Trump claims UK’s aircraft carriers are just ‘toys’ as he renews his attack on Nato allies for doing ‘nothing’ over Iran
Donald Trump has claimed that the UK’s two aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are little better than “toys”.
The president hit out as he spoke on camera at the start of a cabinet meeting in the White House.
In a rambling address, that covered a range of subjects, Trump revived his complaint about the UK not offering military help with the Iran war.
He said that Nato had done “absolutely nothing” to support the US and he went on:
Now they all want to help. When they’re annihilated, the other side is annihilated, they said ‘we’d love to send ships’.
Actually made a statement, a couple of them, that ‘we want to get involved when the war is over’. No, it’s supposed to get involved with the war’s beginning, or even before it begins.
We had the UK say that ‘we’ll send’ – this is three weeks ago – ‘we’ll send our aircraft carriers’, which aren’t the best aircraft carriers by the way. They’re toys compared to what we have.
But ‘we’ll send our aircraft carrier when the war is over’. I said ‘oh that’s wonderful, thank you very much. Don’t bother. We don’t need it’.
This is not the first time Trump has claimed that the UK has offered to send aircraft carriers to the Gulf. Downing Street has said this is not true.
On Monday, asked about Trump’s repeated insults about the UK recently, Starmer said he thought they were designed to put pressure on him. He told MPs that he had chosen to respond just by focusing on doing his job and acting in the national interest.
Key events
Cabinet Office unveils plan which it claims will ‘rip up consultation culture’
The Cabinet Office has today announced plans to speed up government decision-making by reducing consultation requirements.
In its news release, which is headlined “Ministers rip up consultation culture”, the Cabinet Office says:
As the next step in a wider programme of clearing out Whitehall’s layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, ministers have today announced immediate measures that will:
• End the introduction of unnecessary reporting and consultation requirements through introducing a higher bar to their inclusion in legislation.
• Use AI to identify existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties that are slowing down delivery.
• Take action to ensure Equalities Impact Assessments are proportionate and actually improve policy and outcomes.
• Replace Environmental Impact Assessments with Environmental Outcomes Reports as part of a significant step in reducing bureaucracy around new infrastructure projects.
But that does not mean the end of all consultations. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has today announced a public consultation on banning trail hunting.
New counting method implies poverty lower than previously thought – but IFS says it’s too soon to say for sure
Today’s poverty figures (see 10.38am) incorporate a new method of measuring poverty. The DWP uses a survey but, instead of relying on what people tell researchers about the benefits they are getting, it uses the actual figures, by cross-referencing to official records.
In a briefing note, the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank says this method produces a lower headline poverty figure than the old system. It explains:
Since this change particularly increases incomes for poorer households, it means measured relative poverty over 2021–22 to 2023–24 is lower by 2 percentage points on average. Reductions are particularly large for child and pensioner poverty (2 and 3 percentage points respectively). This is because pensioners and families with children receive more benefit income than other families. Using the new methodology, relative poverty (measured after accounting for housing costs) in 2024–25 was 20% overall (13.4 million people), 27% for children (4.0 million) and 14% for pensioners (1.7 million).
But the IFS says it is too soon to say whether this means the actual poverty really is lower than previously thought. It explains:
DWP’s improvements to the source of income data used for measuring poverty and income inequality mean some previously uncounted benefit income will now be reflected in official statistics. Unsurprisingly, this results in lower estimates of poverty. But there are further welcome improvements to the data on the horizon, and we do not yet know what the effect of these will be – some may push in the opposite direction.
In Wales Neil Roberts has stood down as a Plaid Cymru candidate for the Senedd, the BBC reports. It was over an offensive comment he made about children in a social media post five years ago. (It is too rude for the BBC, but you can find it on X without much difficulty.)
Reform in Wales highlighted the Roberts post. But Reform is also being urged to suspend one of its own candidates photographed at some point in the past making a Nazi salute.
Ministers vow to spend record £8.4bn on road maintenance in England
Ministers have pledged to spend record amounts on road maintenance as part of a £27bn five-year investment plan for England’s major roads and motorways, Gwyn Topham reports.
