News Round-Up

• “Donald Trump tells Keir Starmer the US ‘doesn’t need British aircraft carriers for war we’ve already won’ in extraordinary attack on Prime Minister” – Donald Trump has publicly rebuked Britain’s response to the Iran conflict and told Keir Starmer that US forces do not require British carriers for a war he says has effectively already been won, reports the Mail.
• “Iran apologises to its Gulf neighbours for targeting them with strikes” – Iran’s President has issued a public apology to neighbouring Gulf states after missile and drone strikes hit territories hosting American bases during the widening confrontation, according to the Mail.
• “Is this Iran’s first climbdown?” – Iran’s leadership council has announced it will suspend attacks on neighbouring countries unless they launch strikes from their territory first, signalling a possible attempt to de-escalate the war, says Jonathan Sacerdoti in the Spectator.
• “How the US and Israel killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Deep Dive” – The Mail has the details on how American and Israeli forces carried out a complex daylight strike using advanced weaponry to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader.
• “Tony Blair rebukes Keir Starmer for not backing Trump on Iran – saying when US needs help ‘you better show up’” – Tony Blair has criticised the Prime Minister for failing to support American strikes on Iran and warned that Britain should stand with Washington when the US calls for help, according to the Mail.
• “Starmer worse on defence than Chamberlain, says wartime PM’s grandson“– Neville Chamberlain’s grandson has argued the Prime Minister’s defence spending record is weaker than that of the pre-war leader often criticised for appeasement, notes the Telegraph.
• “Iran war comes to London: Moment Iranians clash with each other in violent scenes outside mosque in the capital” – Violent clashes have broken out between Iranian regime supporters and monarchist opponents outside a London mosque as tensions from the Middle East spill onto British streets, notes the Mail.
• “Leftist demonstrators chant ‘victory to Iran’ as thousands march on US Embassy in London demanding an end to the bombing” – Thousands of demonstrators have marched on the US Embassy in London chanting pro-Iran slogans and demanding an end to bombing as counter-protesters confronted the rally, reveals the Mail.
• “Flying Union Jack branded ‘tool of hate’ in leaked Government strategy” – A leaked Government social cohesion strategy has suggested national symbols such as the Union Jack were sometimes used to intimidate or exclude during last summer’s unrest, according to the Mail.
• “Britain’s benefits bill rise would pay for 15 warships” – Analysis has found that this year’s £18 billion rise in Britain’s welfare bill could instead fund major military expansion including up to 15 new warships, says the Telegraph.
• “Rebel MPs to force Lammy into climbdown on jury trials” – Labour rebels have warned David Lammy he faces defeat in the Commons unless he abandons plans that would restrict the use of jury trials, reports the Telegraph.
• “Pro-Palestine supporters flood Green Party to force ‘Zionism is racist’ policy” – Activists have reportedly joined the Green Party in large numbers in an attempt to push the party toward adopting a policy declaring Zionism racist, claims the Telegraph.
• “Labour wants closer ties with the EU. The result would be disastrous” – In the Telegraph, David Frost warns that proposals for closer alignment with the European Union could undermine Britain’s economic independence and regulatory freedom.
• “Labour’s VAT raid will kill off cathedral schools, says Alexander Armstrong” – Broadcaster Alexander Armstrong has warned that Labour’s VAT policy on private schools could force cathedral choir schools to close, reports the Telegraph.
• “Women should have been safe near asylum hotel, admit police after attack” – Police have acknowledged that women should feel safe in their communities after a migrant living in an asylum hotel was jailed for attacking three women nearby, says the Telegraph.
• “Universities v lockdown students: 230,000 claims are on their way” – Hundreds of thousands of students have prepared compensation claims against universities over online teaching during lockdowns after a major settlement opened the legal floodgates, according to the Times.
• “Inside the courtroom that could change social media for good” – A landmark US court case has examined allegations that social media companies deliberately designed addictive platforms that push vulnerable teenagers toward self-harm, notes the Times.
• “Water firms treated our rivers like sewers, now they’re facing an almighty – and deserved – backlash” – Investigations have highlighted how water companies legally discharge sewage into rivers during heavy rainfall and now face growing political and regulatory backlash, reports the Telegraph.
• “Reduce energy bills? Don’t make me laugh, Ed Davey – you’re the reason why they are so high!” – Ed Davey has promised that the Lib Dems will cut energy bills by £870 a year, bringing the “benefits of cheap renewable power”. But Davey himself is personally responsible for one of the worst and costliest decisions made concerning energy policy, says Paul Homewood in Not a Lot of People Know That.
• “Climate activist despair: ‘Where’s the pushback?’ against President Trump” – Climate campaigners have expressed frustration that political, corporate and media institutions are not resisting President Trump’s policies as forcefully as they expected, says Eric Worrall in Watts Up With That.
• “No, New York Times, climate change isn’t driving inflation” – Economic analysis has challenged claims that climate change is becoming a major driver of inflation and argues the historical record does not support the theory, notes Anthony Watts in Watts Up With That.
• “New York ‘climate’ policy approaching the cliff” – Francis Menton argues in the Manhattan Contrarian that New York’s ambitious green energy targets are increasingly unrealistic and may soon collide with economic and engineering constraints.
• “Urgent: Big Pharma wins again” – The abrupt departure of FDA medical officer Vinay Prasad shows that pharmaceutical industry pressure continues to shape US drug regulation and influence policy decisions, says Alex Berenson on Substack.
• “Kemi Badenoch plots reshuffle ‘to stop rising star Katie Lam defecting to Reform’ as Priti Patel and Chris Philp both reportedly under threat” – Kemi Badenoch is poised to make a ‘root and branch’ revamp of the Tories’ top team in her first major reshuffle as party leader, according to the Mail.
• “The British anti-war movement is on the streets marching against a war we’re not fighting and in support of a regime that butchered 40,000 of its people in three weeks, has an age of sexual consent of nine and hangs gay men from cranes until long after they are dead” – The Electronic Uprising on X sums up the twisted priorities of the anti-war protest movement.

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