Afternoon summary
The shadow defence secretary and other MPs have reacted with fury after JD Vance appeared to describe a proposed Anglo-French peace deployment to Ukraine as “20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years”. In posts on social media today, Vance claimed his comment was misunderstood and that he was not referring to Britain or France. (See 12.39pm.) But some MPs have continued to criticise him despite the vice president’s attempt to clarify what he meant. James Cleverly, a former Tory foreign secretary, told Times Radio:
The only time in the history of Nato where article 5 has been invoked is in the immediate response of 9/11, an attack on the United States of America. The United States of America’s friends and allies, including the UK and including France, rallied to their support and British service personnel lost their lives supporting America.
It was, I think, a foolish and insulting, throwaway remark. I understand that he has explained his position but I think it was a hurtful and thoughtless remark.
Rishi Sunak, the former Conservative prime minister, has said that President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday last week was “wrong” and “very hard to watch”. (See 5.35pm.)
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Trump's treatment of Zelenskyy was 'wrong' and 'very hard to watch', says Rishi Sunak
President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday last week was “wrong”, the former prime minister Rishi Sunak has said. In an interview with Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking podcast, he said:
It was very hard to watch. As someone who has spent a lot of time with Volodymyr, been in Kyiv with him, has seen what he has had to go through for his country, to see him be called a dictator, told that he started this war, for him to have been treated that way was wrong.
"It was very hard to watch," former PM Rishi Sunak tells #PoliticalThinking with @bbcnickrobinson in the wake of the Oval Office row between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trumphttps://t.co/7WijJlPKiV pic.twitter.com/VFQyMKQRsY
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) March 4, 2025
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Lee Cain, who was Boris Johnson’s communications director in Downing Street and who now runs a PR consultancy, says Keir Starmer should be speaking to more US podcasts if he wants to influence Donald Trump. He has explained his theory in a post on social media. Here is an excerpt.
Europe’s aims would be better served if Starmer ditched the @BBCr4today et al for @joeroganhq [the Joe Rogan podcast]. This is the audience he needs to convince - both in the US and in the UK.
Our report (http://talkingtothenation.com) found that a staggering ten per cent of Brits get their news from the Joe Rogan Experience - just three per cent lower than Radio 4’s entire output.
So why isn’t @10DowningStreet putting the Prime Minister on new media outlets like Joe Rogan? Is it because they are stuck in an outdated mode of communication or are they concerned the PM couldn’t communicate effectively in a long form podcast?
Either way, this is a serious issue for No10. New media demands different skills from politicians - including real (not manufactured) authenticity. The ‘line-to-take’ is dead, ‘the grid’ is redundant. Trump is a master at this.
Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, has been speaking this afternoon at a conference run by Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation. According to my colleague Richard Partington, he has not been getting a good reception. Richard has posted these on Bluesky.
Shadow business sec Andrew Griffith gets a hard time at Make UK’s conference, from an audience he might’ve hoped would be friendlier as Labour hikes taxes
One speaker lays into 14 years of economic damage. Another asks what Tories would do to balance the books - to laughs when no clear answer comes
The first audience question: “You said it was a miracle that some of us are still in business. I think you’re right. After the last 14 years we’ve had - we’ve had a party that has given us Brexit, no industrial strategy, a policy of managed decline of industry... we’ve had Liz Truss...” etc...
Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy's offer to work with Trump on peace deal for Ukraine
Keir Starmer has welcomed President Zelenskyy’s latest offer to work with President Trump on a peace deal for Ukraine. Downing Street has released this readout of the call between Starmer and Zelenskyy this afternoon. A spokesperson said:
The prime minister updated on his discussion with President Trump last night. It was vital that all parties worked towards a lasting and secure peace for Ukraine as soon as possible, the prime minister added.
Turning to President Zelenskyy’s most recent calls for further diplomatic efforts to achieve the swiftest possible end to the war, the prime minister welcomed President Zelenskyy’s steadfast commitment to securing peace.
Underscoring that any peace for Ukraine needed to be lasting and secure, the prime minister said no one wanted peace more than Ukraine.
The leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days.
Britons are overwhelmingly critical of the way Donald Trump is handling Ukraine, according to polling by YouGov.
