Politics UK

🚨 WATCH: Robert Jenrick lowers fuel prices in Dover as he calls on Rachel Reeves to halve VAT on fuel for three months

"Shadow fleet" tankers are used to move sanctioned oil, typically operating with unclear ownership, flags of convenience or disabled tracking to avoid detection and restrictions The Government says this will close UK waters to such tankers, forcing longer, more expensive routes or the risk of detention No 10 said: "UK military have been tracking the shadow fleet for a number of years and following the successful US operation to seize tanker Bella 1, which UK assets supported, Ministers ordered the development of plans and options to carry out similar operations against further Russian shadow fleet ships. "Military and law enforcement specialists have been put through their paces in preparation for a number of scenarios in recent weeks, including boarding vessels that don't surrender, are armed, or use high tech pervasive surveillance to evade capture. "Each target ship will be individually considered by law enforcement, military and energy market specialists before a recommendation is made to ministers and an operation is executed. "Following the detention of a ship, criminal proceedings may be brought against the against the owners, operators and crew, for breaches of UK sanctions legislation" Starmer said: "We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world, facing threats from different fronts across the world every day. "As Prime Minister, my first duty is to keep this country safe and protect British interests here and abroad. "Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine. "He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes"

🚨 BREAKING: Keir Starmer has given the Royal Navy permission to board Russian oil tankers in UK waters "Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet"

🚨 WATCH: Nigel Farage explains why he walked out of PMQs after Keir Starmer's answer "He started ranting and raving about Reform's councils across the country. In disgust, and against Parliamentary convention, I got up and I walked out"

It is understood that the Cabinet Office has retained some email and text messages between the pair, who had a close friendship Story: theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

🚨 NEW: The Government has now obtained some McSweeney-Mandelson messages despite the theft of McSweeney's phone [@guardian]

🚨 NEW: Resident doctors will strike for six days from April 7 over pay and jobs

🚨 NEW: The Met Police says the two men arrested in connection with the arson attack on the Jewish community ambulances are British nationals

🚨 NEW: Former Google executive Matt Brittin has been confirmed as the new Director General of the BBC

🚨 WATCH: Nigel Farage asks Keir Starmer to admit his "Smash the Gangs" slogan has been an "abject failure" Starmer: "He promised lower tax and now Reform councils are hiking council tax by 9%" Farage and other Reform MPs then walk out the chamber #PMQs

🚨 WATCH: Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer if it's true that Labour is now the "welfare party" Starmer: "They're the ones that doubled spend on welfare. When we tried to amend it, what did they do? They voted against it" #PMQs

🚨 NEW: A Government review has recommended a £300,000 yearly cap on political donations from British citizens living abroad Reform UK received over £12 million from Christopher Harborne last year, a British national based in Thailand

🚨 WATCH: Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer if he'll approve licenses for North Sea oil and gas fields Starmer: "One of their senior figures in 2022 said 'investment in nuclear and renewables will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels'. Who was that? Kemi Badenoch" #PMQs

