Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has said that he had a “reasonable” conversation with Keir Starmer yesterday, despite Sarwar having not retracted his call for the PM to quit,Sarwar said that he stood by what he said when he announced on Monday that he wanted Starmer to stand down,But he also said he was “looking to the future”, implying that he is not actively trying to orchestrate Starmer’s removal now,The news on Monday that Sarwar was going to say Starmer should go prompted intense speculation as to whether cabinet ministers would also declare he no longer had their confidence,But all members of the cabinet did subsequently issue statements backing Starmer, it became obvious that there would be no immediate leadership contest, and on Wednesday Sarwar indicated that he wanted to draw a line under the dispute.

He did not withdraw what he had said, but he did not repeat his call for Starmer’s resignation either.Speaking to reporters today, Sarwar said he and Starmer spoke yesterday.He said:It was a perfectly fair and reasonable conversation about how we make sure that we are focused on the election on May 7.He’s determined that he wants to deliver for the people of Scotland.I made very clear that I want a UK Labour government demonstrating it’s delivering for Scotland, and I made clear that the choice in the election campaign is going to be between me and John Swinney [the first minister].

I didn’t step back from what I said, I stand by what I said and what I stated, but I’m looking to the future and the choice between me and John Swinney for this country.The event saw Sarwar restate his party’s support for nuclear energy, which allowed him to joke that he had taken the “nuclear option” twice in the same week.Sarwar also said he felt “liberated” after calling Starmer’s resignation.“Honesty is strength, not weakness,” he said when asked if he felt stronger in his position after Monday’s statement.We have seen dishonesty from this SNP government time and time again.

I feel liberated and energised for the election campaign ahead, because, for me, my first loyalty and my first priority is to my country, Scotland,Three senior judges have ruled that the ban on the direct action group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was disproportionate and unlawful, handing the home secretary a humiliating defeat,Rachel Reeves has appointed a labour market expert who has repeatedly called for better pay and conditions in key sectors, such as social care, to reduce the UK’s reliance on migrant workers as her new chief economic adviser,Dual British nationals have been warned they may be denied boarding a flight, ferry or train to the UK after 25 February unless they carry a valid British passport,Keir Starmer has arrived at the Munich Security Conference.

He is giving his main speech tomorrow, but Jakub Krupa has further coverage of the events there today on his Europe live blog,For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog,In his Political Thinking podcast interview, Nick Robinson also asked Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, about his claim in 2014 that offering Ukraine membership of the EU would provoke Russia, triggering a war,Farage said that he had been right, and he said it was “odd to get so much abuse for being right”,When Robinson put it to him that Farage should have been backing those Ukrainiains in 2014 who were in favour of closer links with Europe, because they were standing up for freedom and democracy, Farage did not accept the premise of his question.

He replied:That’s the irony of the whole thing – that a democratically elected president of Ukraine was brought down by a street coup [in 2014].Talk about democracy – actually, democracy was destroyed by those that wanted to drag Ukraine westward rather than eastward.In all of these things, picking goodies and badies is a very difficult game to play.When Robinson asked if Farage was saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president, was not democractically elected, Farage said he was not talking about Zelensksyy.He said he was referring to Petro Poroshenko, the president elected after the Maiden revolution.

Poroshenko replace Viktor Yanukovych, who was seen as pro-Russian and corrupt and who triggered the Maidan revolution when he blocked a trade agreement with the EU that had been passed by the Ukrainian parliament.In complaining about Yanukovych’s overthrow, Farage was very much siding with the Russian view of Ukraine.In Ukraine the Maidan protesters are still viewed as heroes.Farage claimed that his interpretation of Ukrainian history was “based on knowledge and fact”, not emotion.When Robinson put it to him that he was happy to use emotive arguments himself, Farage claimed that he understood the situation better than most people.

He said:[Those critics] wouldn’t understand, would they? They wouldn’t undertand that, unlike most other politicians, I’m actually quite well read.I’ve got a broad sense of history and economics – far more, frankly and being honest, than most of our leaders of the other parties over the course of the last few years, and I am able to take a long-term view.I think my understanding of Russian psychology was actually much deeper than any of the others’.Farage said the “biggest disappointment” was that President Trump thought, when he got Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, Putin would behave rationally.And that has not happened, Farage said.

Kemi Badenoch has been speaking at the Welsh Conservative conference.She started with jibes about the unpopularity of the Labour government in Cardiff.But the Tories are hardly very popular there either.More in Common has today published some polling for the Senedd elections in May and it suggests that Reform UK is well ahead.Polling often does not provide an accurate guide to election results.

But normally polling companies produce results that are broadly similar.That is not happening in Wales.While More in Common has Reform UK in the lead by seven points, a YouGov poll last month had Plaid Cymru 14 points ahead.However, both polls suggest the most likely outcome after the election is a Plaid-led government.If the More in Common figures turn out to be accurate, Reform UK and the Tories would be close to having a majority – but Plaid is in a stronger position because it has it more potential coalition partners.

Brexit would never happened without YouTube, Nigel Farage has claimed.The Reform UK leader made this assertion, about the influence of YouTube and social media generally, in an interview with Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking podcast.Farage was arguing that (contrary to what Robinson was suggesting) that social media has been a force for good – although this argument is unlikely to impress voters as a whole, who now believe Brexit was a mistake by a margin of almost two to one.When Robinson put it to Farage that social media was having a negative impact on children and families, Farage replied:Hang on.We’d never had had Brexit without YouTube.