This helps to explain why the crisis has been so difficult for Reform UK, which in the past was happy present itself as the British version of Trump’s Maga movement, and why the Liberal Democrats are increasingly vocal in attacking Trump and his administration.
Government considering making proscription laws more flexible to make banning IRGC easier, MPs told
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, also told MPs that the terrorism law watchdog Jonathan Hall KC has been asked to draw up a new procedure to allow the proscription of state and state-linked organisations, which could deal with groups including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Hall’s work will give “specific consideration to the design of a proscription mechanism for state and state-linked bodies providing more flexibility than is offered under the existing powers”, Jarvis said. He continued:
We are utterly determined to stay ahead of those who threaten our country and any step that could aid us in that critical endeavour will be considered.
In the past UK governments have resisted calls to proscribe the IRGC because, given its state links, this could be seen as the UK designating the entire Iranian regime as a terrorist organisation, leading to the collapse of diplomatic relations.
Starmer speaks to Zelenskyy
Keir Starmer spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon, Downing Street has said. A readout of the call is expected to be released soon.
Iran to be placed in enhanced tier of foreign influence registration scheme, Dan Jarvis tells MPs
Iran has been announced as the first foreign power to be placed in the enhanced tier of a new government scheme to protect the UK from covert foreign influence, PA Media reports. PA says:
Security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs the Tehran regime and its intelligence agencies would be placed on the top level of the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs) when it comes into effect this year.
Jarvis said Iran had become “increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours”.
In a Commons statement on Tuesday, he said evidence of the Iranian regime’s direct action against UK targets has “substantially increased” in recent years, including of media organisations and journalists reporting on its violent oppression, and Jewish and Israeli people internationally.
He said: “It is clear that these plots are a conscious strategy of the Iranian regime to stifle criticism through intimidation and fear. These threats are unacceptable. They must and will be defended against at every turn.”
The minister said Firs is a “critical disruptive tool” the UK intelligence and law enforcement agencies need to degrade threats faced by the state.
Under the scheme, anyone who is directed by Iran to carry out activities in the UK, such as criminal proxies, must register it or face five years in prison, the minister said.
Firs was initially expected to come into force in 2024, but in August the new Labour government confirmed a delay to its implementation.
Jarvis told the Commons it is expected to have the scheme up and running by the summer.
It comes as the government has faced calls to place China in the enhanced tier of the scheme.
The designation would give ministers the power to require registration of a broader range of activities for specified countries, parts of countries or foreign government-controlled entities “where this is necessary to protect the safety of interests of the UK”, according to the Home Office.
Asked by shadow home secretary Chris Philp whether China will also be placed on the list, Jarvis said other announcements would be made in due course.
According to a story by Jack Elsom in the Sun today, “China will not be included [in the enhanced tier] to avoid a diplomatic spat with Beijing.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to sign a minerals and security agreement with the United States and to work under president Donald Trump’s “strong leadership”. Tom Ambrose has the details on our Ukraine live blog.
Rishi Sunak urges government to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, claiming legal obstacles can be overcome
Rachel Reeves has insisted “all options” are being considered after former prime minister Rishi Sunak urged the government to help Ukraine by seizing frozen Russian assets.
During Treasury questions earlier, Sunak asked:
Events overnight make it even clearer that Europe must find considerably more resources for Ukraine.
The chancellor has rightly continued our policy of using the interest on frozen Russian state assets to benefit Ukraine, but I believe now is the moment to go further and to actually seize those assets.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violates the principle of sovereign equality, providing a basis in international law for this, and by acting in concert with our allies we can ensure there are no risks to financial stability.
So can I urge the chancellor to push for co-ordinated action to seize those frozen Russian state assets, give that money to the Ukrainians so that they can defend their country and rebuild it too.
And Reeves replied:
Last week we expanded the sanctions on Russia, including looking at the financial services. This week we’ve both signed off a UK EF (export finance) package to provide more military support above and beyond our defence spending, as well as that loan repaid by the profits of those assets.
As the prime minister said yesterday, we would look at going further but as [Sunak] knows it is incredibly complicated to do that in line with international law, but we keep all options on the table because [Sunak] is absolutely right, Russia should pay for the damage that Russia has caused.
