UK should consider expelling US forces from British bases, says Zack Polanski

The UK should consider expelling the US from British military bases, the leader of the Green party has said, as he advocated leaving Nato and spending less on American weapons as part of a wider dismantling of the two countries’ defence alliance.Zack Polanski told the Guardian he believed Britain should wean itself off its reliance on American military cooperation, though would not say whether he supported spending more money to replace that capability.His comments come as the prime minister, Keir Starmer, attempts to placate the US president and dissuade him from his threats to invade Greenland and to impose tariffs on European countries who oppose him.Polanski told the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast: “I think it’s pretty worrying that we’ve allowed ourselves to become so reliant on American interests, and that a lot of this depends on if Donald Trump is in a good mood or not.”He added: “We should be reviewing US bases on UK soil, and actually looking at a genuine strategic defence review

Reeves plans to refund some visa fees in effort to attract ‘trailblazer’ investment to UK

Rachel Reeves will pledge to refund visa fees for some global businesses on Tuesday, as she flies to the World Economic Forum in Davos aiming to showcase the UK as a haven of stability, despite Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats.The chancellor, who will be accompanied by the business secretary, Peter Kyle, will hold a series of meetings with business leaders at the annual gathering of the global elite in the Swiss mountain resort.She will announce tweaks to the visa regime aimed at encouraging “trailblazer” businesses to bring highly skilled staff to the UK – including refunding fees – and speeding up the time it takes to qualify as a sponsor of migrant workers.“Some countries give you a platform, but Britain gives you momentum. My message at Davos this week is clear: choose Britain – it’s the best place in the world to invest,” the chancellor said in pre-released remarks

UK ministers scrap foreign students target in shift to overseas hubs strategy

Ministers are scrapping target numbers for international students in the UK and will instead focus on encouraging universities to open hubs abroad, as part of a plan to bring British education to people “on their own doorsteps”.The government’s new international education strategy will set a target of increasing global “education exports” to £40bn a year by 2030, replacing the previous target – set in 2019 – of recruiting 600,000 international students a year to study in the UK.The Department for Education said it would also bring in “toughened compliance standards” to ensure people coming to the UK to study were genuine students, and that universities would face recruitment caps and licence revocations if they failed to meet those standards.“This approach removes targets on international student numbers in the UK and shifts the focus towards growing education exports overseas by backing UK providers to expand internationally, build partnerships abroad and deliver UK education in new markets,” the DfE said.The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “By expanding overseas, our universities, colleges and education providers can diversify income, strengthen global partnerships and give millions more access to a world-class UK education on their doorstep, all whilst boosting growth at home

Starmer plays down prospect of retaliatory tariffs against US over Greenland

Keir Starmer has played down the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on the US, after Donald Trump threatened to impose fresh levies against Nato allies if a deal over Greenland is not reached.The prime minister said US tariffs would damage the British economy and were “in no one’s interests”, despite growing pressure domestically to take a more forceful response. The UK would prefer a “calm discussion” with allies, he added.However, Downing Street sources suggested Starmer was not yet at the stage of ruling out tariffs completely, and would assess the situation as it developed.The UK government is preparing for the possibility of a taxpayer-funded support package to try to shield British businesses in the event that the US pushes ahead with its threats next month

Minister defends UK’s decision not to hit back at Trump tariffs threat, saying ‘aim is to de-escalate’ – as it happened

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is normally proud of his friendship with Donald Trump, and he rarely criticises him in public. But on Saturday, after Trump announced tariffs on eight Nato countries not supporting his proposed purchase of Greenland, Farage said he did not support the move, which he said would “hurt” the UK.Today, speaking to journalists as he unveiled his latest defector (see 12.56pm), Farage said that Trump’s proposal was “wrong” and that he would be said he would be “having some words with the American administration” about it in Davos.Keir Starmer has played down the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on the US, saying they would be the “wrong thing to do”, after Donald Trump threatened them against Nato allies to try to secure Greenland

Badenoch warns Tory MPs about people trying to ‘undermine party from within’

Robert Jenrick’s defection does not mean the Conservatives are moving towards the centre ground, Kemi Badenoch has told her MPs in a letter that warned about people seeking to “undermine the party from within”.In a lengthy message to the MPs, seen by the Guardian, Badenoch said the party must avoid “psychodrama”, “intrigue” and damaging splits, saying a small number of Tory staffers were briefing against the party while claiming to be Conservative sources.“I ask everyone to satisfy themselves that their staff are acting in line with our strategy and values,” she wrote. “Undermining the party from within, whether by MPs or by staff, is unacceptable.”Badenoch was due to meet groups of MPs on Monday and speak to the entire parliamentary party on Wednesday, in the wake of three defections in a week, two involving sitting MPs