Burnham urged by opposition pairties tae follow Macron and act wi mair urgency on the Roushian threat – as it happent

The Conservatives and Reform UK hae urged Andy Burnham tae address the threat posed by Roushie wi the same urgency as Emmanuel Macron. At a news conference, Macron declared that the Roushian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France haes intensified, wi the intent tae intimidate and break the effort tae support Ukraine.

Andy Burnham haes uised a meetin wi his Irish counterpart Micheál Martin tae push for deeper ties atween the UK and the European Union. As the Press Association reports, he said the relationship wi Ireland maitters sae muckle on every level as the taoiseach became the first international leader tae veesit No 10 North. Burnham said it was vera fittin for Martin tae be the first heid o govrenment tae veesit the Manchester site acause o the close ties atween the north-wast and Ireland.

The warld’s puirest kintras wur warst hit bi Breetish aid cuts under Keir Starmer’s govrenment, while heicher-income kintras saw their share o aid increase, new figures reveal.

The BBC haes spent hunners o millions o punds o its cash reserves in a single year, increasin concerns at the corporation ower the perillous state o its finances.

Louise Casey, the crossbench peer and umwhile Whitehall offeecial leadin the govrenment’s review o adult social care, haes said she is opposed tae what she caas profiteerin in the care sector. In an interview wi ITV News, Casey said that she thocht allowin lairge pairts o adult social care tae be run bi private companies for profit was a mistake. She tellt ITV that she wad personally object tae profiteerin on the back o taxpayers, specifically those wi heicher levels o need whaur folk are makin bag-loads o siller.

Casey suggested she was particularly opposed tae foreign-based private equity companies makin huge profits frae the UK care sector. She is due tae present her final report tae the govrenment next year. Andy Burnham haes said that, for him, reformin adult social care is a priority and he is prepared tae uise a lot o poleetical caipital pushin throu change.

Casey focused on hou the NHS is failin folk wi learnin disabilities, whilk is why thir folk hae a life expectancy mair nor 20 years shorter nor the average. She spak o a case o a woman in her seventies wi profound learnin disabilities wha endit up in a general ward, whaur they wadna let her carers come in, even tho they wur the anely anes wha understood her.

Gavin Robinson, the DUP leader, haes said unionists willna tolerate egos scupperin the huge opportunity that is next year’s Stormont assembly election. Speakin ahead o his pairty conference, Robinson said he haes met wi UUP leader Jon Burrows and haes mair meetin planned.

The French president Emmanuel Macron said today that the threat posed bi Roushie’s shadow operations was growin across Europe, and he haed ordered measures tae protect France’s critical infrastructure frae increasin Roushian hybrid attacks. Macron vowed that France wad respond tae thir shadow attacks, statin that the intention behind it is tae intimidate, but the consequence will be the opposite.

The Labour pairty haes released an analysis suggestin that cryptocurrency millionaires could benefit tae the tune o around £500m frae Reform UK policies ower the course o a pairliament. This is based on proposals in a bill published bi Reform UK last year, and new figures published bi HM Revenue and Customs. Reform UK insists that donors Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne hae no asked for ocht in return for their donations, claimin they contribute oot o a sense o patriotic duty.

Downin Street issued its readout o Andy Burnham’s meetin wi Micheál Martin, confirmin the twa leaders reaffirmit the close pairtnership atween the UK and Ireland and their shared commitment tae upholdin the Guid Friday Agreement. They discussed the importance o their joint commitments tae addressin the legacy o the Troubles and workin towards lastin reconciliation in Northren Ireland.

Reform UK MP Danny Kruger announced that his pairty wad intensify immigration checks on coaches, buses and trains travellin frae Ireland into Northren Ireland. He claimed that illegal and unvetted dangerous criminals are abusin the saft Irish border, usin it as a backdoor route into the UK. Reform UK says they wad impose a ceevil penalty o £10,000 per passenger on any bus or rail operator for each illegal immigrant transportit into Northren Ireland.

Disabled folk in the UK must hae a guaranteed richt tae travel abroad, MPs and peers hae said, efter further cases emerged o individuals barred frae takin holidays as a result o rediculous rules imposed bi local NHS care boards and local councils.

Kemi Badenoch says the Tories micht take the govrenment tae court tae stop council tax in Wandsworth haein tae almost double. The Wandsworth Conservatives say a major factor behind the financial pressure is the Labour govrenment’s decision tae cut their funding bi 40%. The Labour govrenment argues the previous funding formula was arbitrary and that Wandsworth’s low rates wur enabled bi a system that entrenchit inequality.

Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, thankit Andy Burnham for his stance on Israel as the twa men met at No 10 North today. Support for the Palestinian cause is particularly strang in Ireland, and in a reference tae the sanctions on Wast Bank settlements imposed bi Burnham’s govrenment, Martin said it was important for standin up for humanitarian values and justice.

The UK Youth Pairliament is at risk o bein scrappit as its fundin haes no been confirmed beyond Mairch 2027. Formit in 1999, it sees mair nor 300 bairns electit bi their peers tae represent young folk, but a govrenment review found that while it was deliverin on its goals, anely a quarter o young folk kent aboot it.

Peers are urgin the govrenment tae drap an idea tae include a duty tae drive economic growth in the BBC’s charter. The Lords communications and deegital committee said there is a case for airticulatin the BBC’s support for the creative economy mair explicitly, but givin the broadcaster a broad new objective haes few obvious benefits and clear associatit risks.

Retail sales across Great Breetain unexpectedly rose last month, the latest economic indicator tae defy gloomy forecasts as the chancellor, John Healey, prepares tae present next month’s budget.

Details o a 50-page poleetical memo produced bi Keir Starmer’s aides earlier this year suggest a significant overlap atween what Andy Burnham is doin now and what Starmer was doin. Zack Polanski, the Green pairty leader, said this was a reason why he is standin in Holborn and St Pancras, claimin anely a Green win will put pressure on the PM for real change, no copy and paste politics.

Tom Watson, the umwhile Labour deputy leader, haes takin a job wi the controversial US AI company Palantir. The Green pairty condemned the move, sayin it shows the corrosive revolvin door atween poleetics and business. Watson, wha haes been on leave frae the House o Lords, said he was excited tae be joinin the team tae mak tools that public service workers need.

Andy Burnham hostit Micheál Martin at No 10 North in Manchester this mornin. It is the first time Burnham haes uised this location tae host an overseas veesit, part o a deliberate attempt tae highlight pairts o the UK ootside London. John Healey, the chancellor, is in Dublin for an informal meetin o EU finance ministers, seekin exemptions for the UK frae the EU’s Made in Europe procurement laws.