As PA Media reports, MPs have pressed for the UK and its European allies to seize Russian assets worth some $300bn, which have been frozen across the continent, to assist Ukraine with its war and rebuilding efforts. Germany and France meanwhile have reportedly started discussions of how €200bn euros (£165bn) of frozen Russian assets could be used as a way to hold Moscow to a potential ceasefire deal.
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Tories call for 'robust action' to protect Hong Kong refugees at risk of being handed over to Chinese embassy
The Conservatives have urged ministers to take “robust action” against Chinese interference in the UK, claiming letters are being distributed to neighbours of Hong Kong refugees encouraging them to be turned into the Chinese embassy.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, raised the problem during an urgent question in the Commons. He said:
Bounties have apparently been placed on three people who are in the United Kingdom, amounting to approximately £100,000 each. Tony Chung aged 23, Carmen Lau aged 30 and Chloe Cheung, aged only 17. All of them fled Hong Kong owing to persecution.
Chloe Cheung apparently was advised by the police to dial 999 if she felt under threat, which strikes me as an inadequate response. I understand that posters appeared near the home addresses of two of these people and letters were posted to their neighbours offering a reward if they were quote ‘delivered to the Chinese embassy’. This is completely unacceptable, cannot be tolerated, and robust action must be taken.
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, replied:
The safety and security of Hong Kongers in the UK is of the utmost importance, and the UK will always stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong. Let me also say to him that wherever we identify such threats we will use any and all measures, including through the use of our world class intelligence services, to mitigate the risk to individuals.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, urged the government to block plans for a new Chinese “super embassy” in London. “Everywhere that they have a super-embassy in the world you see extraterritorial activity grow massively,” he said.
Jarvis said Angela Rayner has yet to take a decision on the application, in her role as housing secretary.
'Who else was he referring to?' - Tory MP says he's not convinced by Vance's clarification
The Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, a former army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has said that he is not convincted by JD Vance’s claim that his comment about “random country” troops did not refer to Britain or France.
In a conversation on social media, when challenged about Vance’s clarification, Obese-Jecty said:
Who else was he referring to Matthew? Britain and France have both committed to providing peacekeeping troops at scale.
Earlier, before Vance claimed his comment in an interview broadcast last night was not about Britain or France, Obese-Jecty posted this on social media.
“I was lucky to escape any real fighting,” JD Vance wrote in his 2016 memoir about his time as a Marine Corps journalist in Iraq.
I was part of British forces fighting in highly kinetic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the latter in response to Article 5 following 9/11.
The disrespect shown by the new US Vice President to the sacrifices of our service personnel is unacceptable.
Israel risks breaching international humanitarian law by blocking aid to Gaza, minister tells MPs
Israel risks “breaching obligations under international humanitarian law” by blocking aid to Gaza, a Foreign Office minister has said.
Catherine West spoke as the government was also urged to support the international community in opposing what the chair of the foreign affairs committee described as Israel’s “long-term plan” to annex the West Bank.
West was responding to a Commons urgent question tabled by the Green party’s Ellie Chowns, who asked an urgent question in the Commons where she said Israel was “once again using starvation as a weapon of war”.
As PA Media reports, Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept a new ceasefire proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war. Israel’s preferred ceasefire plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.
Chowns told MPs:
These decisions coincide with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, with negotiations on phase two barely begun, jeopardising the release of the remaining live hostages, plans for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a longer term peace agreement.
Does the minister agree that the Israeli government is again in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and of international humanitarian law?
West replied:
A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, such as that announced by the government of Israel, does risk breaching obligations under international humanitarian law and to answer her question directly, the UK government has been in touch with interlocutors to make that point.
Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool.
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, said the Israeli government had a “long-term plan” to annex the West Bank, and asked how the government would oppose this “in these days of hard power”.
Thornberry recently visited the Middle East with other committee members and said they were “warned in Saudi Arabia, in Jordan, in the West Bank, and in Israel that the far-right government in Israel may have no long-term plan when it comes to Gaza, but there is a long-term plan when it comes to the West Bank, and that is annexation”.
West replied:
The UK government has taken a very tough position on attacks by some of the militant factions or groups who are attacking Palestinians in the occupied territories in the West Bank, and we are continuing to look at measures which are available to get our message across, not just in words, but in actions.
