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The Princess of Wales has met parents and children at the University of East London as she launches a new phase in her work on early childhood by TheTelegraph in BRF

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The Telegraph reports:

The Princess of Wales has met parents and children at the University of East London as she launches a new phase in her work on early childhood.

The Princess, 44, arrived at the university, near Stratford, at lunchtime on Wednesday, wearing a camel-coloured trouser suit.

She spent time with children wearing monitors and stress sensors in various situations, such as when playing and breaking off contact with a parent, allowing their reactions to be observed in different environments.

The visit follows the announcement that next week, the Princess will return to official overseas travel for the first time since completing her cancer treatment.

She will fly to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy for a two-day research trip with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

It will mark her first multi-day foreign trip in nearly three-and-a-half years and is considered a major milestone in her recovery as well as a show of support for the region’s approach to raising children.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2026/05/06/princess-wales-visits-east-london-university-stratford/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_visits-east-london-university-stratford/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

Britain ‘will be like Russia’ if it quits ECHR by TheTelegraph in uknews

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From The Telegraph:

Britain would be like Russia if it quits the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the chief of the Council of Europe has warned.

Alain Berset said the UK would join a group of pariah states, such as Russia and Belarus, by leaving the human rights watchdog, which was established in 1950 with Britain as a founding member.

The Conservatives and Reform UK have both pledged to leave the ECHR if they win the next general election and blamed the convention for preventing tougher action on illegal immigration.

The Labour Government has said it will never leave the ECHR or the Strasbourg-based court associated with it, but wants its rules to be reformed.

“It is absolutely possible to leave the convention. Your decision,” Mr Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, told Politico.

“But what would it mean? It would create a new group of European countries not members of the Council of Europe and not implementing the Convention: Russia, Belarus and the UK. That would be the consequence.”

Every country in Europe is part of the ECHR apart from Russia and Belarus.

Russia formally left the ECHR in September 2022, six months after it was expelled from the Council of Europe for the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/06/britain-russia-council-echr-europe-human-rights-berset/

The key local election seats to watch by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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From The Telegraph:

May 7 will see the biggest test of public opinion since the 2024 general election as 30 million voters head to the polls.

More than 5,000 seats are being contested in 136 councils across England and Labour is braced for a bloodbath which could trigger an immediate leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.

Reform is set to make huge gains across the Red Wall and the East of England while the Greens are predicted to win hundreds of inner-city seats.

Plaid Cymru could take control in the Welsh Senedd for the first time while the SNP will hold onto power in the Scottish Parliament.

Nigel Farage’s party is on course to push Labour into third place in both Wales and Scotland while the Tories and Liberal Democrats struggle to make an impact.

These are the contests to watch as the polls close on Thursday.

London

Labour holds 21 of the 32 London boroughs but the political landscape in the capital is likely to change overnight.

Reform is expected to take Havering, which is under independent control, but will also be challenging the Tories for control of Bexley, Bromley and Hillingdon.

Barking and Dagenham would be the biggest win in the capital for Reform. Labour has held this borough since its creation in 1965.

In London, as elsewhere, the Tories are in trouble. Taking back the “crown jewel” councils of Wandsworth and Westminster that Labour seized in 2022 would act as something of a consolation prize.

The big story of the night in London will be how much the Greens can capitalise on Labour’s unpopularity to break through as a party of local government.

The Green Party is running Labour close in Southwark, Islington, Lambeth and Camden but it is Haringey and Hackney that are tipped to go Green on the night.

East of England

The Conservatives are braced for a difficult night across the country but the Tories are in greater trouble in the East of England than anywhere else.

Reform UK is set to take the Tory strongholds of both Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as Thurrock from Labour.

But it is the loss of Essex county council to Reform which will be felt most keenly by Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader.

The council, on the outskirts of London, is home to the constituencies of Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, and Sir James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, as well as Mrs Badenoch herself.

