Keir Starmer has abandoned plans to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Donald Trump pulled his backing due to Starmer’s refusal to support Iran war
Britain has finalised a pharmaceutical trade agreement with the United States that gives UK-made medicines tariff-free access to the US market for at least three years, while requiring higher NHS payments for new drugs. The deal raises the net price paid for medicines launched after April 2026 by 25% and commits the UK to increase medicines spending to 0.35% of GDP by 2028 and 0.6% by 2035.
The government has withdrawn plans for 1,000 additional specialty training posts for resident doctors in England after the BMA did not call off a six-day strike running 7–13 April. Ministers had linked the posts to the latest offer, which Health Secretary Wes Streeting said includes an average 4.9% uplift this year. NHS England and hospitals are preparing for disruption, with some non-urgent care expected to be postponed.
An Ipsos poll of 2,283 adults in Great Britain found 40% would choose a Keir Starmer-led Labour government over 32% for a Nigel Farage-led Reform UK government in a forced choice. But 28% said they expected Reform to win a majority government or be the largest party in a hung parliament at the next general election, compared with 19% for Labour, and both leaders had net negative favourability ratings.
Keir Starmer said the Iran war means Britain will seek closer ties with the EU and other European allies on security, energy and trade, while keeping Labour’s Brexit red lines. He said the UK would not rejoin the single market or customs union, or restore freedom of movement. Starmer also said Britain would not enter combat operations and announced a 35-nation meeting on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A Palestinian toddler was returned to his family after being held for ten hours by Israeli forces in Gaza, with medical reports showing burn marks on his thighs consistent with cigarette burns.
A 2015 email attributed to Ghislaine Maxwell, released in a new tranche of US Department of Justice files, says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor visited her London home, met a woman widely reported to be Virginia Giuffre, and that a photograph was taken that day. The thread shows Maxwell drafting a statement denying wrongdoing and rebutting allegations. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing, said he does not recall meeting Giuffre, and previously cited being at Pizza Express in Woking as an alibi.