Trump says Starmer ‘lovely man’ who ‘did something shocking’ by not helping US in Iran
Donald Trump is still chuntering away in the White House. It is a very stream of consciousness, and 98% a compilation boast, slanders and falsehoods that we’ve heard before.
He has just been asked about Keir Starmer. He said Starmer was “a lovely man”, but he “did something that was shocking”. That was not helping the US in Iran, he said.
Scottish Tories only party that ‘fundamentally support the union’, their leader Russell Findlay says
The Scottish Conservative have claimed that they are the only party that “fundamentally supports the union”.
Speaking at his campaign launch, Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, said:
[John Swinney, the first minister] has said that an SNP majority is a mandate for another divisive independence referendum and he will push relentlessly for it. This threat is real.
We are the only party that fundamentally supports the union and we have a track record of standing up to this dismal SNP government.
Reform are not a unionist party. They field pro-independence candidates, court nationalists and Lord Offord has provided a roadmap to another referendum.
An SNP majority is the nightmare scenario facing Scots – and it’s up to the Scottish Conservatives to stop it, like we did in 2016 and 2021.
Findlay was referring to Offord suggesting that, after 10 years, he might be open to another independence referendum.
Labour criticises Farage for hinting James McMurdock might be allowed to rejoin Reform UK
Labour has criticised Nigel Farage for suggesting in an interview with the BBC that he might let James McMurdock rejoin his party.
McMurdock was elected for Reform UK in 2024 in South Basildon and East Thurrock, a seat the party never expected to win. He was soon embroiled in controversy when it emerged that, as a teenager, he had been jailed for assaulting his then girlfriend. Last year he left the party over allegations about his business conduct during the coronavirus pandemic. Later an inquiry opened into claims he racially abused a female journalist on X.
A Labour spokesperson said:
McMurdock is still under investigation for alleged racism and if Reform are intent on letting him back into their party, it will tell you everything you need know about Farage’s judgement. Reform simply cannot be trusted to uphold the high standards expected in public life.
NS&I boss replaced as bank faces record payout over missing savings
The boss of National Savings and Investments has stepped down after it emerged that the bank will have to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to its customers over missing savings, Lauren Almeida reports.
Trump claims UK’s aircraft carriers are just ‘toys’ as he renews his attack on Nato allies for doing ‘nothing’ over Iran
Donald Trump has claimed that the UK’s two aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are little better than “toys”.
The president hit out as he spoke on camera at the start of a cabinet meeting in the White House.
In a rambling address, that covered a range of subjects, Trump revived his complaint about the UK not offering military help with the Iran war.
He said that Nato had done “absolutely nothing” to support the US and he went on:
Now they all want to help. When they’re annihilated, the other side is annihilated, they said ‘we’d love to send ships’.
Actually made a statement, a couple of them, that ‘we want to get involved when the war is over’. No, it’s supposed to get involved with the war’s beginning, or even before it begins.
We had the UK say that ‘we’ll send’ – this is three weeks ago – ‘we’ll send our aircraft carriers’, which aren’t the best aircraft carriers by the way. They’re toys compared to what we have.
But ‘we’ll send our aircraft carrier when the war is over’. I said ‘oh that’s wonderful, thank you very much. Don’t bother. We don’t need it’.
This is not the first time Trump has claimed that the UK has offered to send aircraft carriers to the Gulf. Downing Street has said this is not true.
On Monday, asked about Trump’s repeated insults about the UK recently, Starmer said he thought they were designed to put pressure on him. He told MPs that he had chosen to respond just by focusing on doing his job and acting in the national interest.
Anas Sarwar claims at campaign launch Scottish Labour only party that can replace SNP government
Anas Sarwar has claimed that Scottish Labour is the only party that can beat the SNP and form a government in this year’s Holyrood elections.