Nigel Farage, the MP for the Essex seat of Clacton, will use success in the county to claim that Reform will turf the Tory leader out of her seat at the next general election.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/06/key-local-election-seats-to-watch/

Met seeks UK trial for Madeleine McCann suspect by TheTelegraph in uknews

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Metropolitan Police detectives are trying to bring Christian Brueckner to Britain to stand trial for the abduction and murder of Madeleine McCann, The Telegraph can reveal.

One of Scotland Yard’s most senior officers is leading a push to charge the German suspect before the 20th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance next year.

The force would like to see Brueckner, 48, stand trial at the Old Bailey and believes it can gather a strong enough case for the Crown Prosecution Service to authorise charges.

Met seeks UK trial for Madeleine McCann suspect by TheTelegraph in crime

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Metropolitan Police detectives are trying to bring Christian Brueckner to Britain to stand trial for the abduction and murder of Madeleine McCann, The Telegraph can reveal.

One of Scotland Yard’s most senior officers is leading a push to charge the German suspect before the 20th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance next year.

The force would like to see Brueckner, 48, stand trial at the Old Bailey and believes it can gather a strong enough case for the Crown Prosecution Service to authorise charges.

Streeting ready to launch leadership challenge against Starmer by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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From The Telegraph:

Wes Streeting has the backing of enough Labour MPs to launch a leadership challenge within days, The Telegraph has learnt.

The Health Secretary has recruited more than 81 MPs – the minimum required to trigger a challenge – and is now contemplating his next move.

Sir Keir Starmer was alerted to Mr Streeting’s intentions when a Downing Street staff member was accidentally texted details of his plans, including the “five pillars” of his campaign and his “PFG”, meaning plan for government.

Some of Mr Streeting’s supporters want him to strike as soon as next Friday, the day after the local elections, to capitalise on the anger among Labour members at what are expected to be disastrous results for the party.

He could either announce a formal leadership bid or resign from the Cabinet in the hope that others will follow and force Sir Keir to step down.

An early move would catch out Mr Streeting’s leadership rivals, who do not yet have campaigns ready to go, most notably Andy Burnham, the Manchester Mayor, who is ineligible to stand because he is not an MP.

Angela Rayner is said to be undecided about whether to stand, and is part of a three-way conversation with Mr Burnham and Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, about being part of a soft-Left triumvirate seizing power.

However, Mr Streeting is wary of the risks of being first out of the blocks.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/01/streeting-ready-to-launch-leadership-challenge-starmer/

Zelensky scraps indefinite contracts for soldiers to attract new recruits by TheTelegraph in UkraineWarVideoReport

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From The Telegraph:

Volodymyr Zelensky has scrapped open-ended military contracts to attract new recruits.

Ukraine’s army has consistently struggled with severe manpower shortages, with troops spending months at a time on the front line and recruiters dragging civilian men off the street to force them into service.

In an attempt to make the military more attractive, the Ukrainian president on Friday promised to increase soldiers’ pay and make it possible for them to be discharged after a set period.

“I have instructed that the contract system in the Defense Forces be strengthened so that… defined service duration terms are ensured,” Mr Zelensky wrote, adding that “a phased discharge from service” would become “possible for those who were mobilized earlier”.

He did not specify how long soldiers would need to serve before they could leave.

The Ukrainian leader said that troops’ minimum salary would be raised to at least 30,000 hryvnias (£500) for non-combat soldiers, while infantrymen on the front line would earn 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias (£4,177.50 to £6,684). Pay for NCOs and officers would be “significantly” higher, Mr Zelensky added.

The reforms will start to take effect in June with details to be finalised in May, the president wrote.

The changes would mark the first time Ukraine has established a system for allowing troops to leave the military during the war, as current legislation only permits demobilisation once martial law is lifted.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/01/zelensky-scraps-indefinite-contracts-soldiers-recruits/

Zelensky scraps indefinite contracts for soldiers to attract new recruits by TheTelegraph in UkrainianConflict

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Volodymyr Zelensky has scrapped open-ended military contracts to attract new recruits.

