No 10 says Starmer and Trump spoke final evening as minister requires ‘clear considering’ on tariff risk – UK politics reside | Politics

Ed Davey has responded to the Downing Avenue read-out of prime minister Keir Starmer’s assembly with the US particular envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett, at Downing Avenue final evening, throughout which he had a name with US president Donald Trump.

The Liberal Democrat chief stated:

Keir Starmer have to be clear with Donald Trump that his proposals on Ukraine are unacceptable.

There’s not a second to lose. It’s vital that the prime minister joins the gathering of worldwide leaders happening this weekend on the Munich Safety Convention, and does all he can to bolster help for Ukraine.

Keir Starmer should seize the second and make sure that Trump’s plans to lock Ukraine, the UK and European allies out of choices about our shared future don’t succeed.

Peter Walker is senior political correspondent for the Guardian

Downing Avenue may change into a notably much less interesting place to work within the coming weeks, with cleaners and catering workers at No 10 scheduled to start a month-long steady strike over pay and circumstances.

The strike, scheduled to final from 24 February to 25 March, is an extension of a wider dispute that has already taken place in a collection of presidency departments, however will now be prolonged to No 10 and the Cupboard Workplace.

The Public and Industrial Companies (PCS) union, which represents the employees, is in search of a pay rise and enhancements to circumstances in areas reminiscent of vacation entitlement, and, extra broadly, is making an attempt to steer the Labour authorities to deliver workers at the moment employed by an outsourcing firm into official roles.

The involvement of No 10 cleaners is especially resonant given the deal with their function throughout protection of repeated lockdown-breaking events in and round No 10 throughout Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister.

Learn extra from Peter Walker right here: No 10 cleansing workers to start month-long strike over pay

In one other bout of UK-US diplomacy at this time, overseas secretary David Lammy and not too long ago put in US vice-president JD Vance have held a bilateral assembly in Munich on the sidelines of the Munich Safety Convention.

Reuters is carrying some quotes from the pair, with Lammy saying he appeared ahead to discussing help for Ukraine and European safety, stating that the connection between the UK and the US was “extra than simply an alliance, it’s a covenant between two companions”.

Lammy continued, saying “We’re dedicated to rising defence [spending] and encourage our associates throughout Europe to do the identical, and naturally we’ve got bought essential points to debate on Ukraine and the way we help Ukraine at this tough second, and in addition broader problems with UK-US safety.”

For his half, Vance stated:

Truthfully, we’ve got lots in widespread, and the particular relationship between the UK and the US will stay very sturdy. We’re going to discuss one thing that he and I spoke about a few years in the past, which is our shared perception that Europe actually ought to take an enormous function in its personal safety, and I’m glad the overseas secretary agrees with me on that. I feel there are different problems with widespread settlement. I’m positive we are going to discuss Russia-Ukraine.

My colleague Jakub Krupa is following the Munich Safety Convention intently on our Europe reside weblog, which you’ll find right here.

Downing Avenue has issued a read-out of a gathering that prime minister Keir Starmer held final evening with Donald Trump’s particular envoy to the UK, former tv producer Mark Burnett, throughout which, it says, Starmer spoke to the US president.

Within the read-out, No 10 says:

The prime minister was happy to host president Trump’s particular envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett, at Downing Avenue final evening, throughout which he took a name from president Trump and mentioned his forthcoming go to to the US.

Burnett and the prime minister agreed on the distinctive and particular nature of the UK-US relationship, the power of our alliance, and the heat of the connection between the 2 international locations.

Burnett mirrored on his private connections to the UK, and his mom’s expertise working part-time in Downing Avenue as a waitress over 30 years in the past.

They emphasised the large potential for even stronger collaboration on commerce, tech and cultural issues between the US and the UK, and appeared ahead to working collectively.

At the moment science secretary Peter Kyle stated the UK wants “cool, clear considering” over the specter of new commerce tariffs being imposed by the Trump administration within the US.

In an earlier diplomatic read-out from a cellphone name with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Starmer’s spokesperson stated the prime minister had assured the federal government in Kyiv that the UK was dedicated to Ukraine being “on an irreversible path to Nato”, placing the UK seemingly at odds with latest statements popping out of Washington about talks to finish the battle there, which has been ongoing for practically three years.

Trump introduced Burnett’s appointment as his particular envoy in December. The 64-year-old British tv producer helped produce Trump’s present The Apprentice, and as former chair of MGM Worldwide Tv Group, Burnett has gained 13 Emmys.

