Hegseth has also been heavily criticised for his annoucement that he is planning to livestream a public execution by military firing squad on December 3.\n <\/p>\n
Streeting was asked on the weekend\u2019s political shows his thoughts on such barbarity. He steered clear of any personal criticism of Hegseth saying only that the UK does not support the death penalty, and as such did not support such an event.\n <\/p>\n
PM Andy Burnham has described Hegseth\u2019s proposed event as \u201cabhorrent\u201d.<\/p>\n
UPDATE: The US President Donald Trump has called off plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan. Trump had previously said he approved of his secretary\u2019s plan but there has been so much backlash this week to Hegseth\u2019s bloodlust including protest by former military chiefs.\n <\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s retreated from the idea, saying just now: \u201cmany very good and well meaing people would rather not watch him die.\u201d<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.44 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Closing summary I\u2019m going to wind down our live coverage of UK politics today for now, here\u2019s a quick run through the main things you should know:<\/p>\n Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is due to meet his US counterpart Peter Hegseth at the Pentagon<\/a>; Ukraine\u2019s \u2018betrayal\u2019 by the Trump administration is a key issue as the UK has pledged to help faciliate reconciliation between Zelenskyy and Trump<\/p>\n Nigel Farage says you can\u2019t vet everyone as several Reform politicians were caught on camera making racist, violent remarks<\/a> about Black, Asian and Muslim people. He\u2019s had to push back a party announcement as he scrambes with the fallout of the ITV exposure.<\/p>\n Labour has instructed its local council groups to end power-sharing arrangements with their Green partners<\/a> if they don\u2019t condemn the party\u2019s new \u2018Zionism is Racism\u2019 policy. The Greens blasted this intervention into local politics as \u201cundemocratic\u201d.<\/p>\n And in a significant case, Jeffrey Donaldson, the ex-DUP leader, has been sentenced today to 15 years in prison for child sexual abuse crimes against two women when they were minors<\/a>. The judge said the former party leader, who\u2019d reached the \u201cvery height of public office\u201d, had shown not a shred of remorse or shame or regret for his crimes and \u201cit is only through the courage, resourcefulness and determination of two young women that you\u2019ve been brought to justice\u201d.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said \u201cthis case shows that sexual abuse can be hidden behind a facade of respectability\u201d but that \u201cno individual, irrespective of their position, status or public reputation, is beyond the reach of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanks very much for reading the blog today and feel free to get in touch with me or Andrew, who\u2019s back next week.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.22 EDT<\/p>\n Reform councillors caught on video show racism ‘systemic’ in party – Muslim Council of Britain A new undercover investigation which recorded Reform UK<\/a> councillors and election candidates making graphic threats of extreme violence and expressing racist and misogynistic views \u201cexposes a rotten core of racism and Islamophobia\u201d within the ranks of Nigel Farage\u2019s party, according to the Muslim Council of Britain.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s largest Muslim umbrella body was reacting after ITV News broadcast the first parts of a year- long investigation into Reform UK, which has led to a number of councillors standing down from the party and Nigel Farage postponing what was to be a major policy announcement today.\n <\/p>\n Dr Wajid Akhter, Secretary General for the Muslim Council of Britain told The Guardian:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cTo hear elected officials casually use dehumanising language, advocate for the mass deportation of British citizens, and discuss hiding their true agenda should ring alarm bells for every citizen committed to a tolerant and democratic society.\n <\/p>\n Islamophobia and racism are not isolated incidents within the party; they are systemic issues that continue to manifest despite repeated promises by the party leadership to clean house.<\/p>\n Condemnations and rushed resignations after being caught on camera are no longer enough. The leadership of Reform UK must take full responsibility for the culture of hatred that they have allowed to fester and mainstream within their organisation.\n <\/p>\n Finally, it is telling that one of those exposed is a Solihull councillor and former Conservative. On promoting anti-Muslim hatred, there is a common thread from the Conservative Party normalising Islamophobia whilst in Government, to Restore, Reform and black-clad vigilantes intimidating innocent people on our streets today\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Half of surveyed Scots think SNP ‘incompetent’ as conference begins<\/p>\n These YouGov poll results will be pored over given the SNP conference is kicking off today \u2013 and PM Andy Burnham is due in town tomorrow.