Newslinks for Tuesday 14th October 2025 | Conservative Home

Trump: Now let’s end the Ukraine war

“Donald Trump is preparing to arm Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles as he turns his attention to ending its war with Russia. The US president was lavished with praise for bringing peace to the Middle East during a jubilant visit to Israel on Monday. World leaders used a subsequent summit in Sharm El-Sheikh to back Mr Trump to solve the conflict in Ukraine. The US president will meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. The two leaders are due to discuss their “visions” for how the long-range Tomahawk missile could bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, according to Mr Zelensky.” – Daily Telegraph

• Israelis and Palestinians celebrate as truce brings hope of ‘era of peace’ – Guardian
• Two years of torment over as hostage families are reunited – The Times
• Freed Palestinian prisoners greeted home by jubilant crowds – The Times
• Trump takes centre stage as questions linger over UK’s role in Gaza ceasefire – Guardian
• Utter humiliation for Blair as now even Hamas don’t want him – Daily Express
• Starmer is mocked after humiliating moment with Trump on the world stage – Daily Mail

Comment

Ministers accused of ‘pure fabrication’ over China spy case claims

“Ministers were accused of “pure fabrication” after claiming “every effort was made” to provide evidence to support the case against two alleged spies that collapsed last month. Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said the deputy national security adviser was responsible for the government’s failure to provide sufficient evidence to prosecutors that China was a threat to Britain’s national security. He said Matthew Collins had been given “full freedom to provide evidence without interference” about the two men who were accused of passing secrets to Beijing between 2021 and 2023. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, an academic, last month after saying the government had failed to provide a statement that “at the time of the offence China represented a threat to national security”. – The Times

• Minister blames Powell’s deputy for collapse of China spy case – Daily Telegraph
• Civil servant made evidence decisions in failed China spy case, say ministers – FT

Comment

>Today:

Starmer ‘duped voters’ and five more claims in explosive new book

“Sir Keir Starmer’s No 10 has been battling weeks of headlines from a new book by a left-wing investigative journalist. On Monday, The Fraud was published with the promise of further revelations to damage the prime minister and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. The book, by Paul Holden, has already prompted the resignation of Paul Ovenden, the prime minister’s director of political strategy, over crude remarks made about Diane Abbott in 2017. No 10 then fought a week of headlines about McSweeney, who was in charge of the Starmerite think tank Labour Together when it failed to declare more than £700,000 of donations.” – The Times

Johnson: Don’t blame me for ‘Boriswave’, I took back control of borders

“Boris Johnson has defended his record on immigration and distanced himself from the so-called “Boriswave” of migrants. The former prime minister blamed Rishi Sunak for failing to send illegal migrants to Rwanda, and suggested Sir Keir Starmer should revive the plan. Mr Johnson insisted the overseas processing plan was a “very good policy” that would have stopped the boats. In a thinly veiled dig at Mr Sunak, whose resignation as chancellor finished off Mr Johnson’s premiership, he pointed out that migration continued to surge after he left Downing Street. He also criticised a lack of assimilation in migrant communities, claiming he had visited parts of London where second or third generation people were not speaking English.” – Daily Telegraph

Reeves and Reed to ‘bulldoze barriers’ in sweeping planning overhaul

“Ministers have proposed a slew of extra pro-developer reforms in an effort to boost headroom in next month’s budget, promising to stop councils and campaigners blocking building. Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has pledged to “bulldoze through the barriers that have strangled growth for decades” as he prepares to set out changes to flagship planning legislation that will make it easier to press ahead with housing and infrastructure projects. He and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, are attempting to persuade the budget watchdog that liberalising planning laws will offer a tangible boost to the economy and tax receipts, as she attempts to fill a black hole estimated at £20 to 30 billion.” – The Times

Rees-Mogg: Labour is fooling nobody by blaming its own mistakes on Brexit

“Last year it was the Tories’ fault, now it is Nigel Farage’s. Labour has a black hole because of someone else, perhaps next year the inconsequential Lib Dems will get the blame. At least in the immediate aftermath of an election it is somewhat believable to suggest that the outgoing government has some responsibility for the fiscal situation. When Harold Wilson used this tactic in the 1960s it was more credible because there were fewer economic indicators available. This was not true in 2024 when all the evidence showed a recovering economy, the fastest growth in the G7 and inflation falling back to the 2 per cent target.” – Daily Telegraph

• Rees-Mogg demolishes Starmer’s attempt to blame Brexit – Daily Express
• Labour and Tories ‘locked in race to the right’, says Swinney – FT

>Today:

Thatcher would have backed Brexit, says Sir Mark

“Margaret Thatcher would have voted for Brexit to keep power at Westminster, says her son. Speaking on the 100th anniversary of his mother’s birth, Sir Mark Thatcher hit back at claims that Britain’s first female prime minister would have been a Remainer. Thatcher, who died in 2013, backed the Keep Britain in Europe campaign during the 1975 vote on membership of the European Community, famously wearing a sweater featuring all the flags of the then-member states. During the EU referendum in 2016, Charles Powell, Thatcher’s former foreign policy aide, sparked anger among Brexiteers when he claimed that she was “far too sensible” to have backed Brexit. But Sir Mark suggested that while she had a complicated relationship with the EU, she would ultimately have voted to leave.” – Daily Telegraph

• Former PM Thatcher would have respected Trump, says son – The Sun

Comment

>Yesterday:

External insulation fitted under Tory scheme needs repair or replacing, report finds

“Almost all the external insulation fitted under the previous government’s energy efficiency scheme was installed so poorly it will have to be repaired or replaced, an investigation has found. Thousands of homeowners who took advantage of the home insulation schemes have been left with incompetently fitted cladding that in some cases is likely to cause damp and mould. Of the roughly 23,000 homes fitted with external wall insulation under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), 98% need repairs, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) investigation.” – Guardian

• 98% of homes that used government insulation scheme need mould repairs – The i

Other political news

• Labour MPs call on Reeves to scrap council tax – Guardian
• Council removes St George’s flags, then blames Storm Amy – Daily Telegraph
• Caine leads call for Starmer to ban smacking – Daily Telegraph
• Spending cuts loom if Drakeford budget falls in Senedd – BBC News

News in Brief