On the time the then-president-elect stated of Burnett “With a distinguished profession in tv manufacturing and enterprise, Mark brings a novel mix of diplomatic acumen and worldwide recognition to this essential function. Mark will work to reinforce diplomatic relations, specializing in areas of mutual curiosity, together with commerce, funding alternatives, and cultural exchanges.”

Prime minister Keir Starmer has informed Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the UK is dedicated to Ukraine being “on an irreversible path to Nato.”

The pair spoke this morning, forward of the conferences on the Munich Safety Convention the place the sudden Trump administration push to finish the battle in Ukraine has already been criticised as appeasement in the direction of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In a read-out from the decision, Downing Avenue stated

The prime minister spoke to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this morning.

The prime minister started by reiterating the UK’s concrete help for Ukraine, for so long as it’s wanted.

He was unequivocal that there might be no talks about Ukraine, with out Ukraine.

Ukraine wanted sturdy safety ensures, additional deadly support and a sovereign future, and it may depend on the UK to step up, he added.

The prime minister reiterated the UK’s dedication to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato, as agreed by allies on the Washington Summit final yr.

Discussing the upcoming third anniversary of Ukraine’s brave defence of its sovereignty within the face of Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion, the leaders agreed that it could be an essential second to display worldwide unity and help for Ukraine.

EU overseas coverage chief and former Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, has already been extremely vital of the Trump administration’s opening gambit in negotiations, saying “Why are we giving them [Russia] the whole lot that they need even earlier than the negotiations have been began?” she stated. “It’s appeasement. It has by no means labored.”

Earlier this week Donald Trump’s new protection secretary Pete Hegseth stated “We should begin by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic goal.”

My colleague Jakub Krupa is masking the Munich Safety Convention reside for the Guardian, the place we predict to listen to from Ursula von der Leyen, JD Vance and Zelenskyy amongst others. You may comply with that right here.

Opposition Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch has launched a proper bid to maintain native elections scheduled for some areas of England this Might, as her shadow enterprise secretary warned cancelling them was “solely improper”.

As a part of the Labour authorities’s regional devolution plans for England, elections have been delayed in 9 areas whereas native authorities work on a brand new construction that will see present “two-tier” preparations (the place residents have service supply cut up between a county council and a smaller native council) reorganised into single unitary authorities. Polls due on 1 Might in these areas would as an alternative happen subsequent yr.

Badenoch has laid an early day movement calling for the order to postpone the elections to be “annulled”.

Kevin Hollinrake, shadow secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, informed PA Media:

The Labour Authorities have massively rushed this imposition. There was no try to collect consensus inside two-tier areas. Native residents haven’t been consulted at any stage.

Council leaders have a “gun to their head” from the Labour authorities. These elections will not be being “postponed” – they’re being cancelled. This mass change is unprecedented and completely improper.

We’re notably involved concerning the important delay of as much as three years earlier than the brand new councils are in place, and present councillors serving a seven-year time period.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner introduced the delay to elections throughout the 9 areas earlier this month, when she informed the Commons: “We’re not within the enterprise of holding elections to our bodies that gained’t exist. This might be an costly and irresponsible waste of taxpayers’ cash.”

The modifications have an effect on elections scheduled in Might for seven county councils – Essex, East Sussex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey and West Sussex – and for 2 unitary councils – Thurrock and the Isle of Wight.

The reform will result in the introduction of six elected mayors – in Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Better Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton – together with merged county and district councils.

Joanna Partridge

The UK’s competitors watchdog has really helpful sweeping modifications for the child formulation business, Joanna Partridge experiences:

The CMA proposed 5 measures on Friday, which it says will enhance outcomes for folks and will enable them to avoid wasting £300 a yr by switching to a lower-price model.

Child formulation might be positioned in standardised packaging in hospitals, whereas it stated mother and father needs to be allowed to make use of reward vouchers and loyalty card factors to purchase formulation milk, as a part of efforts to fight hovering costs and lack of selection out there.

Nevertheless, the regulator has determined towards recommending laws reminiscent of a worth cap on child formulation or a profit-margin cap, which the Greek authorities did final yr with the purpose of creating merchandise extra reasonably priced. The CMA stated such a transfer would “contain important dangers”

You may learn extra right here: UK watchdog proposes sweeping modifications for child formulation business

Science secretary Peter Kyle was put underneath strain throughout the morning media spherical over experiences that the net CV of Rachel Reeves contained inaccuracies after one other spherical of media hypothesis concerning the chancellor’s profession previous to getting into politics.

