The cameras weren’t rolling, so no one saw Lammy neglect to tackle Dictators United | John Crace

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If the foreign secretary makes a speech to the G20 in South Africa and someone forgot to switch on the televised stream, did it really happen?This was meant to be David Lammy’s big day out. His Foreign Office team had briefed in advance that this was to be his most forceful intervention on Ukraine yet. No more Mr Nice Guy. No more couching his words in the language of twisted diplomacy. Just shooting from the hip

‘Russia has learned nothing’ over Ukraine war, says David Lammy – as it happened

Foreign secretary David Lammy has been speaking at the G20 foreign ministerial meeting in South Africa.Referring to the Ukraine war, he criticised Russia for having “learned nothing”, adding: “we are at a crucial juncture in this conflict, and Russia faces a test”.He said that the only “just and lasting peace” will be a peace “consistent with the UN charter” which “rejects Tsarist imperialism”.Lammy was also critical of Russian minister for foreign affairs [Sergei] Lavrov for his “logic of imperialism dressed up as realpolitik”.He said:You know, mature countries learn from their colonial failures and their wars, and Europeans have had much to learn over the generations and the centuries

Priest insulted by Andrew Gwynne in WhatsApp group calls for him to resign

A serving Anglican priest has called for Andrew Gwynne to resign after new WhatsApp messages emerged in which the member of parliament suggested she should be “burned on a bonfire”.She described the chat involving two Labour MPs, as well as several other Labour party members, as “reminiscent of playground bullying and name-calling”.The vicar is mentioned more than 100 times in the chat, with the group, which also includes several sitting councillors from two local authorities, making repeated jibes about her weight.“Imagine [her] in a bike,” one says.“Haven’t you seen her pootling round Reddish

We need a debate on defence spending as Nato unravels, putting Europe at risk | Letters

With current and past leaders of the armed services joining the Americans in calling for ever greater percentages of national income to be devoted to defence, some hardheaded thinking is going to be needed (Starmer will go in ‘bin of history’ if he fails to raise defence budget, says ex-army chief, 15 February).Unless defence spending contributes to growth, we could have the absurd situation of increasing the proportion of GDP spent on defence without any material increase in the actual amount available; 2.5% of substantial growth is better than 3% of an economy flatlining.We must also surely want a national debate on the kind of defence spending we want – matching a very different threat to that experienced in the 20th century and requiring not necessarily more personnel, but greater creativity and skill in combating the threat of the future.Above all, however, we should have a national debate about what other key services are going to be denied investment as a consequence of the ever-increasing demand to combat a real or perceived threat from the Russian federation

Lisa Nandy announces £270m fund for England’s ‘crumbling’ cultural infrastructure

Culture has been “erased” from communities and curriculums, according to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy who vowed to make the arts more accessible by announcing new funding for England’s “crumbling” cultural infrastructure.The £270m fund will support attractions “in urgent need of financial support to keep them up and running, helping to carry out vital infrastructure work and improve long-term financial resilience”, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).Nandy said: “For too many young people in this country, culture hasn’t just been erased from the curriculum, it’s been erased from our communities as well.“The Arts Everywhere Fund is designed specifically to address that, to make sure that communities who value their heritage and the contribution that they’ve made to this country can still continue to open those institutions to communities and tell that story as part of our national story.”The money includes £120m, which will be available to 17 leading institutions such as the British Museum, National Gallery and National Museums Liverpool, which all get money directly from the DCMS

Chief whip’s diaries reveal rescue of Tory MP from ‘KGB agent’ in London brothel

They say that to govern is to choose, but for one former chief whip it meant rescuing a Conservative MP from a suspected “KGB agent” in a London brothel.The story of said MP is one of many colourful anecdotes in Simon Hart’s political diaries, which have become the talk of Westminster this week.Hart, who served as Rishi Sunak’s chief whip for nearly two years, offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of his government — including the sexual misadventures of members of the whips’ office.He also lifts the lid on Sunak’s troubled premiership, including the tensions between ministers and how whips grappled with a series of misconduct allegations involving Tory MPs.On 24 November 2022, Hart recalls getting a phone call at 2