Nigel Farage has been accused by a cabinet minister of “parroting Kremlin lines” after stating he would vote against any UK government plans to deploy the military in Ukraine. The comment came amid a wider political row over the government's U-turn on business rates for pubs, which Kemi Badenoch has labelled “too little, too late”.
Ministers are preparing to reverse changes to business rates for pubs following a wave of disquiet from the hospitality industry. The U-turn, expected to be announced shortly, has been criticised by the Conservative leader, who said in a social media post: “Labour are killing Britain’s pubs. This rumoured U-turn is too little too late.”
Badenoch added: “Just a month on and the budget is already falling apart. Labour were wrong to attack pubs and now have been forced into another screeching U-turn.” She argued that the change does nothing for shops, restaurants, hotels and markets, which face more than a 50% increase in rates, calling it “a recipe for economic disaster”.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have agreed that Nato should improve efforts to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic. In a phone call, they discussed Ukraine and Greenland, with No 10 stating: “Both leaders agreed on the importance of deterring Russian aggression in the High North.”
On domestic policy, Badenoch also expressed concern over government plans to reduce the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, saying she “instinctively” does not support them. In an LBC interview, she said: “I don’t think that this is what Labour should be focusing on. They need to actually focus on getting the economy working.”
