Exclusive:   Britain must not be “squeamish” about reducing the welfare bill to fund additional spending on defence, Andy Burnham has said.   The mayor of Greater Manchester said that the government must “listen to” the concerns raised by John Healey, who resigned as defence secretary after accusing the prime minister of jeopardising the security of the nation.   In an interview with The Times he said that “the world has changed” and it is “obvious” that the government is going to have to adjust assumptions about defence spending in response.   He said that rather than implementing “crude cuts” to the welfare budget he favours a “preventative” approach that will provide the support people need to get back into work.   He unveiled plans for a 10-year public investment plan which will require all government procurement to include commitments to spending on apprenticeships and work placements for young people.   “I am not squeamish about saying that the plan would be to reduce the welfare bill. Not at all.   "But it is not the traditional Westminster way of just crude cuts, short-term crude cuts that then create a backlash and create more political turbulence.   "It is actually going to do things that will actually reduce the benefits bill, which is moving towards a more preventative state that makes the right investments to support people into work.”   thetimes.com/article/1f3d91c…

Huge congratulations to @MaxKendix on becoming our new Washington Correspondent - a richly deserved move for a brilliant young reporter. Have no doubt you will absolutely own it over there but you will be sorely missed by all of us here in Westminster

EXC: Jenrick's wife was warned about £40,000 donation from US fraudster thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

EXCLUSIVE: Al Carns WILL join the race to become PM if there is a contest. A parliamentary source told @thetimes "Al Carns has said ‘he is getting on with doing his job, but if someone fires the starting gun, he isn’t afraid of gunfire’." They said the implication was Carns "would throw his hat in the ring should someone trigger a race"

EXCLUSIVE with @patrickkmaguire and @Geri_E_L_Scott Ed Miliband has privately suggested to Sir Keir Starmer that he should consider setting out a timeline for his departure amid concerns he will be forced out of No 10 in the wake of the election results, The Times has been told Two sources familiar with the discussion said that the energy secretary and former Labour leader made the suggestion during a private meeting with the prime minister about a fortnight ago While Miliband remains supportive of Starmer he is concerned that Labour will descend into a bitter and damaging leadership contest in the wake of the elections, which are expected to be disastrous for Starmer Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, and Wes Streeting, the health secretary, are both said to have the support of the 81 Labour MPs needed to trigger a contest. Rayner is considering making a move despite the fact she has not been cleared by HM Revenue & Customs over her tax affairs Miliband is viewed by allies as a “kingmaker” to a potential run for the leadership by Andy Burnham. Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is understood to have told supporters in recent days that a backbench MP is willing to stand down as soon as this weekend to facilitate his return to Westminster Miliband will join cabinet loyalists in backing Starmer this weekend, but he has significant concerns about the risk of Labour descending into a civil war and the damage it would do to the party and the government unless the prime minister sets a timeline for his departure He is understood to have raised his concerns during a private discussion with Starmer during which the two men talked about the aftermath of the elections A spokesman for Miliband would not comment on “private conversations” but said: “We do not accept this account.” He did not dispute that the discussion had taken place and declined to say how the accounts differed. “Ed has always supported the prime minister and continues to do so as he delivers on his mandate for change,” the spokesman said. Burnham has told several Labour MPs on Merseyside and in Greater Manchester that a backbencher is willing to resign their seat to facilitate his comeback. Those who have spoken to the mayor said an announcement could be made as soon as Saturday thetimes.com/article/8fe95de…

EXCLUSIVE Sir Keir Starmer WILL face a vote on whether he should be referred to a parliamentary sleaze inquiry over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the Commons, is expected allow a debate and a vote tomorrow on whether to refer the prime minister to the privileges committee over claims he misled the House The Tories and other opposition parties have accused Starmer of misleading MPs by claiming that "due process" was followed in the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the United States and there was "no pressure whatsoever" Starmer's claims were contradicted last week by Sir Olly Robbins, who Starmer sacked as permanent secretary at the Foreign Office. He said there was "constant pressure" over Mandelson's appointment. The Times has been told that Hoyle is expected to allow the request for the debate and vote because the procedural bar for doing so is "relatively low". Parliamentary rules state that complaints must not be "frivolous" As we revealed this morning Starmer is likely to whip his MPs to oppose the motion. It will be a three line whip. So the question remains how many of them are likely to defy him? Starmer’s allies argue that the vote is a distraction from more important issues like the fallout from Iran and the impending cost of living crisis. They deny claims that he misled the Commons thetimes.com/article/ceb8bf1…

Exclusive from @benclatworthy The price of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and asparagus will soar in the coming weeks Prices of salad items that are grown in greenhouses are expected to rise as the economic impact of the Middle East crisis is felt at supermarket checkouts. Food industry executives are particularly concerned about the impact on energy-intensive groceries. Karen Betts, chief executive of the Food & Drink Federation (FDF), said “anything grown in a greenhouse in the UK” was at risk because of the soaring cost of energy. Businesses are not protected by the price cap that Ofgem, the regulator, sets for domestic users Dr Liliana Danila, the chief economist at the FDF, warned that fresh food - such as salads that have a short supply chain - would be the first to have additional costs passed on to consumers thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

