Esther Rantzen speaks of ‘enormous relief' after MPs backed assisted dying Bill
Last week, Dame Esther told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'People who are adamantly opposed to this Bill, and they have a perfect right to oppose it, will try and stop it going through the Lords, but the Lords themselves, their duty is to make sure that law is actually created by the elected chamber, which is the House of Commons, who have voted this through.'
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Spectator
39 minutes ago
- Spectator
David Lammy has nothing to say
The day started badly for David Lammy. Well – we don't know that for sure – it's feasible that first thing this morning he won a great victory over his toothpaste tube, however his appearance on the Today programme wasn't exactly a triumph. Asked by Justin Webb whether the US action was legal he told him that 'we weren't involved'. That's the spirit: answer the question you want, not the question you were asked. The Sage of Tottenham continued to manifest his dream interview rather than the one that was actually going on. We had a rather fun segue into the periodic table and percentages of uranium enrichment. 'Oh Justin', said Lammy at one point, 'we've always been clear'. As a rainy day in Dundee. Lammy continued his grand clarity tour in parliament where he made a statement on the state of the Middle East. It was hardly a great moment in the history of British foreign policy. Essentially, he told the House that there was almost nothing that Britain could or would do. 'We will continue to persist with diplomacy', was his repeated statement. As if this were some sort of active choice rather than the inevitable result of declining power. Imagine the equivalent statement in the natural world: 'we will continue to persist with this tidal drift', proclaims plankton. At the end of Lammy's clarity extravaganza, not much was announced Once upon a time the foreign secretary would come to the House of Commons to tell them that Britain had sent gunboats to sort out a recalcitrant country: nowadays he comes to announce that 'we've opened an email portal'. Next to Lammy sat Hamish Falconer, whose nepotistic rise in the contemporary Labour party makes the thousand-year Iranian Shahdom look like an exercise in raw meritocracy. The government benches tut-tutted when Sarah Pochin of Reform UK asked whether the Americans had felt unable to launch their attacks from the Diego Garcia base, owing to the terms of the Chagos surrender deal. 'Dear, dear' harrumphed one back-bencher. At that precise moment, Stephen Doughty, a flustered junior minister, was umming and ahhing before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee about whether the Mauritian taxpayer's bonza payout was being funded from the UK defence budget. Stuttering commenced. Today's mediocrity war was being waged on many fronts. 'The Honourable Lady has got to get off social media,' oiled the Foreign Secretary, accusing Pochin of 'swallowing conspiracy theories'. 'Answer the question!' bellowed Richard Tice. A valiant effort but he might as well have been screaming at a lump of plasticine. At the end of Lammy's clarity extravaganza, not much was announced, even less concretely achieved. Britain's foreign policy continues to look depressingly like a bald man giving his opinion on the design of a comb.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Zelensky and Starmer agree closer military production ties ahead of Nato summit
The Ukrainian president met the Prime Minister at Downing Street on Monday afternoon, after being welcomed to Windsor Castle for lunch with the King. In No 10's garden, Mr Zelensky and Sir Keir also met with Ukrainian troops being trained for the front line by Britain and other allies in Operation Interflex. The King with Volodymyr Zelensky at Windsor Castle (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mr Zelensky, who is usually seen wearing military fatigues, wore a black blazer and trousers throughout his Monday visits. He and Sir Keir embraced on the doorstep of No 10, where a red carpet had been rolled out for the Ukrainian leader. After meeting in No 10's White Room, the two leaders announced a new military partnership in front of soldiers from Britain, Ukraine and other western allies. 'We've discussed the issues across the conflict, what more we can do to support,' Sir Keir told the gathered soldiers. 'I'm really proud that this afternoon we are able to announce an industrial military co-production agreement, the first of its kind so far as Ukraine and the UK are concerned, which will be a massive step forward now in the contribution that we can continue to make, and is really a symbol of not only our joint work in this conflict, but the 100-year agreement that we've put in place.' Mr Zelensky said the agreement would 'strengthen both nations'. He added: 'It's very important to share our experience, your experience, on the battlefield, and your knowledge and experience during the Interflex training mission.' Mr Zelensky also singled out soldiers from Finland and Romania present in the No 10 garden for praise. Sir Keir commended the 'level of professionalism, commitment and the bravery and resilience of those who are being trained' through Interflex. He added: 'To all the trainers here, I just want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the UK and the other countries, 13 countries now involved in this training. 