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Stay ahead of every crucial update as Burnham closes in on No 10
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Sir Keir Starmer met with Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato, yesterday. The alliance wants members to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, but the Government’s plan falls £9bn short |
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Tom Cotterill Defence Editor |
After months of delay, Sir Keir Starmer is set to reveal Britain’s defence investment plan today.
The military funding scheme, worth billions, was due out last autumn but has been stuck in political purgatory as the Treasury and Ministry of Defence squabbled over cash.
For the outgoing Prime Minister, finally getting the settlement over the line will be his swansong before departing Downing Street next month.
Coming before a crucial summit of Nato leaders in Turkey next week, it’s hoped it will also reassure allies of Britain’s commitment to rearm after fierce criticism from Donald Trump about its diminished Armed Forces.
However, critics say the plan – touted by the PM as “game-changing” – still falls £9bn short of key Nato states’ efforts to increase defence spending.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, says the investment will equate to 2.69 per cent of GDP by 2030. By contrast, Germany, now the world’s fourth biggest military spender after overtaking the UK, will hit 3.7 per cent by 2030.
“This has been cobbled together at the last minute by a Prime Minister who is desperate to make a legacy for himself,” Cartlidge said. “This is too little, too late.”
This report is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤ |
Shabana Mahmood insists migrants must ‘repay the generosity of the British people’ |
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Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor |
Shabana Mahmood will today unveil new powers to force asylum seekers to pay back £10,000 of their accommodation and benefit bills once they are working.
It is the Home Secretary’s latest crackdown to restore some semblance of fairness to an asylum system that costs taxpayers £4bn a year to provide applicants with free accommodation in hotels, houses in multiple occupancy or military sites and financial support.
The move, replicating the student loan scheme, comes with the threat that migrants will be barred from permanently settling in the UK unless they pay off the £10,000 charge.
Underlining her message that refugee status in the UK comes with strings, Mahmood says: “Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”
Asylum seekers are entitled to work once their claim has been granted or if they are still waiting for their application to be decided after a year in the UK.
Oxford University’s Migration Observatory says the new powers will only have a “relatively small” impact on the public finances because it will be means-tested payment made by a very low income group.
For Mahmood, however, it sends a critical message that the UK is no longer a “soft touch”.
Read the full story here ➤ |
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David Blair European diplomats told me they were furious with him as foreign secretary, but does he have the humility to realise what a failure he was? Continue reading ➤
Gareth Roberts Dame Penelope Keith united the kingdom in a way we can’t conceive of today Continue reading ➤
Celia Walden Enough of the psychodrama, Harry. Make peace with your father Continue reading ➤ |
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... Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka made a statement with her latest eye-catching walk-on outfit inspired by traditional Japanese dress |
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Oliver Brown Chief Sports Writer at Gillette Stadium, Boston |
Germany have lost on penalties. It feels so improbable as to be an inversion of natural law. And yet under a flawless New England sunset, the unthinkable came to pass.
For the first time in World Cup history, the four-time champions have unravelled in a discipline they once made almost a national artform, with Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah all wretchedly bungling their attempts to hand Paraguay the greatest sporting moment in the country’s history. For the vanquished, the wound to national pride is incalculable. Kings of the Elfmeter no longer.
For Germany to falter not once, not twice, but three times from 12 yards on the grandest stage registers so high on the Richter scale of football shocks that it breaks the seismograph. Prior to the staggering denouement to this game, Germany had won all four of their World Cup shoot-outs, scoring 17 out of 18 penalties, including all of their last 15.
By treating penalties as a science rather than a lottery, their players became masters in absorbing pressure. But such certainties dissolved as Germany were bundled out of the tournament in stunning fashion.
Read the full report here ➤
Dreadful penalties became the theme of the evening, too. Morocco and the Netherlands couldn’t be separated so they, too, went to a shootout. The Dutch missed three of their five from the spot as they were dumped out of the tournament, with Quinten Timber’s wider than wide effort the worst of the bunch.
Elsewhere, Gabriel Martinelli was Brazil’s unlikely saviour after he scored the winner in added time against a spirited Japan side.
Read the full report here ➤
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Yesterday, Andy Burnham unveiled his agenda for democratic renewal, without consulting Parliament, at a press conference that took no questions, writes Tim Stanley. In front of a hand-picked crowd, Burnham spoke of “No 10 North” and riffed about his “Manchester clothes” but made no mention of AI or China or energy. We used to complain that too few politicians had been to Manchester, but has “Our Andy” been anywhere else? For subscribers only ➤ |
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Lorna Andrews lost her husband John to oesophageal cancer in February |
Lorna Andrews – better known to her 1.8 million Instagram followers as Lorna Luxe – was in her mid-20s when she met and fell for John, who was 21 years her senior. After 16 years of marriage, their time together was cut short when he developed oesophageal cancer, dying in February this year. Here, she opens up about age-gap love and loss and how she’s learning to carry on alone. Continue reading ➤ |
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Over the past decade, hordes of graduates have headed west in pursuit of the ultimate prize: a high-flying role in Silicon Valley. Now, thanks to AI, that dream is dying. US tech companies cut more than 38,000 jobs in May alone. The message from an insider is crystal clear: “No one is safe.” Continue reading ➤ |
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Writer Jack Rear with Jean-Philippe Blondet (right) and Stephane Petit (left) at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester |
We all know that restaurant food is different (and usually better) than what we make at home, but why? To find out, writes Jack Rear, I asked two of Britain’s most esteemed Michelin-star chefs to rate my staple dish. After being mercilessly mocked by the professionals, I think I’ve discovered exactly why Michelin-cooking is so good... Continue reading ➤ |
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Every day this week, one of our critics will share their recommendations for this summer’s best books. Today: History.
