Revealed: UK Foreign Office staff pushed for Israel trip despite suspension of trade talks

The Foreign Office recommended that David Lammy endorse a trade mission to Israel, days after he suspended trade talks and rebuked the country’s government, internal documents reveal.In an unusual move, officials asked for ministerial advice over Ian Austin’s visit to Israel in late May. Bureaucratic dysfunction meant the trip by the trade envoy went ahead without the support of ministers or advisers.The Foreign Office had said the peer would not meet any representatives of the Israeli government. But photographs show him with senior Israeli trade officials on two occasions

Chancellor says she ‘can’t leave welfare untouched’ this parliament as budget looms

Rachel Reeves has said she “can’t leave welfare untouched” this parliament, with the Treasury understood to be considering axing up to £1bn in tax breaks for a scheme providing cars for disabled people.The chancellor set out her thinking on welfare before next month’s budget in an interview, having previously said she would need to make cuts and raise taxes.“We can’t leave welfare untouched,” she told Channel 4 News when asked about changes to the benefit system. “We can’t get to the end of this parliamentary session and I’ve basically done nothing … We have to do reform in the right way and take people with us.”The government had to abandon billions of pounds in cuts to disability benefits earlier this year after a revolt by Labour backbenchers, but it is still pressing ahead with cuts for future claimants of the health element of universal credit from April 2026

No 10 says talks happening ‘at pace’ across government to lift ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending Aston Villa match – as it happened

Downing Street has said that discussions are happening “at pace, across government” to resolve the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the Europa League match in Birmingham.At the morning lobby briefing, a No 10 spokesperson told reporters:Conversations began on this last night.You will have seen the West Midlands police and crime commissioner has asked police and Birmingham’s safety advisory group to immediately review the decision.Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is meeting officials to discuss what more can be done to try and find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safely.The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Steve Reed, spoke to the local council this morning, and the Home Office is urgently working to support police to try and find a way through this

Your Party sets out constitution plans including new year leadership contest

Your Party, the leftwing movement steered by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, has set out draft constitution plans including a leadership contest in the new year and new governing structures, the Guardian has learned.Organisers say the proposals will bring a “democratic revolution” and begin transforming Britain’s “post-Labour left” into a formal political force, while drawing a line under months of public rifts.According to plans, the group intends to elect a leader or co-leaders by March 2026 through a one-member one-vote system and create a 21-member central executive committee (CEC) dominated by ordinary members.Sixteen seats would be directly elected by members, with two reserved for MPs, who would be barred from chairing. The leader’s term would be capped at 21 months, keeping the founding team in place until late 2027, unless members decide otherwise

Mark Sedwill is frontrunner to become new UK ambassador to US, sources say

Mark Sedwill has emerged as the frontrunner to become the UK’s ambassador to the US, according to senior government figures.The former cabinet secretary and national security adviser is seen by ministers as the likeliest choice for the top diplomatic posting in Washington.The Foreign Office is seeking a replacement for Peter Mandelson, who was sacked last month after Downing Street said he had not been upfront about the extent of his links with the disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Several senior government figures said the role was highly likely to go to a career civil servant, rather than another political appointee such as Mandelson, and cited Sedwill as the strongest potential candidate.One said: “If Mark Sedwill wants it then he’s likely to get it

Nearly 2,000 Foreign Office jobs ‘at risk’, says PCS union

Almost 2,000 civil servants at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office face the risk of redundancy, with the biggest union for government workers vowing to fight the cuts.The PCS union, which has about 200,000 members, said it had been told that 1,885 jobs at the second highest level, known as delegated grades, were “at risk”, in addition to redundancy notices that have already been issued to some senior civil servants.The union linked the cuts to the government’s decision to reduce the foreign aid budget and accused the department of failing to follow civil service protocol by putting a number on job cuts before consulting.The Foreign Office (FCDO) said it was reducing its headcount to make the department more agile, after its permanent secretary, Olly Robbins, said earlier in the year that the department planned to reduce the size of its workforce by up to 25% as part of wider civil service changes.The Cabinet Office has previously announced plans to lose tens of thousands of roles in the civil service, but most attempted cuts so far have been through not replacing staff and voluntary, rather than compulsory, redundancy programmes