Downing Street has rejected the US state department's suggestion of 'two-tiered policing' in the UK following the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, while insisting the special relationship remains 'incredibly strong'. The prime minister's spokesperson said mistakes can happen in any public service and that an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, the EU has indicated that Keir Starmer's upcoming summit to 'reset' UK-Europe relations may be postponed from July to the autumn, as talks over youth mobility remain deadlocked. A diplomat said the summit could be put back after the summer.
Separately, a group of 11 Sikh MPs condemned the murder of Henry Nowak as 'brutal' and 'horrific', stressing it was not about Sikhism and that the weapon used was not a ceremonial kirpan. They linked the crime to broader concerns about knife crime.
Other challenges facing the government include warnings that the UK asylum system is on the brink of collapse, with the Home Office focused on short-term fixes, and a defence chief's caution that now is the 'most dangerous period' in decades, with Russia probing UK defences.