🚨 NEW: The Met Police has released a transcript of Morgan McSweeney’s call reporting his Government phone stolen with no reference to the sensitive material on it Call handler: Police, what's your emergency? McSweeney: Oh, hello, someone just robbed my phone. Call handler: Did they actually take it from you just now? McSweeney: Yeah Call handler: How did they get away? McSweeney: So he's on a bike. He's come onto the pavement to grab my phone and cycled off on a bike. Call handler: And where did this happen? McSweeney: It happened in Belgrave Street* in Westminster. *We now know that the incident took place in Belgrave Road, Westminster. The call handler inputs Belgrave Street and it provides a matching road name in Tower Hamlets, which is what is recorded in error. There are further references to locations near to Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets later in the call, which compounds the issue. Call handler: And whose phone are you using now? McSweeney: I've got two phones. I'm using my personal one. That was my work one. Call handler: Can I take the phone number for this phone you're calling on? McSweeney: Yeah, 07XXXXXXXXX. Call handler: Thank you. And you said Belgrave Street, yeah? McSweeney: Yeah, just kind of going back to the location. Call handler: Don't put yourself at any risk. It's not worth it over a phone. I appreciate it’s frustrating. Call handler: And which way did they go towards, this suspect on a bike? McSweeney: He went. He travels north. I saw him for a few blocks. Call handler: So where were you when you last saw him? Have you got any idea? McSweeney: Yeah, so. Call handler: Did you get up to Stepney? McSweeney: Let me tell you where I got to. I'm just going back to where I can. McSweeney: So he turned right. Sorry, he turned left. There's a park on top of the road and he turned left there. Call handler: Stepney Green Park, ok. McSweeney: Yeah. He turned left there. Call handler: Can you remember anything about his appearance? McSweeney: Yeah, he was young. He was a black guy. He was on a bike. Call handler: About how young? Call handler: Just a guess. McSweeney: Teens. Late teens. Call handler: Was he skinny, tall, any idea? McSweeney: Yeah. He was slim. He was about average height. Call handler: Was it an e bike or pedal bike? McSweeney: Pedal bike. Call handler: Have you got a tracker on the phone at all? McSweeney: I do. It’s a government phone. Call handler: And it's your work phone. What kind of phone is it? McSweeney: It’s an iPhone. Call handler: Do you know what model? McSweeney: I don't. [PAUSE] Call handler: Right, just bear with me a second. Call handler: We would normally deploy to see you but at the moment, we are having extreme demand on police officers. So, I don't know if you would prefer to make your way home and make a crime report over the phone or online tomorrow. I mean, I can complete one with you now. I can pass this down, you can wait, but I honestly do not know how long you'll be waiting, McSweeney: If I could complete it now that would be good. Call handler: Ok. Call handler: What's your name, please? McSweeney: My name is XXXXXXXXXX. Call handler: XXXXXXXXXX? (repeats name back) McSweeney: Yeah. Call handler: And your date of birth, please? McSweeney: It's XXXXXX Call handler: Is XXXXXXXXX (surname) all one word? McSweeney: Yeah, (spells surname). Call handler: And what's your home address? McSweeney: (Provides non-London address) Call handler: So you live in XXXXXX? McSweeney: Yeah. Call handler: Are you staying anywhere while you're in London? McSweeney: Yeah. Call handler: Sorry, it just takes a little bit longer to deal with an address outside of the Met. I do apologise. McSweeney: It’s ok. Call handler: And may I take an email for you please (name)? McSweeney: Yeah, it's XXXXXXXXXXX@XXXXXXXXXX.com (personal email address) Call handler: You'll get a copy of the preliminary crime report through to that email. Call handler: How would you like to be contacted by an investigating officer? By email or phone? McSweeney: Phone, please. Or either, I’m not fussed. Call handler: Have you got any finance apps on the phone? McSweeney: No. Call handler: You'll need to change any passwords for any logins you do have on the phone. McSweeney: Yeah, okay. Call handler: You're not vulnerable in any way. Are you? McSweeney: No I’m not. Call handler: Do you believe there was any CCTV near where the incident happened? McSweeney: Might be. [Inaudible] away from location. Call handler: Don't worry. Don't return. No, I'll just put at the moment unknown. And obviously, if we find out more, we find out more. Call handler: Are you willing to make a statement to support the investigation? McSweeney: Definitely. Call handler: So what time did he actually snatch the phone? McSweeney: About two minutes before I rung you and I chased, and then I rang my office to get the phone tracked and then I rang you. Call handler: Okay, cool. It would have been about 25 past that you were robbed. McSweeney: A little before, about 23 minutes past, I think. Call handler: 23? Little bit before? Okay. [PAUSE] Call handler: Just bear with me, I’m just trying to get this system to accept the address. Sorry about this. I won't keep you much longer. Call handler: If you do get any tracking updates, what you do is you give us call back if the phone is stationary. McSweeney: Yeah. Call handler: And we can review attending then. We can't guarantee attending a moving phone at all, but if it's been stationary for a few… Call handler: It’s not accepting your address. McSweeney: I can give you my London address? Call handler: It’s alright. I've nearly got this to work. McSweeney: Okay Call handler: How long you staying in London? McSweeney: So I come to London every week. I work in London. Call handler: Oh, I see. Okay, that makes sense. McSweeney: So I'll be here till Thursday. Call handler: Okay. [PAUSE] Call handler: As I was trying to say, I've got this sorted now, so I'll be texting you a crime reference number in the next few moments. Along with the crime reference number will be a CHS reference number. If you need to give us a call back, you can call back giving that reference number from any device, and then we'll be able to link it straight away to your crime report and review deploying. We will need to know a bit more details about the phone itself, so when you're contacted by the investigating officer, or if you do get tracking details, you can call us back with the IMEI number, and the type of phone that it is that would be super helpful. McSweeney: All right, thank you. Call handler: All right, I’m just about to text you through the crime reference number now. McSweeney: Thank you so much. You’ve been really helpful. Call handler: No worries. All right, (name). You take care now, okay? Bye. McSweeney: Bye bye.

🚨 NEW: Inflation remained unchanged in February at 3%

Reform UK was the first political party to accept donations in cryptocurrency last year Nigel Farage has also personally invested £215,000 in a bitcoin scheme run by Kwasi Kwarteng The review will be published on Thursday Story: thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer is set to ban cryptocurrency donations after a review concluded they risk foreign interference in UK democracy [@thetimes]

The theft of McSweeney's phone means his WhatsApp messages and texts to Peter Mandelson cannot be recovered It is understood the phone was Government-issued

The Met Police said: "On Monday, 20 October police received a report from a man in his 40s alleging that his phone had been snatched.   "The incident was recorded as having taken place in Belgrave Street, E1.   "A review of the allegation, including a consideration of whether there was available CCTV, did not identify any realistic lines of enquiry. The investigation was subsequently closed. "In the course of responding to a recent media enquiry, we became aware that the address was entered incorrectly at the time of the initial call and should instead have been recorded as Belgrave Road, Pimlico. "Having identified this error, the report will be amended and the assessment of whether there is available evidence revisited"

🚨 NEW: The Met Police will reopen its investigation into the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone after admitting it logged the wrong address Officers reviewed CCTV from Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets, not Belgrave Road in Pimlico, despite the phone containing the PM's number