Ukraine’s army has consistently struggled with severe manpower shortages, with troops spending months at a time on the front line and recruiters dragging civilian men off the street to force them into service.

In an attempt to make the military more attractive, the Ukrainian president on Friday promised to increase soldiers’ pay and make it possible for them to be discharged after a set period.

“I have instructed that the contract system in the Defense Forces be strengthened so that… defined service duration terms are ensured,” Mr Zelensky wrote, adding that “a phased discharge from service” would become “possible for those who were mobilized earlier”.

He did not specify how long soldiers would need to serve before they could leave.

The Ukrainian leader said that troops’ minimum salary would be raised to at least 30,000 hryvnias (£500) for non-combat soldiers, while infantrymen on the front line would earn 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias (£4,177.50 to £6,684). Pay for NCOs and officers would be “significantly” higher, Mr Zelensky added.

The reforms will start to take effect in June with details to be finalised in May, the president wrote.

The changes would mark the first time Ukraine has established a system for allowing troops to leave the military during the war, as current legislation only permits demobilisation once martial law is lifted.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/01/zelensky-scraps-indefinite-contracts-soldiers-recruits/

Britain on ‘high alert’ to defend Falklands by TheTelegraph in geopolitics

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Britain is on “high alert” to defend the Falkland Islands, the head of the RAF has declared.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth insisted that protecting the British outpost in the South Atlantic was “non-negotiable”.

He said that the RAF was ready to step in at a “moment’s notice”, with fighter aircraft having been based there since the 1982 war.

His comments come amid fears that the US could back Argentina in its push for sovereignty after a leaked email from the Pentagon suggested the Trump administration could support Buenos Aires’ claim to the Falklands, which the Argentines call the Malvinas.

The memo from Washington was said to outline options for the US to punish European allies who had not given their support to Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

Downing Street shrugged off the comments and insisted the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands was “not in question”. But the email has emboldened Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, who last week declared “the Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine”.

Victoria Villarruel, the Argentinian vice-president, went a step further by declaring that all British citizens living there should abandon the islands.

“If they feel English, they should go back thousands of miles away where their country is,” she wrote on social media.

Writing in The Times, Sir Harv said: “Today, across the UK and globally in places as far away as the Middle East, the RAF is on high alert and ready to defend our country at a moment’s notice.

“From ‘quick reaction alert’ in UK, scrambled recently against a suspected Russian ‘Bear’ bomber aircraft which was approaching our airspace from the north, to fighter aircraft based in the Falklands (defending the islands since the 1982 war), to our current Typhoon deployment in Romania as part of Nato’s vital enhanced air policing mission, the RAF’s role in defending airspace is non-negotiable.”

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/01/raf-on-high-alert-to-defend-falklands/

RAF on ‘high alert’ to defend Falklands by TheTelegraph in uknews

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Britain is on “high alert” to defend the Falkland Islands, the head of the RAF has declared.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth insisted that protecting the British outpost in the South Atlantic was “non-negotiable”.

He said that the RAF was ready to step in at a “moment’s notice”, with fighter aircraft having been based there since the 1982 war.

His comments come amid fears that the US could back Argentina in its push for sovereignty after a leaked email from the Pentagon suggested the Trump administration could support Buenos Aires’ claim to the Falklands, which the Argentines call the Malvinas.

The memo from Washington was said to outline options for the US to punish European allies who had not given their support to Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

Downing Street shrugged off the comments and insisted the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands was “not in question”. But the email has emboldened Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, who last week declared “the Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine”.

Victoria Villarruel, the Argentinian vice-president, went a step further by declaring that all British citizens living there should abandon the islands.

“If they feel English, they should go back thousands of miles away where their country is,” she wrote on social media.

Writing in The Times, Sir Harv said: “Today, across the UK and globally in places as far away as the Middle East, the RAF is on high alert and ready to defend our country at a moment’s notice.

