
Starmer faces rising anger over Mandelson as MPs agree to release files to security committee – live
Starmer faces criticism from MPs on all sides of the CommonsPMQs is starting soon. Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.The Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has dismissed claims that his party’s plan to support the pub industry would cost far more than the £3bn it claims.To be honest with you, we’re not interested in who you’ve been talking to. We’re more interested who we’ve been talking to, and we’ve been talking to landlords and small businesses up and down the country, and every landlord that I speak to … they want this VAT cut.We can go on all day about the numbers. I’m not interested in the numbers that the BBC have sourced. You’re hardly a bastion of truth at the BBC when it comes to things like this.This doesn’t add up. This is an unfunded tax cut which also pushes hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.Reform says that reinstating the two-child limit for most, but not all, families would save £2.29bn in 2026/27. The party claims its package of tax cuts would also cost £2.29bn – making it cost neutral – with the bulk coming from a proposal to halve VAT on hospitality, which it estimates would cost £1.7bn. Continue reading...
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What to Know About the Disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s Mom, Nancy
Nancy Guthrie, 84, the “Today” show host’s mother, was last seen on Saturday night, the authorities said. The disappearance is being investigated as a possible kidnapping.

Tesco sorry for putting up Welsh bilingual signs in Cornwall
Campaigners say they appreciate attempt to use Cornish but mistake points to need for more access to languageShoppers in Cornwall could have been forgiven for feeling bemused after a supermarket put up bilingual signs – in Welsh.A branch of Tesco in Helston – about 200 miles from south Wales by road – pointed shoppers towards pysgod, which is Welsh, not Cornish, for fish. It also labelled sweet potato as tatws melys – again Welsh instead of Cornish. Continue reading...

Democrats say ‘dramatic changes’ needed for immigration enforcement as DHS funding negotiations continue – live
Trump’s stopgap bill funds the department of homeland security until 13 FebruaryWhite House border czar says 700 federal agents will leave MinnesotaTom Homan, the president’s so-called “border czar” is set to speak to reporters in Minneapolis shortly.A reminder that Homan took over the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota from senior border official Gregory Bovino, just days after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and the mounting backlash in the Twin Cities. Continue reading...
Russia jails stand-up comic Artemy Ostani over war joke
Artemy Ostanin sentenced to more than five years in a penal colony after joking about a 'legless' war veteran.
Russia’s Putin holds video call with China’s Xi
The two leaders discussed maintaining their growing ties amid international instability.
Israeli strikes kill more than 20 in Gaza, shatter ‘ceasefire’ myth
Israeli strikes killed at least 23 Palestinians, many of them children, in widespread attacks on Gaza on Wednesday.

Israel Launches Deadly Strikes on Gaza, Saying Militants Attacked Its Soldiers
Gaza officials said the Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 Palestinians. Israel said one of its soldiers was critically wounded in the attack by Palestinian gunmen.

EU deal on Ukraine loan could boost UK if it agrees to help pay costs
British firms could get more opportunities to supply defence equipment to Kyiv if agreement can be reachedThe UK could reap greater benefits from a €90bn (£78bn) EU loan for Ukraine, if it agrees to help pay the cost of borrowing, after European countries signed off long-awaited financial aid for Kyiv.British firms could have greater opportunities to supply defence equipment to Ukraine funded by the loan if the government agrees a “fair” contribution towards EU borrowing costs. Continue reading...

Father of toddler abused by nursery worker ‘frustrated’ by deportation
Polish national Roksana Lecka, sentenced to eight years in prison for child cruelty, will be deported on ThursdayThe father of a toddler who was abused by a nursery worker in a “sadistic” campaign of cruelty says he is “upset and frustrated” that the worker is to be deported to Poland on Thursday, less than five months into an eight-year sentence.Roksana Lecka, a Polish national, was convicted last June of 21 counts of child cruelty, after a jury at Kingston upon Thames crown court in London found she had smacked, punched, pinched and kicked children aged between 18 months and two years while working at two London nurseries in 2023 and 2024. Continue reading...