Peers resumed Lords report stage on the Crime and Policing Bill, debating police escorts, child cruelty notifications and revisiting officer misconduct cases.
Justice Secretary David Lammy condemned as an “absolute travesty” the leak of details from a closed National Security Council meeting on the UK’s response to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Reports said ministers discussed whether to allow US forces to use British bases for strikes on Iranian missile sites and raised escalation and legal concerns. Lammy said the cabinet opposed offensive action against Iran and focused on defensive measures.
New campaigning data and modelling, reported by GB News, suggest Labour could be left controlling as few as two of London’s 32 borough councils after the 7 May elections. Tony Travers of the LSE said the capital could be heading for a “political earthquake,” with the Greens targeting inner-London seats and Reform UK seeking gains in outer boroughs. The article also cites Labour’s third-place finish in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
Former PM Tony Blair said at a private event that the UK should have backed Donald Trump’s initial strikes on Iran and let the US use British bases. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper distanced the government from Blair, while Keir Starmer said Britain will not join offensive action, citing legality and strategy tests; reports say the UK later approved limited defensive use of facilities amid Trump’s criticism.
Claim: Reform UK, senior Conservatives and Donald Trump say the UK should “drill” the North Sea to bring down energy prices and boost security. Reality: UK oil and gas prices are largely set on international markets, so extra UK extraction would only marginally affect what households pay—especially in the near term. New exploration takes years (often decades) to turn into production, so it won’t change the next price-cap periods.