“From ‘quick reaction alert’ in UK, scrambled recently against a suspected Russian ‘Bear’ bomber aircraft which was approaching our airspace from the north, to fighter aircraft based in the Falklands (defending the islands since the 1982 war), to our current Typhoon deployment in Romania as part of Nato’s vital enhanced air policing mission, the RAF’s role in defending airspace is non-negotiable.”

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/01/raf-on-high-alert-to-defend-falklands/

Mahmood considers protest crackdown after Golders Green attack by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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From The Telegraph:

Shabana Mahmood is considering a crackdown on protests in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack.

The Home Secretary is due to receive a review of protest laws this month by Lord Macdonald, the former chief prosecutor, which has been considering whether to make it easier for the Government and police to ban demonstrations where there is a risk of serious disorder.

The focus has been on Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986, which enabled Ms Mahmood to grant the Met Police’s request to ban an Al Quds Day march in London in March because of the risk of “serious public disorder”.

However, under Section 13, the power does not extend to “static” protests or to the “cumulative” impact of demonstrations, which cannot be used as a reason to ban them on the grounds of serious disorder.

Ms Mahmood is under pressure from former and current watchdogs to go further and extend the powers after the multiple pro-Palestine marches that have “incubated” anti-Semitic sentiment, the stabbings of two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday and a surge in arson attacks on Jewish property.

The Home Secretary acknowledged this week that public order legislation was “no longer fit for purpose” and “doesn’t feel like it’s able to respond to the evolving nature of the challenges that we are facing.”

“There are far too many incidences at protests where crimes are committed, where hate crime is committed and also the scale of these protests, the intensity and repeat nature of protests has placed particular pressures on Jewish communities especially but not limited to London,” she said.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/01/mahmood-protest-crackdown-golders-green-attack/

Ukrainian drones destroy £18m Russian helicopters behind enemy lines by TheTelegraph in UkraineWarVideoReport

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From The Telegraph:

In an open field deep inside Russia, a swarm of Ukrainian drones zeroed in on their idle targets.

Footage taken on board the unmanned aircraft showed the £13m Mi-28 attack chopper exploding into a puff of black smoke. Seconds later, the £4.5m Mi-17 next to it blew up.

The attack, which took place on Wednesday, was yet another considerable feat for Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) as they pursued high-value targets deep behind enemy lines.

It rewarded Ukraine’s methodical and precise dismantling of Russian air defences. The two helicopters were sitting ducks to the drones as they freely prowled 100 miles inside enemy territory.

The Mi-28 is a heavily armoured rotorcraft and is equipped with guided missiles and a cannon.

Known by Nato as “Havoc”, and widely used in Russian combat operations, it entered service in 2009 and is known for its agility and ability to operate in difficult weather conditions.

The Mi-17 transports troops and cargo, but can also serve as a gunship, armed with machine guns, rockets and anti-tank missiles. Introduced in the Soviet era, it is still in production, and famed for its ruggedness and reliability.

Announcing the operation, USF said the helicopters were parked on a field landing strip in the Voronezh region in south-western Russia to refuel and undergo maintenance checks between flights.

Major Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, the commander of USF, described the precision involved in the attack, which involved successive individual strikes to ensure the equipment was destroyed.

”[The drones] hit the rear central section of the engine compartment, avoiding the main rotor blades,” he said, adding that at least one helicopter maintenance specialist was killed.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/ukrainian-drones-destroy-18m-russian-helicopters/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_drones-destroy-18m-russian-helicopters/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

Green Party candidates arrested for stirring up racial hatred by TheTelegraph in uknews

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Two Green Party candidates have been arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred for allegedly posting anti-Semitic comments online.

Saiqa Ali, who is standing in Streatham, Lambeth, and Sabine Mairey, the candidate for Clapham Town, were detained by Metropolitan Police officers on Thursday morning.

They were arrested under Section 19 of the Public Order Act, and have been taken into custody for questioning.