'It's a real show of strength, of unity amongst allies, but a real message to our adversaries as well.' Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Lord McFall at Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Charles had earlier welcomed the Ukrainian leader to an audience, followed by lunch, at Windsor Castle. They were pictured chatting as they made their way through the Berkshire royal residence, and smiling as they shook hands in the Grand Corridor. During his visit to London, the Ukrainian leader was also welcomed to the Palace of Westminster and met Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his Lords counterpart, Lord McFall of Alcluith. His arrival in the UK follows reports that Russia fired 352 drones and 16 missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least 10 civilians including seven in Kyiv. Mr Zelensky said preliminary reports indicated Russia had used North Korean missiles to attack Kyiv and described those two countries, and Iran, as a 'coalition of murderers'. His visit to London takes place the day before Nato leaders are set to meet in The Hague for a two-day summit, with increased defence spending top of the agenda. Mr Zelensky has been invited to the summit but will not take part in its main discussions, and it is still unclear whether he will attend at all.
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Zelensky and Starmer agree closer military production ties ahead of Nato summit
The Ukrainian president met the Prime Minister at Downing Street on Monday afternoon, after being welcomed to Windsor Castle for lunch with the King. In No 10's garden, Mr Zelensky and Sir Keir also met with Ukrainian troops being trained for the front line by Britain and other allies in Operation Interflex. The King with Volodymyr Zelensky at Windsor Castle (Jonathan Brady/PA) Mr Zelensky, who is usually seen wearing military fatigues, wore a black blazer and trousers throughout his Monday visits. He and Sir Keir embraced on the doorstep of No 10, where a red carpet had been rolled out for the Ukrainian leader. After meeting in No 10's White Room, the two leaders announced a new military partnership in front of soldiers from Britain, Ukraine and other western allies. 'We've discussed the issues across the conflict, what more we can do to support,' Sir Keir told the gathered soldiers. 'I'm really proud that this afternoon we are able to announce an industrial military co-production agreement, the first of its kind so far as Ukraine and the UK are concerned, which will be a massive step forward now in the contribution that we can continue to make, and is really a symbol of not only our joint work in this conflict, but the 100-year agreement that we've put in place.' Mr Zelensky said the agreement would 'strengthen both nations'. He added: 'It's very important to share our experience, your experience, on the battlefield, and your knowledge and experience during the Interflex training mission.' Mr Zelensky also singled out soldiers from Finland and Romania present in the No 10 garden for praise. Sir Keir commended the 'level of professionalism, commitment and the bravery and resilience of those who are being trained' through Interflex. He added: 'To all the trainers here, I just want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the UK and the other countries, 13 countries now involved in this training. 'It's a real show of strength, of unity amongst allies, but a real message to our adversaries as well.' Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Lord McFall at Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Charles had earlier welcomed the Ukrainian leader to an audience, followed by lunch, at Windsor Castle. They were pictured chatting as they made their way through the Berkshire royal residence, and smiling as they shook hands in the Grand Corridor. During his visit to London, the Ukrainian leader was also welcomed to the Palace of Westminster and met Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his Lords counterpart, Lord McFall of Alcluith. His arrival in the UK follows reports that Russia fired 352 drones and 16 missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least 10 civilians including seven in Kyiv. Mr Zelensky said preliminary reports indicated Russia had used North Korean missiles to attack Kyiv and described those two countries, and Iran, as a 'coalition of murderers'. His visit to London takes place the day before Nato leaders are set to meet in The Hague for a two-day summit, with increased defence spending top of the agenda. Mr Zelensky has been invited to the summit but will not take part in its main discussions, and it is still unclear whether he will attend at all.
