With elections coming in Israel and Palestine, the UK must stand with those in both communities who want to see peace, security and justice through a two-state solution. I have asked Ed Miliband to act against the extremists who want to destroy that goal.

Violent settlers, encouraged by extremist Israeli ministers, are devastating Palestinian communities in the West Bank and undermining a two-state solution. Burnham's new Government must ban all trade in goods and services with the illegal settlements. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Israeli settlers set fire to mosques, cars and farm land in West Bank, Palestinians say

The latest attacks come two days after a clash between settlers and Palestinians near the village of Tal, which left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead.

bbc.co.uk

Congratulations on your appointment as Foreign Secretary, @ed-miliband.bsky.social l I look forward to working with you on the issues that confront our nation. Your statement is welcome but there is no time to waste so here are seven immediate areas we could work together: x.com/Ed_Miliband/...

Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) on X

x.com

Warm words on Gaza and the West Bank are welcome. But as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham must match them with urgent action - before the prospect of two states, Israel and Palestine, disappears altogether.

Labour has torn up its own rules to rip Kidlington and nearby villages out of Cherwell & swallow them into a Greater Oxford authority they did not choose. This is not reform for residents. It is blatant political gerrymandering, and local taxpayers will pay the price. Ministers should be ashamed.

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 4w ago

🚨BREAKING🚨 The Rt Hon Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, confirmed in Parliament just now that Oxfordshire's future council structure will be three unitaries, as part of "the most ambitious programme of local government reform in a generation".

Donald Trump is threatening to commit war crimes against Iranian civilians. He must back down from these reckless plans. He and Tehran must stop holding the world to ransom in the Strait. The only way out of this quagmire is a negotiated settlement. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump threatens to bomb bridges and power plants in Iran unless talks resume

Trump's comments aired as the two countries exchanged fire for the fourth day in a row and the US resumed blockading Iranian ports.

bbc.co.uk

Proscribing the IRGC is long overdue. @maxwilkinson.bsky.social and I have written to the Home and Foreign Secretaries demanding swift, coordinated action to ensure its terrorist designation is properly enforced and backed by a coherent sanctions regime.

Finally! The IRGC has been the author of terror plots, abductions and worse on UK soil. It has also terrorised the Iranian people and slaughtered those who stood up for freedom. Lib Dems have campaigned consistently for this while Tory and Labour Governments dragged their feet.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 4w ago

UK to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation

I’ve been told the Government is using the “nationally important and urgent” planning route for asylum accommodation at MOD Bicester. Yet I have written confirmation the MOD was notified of these plans last November. If ministers knew then, why is it urgent now? I’ll raise this in the House today.

I am shocked and horrified to learn about the circumstances of Ann Widdicombe's death. She was a strong, distinctive voice in British politics and campaigned tirelessly for the issues she believed in. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.

Donald Trump and Iran's leaders must stop this spiralling tit-for-tat. It will drag the whole region back into war, and harm Brits already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They need to put egos aside and get back around the negotiating table. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump says ceasefire is 'over' after US and Iran trade strikes

Speaking ahead of a Nato summit, the president says US negotiators can keep talking with the Iranians "if they want".

bbc.co.uk

Score for Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson @maxwilkinson.bsky.social The Government is now letting pubs stay open for this weekend’s game after he raised the issue in Parliament today! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Andy Burnham is right: power should be taken out of Whitehall and put closer to communities. But real devolution means national government letting go and empowering local people, not repeating Labour’s mistakes by imposing change without consultation or consent. news.sky.com/story/politi...

Politics latest: 'We can't go on like this,' says Burnham in first major speech since leadership bid

Andy Burnham is laying out his vision for Britain in his first major leadership speech. But Kemi Badenoch has warned that Britain is facing a "summer of chaos". Follow for the latest.

news.sky.com

Late last night, the Government announced plans to house asylum seekers at MOD Bicester. MOD Bicester is the wrong site for this facility and the Government must not press ahead. Residents deserve urgent answers on numbers, planning, consultation, local services, cost, security and safeguarding.

The documents I have published show why PFAS contamination at RAF Upper Heyford and Heyford Park must be treated with urgency. Residents need rapid, regular testing, full transparency and clear answers from Government and public bodies about what contamination exists and what is being done about it

PFAS contamination at RAF Upper Heyford and Heyford Park should be a wake-up call, locally and nationally. Residents deserve clear answers about forever chemicals, historic risks and testing. 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

MOD papers show chemicals washed down drain at RAF Upper Heyford

Renewed calls for forever chemical investigation following the release of historical site documents.

bbc.co.uk

Ten years on, Brexit has failed. It has made Britain poorer, weaker and less secure. The Conservatives and Farage broke our relationship with Europe. Labour are too timid to fix it. The Liberal Democrats are being honest about the way forward: rebuild trust, grow our economy and keep Britain safe.

