For an inveterate liar, Donald Trump is remarkably honest. The best guide to what he thinks is what he says. When forecasting his likely course of action, start with his declared intentions removing the president of Venezuela, for example and assume he means it. When he says the US must take possession of Greenland, he is not kidding. The motives are sometimes muddled but rarely hidden.
In a social media post, he talked about "a transition of power" in Venezuela being something the UK had long supported. But what about how it was brought about? His answers, or lack of them, are the latest case study in No 10's handling strategy of a maverick US president: don't commentate, act in what they believe is a pragmatic, sober way and have discussions in private.
Sir Keir Starmer has backed the transition of power in Venezuela saying the UK shed no tears about the end of Nicolas Maduro's regime. His comments, which will be seen as effective support for Donald Trump, came after the US President stunned the world by announcing it had captured President Maduro and was taking over the running of the South American country.
Writing in The Times, Paul Ovenden, who quit as Keir Starmer's director of political strategy last September after offensive messages he had sent in 2017 surfaced, said the British state had got "bigger and bigger while simultaneously and systematically emasculating itself".
Dodds is one of Starmer's oldest parliamentary allies. He made her the shadow chancellor when he was elected as Labour leader in April 2020, but replaced her with Rachel Reeves in May 2021 during a reshuffle after a crushing by-election defeat in Hartlepool. In government Dodds served as development and equalities minister, but resigned in February over plans to cut international aid to fund an increase in defence spending. She has been the MP for Oxford East since 2017.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
I am a Labour prime minister, who believes in workers' right to strike, said Starmer. But let's be clear when it comes to the strikes planned by resident doctors next week. They should not happen. They are reckless. The prime minister added: Right now, resident doctors' colleagues will be cancelling operations, cancelling their Christmas leave and preparing for this coming storm. The idea that strikes could still take place in this context is frankly beyond belief.
It has been a difficult few weeks for Sir Keir Starmer and his government, with speculation about a leadership challenge followed by a chaotic run-up to the Budget, a period of damaging leaks and U-turns. Earlier this week, the Times newspaper said that it had spoken to three Scottish Labour MPs who want to see the prime minister ousted before elections to the Scottish Parliament in May. In anonymous comments, the MPs reportedly said they fear Labour will be "slaughtered" in those elections, in part thanks to the prime minister's unpopularity.
"I have repeatedly said that I want my government to drive down child poverty. That is a political mission. It is a personal mission," the PM told me. He was talking about the policy announced in the Budget to scrap the two child benefit cap, introduced under the Conservatives in 2017, meaning parents can only claim universal credit or tax credits for their first two children. It will end next April.
To have my own niece beaten up in the street for being gay. I thought we'd moved on from that. I was absolutely furious, I thought the days of beating up people because they were gay were well behind us.
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed the profound personal toll of his brother's death, saying that the loss hit me like a bus. The prime minister shared the reflections in an interview for The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks's Man Made podcast. Recorded at 10 Downing Street to mark Men's Mental Health Month, Sir Keir described processing the loss as intensely difficult.
We're in a quandary, it feels like we are in checkmate, it's hard to see a way out of it. It's a question I've asked myself, and I'd have to obviously consult with my wife as well and family, but do you know what, if I'm going to sit here and say 'country before party, party before personal ambition', then yes, I have to say yes, don't I?
I confirmed that I was supportive. I knew that the decision was for the secretary of state to take and I replied on the basis that the decision had been taken. In retrospect, it would have been better if I had not been given the note or confirmed that I was content with the appointment. This was an unfortunate error for which I express my sincere regret.
