Starmer says talks with Gulf leaders have reinforced sense Iran war ceasefire is ‘fragile’ – as it happened

Keir Starmer has said he discussed the “fragile” nature of the US-Iran ceasefire with Gulf allies and that “it takes more than just words” to make it permanent, the Press Association reports.After talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Starmer told broadcasters:double quotation markI think the mood is very much one of the shock that they were attacked in the first place, because of course they weren’t attacking Iran, and the intensity of some of the attacks.Relief that there’s now a ceasefire. I think a general sense that it’s fragile, that there’s work to do in relation to it.And then a lot of reflection and discussion, me with them, about the work we did over the last six to seven weeks together, the collective self-defence, the capabilities

‘No more bending to Westminster’s will’ if Plaid Cymru wins power, leader vows

Plaid Cymru’s leader has promised “no more bending to Westminster’s will” as the nationalist party stands on the brink of taking office for the first time in next month’s Senedd elections.Speaking at Plaid Cymru’s manifesto launch in Wrexham on Thursday – chosen because of its football team, which has showcased Wales’s potential to the world – Rhun ap Iorwerth told a packed room of supporters there would be “no more toeing the London party line, no more defending the status quo and no more saying no to Wales”.He said: “Together, and for the first time, we can give our nation the leadership it deserves, leadership that takes its cue from the people of Wales and nobody else.”Labour has led Wales since devolution in 1999 but it appears destined for opposition. Polls consistently suggest the May contest is a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, with Labour a distant third or even fourth after the Green party

Why colluding with King Donald’s insanity is the only game in town | John Crace

The Madness of King Donald. Unless you’ve spent most of the last few years on a silent retreat – and who could blame you? – it can’t have escaped you that the American president is both not that bright and borderline sociopathic. A lethal combination. Posting “Open the Fuckin’ Strait you crazy bastards or you’ll be living in Hell” on his social media account is not the action of a well man. Certainly not when the Middle East is on a knife-edge

UK spending on foreign aid hits lowest level since 2008

The UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts say the cuts are costing lives.Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, down from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008.The total ODA spend in 2025 was just over £13bn, an annual decrease of £1bn, or 7

Zack Polanski calls for UK to withdraw trade agreement with Israel after strikes on Lebanon

Zack Polanski has called on the government to tear up the UK-Israel trade agreement after the Israeli strikes on Lebanon.Polanski also called for Keir Starmer to ban the US using UK airspace and said sanctions should be imposed on Israel, which he accused of “behaving in a completely uncontrolled way”.“What is it going to take for this government to actually put robust sanctions on Israel?” he said at the launch of the Green party local election campaign in London.“It is outrageous that Israel is still enjoying diplomatic and trade privileges from the international community. As a Green party, we are calling on this government to make much more robust sanctions, to withdraw the UK-Israel trade agreement and to end the genocide

‘They will not get my vote this year’: Birmingham focus group shows shift from Labour support

Almost two years into Keir Starmer’s government, the polls suggest that many swing voters, including some of those who voted Labour, are unimpressed with how the country is being run.In the constituency of Birmingham Yardley, a focus group of eight previous Labour voters last week found support was now splintering in different directions, with one person considering going to Reform and several to the Greens. The group, convened by More in Common, had very little good to say about the government on the key issues.Most of the group said spiralling prices were their biggest concern. Bob, an engineering manager, said: “The wages doesn’t match the increase of everything every year so it just gets harder … Maybe you don’t go on holidays this year, maybe you used to be able to shop in M&S and now you shop somewhere else

British crypto billionaire Ben Delo says he has given £4m to Reform UK

A British billionaire convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business has given £4m to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Ben Delo, 42, who is now based in Hong Kong, wrote in the Telegraph that he had made the donation since the start of the year, before the government’s cap on donations to political parties by British citizens living abroad.The businessman, who was pardoned by Donald Trump last year, is moving back to the UK and therefore will not in future be subject to the new rules for donors. The cap may limit further contributions from Reform UK’s Thai-based donor Christopher Harborne, who has given £12m so far.In his article for the Telegraph, Delo explained his motivations for turning to Reform UK, saying England was his home and that “the biggest obstacle to national recovery is the entrenched self-deception of our elites”

UK politics: Starmer warns ‘lot of work to do’ to make ceasefire permanent at start of talks in Gulf - as it happened

Keir Starmer has said there is a “real sense of relief” in the Gulf at the Iran ceasefire – but also that there is “a lot of work to do” to make it permanent.Speaking to broadcasters at the King Fahd Air Base in Taif, Saudi Arabia, the PM said:double quotation markThere’s work to do. It’s early days.There is a real sense, I think, of relief you can feel it at the base here in Saudi Arabia, for 39 days, they’ve been acting in our collective self-defence. You can feel the relief

Keir Starmer is no Neville Chamberlain | Brief letters

Donald Trump says “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain” (Trump uses Neville Chamberlain jibe to mock Starmer over stance on Iran, 6 April) – ie someone who does not stand up to tyrannical regimes and tries to appease them. Well, Donald, I am sure you are pleased that, so far, that is not happening in the UK, where our prime minister does seem to be standing up to such regimes by refusing to back the US-Israel attacks on Iran.Dominic RiceSheffield President Trump used to have the mantra “Drill, baby, drill”. Now it seems to be “Kill, baby, kill”.Rae StreetLittleborough, Greater Manchester The Guardian’s obituary pages invariably reveal fascinating details of the lives of both the well known and the less well known