Britain’s economy is being held back by low growth and small businesses are paying the price. That’s why the @libdems.org.uk are pushing for a bold new partnership with Europe to cut red tape, back SMEs and grow our economy.

Britain’s economy is being held back by low growth and small businesses are paying the price. That’s why the @libdems.org.uk are pushing for a bold new partnership with Europe to cut red tape, back SMEs and grow our economy.

Deeply alarming reports that Ministers overruled official advice on council reorganisation. Oxfordshire should be worried. Labour must not carve up our county to deliver Oxford City Council’s Greater Oxford dream. One Oxfordshire is the fairest, strongest option. www.thetimes.com/article/8c8a...

Steve Reed accused of ‘gerrymandering’ in overruling boundaries plan

The MP ignored the concerns of civil servants and lawyers in the biggest local government shake-up in more than half a century

thetimes.com

The Labour Govt has stripped Cherwell of planning powers and handed decisions to Whitehall. I want more homes built, but growth without infrastructure is chaos. Ministers should fix failures holding back jobs + homes, not blame local communities & their representatives. I’ve written to ask why.

A two-state solution cannot survive while illegal settlements keep expanding. The UK should cut off the finance enabling settler activity and help ensure free and fair Palestinian elections in 2027.

The UK's sanctions on Russia had a hidden loophole exempting refined oil exports, one of Russia's most critical revenue streams. Jeremy Purvis, Lords leader, pushed back and secured a government concession. The loophole will be closed thanks to Lib Dem campaigning.

This peace deal is desperately needed. But it should never have come to this. Trump followed Netanyahu blindly into a war without clear goals and the Iranian regime was willing to attack its innocent neighbours and hold the world hostage over the Strait. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

Pakistan says US and Iran have reached peace deal as Trump posts 'let the oil flow' - follow live

Pakistan, a key mediator, says both sides have declared an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts".

bbc.co.uk

John Healey and Gordon Brown were right to look at options to increase defence spending by working with allies. It would make us all safer. The refusal even to consider this shows the short-sightedness and lack of imagination of the Treasury. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

John Healey wanted UK to join global investment bank to raise defence funds

Allies of the former defence secretary claim the Treasury tried to shut down the idea.

bbc.co.uk

We should be tightening all sanctions on Russia to weaken its war machine. This waiver should never have been granted in the first place. I'm glad that Liberal Democrat pressure, spearheaded by Lord Purvis, has secured a guaranteed date for it to be scrapped. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK vows to phase out Russian diesel and jet fuel imports by new year

The ban forms part of the government's package of sanctions on Moscow due to the ongoing war with Ukraine.

bbc.co.uk

To secure a two-state solution, we need to build bridges between Israeli and Palestinian communities - empowering moderates and eroding extremists. Lib Dems have called for this. It now needs proper funding: not just what can be spared from the slashed ODA budget. www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...

UK, Australia and Canada launch $4 million fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts

Britain, Australia and Canada on Thursday ​launched a peace fund to ‌complement broader efforts towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian ​conflict, with each country ​contributing £1 mi...

reuters.com

Liberal Democrats have called for years for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be banned in the UK. We will work with the Government to get this law adopted without further delay to protect our Iranian diaspora and Jewish communities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Iranian group could be labelled national threat under proposed new law

The government is introducing the National Security (State Threats) Bill which could become law within weeks.

bbc.co.uk

Trump appears finally to have realised what he started. He followed Netanyahu into this war and has pursued it without clear goals and with casual indifference to the consequences. Now he is claiming he can rein in Netanyahu. For once, let’s hope he’s right. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Trump says Netanyahu will have ‘no choice’ but to accept a deal with Iran

US president tells FT that he ‘calls the shots’ after urging the Israeli leader not to retaliate against Tehran

giftarticle.ft.com

🧵 Russia is running daily attacks on Britain, from the seabed to cyberspace. GCHQ recently warned that they are "relentlessly targeting" critical infrastructure and democracy in the UK. A year ago, Ministers promised action. A year on, they have delivered delay. news.sky.com/story/russia...

GCHQ boss reveals how Russia is 'relentlessly targeting' the UK

The spy agency has helped thwart Kremlin-linked plots as director warns risk of wider conflict is "as high as I have ever seen it".

news.sky.com