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The Liberal Democrats are now criticising Kemi Badenoch for not criticising JD Vance (see 1.32pm) while her defence spokesperson is criticising Vance (see 12.05pm). This is from Helen Maguire, the Lib Dem defence spokesperson.
Kemi Badenoch’s first instinct is to jump to the defence of JD Vance, not our own brave service men and women.
The Conservatives are all over the place. Kemi Badenoch cannot even agree with her own shadow defence secretary when it comes to Vance’s offensive denial of the UK’s military sacrifices.
And this is from Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader.
Politics is about whose side you’re on.
Kemi Badenoch has just shown she is on the side of JD Vance rather than our brave armed forces and the families who’ve lost loved ones in conflicts over the past 40 years.
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Nigel Farage says Vance 'wrong, wrong, wrong' in his comment about 'random country' troops seen as reference to British
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader who counts Donald Trump as a friend and who normally defends the Trump administration, has described JD Vance’s comment disparaging the value of “20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years” as “wrong, wrong, wrong”.
Intepreting the comment as referring to the UK, Farage told GB News:
JD Vance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. For 20 years in Afghanistan, pro-rata, our size against America’s, we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in, and we suffered the same losses.
We stood by America all through those 20 years, putting in exactly the same contribution. And alright, they may be six times bigger, but we did our bit. On this one, JD is wrong.
GB News says Farage around the same time Vance put out his own statement on social media saying that he had been misunderstood and that he was not referring to Britain, or France. (See 12.39pm.)
Lords watchdog investigates Labour peer over apparent cash-for-access venture
Other events in the world are attracting more attention, but the Guardian is still publishing stories based on its investigation into the business interests of members of the House of Lords. As Rowena Mason reports, Iain McNicol, a former Labour party general secretary who is now a peer, wrote to the Treasury on behalf of a cryptocurrency firm that was paying him as an adviser, raising questions about whether this was within the rules.
And, as Henry Dyer and Rob Evans report, following Guardian stories published last week, Lord Evans of Watford, the Labour peer facing cash-for-access questions, is now under formal investigation by the Lords standards watchdog.
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Badenoch defends Vance, saying he was not disparaging British troops - despite her defence spokesperson condemning him
Kemi Badenoch has defended JD Vance over his comment about “20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years” not being able to provide a good security guarantee for Ukraine. (See 10.36am.) Even though her shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, said the comments were “deeply disrespectful” because he was confident that Vance was referring to Britain and France (the two countries that have taken the lead in saying they would provide troops), Badenoch said Vance was being misinterpreted.
Asked for a reaction to Vance suggesting that Britain was just a “random country”, she told GB News:
Well, I know JD Vance quite well. I’ve looked at the comments. I don’t think he actually said that.
A lot of people are getting carried away. They’re saying loads of things and getting quite animated. Let’s keep cool heads.
America is our closest ally, and I believe the President Trump and JD Vance want peace. They’re looking after their national interest. We need to do so.
Asked if she thought Vance was talking about France, not Britain, Badenoch said she was “not getting into that speculation” and ended the interview.
Badenoch met Vance for dinner when she visited Washington in December. They had previously met before, when she was business secretary and he was a senator, and it is understood they keep in touch and exchange regular text messages.
'I know JD Vance quite well. I've looked at the comments, I don't think he actually said that! A lot of people are getting carried away. They're saying loads of things and getting quite animated let's keep cool heads.' — Kemi Badenoch pic.twitter.com/IBGLZ5VrZZ
— GB News (@GBNEWS) March 4, 2025
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No 10 plays down significance of Trump halting aid for Ukraine, saying UK and US 'on same page' in wanting secure peace
Pippa Crerar is the Guardian’s political editor.
Keir Starmer said he was going to stick to his Ukraine peace strategy when he spoke to his cabinet this morning. And he seems determined to avoid being “derailed” (as Angela Rayner put it – see 9.12am) by President Trump halting military aid to Ukraine. This is what the PM’s spokesperson said in his readout of Starmer’s Ukraine comments at cabinet.
The US is an indispensable ally of the UK, and our two countries are deeply intertwined when it comes to security, intelligence and defence, as well as trade and investment, and [the PM] was pleased to have agreed with President Trump to work at pace on a new economic deal focused on AI and tech.
He had spoken to President Trump twice over the weekend and again last night, in addition to the conversations he had had with President Zelenskyy, President Macron and other leaders in recent days.
