UK politics: No 10 brushes off claims Streeting’s criticism of ‘technocratic approach’ refers to Starmer –as it happened

The Trump security strategy paper contains language reminiscent of 1930s Germany, MPs were told.Liam Byrne, a former Labour cabinet minister and the chair of the Commons business committee, made the suggestion as he said the shift in US policy meant it was even more important for the UK to strengthen economic security links with the EU.Speaking during the urgent question, he said:The language of the US national security strategy was deeply regrettable and, frankly, it was not hard to see the rhymes with some extreme rightwing tropes that date back to the 1930s.Byrne said the publication of the document coincided with talks on the UK joining the EU’s Safe (Security Action for Europe) defence loans programme broke down. He said the government should adopt the recommendations in his committee’s report on economic security, and he said the UK should open talks with the EU on the sort of economic security union that could provide Europe with the growth “that rearmament is going to require”

Trump wants to destabilise European democracy. Where on earth is parliament? | John Crace

’Twas the fortnight before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Apart from a few exceptions. The Labour backbencher Matt Western had managed to secure an urgent question on President Trump’s new national security strategy and the Commons itself was remarkable for its absences. A roll-call of dishonour.Take Nigel Farage

US engaging in ‘extreme rightwing tropes’ reminiscent of 1930s, British MPs warn

The US is engaging in “extreme rightwing tropes” with echoes of the 1930s and threatening “chilling” interference in European democracies, British MPs warned ministers on Thursday.The House of Commons rounded on Donald Trump’s national security strategy, which stated that Europe was facing “civilisational erasure” and vowed to help the continent “correct its current trajectory and promote patriotic European parties”.Matt Western, a Labour MP and chair of parliament’s joint committee on the UK government’s national security strategy, said: “The United States consensus that has led the western world since the second world war appears shattered.“The prospect of United States interference in the democratic politics of Europe, I believe, is chilling … The absence of condemnation for Russia is extraordinary, though not surprising.” He said the US pivot left the UK “especially vulnerable”

UK denies Milei’s claim of talks over Falklands-era ban on Argentina arms sales

The British government has denied it is engaged in negotiations to lift a ban on selling arms to Argentina that has been in place since the Falklands war.Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, told the Daily Telegraph his government had begun speaking to the UK about the restrictions.Argentina briefly invaded the Falklands Islands, which are British territory, in 1982. The war lasted 10 weeks, costing 255 British lives and 649 Argentinian before the invaders surrendered.Subsequently the policy of the British government has been that it will not allow weapons to be exported to Argentina if they are judged to “enhance Argentine military capability”

Sajid Javid told Boris Johnson he was Dominic Cummings’ ‘puppet’

Sajid Javid told Boris Johnson he was a “puppet” of Dominic Cummings before he resigned as chancellor rather than accept a Cummings-led takeover of his Treasury, he has said in an interview about his experiences as a minister.Speaking to the Institute for Government (IfG), Javid also said that his other departure from Johnson’s government, shortly before it collapsed in 2022, was because he had lost confidence in the prime minister after being assured that allegations about lockdown-breaking parties in No 10 were “bullshit”.Asked to assess the three prime ministers he served under, Javid, who ran six different government departments in eight years, described Johnson as “the least well briefed”, compared with David Cameron and Theresa May.In his first resignation under Johnson, in February 2020, Javid quit after being told by Johnson that he would have to fire his team of Treasury special advisers, known as spads, and work with new advisers selected by Cummings, Johnson’s chief adviser.“I found that unacceptable – both firing my spads and then also how they would be replaced, because I thought I’d just be chancellor in name anyway,” Javid told the IfG as part of their ongoing series of discussions with former ministers

Keir’s performance in PMQs panto sets bar low enough for Kemi to stay as Tory leader | John Crace

With little more than a week to go until the Christmas recess, the Commons is in festive overdrive. Demob happy. A few minutes in to the year’s penultimate prime minister’s questions with MPs from both sides shouting and cheering, the speaker interrupted proceedings to say: “We don’t need the panto auditions any more.” To which the natural response was: “Ooh yes we do.” Because that’s pretty much the whole purpose of PMQs at the best of times