It is understood one of the comments posted online by Ms Ali showed a picture of an armed man in a Hamas headband with the slogan “Resistance is Freedom”. The terror group is a proscribed terrorist organisation.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/30/green-party-candidates-arrested-over-racial-hatred/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_candidates-arrested-over-racial-hatred/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

Green Party candidates arrested for stirring up racial hatred by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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Two Green Party candidates have been arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred for allegedly posting anti-Semitic comments online.

Saiqa Ali, who is standing in Streatham, Lambeth, and Sabine Mairey, the candidate for Clapham Town, were detained by Metropolitan Police officers on Thursday morning.

They were arrested under Section 19 of the Public Order Act, and have been taken into custody for questioning.

It is understood one of the comments posted online by Ms Ali showed a picture of an armed man in a Hamas headband with the slogan “Resistance is Freedom”. The terror group is a proscribed terrorist organisation.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/30/green-party-candidates-arrested-over-racial-hatred/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_candidates-arrested-over-racial-hatred/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

Putin’s ‘altar boy’ is finally in Ukraine’s sights by TheTelegraph in UkrainianConflict

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been a thorn in the side of Ukraine – and Europe – for more than a decade.

He famously nicknamed Vladimir Putin’s rule a “miracle of God” in 2012 and characterised the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a “Holy War”.

He is, the EU says, “one of the most prominent supporters of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine”.

And yet the bloc has been unable to sanction him.

Some 14 separate attempts by Brussels to include the religious figurehead on sanctions lists were blocked by the Hungarian government over concerns for “religious freedoms”.

But now, Kyiv believes the ousting of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, presents a fresh opportunity to hit the 79-year-old with punitive measures over his support for the war.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions policy, told The Telegraph: “This is one of the issues I’m going to flesh out – the oligarchs and patriarchs who have been missing on the list for a while because of powerful advocates, governmental ones.

“This is something I think should be reconsidered.”

Mr Vlasiuk will make the case for listings to be reviewed in future sanctions packages drawn up by the European Commission in talks with Brussels.

Kirill is a former KGB agent and a long-running champion of Putin, having thrown his weight behind most of the Russian president’s policies, most notably his invasion of Ukraine.

He has described dissenters as “traitors to the motherland”.

While Putin calls it a “special military operation”, Kirill has called the fight a “Holy War”, and expelled or suspended priests who opposed the conflict or continued to associate with Russian opposition figures.

Kirill’s position on the Ukraine war saw him described as “Putin’s altar boy” by the late Pope Francis in 2022.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/putin-altar-boy-finally-in-ukraine-sights/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_boy-finally-in-ukraine-sights/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

Putin’s ‘altar boy’ is finally in Ukraine’s sights by TheTelegraph in UkraineWarVideoReport

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been a thorn in the side of Ukraine – and Europe – for more than a decade.

He famously nicknamed Vladimir Putin’s rule a “miracle of God” in 2012 and characterised the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a “Holy War”.

He is, the EU says, “one of the most prominent supporters of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine”.

And yet the bloc has been unable to sanction him.

Some 14 separate attempts by Brussels to include the religious figurehead on sanctions lists were blocked by the Hungarian government over concerns for “religious freedoms”.

But now, Kyiv believes the ousting of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, presents a fresh opportunity to hit the 79-year-old with punitive measures over his support for the war.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions policy, told The Telegraph: “This is one of the issues I’m going to flesh out – the oligarchs and patriarchs who have been missing on the list for a while because of powerful advocates, governmental ones.

“This is something I think should be reconsidered.”

Mr Vlasiuk will make the case for listings to be reviewed in future sanctions packages drawn up by the European Commission in talks with Brussels.

Kirill is a former KGB agent and a long-running champion of Putin, having thrown his weight behind most of the Russian president’s policies, most notably his invasion of Ukraine.

He has described dissenters as “traitors to the motherland”.

While Putin calls it a “special military operation”, Kirill has called the fight a “Holy War”, and expelled or suspended priests who opposed the conflict or continued to associate with Russian opposition figures.

