Tories would reinstate two-child benefit cap to fund defence, says Badenoch
The Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”,Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events,Badenoch said the UK needed to “reassert” itself as a global power and committed the Tories to “the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the second world war” if they returned to power at the next general election,The pledge would involve recruiting 6,000 full-time soldiers and 14,000 reservists,The Tories say they could raise £20bn towards the venture by reinstating the two-child benefit cap and reallocating money earmarked for net zero projects.
Badenoch said: “We must look beyond this conflict in the Middle East and develop the resources we need to respond to this new era of threats,We have a huge amount of work to do to reassert Britain as a power in the world,“First and foremost, we must rearm,If our military is strengthened, our hand is strengthened,We must undertake the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history.
”Badenoch has been accused by Labour of prematurely stating that the UK should have joined Donald Trump’s war with Iran, which has grown into an international crisis that the president has struggled to end.Speaking of the UK-US relationship, which has become strained owing to Keir Starmer’s unwillingness to play an offensive role in the conflict, Badenoch said she found Trump’s public criticism of the UK prime minister “disconcerting”.She said: “I do find the nature of [Trump’s] public remarks very disconcerting, because everybody’s watching.It’s not just on social media and the citizens of our respective countries.“Iran is watching, China is watching, Russia is watching … what they see, and that is being reinforced, is the weakening of western bonds, and that is not something we should allow.
”Starmer has defended his decision to limit British involvement in the Iran war to “defensive” action, refusing to allow the US access to launch widespread attacks from its bases.The prime minister has said he acted in the national interest by limiting British involvement in the war to “defensive” action, after US-Israeli strikes on Tehran and Iranian retaliation against US allies in the Gulf.The Labour government has said it is committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027, increasing to 3% in the next parliament.However, it is under pressure to publish a defence spending plan, which was first promised last autumn, amid reports of tensions between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.
Labour ministers have argued that they have inherited years of underinvestment from the previous Conservative government and have accused the party of “hollowing out” the armed forces.Defence spending under the Conservatives fell by 22% between 2010 and 2017, but rose steadily after this point.It has now returned to 2010 levels.
Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soar
British households are turning to green home energy upgrades in record numbers to try to keep bills down as the Iran crisis sends global oil and gas prices soaring, data from leading energy suppliers suggests.Figures show demand for solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps in Great Britain has leapt since the war began on 28 February, as households brace for a sharp increase in monthly payments when the next energy price cap takes effect in the summer.Energy bills are expected to increase by 18% from July – to the equivalent of £1,929 for the typical annual dual-fuel tariff – after Europe’s benchmark gas price rose by about 50%.Octopus Energy, the biggest GB energy supplier, shared figures with the Guardian showing its heat pump orders had more than doubled in March compared with February, while sales of solar power systems were up almost 80% and new leases of electric vehicles rose by more than 85%.The same trend was noted by the sector’s second biggest player, British Gas, which has recorded a 250% increase in solar panel installation inquiries since 28 February
‘Abhorrent’: the inside story of the Polymarket gamblers betting millions on war
“Horekunden” was rapidly losing patience.His frustration was with the Institute for the Study of War, a US thinktank which produces a daily map of the frontline in Ukraine.For Horekunden, and other anonymous gamblers, the map was a “disjointed, incoherent mess … like the painting of a five-year-old”. Therefore it was no use to them in their aim: to settle a bet on the online prediction market Polymarket.The map they were unhappy with depicted the city of Kostyantynivka, which Ukrainian troops have been holding for five months amid shelling and swarms of drones
‘It has your name on it, but I don’t think it’s you’: how AI is impersonating musicians on Spotify
Jason Moran, a renowned jazz composer and pianist, got a strange call from a friend last month. The friend, bassist Burniss Earl Travis, was curious about Moran’s new record that he saw on the music streaming service Spotify.“It has your name on it,” Travis told him. “But I don’t think it’s you.”Moran said he doesn’t use Spotify or put his music on the platform, preferring only to use the site Bandcamp, so this didn’t track
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail
A 20-year-old man allegedly tossed a molotov cocktail at the home of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, before the sun rose on Friday, according to statements from San Francisco police.The suspect, who allegedly threw the fire bomb at the $27m North Beach residence around 4.12am, has been arrested but not identified. The same person allegedly threatened to torch OpenAI’s headquarters in the city. No injuries were reported
The Masters 2026: day three golf updates from Augusta National – live
Haotong Li eats into Rory’s lead with eagle on 8! He creams a fairway wood from 240 yards into the heart of the green, a gentle fade that rolls up to 18 inches. In goes the putt, and the two-time Open nearly man is five under for his round already! He’s -9. Meanwhile Russell Henley, who tied for fourth here in 2023, finishes with birdies at 15, 16 and 18 for a blemish-free 66. He joins Patrick Cantlay in the clubhouse lead at -6.You’ll have noticed Patrick Reed slipping back down the Leader Board
County cricket: Northants make history with four hundreds as Leics frustrate Surrey – as it happened
Leicestershire gave Surrey a shock at the Oval, defying, not collapsing in the face of 520. Rishi Patel’s 133 not out, his first century in Division One, was a Midlands masterpiece, careful and distinguished, while Jake Weatherald whizz-banged at the other end for 96. Lewis Hill, dropped on five, finished 60 not out as Surrey’s attack toiled away.Northants squashed Kent under a mighty Doctor Martens, amassing 684 for two, thanks to career-bests 261 from Luke Procter and 153 from Calvin Harrison. The second ball of the morning was four wides, and so it went on, the attack flayed to all four corners of the wind
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