<\/p>\n The poll\u2019s results have 50% of those surveyed saying the Scottish National Party is \u201cincompetent\u201d, while 51% called it \u201cuntrustworthy\u201d.<\/p>\n The poll shows First Minister John Swinney\u2019s personal approval rating is down to 34% and 53% are unfavourable to him.<\/p>\n The only party leader with a positive approval rating \u2013 across the UK not just in Scotland \u2013 is the prime minister. Burnham has an approval rating of 47% favourable, and 38% unfavourable.\n <\/p>\n Reform UK\u2019s Nigel Farage has the lowest favourability rating among Scots. 74% viewed him unfavourably, including 61% who are \u201cvery unfavourable\u201d towards him, while only 18% regarded him favourably.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Students need to learn how to better articulate in age of AI – Education Sec The Guardian\u2019s Education editor Richard Adams has this dispatch on the government\u2019s plans to help school students improve their speaking ability amid the influx of AI tools.\n <\/p>\n Saying that \u201cpractical skills are disappearing from practical subjects,\u201d education secretary Lucy Powell told school leaders that the arrival of AI would mean changes in what is being taught in England\u2019s schools.<\/p>\n Powell said she wanted to expand on plans to give oracy – the skilled use of spoken language – the same status as literacy in classrooms, following the government\u2019s recent curriculum review that recommended an oracy framework to match the existing frameworks for reading and writing used by schools.\n <\/p>\n Powell told an education conference in Birmingham:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cWith AI on the rise, we need to go harder on the skills that makes us human, like oracy.<\/p>\n \u201cThat ability to articulate yourself confidently is central to success in work and in life, but for too long it\u2019s been a marker of privilege. Now it will become the right of every child – nobody left out because they can\u2019t speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, welcomed the emphasis on practical skills including oracy but said time would need to be made available.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cIt is crucial that the ongoing review of the curriculum reduces other content in order to genuinely create the space to embed these skills, however. Teachers are already unable to cover the current curriculum in the time available.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Wes Streeting\u2019s meeting with his US counterpart Peter Hegseth at the Pentagon later today will be his first since becoming Defence Secretary in July.<\/p>\n As my colleague Dan Sabbagh noted above<\/a> \u2013 there are lots of issues on the agenda, Iran, Ukraine, and not least the growing US-Nato rift and Washington removing bombers from a UK air base earlier this month amid reports of a possible Iranian plot.\n <\/p>\n Hegseth has also been heavily criticised for his annoucement that he is planning to livestream a public execution by military firing squad on December 3.\n <\/p>\n Streeting was asked on the weekend\u2019s political shows his thoughts on such barbarity. He steered clear of any personal criticism of Hegseth saying only that the UK does not support the death penalty, and as such did not support such an event.\n <\/p>\n PM Andy Burnham has described Hegseth\u2019s proposed event as \u201cabhorrent\u201d.<\/p>\n UPDATE: The US President Donald Trump has called off plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan. Trump had previously said he approved of his secretary\u2019s plan but there has been so much backlash this week to Hegseth\u2019s bloodlust including protest by former military chiefs.\n <\/p>\n Trump\u2019s retreated from the idea, saying just now: \u201cmany very good and well meaing people would rather not watch him die.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.44 EDT<\/p>\n Greens says Labour threat to end council deals over Zionism motion is ‘undemocratic’<\/p>\n I reported earlier that the Labour<\/a> party has instructed all of its councils in power-sharing deals with the Green Party to end the coalition arrangment if their Green counterparts do not condemn the \u2018Zionism Is Racism\u2019 motion passed at the Green conference 11 days ago.<\/p>\n There are 18 such councils in the UK potentially affected. Labour has asked each council group to write to their Green partners for \u201creassurances\u201d that they condemn the policy, which PM Burnham called antisemitic.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t, Labour\u2019s head office says the local Labour groups should end the power-sharing agreements.<\/p>\n The Green Party has responded saying such moves are \u201cundemocratic\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cFor the Labour Government to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism is disappointing and wrong.