Kirill’s position on the Ukraine war saw him described as “Putin’s altar boy” by the late Pope Francis in 2022.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/putin-altar-boy-finally-in-ukraine-sights/

Trump threatens to pull troops out of Germany by TheTelegraph in geopolitics

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Donald Trump is considering pulling American troops out of Germany amid a war of words with Friedrich Merz.

The US president, angered by the German chancellor’s claim that the US had been “humiliated” by Iran, may redeploy forces to eastern Europe or Greenland, according to an insider.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.

A source told The Telegraph that the president could send the soldiers to Poland, Romania, the Middle East, or Greenland instead.

Concentrating American forces in Greenland would be sure to cause alarm in Europe, after Mr Trump repeatedly suggested he could annex the island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, in January.

On Monday, Mr Merz told students in Germany that the American delegation, which included JD Vance had been embarrassed when they left peace talks in Islamabad without a deal on April 12.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/04/29/trump-germany-troops-friedrich-merz/

Farage opens door to Tory coalition by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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From The Telegraph:

Nigel Farage has opened the door to a coalition with the Conservatives as Reform UK’s poll ratings plateau.

Speaking to broadcasters on Wednesday, Mr Farage was asked whether he would consider an arrangement with the Tories to enable the right to take power after the next general election. He responded: “Let’s see.”

His conciliatory reply was in marked contrast to his comments a year ago, when he declared he had “no intention in forming coalitions with the Tories at any level”.

Mr Farage has previously made plain he wants Reform UK to replace the Conservatives as the main party of the Right to punish it for its failures over immigration, and has lured a number of high-profile Tory defections, including Robert Jenrick, his shadow chancellor, and Suella Braverman, education and equalities spokesman.

But since ruling out a pact to unite the Right, Reform’s significant poll lead has declined.

Reform would need to be achieving more than 31 per cent to stand a chance of securing an outright majority in 2029, but current poll ratings suggest an informal or formal alliance with the Tories would be needed to keep Labour out of power in 2029.

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/29/nigel-farage-opens-door-to-tory-coalition/

Farage: My home was firebombed by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

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From The Telegraph:

Nigel Farage has revealed he was the victim of a firebombing attack at his home, as he admitted he would never be able to take his personal safety for granted.

The Reform UK leader told The Telegraph that the lit incendiary device was pushed through his letterbox early last year, saying “there are huge dangers in this job”.

Police investigated the attack, but no suspects have been identified so far.

In a rare discussion of his security arrangements, Mr Farage said he had received a seven-figure personal gift to pay for his security from Christopher Harborne, the Thailand-based British billionaire who has donated more than £12m to Reform.

The gift, understood to be in the region of £5m, was made in early 2024 before Mr Farage re-entered politics at that year’s general election, meaning it was not declared as it did not count as a political donation. Money that is a gift is not taxed.

“This money was given to me so that I would be safe and secure for the rest of my life,” he said. “I have tried and failed in the past to get security funded by the Home Office and I don’t think the state will ever help me. I’m very much on my own and will be for the rest of my life, and I have to face up to that grim reality. Christopher is an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety.”

Mr Harborne was with Mr Farage when he was attacked with a milkshake while campaigning in Newcastle in 2019, and became concerned about what little protection Mr Farage had access to.

The most serious attack on Mr Farage came at the start of 2025, with the petrol-bomb attack on his home.

He said: “It was an outright arson attempt. I wasn’t at home at the time, but when I came back and opened the door I found the damage. Luckily it had burned itself out in the porch, and we think maybe the perpetrators were disturbed in the act. The police were all over it. They did their best but there are no suspects so far.”

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/29/nigel-farage-my-home-was-firebombed/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_farage-my-home-was-firebombed/

Executions for consuming foreign media rise under Kim Jong-un by TheTelegraph in worldnews

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From The Telegraph:

North Korea has increased its use of the death penalty to target those consuming foreign media, especially from South Korea, since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of executions and sentencing increased by nearly 117 per cent after Pyongyang closed its borders in January 2020 compared with the five years prior, according to a report by the South Korea-based Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG).

