Labour was dealt a blow this week after it suffered a major by-election defeat in Caerphilly, losing the seat for the first time in a century to Plaid Cymru. Also at home, the Defence Committee met for their first session post-recess on AUKUS. The Committee heard evidence from defence giants, including Rolls Royce, Babcock, and … Continued
Following the release of the final 20 living hostages still held by Hamas, the UK has ended its two-year surveillance mission over Gaza. However, while the ceasefire still remains in effect, worries are growing after deadly strikes from both sides over the weekend. Pressure continues to mount on all parties involved in the collapse of … Continued
The Conservatives held their annual party conference in Manchester last week. Coming at a difficult time for the Party after several high-profile defections to Reform UK, Kemi Badenoch gave one of the biggest speeches of her political career, which included the announcement that the next Conservative government would abolish stamp duty on the purchase of … Continued
Party Conference season was in full flow last week, with Labour’s annual conference taking place in Liverpool. In what was widely viewed as one of his most successful moments since entering government last year and pivotal to rallying the Party behind him, Starmer delivered an impassioned speech attacking Reform UK. The Conservative Party Conference also … Continued
As is clear in the rundown below, the past week has been marked by escalating tensions between Russia and NATO. Poland and Estonia have invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, and airports in Denmark and Norway were forced to shut amid major drone incursions. Though investigations remain ongoing, Russian involvement has not been ruled … Continued
In a week filled with state visits and heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, the key headline for the week was that the UK will officially recognise a Palestinian state. Marking a significant change in UK policy, the announcement made by Sir Keir Starmer follows Australia, Canada, and Portugal’s decision to formally recognise the state … Continued
The past week has been hugely busy in the political, defence, and diplomatic realms, as the international defence and security community gathered in London for DSEI UK, the Defence Industrial Strategy was published, Starmer’s reshuffle continued with the appointment of new Defence Ministers – coming amidst growing pressure from his own party over the Mandelson … Continued
With Parliament returning from summer recess this week, the past seven days has undoubtedly been one of the biggest for Starmer in his tenure as PM. Following a minor reshuffle of junior ministerial positions at the beginning of the week, which included Darren Jones being appointed to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chief … Continued
Last week was particularly busy in international relations and geopolitical affairs, with the high-profile summit in Washington between the US, Ukraine, and European leaders coming days after Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska. While many feared what the fallout would be from a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy following the infamous Oval Office dispute in … Continued
The biggest headline of the week was undoubtedly the Trump-Putin summit held in Alaska on Friday. The first meeting between a US president and Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two hour and 45 minute private meeting between Trump and Putin was followed by a 12-minute press conference, revealing … Continued