Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence Staff says this year's cuts in defence will mean less operational capability. That's pretty clear. For all the talk of increasing the budget what this government have really done is put items in one bag and claimed it's defence. If you pay for your bacon and eggs separately, just putting them together doesn't mean you have more eggs.

Hard hitting resignation speech by John Healey in the Commons, with a parting shot at the Chancellor ‘Our adversaries don’t follow timetables set by the Treasury,’ he told MPs ‘This is the age of hard power and rising threat, this is not the moment for calibration or incremental change. That means bigger politics, bolder priorities, harder choices,’ he said He repeated his call for Britain to commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030

This scene has done more to promote the monarchy than anything I have seen this year. A mother, married, recovering from cancer, working tirelessly, being booed at with her children as they keep composure, hold their tongue and politely wave back.

‘Those responsible ought to get these things right!’ Former Solicitor General Robert Courts explains why he believes the Union Jack outside the building where the G7 summit is taking place is upside down.

‘This is a real wake up call for everyone in the UK and throughout the West.’ Former Solicitor General Robert Courts reacts to a court finding that Russia was ‘behind’ the arson attack against Keir Starmer, after two Ukrainians were found guilty of the attacks.

100%.

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EXC: Dan Jarvis faces having to make "very significant cuts" inside the MoD if he cannot get more money. - Options on the table last week included reducing investment in drones and artificial intelligence, cutting reserve days, and cutting exercises - the £13.5 bn offer included £3.5 bn made up of contingency money in the MoD put aside for crises  - Number 10 has not ruled out more money for Jarvis thetimes.com/article/94a8492…

EXC: Armed forces minister Al Carns says the Defence Investment Plan is ‘not fit for purpose’ He says of Keir Starmer: ‘He’s got to sort this out’ It’s his first reaction to John Healey’s resignation over the DIP @TimesRadio

John Healey is an honourable man who has acted with integrity. But the dangers we face expose hard truths. The reported offer is £13.5bn over four years, against a £28bn gap just to sustain current plans & avoid cuts - never mind the rearmament the SDR outlines & we know is needed. Even the 2.5% figure Healey quotes relies on counting spending outside the core MOD budget as “defence”. This resignation shows what happens when political power drains from the centre & hard decisions cannot be made.

BREAKING: John Healey was offered only £10billion extra money for the Ministry of Defence, The Times has been told. He told the Prime Minister that a 0.08 per cent of GDP increase to defence would not keep the country safe. He only got the full offer on Monday afternoon - and Number 10 tried to rush and publish the DIP on Thursday, it is understood. Healey was clear that rushing through the plan was too risky for defence and personnel, as the plan needed to be properly finalised and was too important. The offer was £13.5billion - of which only £10 billion was real cash. Military chiefs said the rest was Treasury trickery - and "would not end hollowing out and would delay key transformation", it is understood

BREAKING: John Healey resigns

Back from holiday to read this brilliant piece which says the MoD will now only get 13.5 bn extra over the next four years. That's a big difference from the £18 bn that Jonathan Powell said was needed thetimes.com/article/d25b0ec…

The situation inside the MoD is so bad that Britain is second bottom in a Nato league table that ranks member states based on the extent to which they are meeting their rearmament promises. The UK is currently 31 out of 32 countries on a list — which may be published by the end of the month — detailing how each country is progressing in hitting the alliance’s capability requirements. The only country below the UK is understood to be Iceland, which does not have a military. thetimes.com/article/fe3f6c3…

This is from @DeutscheWelle Daily Berlin Briefing, a useful English language service on all things happening in German politics. Full article here: dw.com/en/german-asylum-bene…

Another good reason not to re-join the EU. Whatever one’s view is of immigration and asylum laws, it’s surely a national competence.

Watch in full: @KemiBadenoch's powerful response to the murder of Henry Nowak and the shocking police bodycam footage ⬇️

In a new column, @LiamHalligan dismisses “Project Fear” claims made before the 2016 referendum, saying that UK growth and exports have continued to expand since leaving the EU Read his full argument here ⤵️ telegraph.co.uk/business/202…

RIP Jeremy Hanley, local Richmond MP and inspiration for one of the great political lines after returning to parliament after the 1983 GE: “Mrs Thatcher, I want to thank you. I won by just 74 votes and without them I wouldn’t be here. I think your visit to the constituency made all the difference. You are responsible for those 74 votes.” “No Jeremy,” she replied gravely. “It is you who were responsible for the 74 votes. I was responsible for the 20,000.”

'This is very bad news for UK and NATO security.' Former Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security Robert Courts reacts to reports RAF bases in Cyprus are under threat, saying this is a 'bad development for security in the West'.