The prime minister emphasised that everyone was aligned in pursuit of a plan that will bring lasting and durable peace to Ukraine.
The prime minister was clear that such a peace would need to be backed by strong security guarantees, including a “coalition of the willing” of those ready to defend and guarantee the peace, with US backing to deter Putin from returning. And any deal must be based on a strong, sovereign, and secure Ukraine.
He said he would continue to have conversations at pace and reiterated the importance of this work for British security.
During the lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson played down suggestions that No 10 was “ambushed” by President Trump’s decision last night. (A few hours earlier, Starmer told MPs that he did not expect the US to cut off military aid for Ukraine – see 9.12am.) “Things are moving at pace, and there are discussions happening every day in terms of progressing towards the outcome that we all want to see in relation to a durable peace in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. But he also insisted:
We’re all on the same page in relation to what we want to achieve, which is a secure and durable peace.
Asked if the government was disappointed by Trump’s decision, the spokesperson said that the UK and the US were “completely aligned” in wanting a “secure and durable peace”.
The i is reporting that countries like countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain, could be asked to contribute to the Europe-led force that could protect Ukraine as part of any peace deal. Asked about the claim, the spokesperson said other countries would be free to join the “coalition of the willing”, but he would not say if Middle Eastern countries were actively being encouraged to participate.
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No 10 praises record of British troops, when asked for response to Vance's comment
Downing Street has praised the record of British troops, pointing out that they have fought and died alongside American allies.
Asked to respond to JD Vance’s comment about a European force protecting Ukraine (widely seen as a reference to the British and the French – although Vance himself insists that he was not talking about these two countries), the PM’s spokesperson said:
The prime minister, and I think this whole country, is full of admiration for all British troops who have served, for instance, in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have lost their lives in the process, and have fought, obviously, alongside allies, including the United States.
It’s very clear that their courage and bravery has helped to ensure global security, defend our values, defend our national interests. Our focus, once again, is on how we protect our national interests and global security by progressing the discussions to secure a lasting peace for Ukraine.
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Starmer spoke to Trump last night, No 10 says
Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump on Monday night, Downing Street has revealed.
As PA Media reports, it is not clear whether the call was before or after the US president paused military aid to Ukraine.
No 10 would not comment directly on the pause without seeing the details of the announcement and did not say whether Starmer had been given any guidance from the US before the move.
Vance claims he was not referring to Britain or France in his jibe about '20,000 troops from random country' protecting Ukraine
JD Vance, the US vice president, has claimed that he was not referring to Britain or France when he said that a minerals deal with the US, giving America an economic stake in Ukraine, would provide “a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years”. (See 10.36am.). He posted this reponse to a post from the Italian journalist Antonello Guerrara saying he must have been referring to British and French peacekeepers.
This is absurdly dishonest.
I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond.
And he added this.
But let’s be direct: there are many countries who are volunteering (privately or publicly) support who have neither the battlefield experience nor the military equipment to do anything meaningful.
Vance is right to say that many European countries could not field a sizeable military force with battlefield experience.
But, given that Britain and France are the two countries that have taken the lead in saying they are willing to put troops on the ground, it is easy to see why people think he was referring to them when he talked about “20,000 troops from some random country”. Last month it was reported that Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer were working on a plan for Europe to deploy around 30,000 troops to protect Ukraine.
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BBC director general Tim Davie tells MPs he is not ruling out controversial Gaza documentary being returned to iPlayer
BBC director general Tim Davie said he is “not ruling anything out” when asked if a documentary on Gaza which featured the son of a Hamas official could return to iPlayer, PA Media reports. In a story on Davie’s evidence to the Commons culture committere this morning, PA says:
The corporation removed the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone from the BBC’s on demand service after it emerged that the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
The broadcaster apologised last week for “serious flaws” in the making of the programme after conducting an initial review and it has launched a further internal probe.
Appearing before the culture committee, Davie said: “As editor-in-chief, I have to be secured, not only editorially where the film’s at, but the making of that film. And at that point, quite quickly, I lost trust in that film. Therefore I have taken the decision, took the decision quite quickly, to take it off iPlayer while we do this deep dive.”
Questioned whether it could return to iPlayer, the BBC boss said he is “not ruling anything out” but he wants “forensic analysis” to be carried out on the programme on various areas including its budget.
