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Friday’s trip comes as PM stresses Britain’s continued backing for Kyiv before meeting with Volodymyr ZelenskiyRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesThe UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is visiting Ukraine on Friday to meet his counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as the UK announced it would provide further military aid to the country over the coming year.The UK has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Russia’s...

Figures show NHS falling behind on target to reduce hefty post-pandemic waiting list in EnglandThe NHS must treat at least 10% more non-emergency hospital cases a month if it wants to reduce the hefty backlog caused by the pandemic, according to new analysis.From February 2020 to October 2022, the waiting list for non-urgent care in England grew by 2.6m cases – a projected 1.8m...

Ministers join video call to consider response to Red Sea attacks on shipsMiddle East crisis – live updatesRishi Sunak’s cabinet was meeting on Thursday evening amid expectations of UK involvement in imminent military strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.Ministers were scheduled to join a video call at 7.45pm, which was expected to discuss the UK response to recent attacks on ships in the...

Assessment comes despite claims by Rishi Sunak that Rwanda is safe when making case for asylum policyThe government has admitted that Rwanda still has “issues with its human rights record” despite claims by Rishi Sunak that it is a safe country.Documents released on Thursday said that “while Rwanda is now a relatively peaceful country with respect for the rule of law, there are nevertheless...

Wes Streeting says he is shocked by the extent to which the health and wellbeing of the nation’s children has declinedGood morning. Keir Starmer will today start a series of fortnightly visits around Britain intended to promote Labour’s “missions”, and today he is in the north-west of England launching the party’s child health action plan. He has written about the proposals for the Guardian...

Shadow chancellor to highlight increased mortgage costs as party targets Tory seats coveted by Lib DemsLabour is to kick off campaigning in a string of upcoming byelections by highlighting increased mortgage costs in so-called blue wall constituencies, in a tactical shift in which the party will openly target Conservative-held seats coveted by the Liberal Democrats.Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is to visit Kingswood, the...

Justice secretary says if firm behind Horizon IT software is found culpable, ministers would seek ‘proper recompense’UK politics live – latest updatesFujitsu should repay the “fortune” spent on the Post Office scandal if it is found culpable, the justice secretary has suggested, as pressure increases on the firm behind the faulty Horizon software.If the statutory inquiry into the saga, which resumes on Thursday, finds...

Exclusive: Documents show shift in transport policy influenced by unfounded fears about loss of freedom of movement in ‘15-minute cities’Ministers decided to prioritise driving over active travel because of worries among ministers about “15-minute cities”, documents seen by the Guardian show.They indicate that a significant shift in transport policy was guided at least in part by conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

Increased flooding blamed on years of government delays over ‘sponge cities’ rulesIncreased sewage pollution, urban flooding and water supply interruptions are the result of a decade of failures by the Conservative ministers, according to water experts who are demanding an independent inquiry into water be set up by the next government.The repeated failure of the Tories to implement rules to create “sponge cities” has...

Study of European electoral data suggests social democratic parties alienate supporters by moving towards the political centre Adopting rightwing policies on issues such as immigration and the economy does not help centre-left parties win votes, according to new analysis of European electoral and polling data.Faced with a 20-year decline in their vote share, accompanied by rising support for the right, far right and sometimes...

David Cameron urges Israeli authorities to clear barriers to aid deliveries amid risk of ‘widespread hunger’The British government has accepted that Israel as an occupying power had a duty under international humanitarian law to provide basic supplies to the people of Gaza.The admission came when David Cameron, the foreign secretary, urged Israel to remove barriers on the delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory...

Kevin Hollinrake, the minister for postal services, says a government announcement on the scandal is imminent Good morning. Cabinet is meeting for the first time this year and, among its other problems, the government is still under pressure to announce something definitive about the Post Office Horizon scandal that will show it is responding to the outrage generated by the ITV drama about the...

Companies could be stopped from taking such action, and firms involved in Horizon case may have to pay compensationRules to prevent companies taking private prosecutions in the way the Post Office went after innocent post office operators are being considered by the government.The move is part of a response to the Horizon IT scandal that could also lead to companies involved, including the tech...

Party to ask for details of individual relocation costs and any payments to the Rwandan governmentLabour will table a vote in parliament on Tuesday calling for the release of documents relating to the UK government’s Rwanda deportation policy.The vote, which will be part of a humble address on the opposition day debate in the Commons, will ask for any documents that show the cost...

MSG says it cannot continue to take part in process that was ‘political football between rival parties’The US company behind a proposed huge Las Vegas-style Sphere entertainment venue in east London has withdrawn its plans.Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) said it could not continue to participate in a process that was “merely a political football between rival parties”. Continue reading...

Corruption and the cost of living have trumped concerns about a belligerent neighbour in close race for the presidencyDeep in the mountains of Hsinchu county in north Taiwan, a few dozen residents of Smangus are holding their daily morning meeting in a weatherboard hut, overlooking the towering peaks nearby.The remote Indigenous village, home to about 200 Atayal people, is preparing for Saturday’s presidential election....

Record number of female and ethnic minority MPs expected to sit in Commons according to study of candidate selectionsThe next general election is set to herald the most diverse parliament ever, with record numbers of ethnic minority and female MPs, according to a detailed analysis of candidate selections in winnable seats.The study, by the thinktank British Future, projects that the number of ethnic minority...

Parliament returns for election year with a resignation over North Sea drilling and a fight over the Tories’ Rwanda planRishi Sunak is facing a backlash in parliament this week over plans to allow more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, as Tory troubles pile up on multiple fronts in the run-up to a general election expected this year.MPs return to Westminster on...

Paul Maynard under investigation by MPs’ expenses watchdog over claims he charged taxpayers for political campaign servicesCalls have been made for the prime minister to suspend the whip from a minister while claims he used his taxpayer-funded constituency office to campaign for the Conservative party are reviewed.Paul Maynard, the pensions minister, has been referred to an investigator by the parliamentary expenses watchdog over reports...

Labour leader says investing up to £28bn a year subject to fiscal rules but it is a ‘confident ambition’Starmer says junior doctors have a “good case” when they say they deserve a pay rise.But he says Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, should be negotiating with them now. Continue reading...

Labour leader will say Tories have governed so badly people no longer believe a change of party will make a differenceIn his speech this morning Keir Starmer will also promise that Labour will clean up politics. He will say:To change Britain, we must change ourselves. We need to clean up politics. No more VIP fast lanes, no more kickbacks for colleague, no more revolving...

Prime minister pledged to halve inflation, grow economy, cut national debt, lower NHS waits and ‘stop the boats’This article is extracted from our First Edition newsletter. Sign up hereOne year ago today, Rishi Sunak made five pledges that he said were a straightforward yardstick for his government’s success: “No tricks. No ambiguity. We’re either delivering for you or we’re not.” Here’s a report card...

In today’s newsletter: Guardian experts assess the government’s progress on the prime minister’s key promisesSign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. After Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year, the last great festival of the season: Rishi Sunak’s five pledges anniversary day. The prime minister is marking the occasion with a trip to the east Midlands, while Keir Starmer is making a...

Chief strategist uses examples from around world to urge against complacency, warning ‘polls do not predict the future’Labour’s poll lead could collapse in the weeks before the general election, the party’s chief campaign strategist has told shadow ministers, as he warned them not to be complacent going into the election year.Morgan McSweeney, Labour’s director of campaigns, recently gave a presentation to the shadow cabinet...