for good and put criminal bosses behind bars.”
Rwanda scheme branded a ‘colossal waste of money’ by Anna Turley
Labour MP Anna Turley has branded the now-scrapped Rwanda scheme a “colossal waste of money” in a scathing takedown on GB News.
Labour completely scrapped the asylum scheme immediately upon taking office in July 2024, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer declaring the policy “dead and buried before it started”.
Speaking on the scrapped policy, the Labour chair said: “It was absolutely not working. The Rwanda scheme was a complete waste of money.
“There is no evidence to show it worked. It was proven to be a waste of money that the conservatives left a system in absolute chaos. So we’ve been clamping down on that.”
She added: “The evidence is clear that it was not working. It was not functional. It was not compliant with law. We know it was a waste of money.
“The Rwanda scheme was not dealing with the root causes. That’s what we’ve got to work to do, to work internationally, to tackle upstream the people trafficking, the gangs and make sure that we prevent people from getting here in the first place.
“Threatening to deport them to Rwanda after they’re already in the country was not a deterrent. It was not going to work and was an absolutely colossal waste of money.”
Anna Turley brands protests in Belfast ‘horrifying’
Anna Turley is the chair of the Labour Party
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GB NEWS
Anna Turley, who is the chair of the Labour Party, condemned protests in Belfast and urged communities to come together.
Ms Turley told GB News: “It’s horrifying to see the scenes that we’ve seen in Belfast overnight. Nobody wants to see a situation where the community is on fire, and children and families are being forced out of their homes. It’s horrible. There is absolutely no excuse for that and we condemn it wholeheartedly.
“Of course, people were shocked by what they saw on Monday night, but that is not a reason to take to the streets and inflict violence on innocent people and to tear a community down.
“I urge everybody in both Belfast and around the country, thinking about any kind of disruption, to bring calm and to let us try and make sure our communities can stick together and come through this. Let the police and the courts do. They just do their work.”
Addressing concerns on illegal migration, the Labour MP for Redcar added: “We hear those concerns loud and clear. You know, there is, of course, a separate conversation to be had about immigration and the complete chaos of the system we inherited.
“We have reduced immigration by 82 per cent. We’ve already deported 10,000 foreign national offenders. That’s 10,000 criminals who are no longer on the streets of Britain to inflict any more harm on our society.
“We will continue to bear down on that, and we will continue to also make sure that we know who is coming into this country and make sure that our system is fair, secure, and that people in Britain are not at risk from illegal immigration.”
The ‘back door’ migrant route into Britain
In November, North Antrim MP Jim Allister warned The People’s Channel that migrants could pass through the UK’s porous border with the Irish Republic, where they would enjoy protection from deportation under the Windsor Framework in the North.
He said the loophole would “drive coach and horses” through Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s pledge to get to grips with Britain’s migrant crisis.
Crossing from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland is easy, as there is no visible border.
Criminal networks were increasingly using the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland as an alternative smuggling route.
It comes after the Sudanese migrant who was charged with attempted murder appeared to fly from Paris to Dublin before crossing the open border into Northern Ireland and the UK, and then claiming asylum.
Fuller’s boss blasts Rachel Reeves for ‘unprecedented interference’ as 100s of pubs close amid tax hikes
The boss of one of the UK’s biggest pub chains has slammed Chancellor Rachel Reeves for carrying out “unprecedented interference” on the sector amid widespread pub closures.
Simon Emeny, the executive chairman of Fuller, Smith and Turner, has launched a scathing attack on the Labour government, accusing ministers of subjecting the pub industry to excessive taxation and regulatory burdens.
The pub boss holds these policies responsible for the closure of 5,800 pubs across Britain over the past decade.
He said: “When I reflect on the changes seen in our sector over the past 10 years, it has been a period of unprecedented government interference, additional taxes and regulations.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Alex Burghart accuses Rachel Reeves of ‘dreaming up new ways of taxing the British people’
Alex Burghart, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, has slammed Rachel Reeves after the Chancellor warned that Britons could be hit with higher taxes to pay for defence spending.
He told GB News: “Rachel Reeves wakes up in the morning every day and tries to dream up new ways of taxing the British people.
“I think we’ve all had enough of this. The fact of the matter is the government is spending far too much money. It’s borrowing far too much money.
“Labour just needs to get a grip. This is absolutely disastrous for our finances. What we should be doing is getting welfare under control, getting welfare spending down, getting more people into work and that could free up money to spend on defence.
“We badly need that right now. The government has been dragging its heels on this for the past year.”
‘People are absolutely right to have concerns about mass immigration’, Alex Burghart told GB News
Alex Burghart spoke to GB News breakfast
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GB NEWS
Alex Burghart told GB News: “People are absolutely right to have concerns about mass immigration. People are absolutely right to be able to go and protest about those things. But there is an enormous difference between protest and violence.”
“What we saw last night was violence. We have to make sure that people in Northern Ireland have, much like people across the rest of the United Kingdom, a much greater say over immigration, and that they can be confident that there is going to be far less illegal immigration.
Speaking on the Sudanese migrant who was charged with attempted murder, Mr Burghart added: “He was in our country illegally. He should not have been here. He should have been deported under the plan that my party has now put forward. That’s what would happen in future.
“But I completely understand why people are angry about this. But as I say, have to appeal to anybody watching. Do not get involved in violent protests. Do not burn people out of their homes. Do not set fire to public property. It will not make any situation better.
Reform sets sights on bagging triple election victory as Nigel Farage’s party gears up for debut three seats
Reform UK has set its sights on bagging a triple election victory as Nigel Farage’s party gears up for an electoral debut across three seats this Thursday.
All three of the wards are up for grabs for the first time since 2023, before Reform had the opportunity to throw its hat in the ring.
Now, three years later, residents in Christleton & Huntingdon (Cheshire), Apsley & Corner Hall (Hertfordshire) and Cippenham Green (Buckinghampshire) will be able to weigh in on the national debate all the way from their local ballot box.
Nationally, Reform continues to secure top favour with voters across the UK. This week, pollsters at YouGov forecast Mr Farage’s party was due to receive 25 per cent of national votes at the next General Election.
GB NEWS MEMBERS CAN READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill describes violence in Belfast as ‘outright thuggery’
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has described scenes of violence in Belfast as “outright thuggery”.
In a social media post, Ms O’Neill said: “Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice.
“This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery.
“The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong.
“But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here.
“Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur.
“There can be no excuse and no justification for these attacks tonight.
“No one wants to see this on our streets and I again appeal for calm.”
Keir Starmer could SCRAP Royal Navy’s new destroyers despite warnings Britain’s safety ‘in peril’
Sir Keir Starmer could scrap the next generation of Royal Navy destroyers in his long-overdue defence plan.
The Prime Minister could delay – or drop – plans to build Type 83 destroyers, which would have replaced the Navy’s ageing fleet of Type 45 destroyers between 2035 and 2038.
The plans have been put on the backburner amid a bitter funding row between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury over Sir Keir’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
A final decision on the new class of destroyer would be decided ahead of the long-delayed plan’s publication – potentially Thursday – but officials are still negotiating what projects the Government will fund.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
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