Davie added that he is aware of a “small payment” being made to the sister of the son of the Hamas official who featured in the documentary for his part in recording the narration.
Following an initial review, a BBC spokesperson said last week that the broadcaster had “no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer” and that it would make a “further assessment” once the review is complete.
In a letter to the BBC on Monday, Ofcom chairman Lord Grade said the regulator could step in if an internal inquiry into the making of the documentary is not satisfactory. Grade said Ofcom has “ongoing concerns about the nature and gravity of these failings and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC’s journalism”.
During the committee session, Davie said there is “a lot of frustration and disappointment” that the Gaza documentary has affected public trust in the corporation.
He said: “I’d say nothing’s more important than we’re trusted and we have actually built trust… so you can imagine that there’s a lot of frustration and disappointment. It’s not about the BBC and people like myself, but we’re very sorry to the audience, because we don’t want to be in a position where we have flaws in the programme-making.
“And overall, I am proud of the way we’re covering some of these polarised, fiendishly difficult events where many of our journalists, as you know, are under enormous pressure, ferocious lobbying, and it’s been extremely difficult.”
However, he acknowledged that there were “flaws” with the documentary and said the BBC has had around 500 complaints about the film being biased against Israel, and around 1,800 which wanted the film put back on iPlayer.
Tories accuse Vance of being 'deeply disrespectful' to Britain and France with jibe about European troops
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, has accused JD Vance of being “deeply disrespectful” to the British and French military. Referring to the vice-president’s comments disparaging a potential Europe-led force protecting Ukraine (see 10.36am), Cartlidge said:
Nato article 5 has been invoked once - on 12/9/01 by the USA, after 9/11. Britain and France came to their aid deploying 1,000s of personnel to Afghanistan, including numerous parliamentary colleagues, past & present. It’s deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice.
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Johnny Mercer, the former Tory veterans minister, has called JD Vance a “clown” in his response to the vice president’s comment about a Europe-led force protecting Ukraine. (See 10.36am.) Mercer said:
This clown needs to check his privilege. I read @JDVance book making the mistake of finding him quite interesting. By his own admission he spent his time in the Marines “writing articles and taking pictures”.
Perhaps if he had got his hands dirty serving his country like so many of his fellow American and British veterans, chasing his own country’s crazy foreign policy ideas, he might not be so quick to dismiss their sacrifice.
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Conservative party says it does not agree with Tory MP who suggested Trump might be 'Russian asset'
The Conservative party has said that it does not agree with the Tory MP Graham Stuart who has said President Trump might be a “Russian asset”. (See 9.12am.) A party spokesperson said:
Personal views of individual MPs are not official Conservative party positions.
It is imperative that the UK remains close to America, and engages with them, if we are going to get a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The SNP has criticised President Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. This is from Stephen Gethins, the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson.
Ukraine is fighting a war for its very existence and the survival of its citizens. Ukrainians know that any Russian advantages in the battlefield will result in devastating consequences for innocent Ukrainians.
That is why it is right to give Ukraine the means of defending itself against Russia’s aggression. This suspension is wrong and highlights once again the need for the UK government and Europe’s democracies to work even more closely together on Ukraine and our mutual security.
Vance should apologise for his apparent jibe about British troops, Lib Dems say
The Liberal Democrats are saying JD Vance must apologise for his comment about the value of a European-led peacekeeeping force in Ukraine, which is being interpreted as a slur against the British army. (See 10.36am.) This is from Helen Maguire, the Lib Dems’ defence spokesperson and a former captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq.
JD Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder. Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn’t return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality.
As the UK’s representative to the US, Peter Mandelson should call on Vance to apologise for these comments.
UK ban on zero-hours contracts ‘to include agency workers’
Agency workers will reportedly be included in a ban on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts as part of changes to the UK government’s employment bill, Julia Kollewe reports.
Northern Ireland's first minister Michelle O'Neill criticises arms deal that will benefit Belfast factory
Lisa O’Carroll is the Guardian’s acting Ireland correspondent.
Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister, has described a decision to build thousands of lightweight missiles for Ukraine in a Belfast factory as “incredulous”.
The Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland, who is also boycotting the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House, said the money should be invested in infrastructure and peace.