A parade in Red Square, Moscow – a carefully choreographed display of Soviet power and unity that stood in contrast to the realities of life behind the spectacle |
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Simon Heffer |
If you think a beach read should be a comfort blanket of cosy escapism, you’d better not take Mark B Smith’s Exit Stalin. It describes the grimness and oppression of the lives of ordinary Russians in the last 40 or so years of the Soviet Union.
Smith’s book is superb: a marvellous exposition of history, recounting the period with vivid detail and accuracy. And, thanks to Vladimir Putin, the apparently happy ending of 1991 was not to be. So, if you like to come back from holiday having learned something both factually and perhaps even morally, Exit Stalin will be hard to beat.
Read the full review and see recommendations for more history books here ➤
Plus, another article you might find useful today:
Experts on how to live better for longer want us to pay attention to the 12 years between 60 and 72 – the period that, for most of us, comes after retirement and before age-related decline. This time can be an investment for the years to come, as by doing as much as we can now, we build resilience and strength for the future. So how can we make the most of our “12 good years”?
Find out here ➤ |
What they’re talking about in… Rome |
This column was first published in Cables, our international affairs newsletter, penned by our expert team of correspondents and editors around the world.
Roberto Vannacci formed his new party, Futuro Nazionale, in February this year |
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Nick Squires Rome Correspondent |
The mercury is nudging 38C, schools have long broken up and people are deserting Rome in droves, heading for the coast or the mountains.
Late June in Italy’s capital is normally a time of torpor, as the whole population – politicians included – look forward to escaping the heat and heading off on holiday.
This year is different, however. A new political force has burst on the scene to upset the delicate equilibrium of the three-party coalition led by Giorgia Meloni.
Futuro Nazionale was established only a few months ago, but according to the polls, it could attract at least 6 per cent of the vote at the next general election, which must be held by next year.
That doesn’t seem like very much. However, in a fractured political landscape, where even Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party may secure only 25 per cent of the vote, that 6 per cent could mean the difference between victory or defeat.
The difficulty facing the prime minister is whether to form an alliance with Futuro Nazionale.
The hard-Right party is led by Roberto Vannacci, a former paratrooper and special forces general who was suspended from active service after publishing a controversial book titled The World Upside Down.
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Vannacci has made much of his military background, posting a photo on Instagram of himself with a fellow soldier in Afghanistan in 2006 |
In the book, he derided gay people as “not normal”, said black immigrants could never be truly Italian – even if born in the country – and criticised what he called the “dictatorship of minorities”.
Should the prime minister keep the former general at arm’s length and hope that his popularity fades? Or should she bite her tongue and bring him into the fold in the hope that his vote share will clinch her a second five-year mandate?
Vannacci says he is happy to make a deal. “We are absolutely prepared to enter into the coalition,” he said at the weekend. The prime minister need only pick up the phone.
“If Meloni has something she wants to tell me, she has my number. She should call me,” he said.
It appears the prime minister, who in September will become the longest-serving head of government in the 80-year history of the Italian Republic, surpassing the late Silvio Berlusconi, is playing the long game.
“One thing I learned many, many years ago is that politics is never arithmetic,” she said when asked about a pact. “Never think that if you add in politics 30 plus 4 it makes 34.”
For daily dispatches like this straight to your inbox, sign up to Cables here. |
Friend or foe?Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
A holiday with friends: what’s not to like? Surely it’s impossible to have too much of two good things. Yet as this mortifying account makes clear, it’s also a high-risk experiment – one in which the gulf between theory and practice can quickly emerge. Short of booking an early flight home or initiating a real-life episode of Death in Paradise, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Readers have been recalling their own experiences. Stephen Packter kept it simple: “Been there, done that. Never again.”
Another wrote: “We arrived at the villa after our friends (no longer) had already bagged the best en-suite bedroom. They then complained about the cost of everything, banged on about how much they missed the south of France, and refused to enjoy Portugal.”
For Reginald Carter, “the fatal error is not hiring a car, which enables freedom of movement and escape. Make your excuses and leave for day trips far away”.
Lee Jones added: “We are sociable people. We have a large group of friends. But our two-week summer holiday is our holiday, not to be shared with anyone else. The idea of having to negotiate with others, even good friends, over the time of breakfast or where we go for dinner fills me with dread.”
Scott McCutcheon suggested a rule: “About three nights staying with friends or extended family is the limit before certain idiosyncrasies begin to grate – irrespective of budget or spending habits.”
For Kieran Smithson, though, it doesn’t have to be this way: “We went on holiday with very good friends who, compared with us, were absolutely minted. We were able to tell them without any difficulty that we wouldn't be joining any of their fine-dining experiences. We hired separate cars to allow each party to be independent. We got a Corsa and they got some massive 4x4. They had a suite in the hotel we were in; we had a standard room. We all had a great time.” What’s your policy? Send your responses here and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter. Here’s hoping for sunshine on the day.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. |
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1960 | Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Belgian Congo) declares independence from Belgium
1992 | Margaret Thatcher joins the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven
2007 | Terror attack at Glasgow airport (and the front page coverage the following day, seen below)
2014 | Rolf Harris is convicted of indecent assault in London
Birthdays: Cheryl Tweedy (43), Katherine Ryan (43), Mike Tyson (60)
A plane built by which organisation has broken the sound barrier without producing a sonic boom, bringing civilian supersonic flights a step closer?
1. Boeing
2. Airbus
3. Nasa
4. Lockheed Martin |
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was IMAGINARY. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. |
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