Keir Starmer urged to ramp up defence spending – UK politics live

This is ‘probably one of the most alarming times for Britain’s defence since the second world war’, says Lib Dem leader Ed Davey as he calls for more spending

The Democratic Unionist Party has described Sinn Fein’s decision to boycott a visit to Washington DC on St Patrick’s Day as “short-sighted” and “reckless”, PA reports.

Earlier today, Sinn Fein’s leaders announced that they would not be attending an event at the White House in “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza”.

The fact that Sinn Fein’s decision to boycott the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington DC was announced in Dublin speaks volumes about where Northern Ireland sits as a priority for Sinn Fein

The DUP will be represented in DC for St Patrick’s events. We always use the opportunity to strengthen Northern Ireland’s economic and political ties with the United States, regardless of who occupies the White House. We will continue to engage with our partners in Washington, promoting Northern Ireland as a place to invest, work, and do business.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.

Topics

Don’t mention the war: in Germany, politicians are hiding the truth about defence spending | Paul Taylor

By centring the discourse on immigration, MPs have handed support to the far right – and hidden a ticking economic timebomb from voters. The candidates to lead Germany’s next government are ...
The Guardian - 1d
Starmer to tell Trump that UK’s Chagos deal will avoid tensions with China

PM to claim if US rejects Mauritius’s claim to own the islands, Beijing will be drawn into the regional dispute. Keir Starmer is to urge Donald Trump to recognise that a US rejection of Mauritius’s ...
The Guardian - 11h
Navy seeks new generation of skilled workers to ramp up submarine production

While the president is cutting jobs, a search is on for a new generation of workers to build nuclear submarines. The Navy has ordered 29 nuclear subs, and the company that makes them has school ...
CBS News - 1d
Mexico ramps up troop levels at US-Mexico border

Mexico boosted troop levels at the border after President Trump threatened a tariff on all Mexican goods coming into the U.S. NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez got exclusive access, and takes a look at ...
NBC News - 1d
With tariffs ramping up, this investment option can provide protection against inflation

The threat of tariffs on imports is causing some investors to consider increasing their exposure to TIPS to help buffer their portfolios against inflation.
CNBC - 10h
Trump is tearing up the transatlantic alliance. Can Starmer’s US visit change the weather?

As the US president turns on allies and embraces Russia, can the UK prime minister persuade Trump to listen to Europe’s concerns. Europe live – latest updates In November 1940, Winston ...
The Guardian - 18h
US politics briefing: Trump administration warns Kyiv and picks up court win in mass firings case

From the Trump administration’s latest moves abroad and in the US – here are the key US politics stories from Thursday at a glance. Thursday saw a judge rule that the Trump administration can ...
The Guardian - 1d
Trump Urged to Halt Firings at the FAA

After a string of deadly plane crashes, lawmakers and union members are urging the president to protect the transportation department from further personnel cuts.
The New York Times - 2d
Steinbrenner: No edict for Yankees to spend less

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said Friday that he has not ordered his front office to drop the team's player payroll, adding, "We know what our fans expect."
ESPN - 2h

More from The Guardian

Trump fires Black joint chiefs chair Hegseth accused of promoting diversity

US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race. Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the ...
The Guardian - 1h
US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’

Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leader. The US envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has praised ...
The Guardian - 4h
Man stabbed at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial days before crucial election

German police have arrested a suspect after attack on Spanish tourist and say they have not yet found a motive. German police have arrested a man suspected in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s ...
The Guardian - 8h
Brazilian city in Amazon declares emergency after huge sinkholes appear

In Buriticupu, about 1,200 people risk losing their homes, and residents have seen the problem escalate in 30 years. Authorities in a city in the Brazilian Amazon have declared a state of ...
The Guardian - 6h
Israel-Hamas swap to go ahead despite claim child hostages were killed with ‘bare hands’

Ceasefire deal still on track amid uproar over fate of two Israeli boys and false return of their mother’s body. Israelis and Palestinians are bracing for another tense exchange of hostages, ...
The Guardian - 11h