She said:
I find it really incredulous that at a time when public services are being cut left, right and centre.
At a time when we have endured 14 years of austerity ... I think at a time like that, rather than buying weapons of war, I would rather see the money invested in public services.
Keir Starmer said on Sunday that 5,000 air defence missiles would be made at the Thales plant in Belfast, creating 200 jobs. Ukraine will get £1.6bn in export finance to fund the deal.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the Thales contract was “hugely significant”.
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Vance questions value of Europe-led peacekeeping force for Ukraine, with jibe at 'random country' with limited war record
JD Vance, the US vice president, has made another intervention in the Ukraine debate likely to make him even more unpopular in the UK. In an interview with Fox News broadcast last night, he said a minerals deal with the US, giving America an economic stake in Ukraine, would provide “a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
He could have been referring to either Britain or France, the two European countries that have been most explicit about being willing to contribute troops to a force to protect Ukraine. Britain fought in both Gulf wars, and last fought a war on its own in the Falklands, just over 40 years ago.
Even if he was not referring explicitly to Britain, he was clearly questioning the value of the European-led force that would keep the peace on the ground in Ukraine under plans championed by Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer.
The Italian journalist Antonello Guerrara has posted the clip on social media.
Bad news for Starmer and Macron. Vance confirms the only US security guarantee in Ukraine will be the mineral deal. He also plays down British & French peacekeeping troops as “20k troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.pic.twitter.com/6bujpsjygX
— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) March 4, 2025
And here is our story on the interview by Coral Murphy Marcos.
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Cabinet is meeting this morning. Here are pictures of some of the ministers arriving.
Angela Rayner was also asked on Good Morning Britain about her relationship with JD Vance, the US vice-president. Given that she is deputy PM, Vance is her opposite number in the Trump administration, and after the election she spoke to him and later posted on social media about working together.
Vance has now emerged as arguably the most anti-European, and anti-Ukrainian figure at the top of the administration. He is on record as saying he does not really care what happens to Ukraine, in a recent speech to the Munich Security Conference he argued that the European liberal democratic model was essentially flawed, and in the White House shouting match on Friday, he was even more antagonistic and bullying towards President Zelenskyy than President Trump himself.
Asked by the presenter Ed Balls how her relationship with Vance was going, Rayner replied:
The one thing that me and JD Vance have in common is we want to see the working class of our great nations to have more money in their pockets. The cost of living crisis has really hit people hard in the UK and in the US.
Asked if she had spoken to him about his support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Germany, she said she would not discuss her contacts with the vice president. But she said she wanted a close relationship with the US.
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, declined to say whether Keir Starmer will be calling President Trump today to discuss his decision to halt military aid to Ukraine. She said she would not give a “running commentary” on what the PM does day by day.
Rayner defends Starmer's decision to offer Trump unprecedented second state visit
In her interview on the Today programme this morning Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, repeatedly refused to criticise President Trump for his decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, and she insisted that Keir Starmer would not be “derailed” by this latest development. Here are some more quotes from her interview with Emma Barnett.
Rayner defended Starmer’s visit to offer President Trump an unprecedented second state visit. When he was in the White House on Thursday last week, Starmer handed Trump a letter from King Charles containing the invitation, in a transparent appeal to the president’s vanity and self-importance. Asked if the government would regret offering this invitation in the light of what he is doing now, Rayner replied:
The prime minister yesterday was really clear on this. The US is our oldest ally. Our military capabilities, our support, our trading partners - we are the closest of allies. So our relationship with the US is incredibly important and will continue, and it will endure, despite who may be in office at the time. And I think President Trump is absolutely of the same view.
And the prime minister, I think, has done an excellent job … He won’t choose between the US and Europe. That is not in British interest.
She repeatedly refused to say anything critical of the Trump decision. Asked if she was “shocked” or “appalled”, she replied:
My reaction is is that we have to get the peace, and we have to continue with that. We have to continue with our support for Ukraine and the dialogue.
At another point she described the decision as “a matter for the US”.
She defended the government’s decision not to be more critical of Trump in public, saying Starmer “will not conduct dialogue on open airwaves”.