Speaking at the launch of his party’s election campaign, he said:
After 20 years of SNP government, Scotland needs change, and this is the only party that can deliver it. Because the fact is that only Scottish Labour can beat the SNP …
And only I can replace John Swinney as first minister
Recent polling suggests that the SNP is well ahead, and that Labour and Reform UK are in a tight contest for second place in the May elections.
But Sarwar described Reform as “Tories in disguise” and insisted they had no chance in Scotland.
Reform can’t win in Scotland and they can’t beat the SNP.
He also insisted that, while the SNP and Reform were both divisive parties, Labour was not.
We know what they will say about us and what they will say about me.
The SNP will say I am not for Scotland.
Reform will say I am not Scottish enough [a reference to Sarwar’s ethnicity].
But they misunderstand the mood of the nation.
People are fed up of the old politics of division.
They want a more positive and hopeful government and a more positive and hopeful future for Scotland.
Because friends, there are now two kinds of politician in this country.
Those like John Swinney and Nigel Farage who see problems and use them to divide us.
Or leaders who see problems, get to work fixing them and bring our country together in the process.
Sarwar said Scotland needed change, and he claimed Labour could offer this across many areas.
But he specifically focused on a promise to “drive up standards in reading, writing, maths and science with 2,000 new specialist teachers to help children who have fallen behind in literacy and numeracy”.
Streeting tells BMA resident doctors economic impact of war means no chance of strike leading to better pay offer
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that if resident doctors don’t call off their planned strike, they may find that the economic consequences of the Iran war will mean they never got a better offer.
Speaking in the Commons hours after the OECD said the war will damage the UK’s economy more than any other industrialised nation’s, Streeting said:
I do not want resident doctors in three years’ time to look back on this moment with regret as they turn down three years of guaranteed pay rises, more money in their pockets through reimbursement of exam fees and more jobs.
As Denis Campbell reports, yesterday the BMA announced plans for a six-day strike by resident doctors in England after Easter.
In a statement to MPs, Streeting said the BMA’s announcement was “deeply disappointing after months of highly constructive and good-natured talks between the government and the leadership of the RDC (the BMA’s resident doctors committee)“.
Streeting said the deal on offer would have given resident doctors an average pay rise of 4.9% this year, with starting pay for new graduates entering the profession this year nearly £12,000 higher than four years ago.
He went on:
The BMA has pointed to the war in Iran as reason to reject the deal, so let me spell out the consequences of what this country is facing.
This country wants to see de-escalation, a swift resolution to the conflict with a negotiated agreement that puts tough conditions on Iran and specifically its nuclear ambitions.
However, we are planning on the basis of a prolonged conflict because that is the prudent thing to do.
In that eventuality, there would be an impact on the economy and on the public finances. Were that to happen, a future offer to resident doctors will not look better than what is on offer today.
Streeting said the government was losing patience with the BMA, which has organised a series of strikes by resident doctors (previously known as junior doctors) since the general election.
The government’s tolerance for costly and disruptive action that undermines a critical public service is fast diminishing.
He said the BMA had until next Thursday to call off the strike action, or face the prospect of the money set aside by the government to fund its pay offer being spent instead on minimising disruption.
And he urged the BMA to meet him in person.
I am asking the BMA’s resident doctor committee to reconsider. I will meet again with their officers.
I am also repeating my offer to meet with the entire committee, who have thus far refused to meet me since I became the Secretary of State. Indeed, they are the only group of people I’ve offered to meet who have declined, which I find extraordinary in these circumstances.
Chinese offshore wind firm MingYang blocked from supplying turbines for use in North Sea, minister confirms
The government has confirmed that it has blocked MingYang, China’s biggest offshore wind company, from supplying turbines for use in the North Sea.
The Chinese firm was in talks with Green Volt, which is jointly owned by Flotation Energy, a Scottish company and Vårgrønn, a Norwegian one, about supplying turbines for a floating offshore windfarm.
But, in a written ministerial statement, Michael Shanks, the energy minister, says the government will not let any deal go ahead.
He says:
After careful consideration, government’s view is that we cannot support the use of [MingYang] in UK offshore wind projects. We have informed offshore wind developers of this.