He informed BBC Breakfast “What you’re speaking about right here is one thing that Rachel has already addressed, and it’s somebody on her staff arrange a LinkedIn profile, and so they bought the dates out by a couple of months truly.”

PA Media experiences he added “However what you’ve seen with Rachel is a Chancellor who’s an economist by coaching and by observe, and she or he’s introduced that have into Authorities, and choose her on actions and never simply phrases.”

Yesterday the BBC reported that Reeves “Reeves and two colleagues have been the topic of an bills probe whereas she was a senior supervisor at Halifax Financial institution of Scotland (HBOS) within the late 2000s.”

Chatting with the BBC Radio 4’s At the moment programme, Kyle advised the BBC report was “completely inaccurate”, saying:

Sadly, the reporting has been completely inaccurate, and we heard yesterday that the one who was truly head of HR at that financial institution at the moment says it’s unfaithful, stated that she by no means, ever obtain a file on Rachel Reeves.

And he or she says that earlier than she left the financial institution, there was no investigation that handed her desk. And he or she’s additionally stated if there was one, it could have handed her desk. I didn’t see any of that reporting included within the story I learn yesterday night on the BBC web site.

The BBC’s on-line report now consists of the road “Now we have not been capable of set up what the ultimate final result of the investigation was. Certainly, it might not have concluded.”

Reeves is going through native media later at this time throughout a go to to the East Midlands.

The UK wants “cool, clear considering” over the specter of new commerce tariffs being imposed by the Donald Trump administration within the US, science secretary Peter Kyle.

PA Media experiences that showing on Sky Information, he was requested if Britain needs to be frightened concerning the US President’s newest risk to impose tariffs as a retaliation for charging VAT on US items.

He stated:

The very first thing to reassure folks is that we want a authorities with cool, clear considering at occasions like this, and that is what you could have with this Authorities.

We’ll assess any modifications and challenges that come down the road from any a part of the worldwide economic system, and we are going to act appropriately in the most effective curiosity of Britain.

The second factor to say is that regardless of the circumstances globally, you’ve bought to get the foundations proper for working our home economic system. That’s why we mounted a number of the challenges we inherited from the earlier authorities.

Requested whether or not the UK would count on to impose retaliatory measures, he added “What I stated is that we’ll have a cool, clear have a look at what’s within the nationwide curiosity, and we are going to reply accordingly, based mostly on what we even have in actual fact.”

On Thursday the US president introduced he would introduce sweeping new “reciprocal”, pledging to roll out a “stunning, easy system” of latest US import duties that match these imposed by different international locations. No new particular tariffs have been introduced. In the course of the announcement the president particularly talked about treating the European Union’s 20% VAT price as an equal to being a tariff.

Callum Jones, writing in New York for the Guardian yesterday, famous that:

The administration has thus far threatened extra tariffs than it has launched. Duties on Colombia have been shelved when it agreed to simply accept navy plane carrying deported immigrants; duties on Canada and Mexico have been repeatedly delayed; and modified duties on metal and aluminum, introduced earlier this week, won’t be enforced till subsequent month.

A further 10% tariff on items from China is, for now, the one threatened commerce assault truly enforced since Trump returned to the White Home. On Friday, it emerged {that a} key part of this – eradicating the longstanding duty-free standing of low-cost packages – had been delayed.

Good morning, welcome to our reside UK politics protection for Friday. Listed below are your headlines …

• The UK authorities will “wait and see” whether or not tariffs introduced by Donald Trump “truly come to go”, a senior minister stated, with science secretary saying the UK wants “cool, clear considering”

• Ministers are attempting to “mission-wash” each merchandise of spending of their departments, in keeping with officers, earlier than a spending overview at which Rachel Reeves has demanded they justify each pound they obtain

• Angela Rayner has insisted Labour’s flagship bundle of staff’ rights might be ringfenced from a bonfire of regulation being pursued by the federal government to reboot financial development

• A minister has accused the BBC of “completely inaccurate” reporting over Reeves’ HBOS bills investigation declare. Reeves is going through native media later at this time throughout a go to to the East Midlands

• Nearly all of academy leaders in England say the authorities’s new colleges invoice won’t have an effect on how they handle their colleges, in keeping with a brand new survey of multi-academy belief chief executives

• International secretary David Lammy and defence secretary John Healey are in Germany for the Munich Safety Convention. Jakub Krupa might be masking that for the Guardian on the Europe reside weblog

It’s Martin Belam right here with you at this time. You may attain me on martin.belam@theguardian.com should you spot typos, errors or omissions.