EXCL: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the decision by some Reform UK councils to take down the Ukrainian flag was the kind of “small mistake that can break a big friendship”, as he underlined the significance of strong bilateral relations. Interview w @lukeharding1968 & me theguardian.com/world/2026/j…

C’mon Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇭🇹

Friday’s @guardian front page: Healey’s shock resignation leaves Starmer on the brink theguardian.com/politics/202…

BREAKING: Dan Jarvis is new defence secretary

BREAKING: Armed forces minister Al Carns also quits the government over Keir Starmer’s defence spending plans

John Healey’s parliamentary aides quit with him…

ANALYSIS: Global wars, a depleted military and stubborn Labour MPs: Healey exposes Starmer’s perfect storm - by @jessicaelgot theguardian.com/politics/202…

NEW: Keir Starmer responds to John Healey - insisting that his defence plans *will* be backed by necessary investment - and that “irresponsible” borrowing would put that at risk.

NEW: Tories denying that Kemi Badenoch could do a deal with Reform that put Nigel Farage in Downing Street - after interview earlier with @spectator. Transcript below: Q: Do you rule out ever entering into an arrangement (with Reform) after the election? A: This country cannot have another left-wing government… But I'm afraid that Reform has quite a lot of left-wing ideas… They want more benefits. They want nationalisation. They want the big state. They just want to be in charge of it. Q: Can we rule a few things out. Do you rule out any pre-election non-aggression pact which would involve suspending candidates, standing down? A: Yes Q: Do you also rule out any kind of non-aggression pact involving any kind behind-the-scenes deal to put resources in different places? A: So no, we don't need to do a pact. Q: But would you let local parties make those decisions? A: All of this stuff, in my view, is just confusing what it is that I'm trying to put out. I don't want to confuse the message about what the Conservative Party is. I want people to know what conservatism is. So, no deals, non-aggression pacts and so on. These things do end up falling apart anyway. I'm just saying no. It's just no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Treasury source suggests that John Healey was, in effect, asking for cuts to schools and hospitals to pay for extra uplift in defence spending. "The chancellor will always do what is right and needed to keep this country safe, you can see that from her actions - a record uplift in defence spending at the spending review, and then working alongside the PM deliver billions more to fund the DIP".

SNAP ANALYSIS: John Healey's departure puts Keir Starmer in an even more difficult position than he was already. The former defence sec's charge that he is putting UK's security at risk is a devastating one - which will worry Labour MPs & cut through with voters. The fact Tories underfunded defence for years won't wash. It further weakens Starmer in that this was supposed to be his strong point - and has repeatedly said that keeping nation safe is his number one priority. Cabinet relations have been badly damaged by the protracted row over plan - with the standoff leading to some of worst infighting since Labour took power over cuts to other department's capital budgets. International allies will notice Healey's resignation - and reasons why. PM is meeting G7 allies in France next week & is in Ankara for a Nato summit in early July. Awkward timing. Starmer may also struggle to appoint a credible new defence secretary - for all the ambitious MPs out there - who will be prepared to make case for this plan now? It also impacts Reeves, who blocked extra spending, and leaves her open to charge of leaving nation unsafe. She faces impossible choices over spending - but many will feel defence should have been priority. It all makes Starmer's departure - already looking likely - feel inevitable. While his allies say he'll fight any challenge from Andy Burnham if he wins Makerfield - he's just lost one of his most senior cabinet ministers. When the herd moves, and all that.

Burnham clarifies/ rows back (depending on how generous you're feeling) on Waspi women 👇

Keir Starmer’s fight for survival… “He might be increasingly defiant, but it is like a dog barking in an empty room,” one insider said. “Eventually its owner is going to come back home and kick it out.” My read with @jessicaelgot & @kiranstacey theguardian.com/politics/202…

EXCLUSIVE: The UK’s military chief has written to the prime minister amid concerns that an offer of around an extra £13 billion to help fund a major investment plan for defence is not enough, Sky News understands. The content of the letter from Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton is not known but the fact that he felt the need to put his thoughts in writing underlines the seriousness of the challenge faced by Sir Keir Starmer as he attempts to finalise his long-delayed Defence Investment Plan. By Wednesday evening, discussions between the Ministry of Defence, the Treasury and Number 10 were still said to be “live” even though the prime minister had been expected to speak about defence and offer some headline figures on his push to rearm this Friday.

The family of the victim of the Belfast knife attack, Stephen Ogilvie call for calm after riots erupt in the city. In a statement issued via their MLA, they say: “We are completely devastated by the horrific attack on our loved one. This has been a massive shock to our whole family, and right now our only priority is being at his bedside and helping him recover. “We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward. "We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”

"So what?" Nigel Farage says when asked about Reform UK's Makerfield candidate's past offensive comments on social media (see list below). "These comments were posted a decade ago. They’ve been taken wildly out of context, but they’re the sort of comments that you won’t necessarily get if you’re an Oxford-educated career politician living in a nice postcode in London," he adds. "But I tell you what, they are the kind of comments you’ll hear in every pub in the country every evening, and we should be unapologetic that Rob is an ordinary bloke who’s carved quite a career for himself, had the guts to set up a business, served as an army reservist, is a patriot, likes his rugby, likes the odd pint, and said a few laddish things on social media 10 years ago. "Do you know what I’d say to that? I’d say, so what?" huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/r…