We will always act to protect our national security, and we are committed to strengthening and prioritising resilient and sustainable offshore wind supply chains.
We welcome investment from China where it’s in our national interest – as demonstrated through the announcement of significant inward investment during the prime minister’s visit to Beijing early in the year. We will continue to take a long term and strategic approach to managing relations with China – cooperating where we can, while being clear-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.
‘Give the guy a chance’: Wes Streeting says he does not want Starmer ousted
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has made no secret of the fact that he would like to be prime minister one day. And, as speculation intensified at Westminster towards the end of last year, and again earlier this year, about possible challenges to Keir Starmer, Streeting’s name was always at or near the top of the list of those cabinet ministers said to be weighing up their chances.
But Streeting now seems to accept that he may have to wait. In an interview with Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey for the Guaridan’s Politics Weekly podcast, he says that he does not think there should be a change of leadership, that Keir Starmer must be given more time, and that, over Iran, Starmer has shown “his finest qualities”.
Streeting says:
I think there is a risk for the Labour party if people look at us and think, hang on a minute, we voted for change. We thought you were going to draw a line under chaos and now it looks like you’re going to chop and change …
There is no doubt whatsoever that people have seen in Keir’s leadership through the Iran crisis his finest qualities.
Judgment, level-headedness, and an ability to see the bigger picture and make big calls, and the calls in our national interest as well as the interests of our allies and our collective security and world stability. And I think that has set him apart from many other prime ministers we’ve seen over the years.
We all know that there are lots of people in this country who voted for change, who are still demanding change and are finding us wanting because of some of the mistakes we’ve made and because they’re not yet feeling change in their own lives …
We all know this. Keir knows this. But look at the scale of the challenges we inherited when we came in. There was never going to be an overnight transformation. We are beginning to see this country moving in the right direction. He’s only been prime minister for 20 months. Give the guy and the government a chance.
Here is the story by Pippa and Kiran.
And here is the podcast.
SNP ‘ready to win big’ and put Scotland on path to independence, says Swinney at campaign launch
The SNP is “ready to win big” in the Holyrood election, John Swinney has declared, as he insisted a majority for his party will deliver the “fresh start” of independence. The Press Association says:
The first minister has set his targets firmly on winning an overall majority in the 7 May election, believing such a result will lead to a second referendum on the future of the UK.
Speaking at the start of a “crucial election campaign for our country”, he said the SNP will run its “biggest and best campaign” over the next six weeks.
He said he will lead “our campaign from the front”, and told supporters at the campaign launch in Glasgow that the SNP is “ready not just to fight this election, not just to win this election, but to win big”.
He said an SNP majority at Holyrood will not only achieve the goal of another referendum, but will also lock Nigel Farage’s Reform UK out of power in Scotland.
Polls have suggested Reform – led in Scotland by Malcolm Offord – could come second in the vote.
Swinney warned: “Depending on how the numbers stack up after the election, without an SNP majority there is always the potential for a grubby, backroom deal between Labour and Reform.”
But he said it is the prospect of using the election to force a referendum that could give Scotland the “greatest prize”.
An overall SNP majority – as happened in 2011 under Alex Salmond – will “send a message that the Westminster establishment cannot sweep under the carpet”, Swinney said.
Home Office names panel of experts to advise inquiry into battle of Orgreave during miners’ strike
The Home Office has named the panel of experts that will assist the inquiry into the violent confrontation between the police and mineworkers at Orgreave in 1984. Last year it was announced that an inquiry will take place, chaired by the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield.
Today it has been announced he will be assisted by four experts: Mary Bousted, a former teachers’ union leader; Wendy Williams, a former chief prosecutor; Joanna Gilmore, a law lecturer who has reseached the miners’ strike; and Angie Sutton-Vane, a historian.
In a written ministerial statement announcing the appointments, Sarah Jones, a Home Office minister, said:
This inquiry delivers on the government’s manifesto commitment to uncover the truth about Orgreave and to rebuild public confidence in policing. It will investigate the events of that day, resulting in the arrest of 95 picketers and scores of injuries, which left a lasting impact on communities across South Yorkshire and beyond.
