HMS Vengeance’s seven-month patrol prompts concerns about slow pace of maintenance of ageing fleet and impact on crew A Trident nuclear submarine has concluded a record seven-month deployment, returning to the Faslane naval base in Scotland, where its crew are expected to be greeted by senior members of the government. HMS Vengeance began its patrol on 12 April and spent 217 days submerged before returning on Sunday, leaving the country when Keir Starmer was in Downing Street and Manchester United were third in the Premier League. Continue reading...
Trident nuclear submarine concludes record underwater deployment

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In calling for an end to the Iran War, Vance walks a thin line with Trump
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‘No such thing as a free lunch,’ says Milburn as he warns it will take a decade for UK benefits bill to come down
Author of major review into youth unemployment rejects ‘crude cuts’ to payments and downplays opposition to his proposals within Labour Alan Milburn has said “there is no such thing as a free lunch”, in response to critics who believe the government should make tougher cuts to out-of-work benefits for young people. The former health secretary will publish a major review on Tuesday, urging ministers to implement radical reforms to address the UK’s youth unemployment crisis, which has seen the number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) rise to about a million. Continue reading...

Obama portrait artist draws Burnham for Big Issue cover to highlight rough sleeping vow
Exclusive: Shepard Fairey says image will hold PM accountable over promise to get people off the streets The “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama by the US street artist Shepard Fairey came to symbolise a historic 2008 presidential campaign, became one of the most ubiquitous and reproduced political portraits of modern times, and ended up in the Smithsonian. Fairey’s latest work, of the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, may not elicit the same response but will, he hopes, deliver a hard-hitting message: one of a promise made. Continue reading...

Reform UK losing support to Labour after ‘difficult year’, says Danny Kruger
MP says party is being squeezed by arrival of ‘more plausible’ Labour leader in Andy Burnham Reform UK has been losing support to Labour after “a very difficult year”, Danny Kruger has said, just over 12 months after his defection to Nigel Farage’s party. The MP, who has been tasked with preparing Reform for government, denied he regretted jumping from the Conservatives as recent polls indicated a Tory revival under Kemi Badenoch. Continue reading...