I wouldn’t have existed without YouTube,Nobody would know who Nigel Farage is without YouTube,It was because YouTube came along my speeches in the European parliament started to reach enormous audiences, and then the Today programme started inviting me on because of the level of public attention that I was getting,So, actually, social media has been quite an important part of, you can call it the populist revolt or whatever it is,Farage said he was worried about some aspects of social media.

When Robinson put it Farage that because he was pro-Trump, he would not stand up to US social media companies, he did not accept that.And he said that “of course” he was worried about the impact of social media on under-16s.Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has said that he had a “reasonable” conversation with Keir Starmer yesterday, despite Sarwar having not retracted his call for the PM to quit.Sarwar said that he stood by what he said when he announced on Monday that he wanted Starmer to stand down.But he also said he was “looking to the future”, implying that he is not actively trying to orchestrate Starmer’s removal now.

The news on Monday that Sarwar was going to say Starmer should go prompted intense speculation as to whether cabinet ministers would also declare he no longer had their confidence.But all members of the cabinet did subsequently issue statements backing Starmer, it became obvious that there would be no immediate leadership contest, and on Wednesday Sarwar indicated that he wanted to draw a line under the dispute.He did not withdraw what he had said, but he did not repeat his call for Starmer’s resignation either.Speaking to reporters today, Sarwar said he and Starmer spoke yesterday.He said:It was a perfectly fair and reasonable conversation about how we make sure that we are focused on the election on May 7.

He’s determined that he wants to deliver for the people of Scotland,I made very clear that I want a UK Labour government demonstrating it’s delivering for Scotland, and I made clear that the choice in the election campaign is going to be between me and John Swinney [the first minister],I didn’t step back from what I said, I stand by what I said and what I stated, but I’m looking to the future and the choice between me and John Swinney for this country,The event saw Sarwar restate his party’s support for nuclear energy, which allowed him to joke that he had taken the “nuclear option” twice in the same week,Sarwar also said he felt “liberated” after calling Starmer’s resignation.

“Honesty is strength, not weakness,” he said when asked if he felt stronger in his position after Monday’s statement,We have seen dishonesty from this SNP government time and time again,I feel liberated and energised for the election campaign ahead, because, for me, my first loyalty and my first priority is to my country, Scotland,Keir Starmer has landed in Germany where he will attend the Munich Security Conference,Jakub Krupa is covering the conference on his Europe live blog.

Liberal Democrat support for the Scottish government’s budget is not a signal a potential deal could be struck with the SNP after the Holyrood election, Ed Davey has said.As the Press Association reports, the Lib Dems in Scotland announced the deal with the SNP government on Thursday, securing more funding for hospices and 40% rates relief for hospitality firms – an increase from the 15% proposed initially.PA says:The government was not forced to make a deal with other parties to get the votes required to pass the budget, with Labour having announced before the plans were unveiled it would abstain and effectively wave it through its three parliamentary stages.Speaking to PA on Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach this morning, the Lib Dem’s UK leader hailed the deal.“We got a hugely brilliant deal for Scottish business and the care and hospice sector here – I’m really proud of that,” Davey said.

“The budget was going to go through, because Labour had said they were going to abstain, but we still managed to use our skill to negotiate a brilliant deal, particularly on business rate relief for the hospitality sector.”Asked if the deal was a sign of potential future co-operation with the SNP, Davey said: “No.”He added that “unlike any other party”, the Lib Dems had managed a deal.“The failure of the Scottish Conservatives is huge,” he said.“Scottish Labour failed, the Scottish Greens failed.

“It was the Liberal Democrats who managed, even though this budget was going to go through without our support, to get something for Scottish business, and I’m so proud of [Scottish Lib Dem leader] Alex Cole-Hamilton and the team in Holyrood.”There were two council byelections yesterday.The Conservatives have held a seat in Worth Valley, Bradford, where counting only took place this morning.There is a lot more interest in the result from Fletton and Woodston in Peterborough, where Reform UK has won a seat that was previously held by Labour.Labour came fourth.

Election Maps UK have posted the results.Fletton & Woodston (Peterborough) Council By-Election Result:➡️ RFM: 29.4% (New)🌍 GRN: 27.6% (+16.2)🌳 CON: 21.

8% (-11.8)🌹 LAB: 16.8% (-31.2)🔶 LDM: 4.4% (-0.

7)No TUSC (-1.9) as previous.Reform GAIN from Labour.Changes w/ 2024.Here is Luke Tryl, the pollster from More in Common, commenting on the results.

We’re not in Kansas anymore latest:Green + Reform 57%Labour + Conservative 38,6%In 2024 (18 months ago!) Lab + Con was 81,6%And these are from Zack Polanski, the Green party leader,Labour’s vote is collapsing everywhere,In Peterborough last night, as in Gorton and Denton, voting Green is the only way to stop Reform.

There were 36 votes between the Green Party and Reform.36 votes.Reform are absolutely stoppable - and the Green Party can win with our message to lower bills, protect the NHS and rebuild public services.Britain will spend £400m developing long-range missiles this year as part of “a new deal for European security”, John Healey, the defence secretary, has announced.As PA Media reports, the money will go towards replacements for the Storm Shadow missile, which has been used by Ukraine to hit targets across the Russian border