King’s speech to take place on Wednesday 13 May, less than week after local elections, MPs told
Alan Campbell, the leader of the Commons, has told MPs that the state opening of parliament and the king’s speech will take place on Wednesday 13 May.
The king’s speech sets out the government’s legislative agenda for the new session of parliament. It will take place less than a week after the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections, which are expected to go very badly for Labour, and having the state opening so soon afterwards may help the government move forward after what could be a severe electoral setback.
The current parliamentary session, which started after the general election, has lasted 22 months, which is much longer than usual. Campbell told MPs that more than 50 bills have been passed.
He said the date of prorogation, the last day of the current session, will be announced in due course.
No 10 says it’s ‘categorically untrue’ to say McSweeney’s phone theft linked to Mandelson humble address
Downing Street has firmed up its insistence that there was no link between Morgan McSweeney’s phone being stolen and the humble address motion passed by MPs saying messages with Peter Mandelson would have to be exchanged.
When asked about this this morning, Keir Starmer said:
The idea that somehow everybody could have seen that sometime in the future there’d be a request over the phone is, to my mind, a little bit far-fetched.
But, at the Downing Street lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said that it was “categorically untrue” to claim there was a link between the theft of the phone and the humble address requiring the disclosure of messages between Peter Mandelson and government ministers and officials.
The spokesperson said:
The point the prime minister was making was that the idea that the theft was connected to the humble address is categorically untrue.
We’re committed to complying with the humble address in full. All government departments, ministers and relevant individuals been asked to provide all the relevant information they hold in the scope of the humble address.
This denial is unlikely to silence those alleging a conspiracy, some of whom are alleging the phone was never stolen in the first place. (See 11.30am.)
McSweeney reported his phone stolen in October last year, more than three months before the humble address motion was passed. But there have been reports saying that even then at that point, in the light of the fact that Mandelson had recently been sacked over his links with Jeffrey Epstein, officials in No 10 were starting to worry about a humble address motion being table at some point down the line. A humble address is a Commons mechanism forcing the government to release information.
The spokesperson would not discuss what action was taken by No 10 to disable McSweeney’s phone after it was reported missing last year, or what impact that might have on attempts to retrieve message. He just said that Downing Street responded to the incident in line with procedures that were “longstanding and robust”.
The spokesperson did not challenge the Guardian report saying some messages between McSweeney and Mandelson have been retained.
Asked about this, the spokesperson just said that it was the government’s intention to comply with the humble address motion (requiring the publication of these exchanges and others) “in full”. The government has already published one set of documents required by the humble address. Another tranche is expected relatively soon, but the spokesperson would not say when. And some documents are being held back pending the police investigation into Mandelson.
Jenrick claims Labour acting like ‘banana republic’ in banning political parties from accepting crypto donations
Robert Jenrick, the Reform UK Treasury spokesperson, has claimed Labour is acting like a “banana republic” in banning political parties from receiving donations in cryptocurrency.
Speaking about the announcement at a media event this morning, Jenrick accepted that this was aimed at Reform UK, the only main party encouraging people to donate in crypto, and he accused Labour of wanting to “stop its opponents from succeeding”.
He said:
Look, the government is failing. It’s losing the argument. So what’s it doing? It’s like a banana republic – resorting to attacking how political parties raise money – perfectly legitimate ways for British citizens to donate, as they’ve always done, to political parties.
He went on:
This isn’t serious politics. It’s just the mark of a government that is failing and is having to use every lever at its disposal to try and stop its opponents from succeeding. It’s not going to work.
We’re going to see in May that people across the country come out to vote, to send a signal, a very clear message, to Keir Starmer that he is one of the worst prime ministers we’ve ever had, and we want to get him out of office as quickly as possible and have real change, which is what Reform offer.
Jenrick was speaking at a petrol station where he was to promoting Reform UK’s call for the government to halve VAT on petrol for three months in the face of rising oil prices caused by the Iran war.
