Rachel Reeves warns other budgets may be cut to lift defence spending

Rachel Reeves has warned “difficult choices” are required to increase defence spending and other budgets may have to be cut, including welfare.Under pressure for a faster rise in the military budget amid the Iran conflict and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the chancellor said she was “working through a range of options” but preferred not to increase taxes or add to government borrowing.She said: “My two budgets have both increased taxes substantially. I would prefer not to have to do that again. And on borrowing, well look, we’ve seen through this conflict [in Iran] the cost of government borrowing increase

Badenoch calls Farage an ‘opportunist’ after he urges Scottish nationalists to back Reform

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opportunist who does not believe in unionism after he urged Scottish nationalists to back Reform.Farage said earlier this week he believed “genuine nationalists” would not support the Scottish National party’s bid to rejoin the EU, and urged them to vote Reform in the Holyrood election on 7 May.He also told the Scotsman that while he believed in the UK, it was “probably quite reasonable” to hold a second independence referendum in the future, “if this issue came back”.Badenoch, speaking to reporters in Edinburgh on Thursday, said only her party was truly centre-right and unionist. “Nigel Farage doesn’t really believe in anything except Nigel Farage

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until this week – as it happened

Downing Street has just issued a statement saying Starmer did not know that Mandelson had failed the vetting process until earlier this week. A No 10 spokesperson said:double quotation markThe security vetting process for Peter Mandelson was sponsored by the FCDO. The decision to grant Developed Vetting to Peter Mandelson against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was taken by officials in the FCDO.Neither the prime minister, nor any government minister, was aware that Peter Mandelson was granted Developed Vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting until earlier this week.Once the prime minister was informed he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the Developed Vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons

Orbán’s defeat threatens to halt Hungarian support of populist right

The last 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule have been kind to a number of British political figures – from the Tory peer David Frost to Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin and James Orr.All benefited from largesse extended by the self-styled “illiberal democracy” established by the Hungarian leader’s ruling Fidesz party, which took a particular liking for those on the harder right of British conservatism.But while Budapest channelled millions each year to thinktanks and individuals associated with the populist right, the overwhelming defeat of Orbán this week now threatens to bring that support across Europe to a shuddering halt.Change looms elsewhere, too, including for Hungary’s ambassador Ferenc Kumin, who has long been close to Orbán, and for media operations set up by his supporters, such as Remix News. It pumps out English-language coverage skewed towards amplifying hard-right, anti-immigration narratives of life in Britain

Five key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?

The revelation that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting clearance, only for the decision to be overruled by the Foreign Office so he could take up his post as ambassador to the US, raises a number of questions.According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a type of a highly confidential background check carried out by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), a division of the Cabinet Office.By that stage he had already been announced as Keir Starmer’s pick for ambassador in Washington. Within two days, the Foreign Office had overruled the UKSV decision, granting him clearance despite the recommendation from security officials. It is not known who made the decision to overrule security officials, or why

Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament

Exclusive: Opinions split on ‘unprecedented’ release of files, despite demand for ‘all papers’ related to ex-US ambassador’s appointmentRevealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decisionFive key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?Senior government officials have been considering whether to withhold from parliament sensitive documents that show Peter Mandelson failed security vetting before he assumed the role of US ambassador, the Guardian can reveal.Any such decision could amount to an extraordinary breach of a parliamentary vote, known as a humble address, that ordered the release of “all papers” relevant to Mandelson’s appointment.The Guardian has revealed that Mandelson did not receive vetting clearance from security officials, but that their decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post.According to multiple sources, officials across government have been in dispute over whether to release documents that would reveal those facts, and other information about Mandelson’s security vetting, to the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC).The committee has been entrusted by parliament with the role of assessing the most sensitive papers relating to Mandelson’s appointment