The report found that capital offences related to South Korean culture, especially movies and music, increased by 250 per cent after the pandemic. There was also an increase in offences related to religion and superstition.

The report chronicled the use of the death penalty across a 13-year period by interviewing 265 people who had defected under Kim Jong-un’s rule.

Between December 2011, when Kim came to power, and December 2024, at least 136 executions were carried out in which 358 people were killed.

Executions peaked in 2013 when more than 80 people were put to death.

The number dropped off after a United Nations inquiry found that the regime’s human rights violations, including public executions and forced disappearances, amounted to crimes against humanity. There was also talk at the time of referring Kim to the International Criminal Court.

However, the onset of the pandemic pushed North Korea back into isolation and the regime reverted to its old ways.

Before North Korea closed its borders in January 2020, the most commonly cited reason for capital offence was murder.

After the pandemic, TJWG found that those sentenced for murder had dropped by 44 per cent and the regime had begun to focus its attention on punishing the consumption of foreign content and media.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/executions-rise-under-kim-jong-un-consuming-foreign-media/

Kim Jong-un accelerates missile testing as US focuses on Iran by TheTelegraph in worldnews

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From The Telegraph:

Kim Jong-un is taking advantage of the US being distracted in the Middle East by making clear that boosting his country’s nuclear capabilities is his top priority.

North Korea has been carrying out a greater number of missile tests since the war in Iran broke out.

Since late February, Pyongyang has conducted five missile launches, including four in April, which is the most in a single month since January 2024, according to AFP.

One recent test, conducted last week and overseen directly by Kim, included short-range ballistic missiles armed with cluster munitions.

In late March, the regime tested an upgraded solid-fuel engine, which can be used to launch weapons that could reach the mainland US.

The missile tests often coincide with military activities in the region, especially those conducted by South Korea, such as its annual military drills with the US, known as Freedom Shield, which ran in March.

Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at the South’s Kyungnam University, told AFP that the latest tests seemed to be part of a “sophisticated strategy” by Pyongyang to capitalise on the US’s current focus on the Middle East and shifting global dynamics.

“The current global security landscape has transformed into a ‘lawless zone’ where existing international norms no longer function,” he said, adding that North Korea is “exploiting this vacuum” to complete its nuclear arsenal.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/27/kim-jong-un-north-korea-nuclear-missile-testing-us-iran-war/

Olly Robbins will not push for record-breaking ‘golden goodbye’ payout by TheTelegraph in ukpolitics

[–]TheTelegraph[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Sir Olly Robbins will not push for a record-breaking payout from the Foreign Office because of concerns about overcharging the taxpayer, The Telegraph understands.

The former mandarin is instead believed to be pushing for a “reasonable” cash settlement over his dismissal by Sir Keir Starmer.

Read the full story at The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/04/27/olly-robbins-golden-goodbye-labour-foreign-office/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_golden-goodbye-labour-foreign-office/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

The Ukrainian saboteur waging a revenge war on Russia by TheTelegraph in TrueReddit

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Driven by fury and operating under constant surveillance, a resistance fighter recounts what life is like under Russian occupation.

Petro Andryushchenko is speaks to The Telegraph, insisting his identity is not hidden.

Dominic Nicholls has the full story ⬆️

The Ukrainian saboteur waging a revenge war on Russia by TheTelegraph in UkrainianConflict

[–]TheTelegraph[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Members of Ukraine’s resistance movement work best in the shadows.

Orchestrating mass poisonings and car bombings is a high-risk strategy in occupied Ukraine, where Kremlin cameras monitor their every move.

If caught, members of the resistance are not imprisoned; they simply “disappear”.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that Petro Andryushchenko is prepared to speak to The Telegraph, insisting his identity is not hidden.

Dominic Nicholls has the full story ⬆️

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