US engaging in ‘extreme rightwing tropes’ reminiscent of 1930s, British MPs warn

The US is engaging in “extreme rightwing tropes” with echoes of the 1930s and threatening “chilling” interference in European democracies, British MPs warned ministers on Thursday.The House of Commons rounded on Donald Trump’s national security strategy, which stated that Europe was facing “civilisational erasure” and vowed to help the continent “correct its current trajectory and promote patriotic European parties”.Matt Western, a Labour MP and chair of parliament’s joint committee on the UK government’s national security strategy, said: “The United States consensus that has led the western world since the second world war appears shattered.“The prospect of United States interference in the democratic politics of Europe, I believe, is chilling … The absence of condemnation for Russia is extraordinary, though not surprising.” He said the US pivot left the UK “especially vulnerable”

UK denies Milei’s claim of talks over Falklands-era ban on Argentina arms sales

The British government has denied it is engaged in negotiations to lift a ban on selling arms to Argentina that has been in place since the Falklands war.Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, told the Daily Telegraph his government had begun speaking to the UK about the restrictions.Argentina briefly invaded the Falklands Islands, which are British territory, in 1982. The war lasted 10 weeks, costing 255 British lives and 649 Argentinian before the invaders surrendered.Subsequently the policy of the British government has been that it will not allow weapons to be exported to Argentina if they are judged to “enhance Argentine military capability”

Sajid Javid told Boris Johnson he was Dominic Cummings’ ‘puppet’

Sajid Javid told Boris Johnson he was a “puppet” of Dominic Cummings before he resigned as chancellor rather than accept a Cummings-led takeover of his Treasury, he has said in an interview about his experiences as a minister.Speaking to the Institute for Government (IfG), Javid also said that his other departure from Johnson’s government, shortly before it collapsed in 2022, was because he had lost confidence in the prime minister after being assured that allegations about lockdown-breaking parties in No 10 were “bullshit”.Asked to assess the three prime ministers he served under, Javid, who ran six different government departments in eight years, described Johnson as “the least well briefed”, compared with David Cameron and Theresa May.In his first resignation under Johnson, in February 2020, Javid quit after being told by Johnson that he would have to fire his team of Treasury special advisers, known as spads, and work with new advisers selected by Cummings, Johnson’s chief adviser.“I found that unacceptable – both firing my spads and then also how they would be replaced, because I thought I’d just be chancellor in name anyway,” Javid told the IfG as part of their ongoing series of discussions with former ministers

Keir’s performance in PMQs panto sets bar low enough for Kemi to stay as Tory leader | John Crace

With little more than a week to go until the Christmas recess, the Commons is in festive overdrive. Demob happy. A few minutes in to the year’s penultimate prime minister’s questions with MPs from both sides shouting and cheering, the speaker interrupted proceedings to say: “We don’t need the panto auditions any more.” To which the natural response was: “Ooh yes we do.” Because that’s pretty much the whole purpose of PMQs at the best of times

Keir Starmer appoints 25 Labour peers to strengthen support in House of Lords

Keir Starmer has appointed 25 Labour peers including a number of former senior government and party aides in an attempt to strengthen his hand in the House of Lords.Matthew Doyle, a former No 10 director of communications, and Katie Martin, a former chief of staff to Rachel Reeves, will be among those appointed to the upper house in a move first reported by the Guardian.Carol Linforth, a former Labour party chief of staff for operations, and Richard Walker, the executive chair of Iceland who switched from supporting the Conservatives before the 2024 election, will also receive peerages.Others on Labour’s list include Michael Barber, a Whitehall veteran who led Tony Blair’s delivery unit and now advises Starmer, and Len Duvall, the chair of the London assembly.The move brings the number of peers appointed by Starmer to 62

No 10 publishes list of 34 new political peerages including 25 Labour, five Liberal Democrats and three Conservatives – as it happened

Downing Street has published a list of political peerages.There are 25 new Labour peers on the list, five new Lib Dem peers, three new Tory ones.Three of the peers on the list are hereditary peers who are getting an upgrade to a life peerage, so they can stay in the Lords when the legislation to remove hereditary peers finally gets passed. One of these is a crossbencher, the Earl of Kinnoull.Keir Starmer has appointed 25 Labour peers including a number of former senior government and party aides in a bid to strengthen his hand in the House of Lords