BREAKING Confidential medical data belonging to thousands of British citizens has been stolen from UK Biobank and put up for sale on a Chinese website, ministers have revealed

Part two of our investigation.. fake domestic abuse accusations bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crl1…

The incident was reported to Parliamentary authorities by an MP, after Reid's husband was arrested on suspicion for spying for China The incident was also separately reported before then to Parliament by the military

EXCLUSIVE: China alleged spy case MP reported for 'inappropriate conduct' with a senior navy officer working on UK's nuclear submarines Joani Reid met the officer at a visit to Faslane naval base last year Full story in @thetimes tomorrow: thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

MP, whose husband faces Chinese spy charges, is reported for a ‘drunken incident’ with a naval officer during a tour of Britain’s nuclear submarine base thetimes.com/article/5db637c…

🟢 EXC: Zack Polanski will target trade unions with appearances at conferences as part of a Green Party strategy to win over core Labour groups disillusioned with Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership The Green leader has spoken to ten unions, including some officially affiliated with Labour, across health, education and culture sectors He is set to make five keynote speeches at union conferences in an attempt to win over members One Green source said Polanski’s goal was to stop the unions funding Labour, rather than getting them to back the Greens outright Polanski told @thetimes that a “crucial part” of replacing Labour as Britain’s main left-wing option for voters was to “connect with the organised labour movement” thetimes.com/article/4c6085a…

Times weekend read w/ @oliver_wright & @breeallegretti: Has Kemi Badenoch bounced back? Feat a £2k-a-hole round of golf with David Cameron, Saffron Walden sparkling wine... and how improved poll ratings haven't yet translated into pledged votes. thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

UK blocking Trump from using RAF bases for strikes on Iran Enjoy this article for free. thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

Axed civil servant gets £260k amid Whitehall revolt against Starmer thetimes.com/article/e01c00e…

Whitehall revolts over Starmer’s sacking on top civil servant thetimes.com/article/e01c00e…

EXCLUSIVE Officials are trawling records going back more than 25 years to Tony Blair’s government for evidence of inappropriate contact between Lord Mandelson and the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, @oliver_wright reveals Civil servants have been told to search government correspondence as far back as Mandelson’s time as Northern Ireland secretary between 1999 and 2001 Officials are also looking at his stint in government from 2008 to 2010, when Gordon Brown brought him back as business secretary and effectively the deputy prime minister. The documents are not expected to be published but any evidence will be sent to Scotland Yard and could result in an extension of the police investigation into Mandelson Detectives are expected to interview Mandelson under caution within days on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The offence can carry a life sentence. Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein goes back decades. In May 2002 he brokered a meeting between Blair and Epstein Mandelson had resigned as Northern Ireland secretary the previous year but remained close to the prime minister He emailed Jonathan Powell, who was Blair’s chief of staff, highlighting the fact that Bill Clinton had recently told Blair he wanted to introduce his “travelling friend” Epstein Mandelson described Epstein in laudatory terms as an “active scientific catalyst/entrepreneur” who has his “finger on the pulse of many world markets and currencies” “He’s young and vibrant,” he said. “He’s safe (whatever that means) and Clinton is now doing a lot of travelling with him.” The meeting took place in London on May 14, 2002. Officials described Epstein as “very rich and close to the Duke of York” Investigation into Mandelson’s Epstein links will go back to Blair era thetimes.com/article/1553aba…

Andrew Gwynne set to stand down as MP, clearing way for Andy Burnham thetimes.com/article/31f3a8d…

EXCL: Andrew Gwynne, the former health minister who had the Labour whip removed over racist and sexist Whatsapp messages, is expected to make an announcement on his future as an MP as soon as this afternoon. The Gorton and Denton MP has been at the centre of speculation he would stand down as an MP, with the potential for Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, to bid for his seat. Multiple senior Labour figures told The Times they were braced for an announcement from Gwynne, who had been away from Parliament on sick leave. The Times understands talks had been ongoing around the potential for Gwynne to take a medical retirement in February, in order for a by-election to be held on the same day as the local elections. One source said: "The parliamentary authorities are getting back to him with what his payout might be and he's going to have 24 to 48 hours to make a determination as to whether he will take it or not. He will have a very short period of time in which to take it or leave it. But it's a decent offer and he will take it." They suggested an announcement could come as soon as this afternoon. Gwynne did not respond to a request for comment. He previously said he “won’t be announcing any such thing in March”. Gwynne has been under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards after the emergence of offensive messages in the Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp group. Gwynne made antisemitic remarks and joked about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck in the group. He later said he “badly misjudged” the comments.