Starmer expected to miss meeting of EU leaders on Thursday to discuss Ukraine, despite being invited
Commenting on President Trump’s decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, a Number 10 source said the UK remained committed to “putting Ukraine in strongest possible position” including a £3bn a year commitment and the loan signed at the weekend backed by frozen Russian assets. “We continue to work intensively to bring US and Ukraine back together,” the source said.
The prime minister is expected to skip a European council meeting on Thursday – to which the UK had been invited – where leaders are locked in conflict over a new defence package to Ukraine.
Keir Starmer spoke to President Trump twice over the weekend as he urged him not to abandon Ukraine. Number 10 was tight-lipped this morning about whether there would be further contact.
The defence secretary John Healey is due to fly to Washington to meet his counterpart Pete Hegseth this week where he is expected to set out some of the options discussed by the UK and France.
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Trump's decision to halt military aid to Ukraine 'profoundly worrying', says Badenoch
The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said President Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine is “profoundly worrying”. In a post on social media this morning, she says:
The news overnight that America is halting military aid to Ukraine is profoundly worrying. It is clear that Britain and Europe must re-arm much faster if we want to provide Ukraine with more than just warm words of support. We must work to keep America in, and Russia out.
We will be opening comments on the blog at about 10am. I’m sorry we are not able to open them earlier.
Starmer won’t be derailed from Ukraine plan, Rayner says, amid claims Trump’s aid decision ‘humiliated’ PM
Good morning. Yesterday Keir Starmer had a comfortable two hours in the Commons during which MPs from all sides praised him, lavishly and sincerely, for the leadership he has shown on Ukraine, trying to hold the US and Europe together, while mobilising European efforts to build up support for Ukraine.
There were probably only two moments when Starmer lashed out; first at Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, whom he accused of fawning over Vladimir Putin; and then at Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminser, whom he accused of being a keyboard warrior (in response to a question from a Labour MP who was even more critical). The attack on Flynn came about half an hour after Flynn asked a perfectly reasonable question.
Unfortunately, it has been reported this afternoon that President Trump is set to meet American aides to discuss withdrawing military aid to Ukraine. Are those reports something that the prime minister recognises, and, if so, what impact will that have on the timetable to which he and President Macron are currently working?
Before going on to have a go at the SNP’s policy on nuclear disarmament, Starmer replied:
I have not seen reports of the United States withdrawing support for Ukraine, and, as I understand it, that is not its position.
Now it turns out that Flynn was right, and Starmer was wrong, because a few hours after Starmer’s statement to the Commons the White House suspended all military aid to Ukraine. Andrew Roth has the story.
The news has shocked supporters of Ukraine around the world, and we are covering the international elements of this story on our Ukraine live blog.
In the UK the news has emboldened politicians who believe that trying to act as a bridge between Washington and Europe is a hopeless cause and who want the government to be more critical of Trump. Yesterday Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, told Starmer that he thought Trump was not a reliable ally on matters relating to Russia. This morning he has posted a message on social media suggesting Starmer (who said Davey was wrong) has been humiliated.
By suspending all military aid to Ukraine, Donald Trump has humiliated the people who pretended he was a reliable ally only in search of peace.
The UK and Europe must seize frozen Russian assets to resist Putin’s unjust and savage war.
Graham Stuart, a Conservative MP, has gone even further, posting a message on social media saying it is time to consider whether Trump is actually a Russian asset.
We have to consider the possibility that President Trump is a Russian asset.
If so, Trump’s acquisition is the crowning achievement of Putin’s FSB career – and Europe is on its own.
Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, has been giving interviews this morning. In line with the approach the government has consistently adopted with Trump, she declined to say anything critical in public about his latest decision. Instead, she told the Today programme that Keir Starmer was just focused on his peace diplomacy strategy. She explained:
He’s laser-focused on getting peace. He won’t be derailed by announcements. He will continue that dialogue with our oldest and strongest ally, the US, and with European partners and with Ukraine.
I will post more comments from Rayner’s interviews on the Today programme and ITV’s Good Morning Britain soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet.
10am: Tim Davies, director general of the BBC, and Samir Shah, its chair, give evidence to the Commons culture committee.
11am: Farmer opposed to the government plan to subject farms to inheritance tax hold another rally in Whitehall.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
11.30am: Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, takes questions in the Commons.
2.15pm: Reeves speaks at a MakeUK conference.
And at some point today the government is expected to publish its latest amendments to the employment rights bill.
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