EU-UK diplomacy, security and global affairs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became the first foreign leader to visit Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street, just 11 days into the new government. Mayor Andy Burnham says the choice sent an unmistakable message of British solidarity with Ukraine.
A Russian frigate carried out a 30-minute live-fire exercise in international waters just off Plymouth, prompting the Royal Navy to monitor the vessel throughout. The drill took place close to the UK’s largest naval base at Devonport.
More than half of UK business leaders want the government to prioritise rebuilding its relationship with the EU, new Institute of Directors data reveals. With a landmark UK-EU summit approaching in May 2025, pressure is mounting on Downing Street to deliver tangible results for British firms.
Keir Starmer travelled to Kyiv on Thursday to meet President Zelensky and announce a fresh £450 million military aid package. The visit signals London’s determination to hold firm on Ukraine even as Western unity faces growing strain.
Craig Foreman, a Briton detained in Iran on spying charges since January 2024, has had his prison sentence extended by two additional years, his family says. The news has deepened fears over his fate as diplomatic efforts remain stalled.
Prince Harry’s planned week of Invictus Games publicity collapsed into chaos, with legal setbacks and damaging headlines overwhelming the positive narrative Team Sussex had carefully prepared. The Duke’s UK media battle is looking increasingly difficult to win.
Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour’s early response to the Gaza conflict, calling it “a real failure” that hurt communities across Britain. His remarks are among the most candid from any senior Labour figure on a period that cost the party at the ballot box.
The Old Continent has good reason to be concerned that the U.S. defense industrial base is no longer supplying the weapons promised to NATO allies, given that American stockpiles have been depleted due to the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, prompting allies to consider new ways to arm themselves and defend themselves. As NATO leaders,…
A volunteer researcher has uncovered a rare printed copy of the US Declaration of Independence in a British archive — one of only 11 such copies known to exist in the world. The extraordinary find was made at the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester, England.
A man convicted in France as a key people smuggler has been quietly living in a Leicestershire village, working locally while his asylum claim is processed. The BBC tracked him down after French authorities described him as ‘the godfather’ of migrant camps in northern France.