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cTrying to tell local parties what to do and who they can work with is undemocratic.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cWhilst Labour continue to try to meddle in our internal democracy, arm a genocide and lock up protesting pensioners, we will not take lectures from them.\u201d<\/p>\n The ultimatum will impact 17 councils across England and one in Wales, according to Labour. These are:<\/p>\n Derbyshire Dales (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n Broadland (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n West Suffolk (Labour-led coalition)<\/p>\n Arun (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n Havant (Labour-led coalition)<\/p>\n Lewes (Green-led coalition)<\/p>\n Rother (Coalition led by local independent group)<\/p>\n Runnymede (Coalition with Lib Dems, Greens and local independent group)<\/p>\n Wealden (Green-led coalition)<\/p>\n West Oxfordshire (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n West Sussex (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n North Somerset (Lib Dem-led coalition)<\/p>\n West Devon (Independent-led coalition)<\/p>\n Monmouthshire (Labour minority-led coalition)<\/p>\n Coventry (Labour-led confidence and supply agreement with the Greens)<\/p>\n Stafford (Labour-led coalition)<\/p>\n Warwick (Green-led coalition)<\/p>\n Sheffield (Labour-led coalition)<\/p>\n The Liberal Democrats, who have also criticised the Green motion as \u201cdivisive\u201d said they would leave it to thier local councillors to decide whether to end coalitions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And for those who want to wade into the Manchester City football scandal, and what contacts the PM has had with the club, this week\u2019s Politics Weekly episode delves into it.<\/p>\n Andy Burnham has been accused of a serious misjudgment over his comments about meetings with Manchester City\u2019s owners.<\/p>\n The Guardian\u2019s policy editor Kiran Stacey discusses the controversy after returning from a trade trip to India with the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and the new Greater Manchester mayor, Bev Craig.<\/p>\n On that trip Stacey discovered that a representative of the football club was also present<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Culture Secretary considering wading into Sky’s ITV merger<\/p>\n Lisa Nandy says she may intervene in Sky\u2019s \u00a31.6bn deal to buy ITV\u2019s media and entertainment division on grounds of there being a public interest to keep a diversity of news and media outlets in the UK.<\/p>\n Ms Nandy said she may consider a more concrete intervention over concerns that Sky\u2019s takeover would limit competition and narrow the range of views and programming in British media.<\/p>\n She\u2019d be proposing new legislation if she took such action:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cHaving considered the anticipated merger, I am of the view that there are reasonable grounds to believe that it might affect availability of a wide range of high-quality and varied programming on the on-demand platforms that are now widely used by UK audiences.<\/p>\n \u201cConsequently, if I decide to intervene on the basis of this new public interest consideration, I will bring forward legislation which amends section 58 of the Act to extend the application of the public interest consideration relating to the availability of a wide range of broadcasting to on-demand programmes.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.28 EDT<\/p>\n I thought it worth highlighting some of the powerful messages we\u2019re hearing from Northern Ireland today in the sentencing of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, who\u2019s been jailed to 15 years for the sexual abuse crimes he committed against two women when they were children.<\/p>\n Donaldson as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party from 2019 to 2024 was one of the most powerful politicians in Northern Ireland; he had risen to the heights of public office.<\/p>\n Throughout his trial he consistently denied the offences. Judge Paul Ramsey said there had not been \u201cone word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cIt is only through the courage, resourcefulness, and determination of two young women that you\u2019ve been brought to justice in respect of the crimes you committed against them when they were children.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife Eleanor Donaldson, 60, was also found to have aided and abetted his crimes on a trial of the facts.<\/p>\n The victims have issued statements through the police. Complainant A described how her childhood had been stolen from her.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cFor years I carried shame, anger and guilt, and questioned whether I was worth protecting or worthy of being loved. I learnt to survive by shutting away my emotions, trusting no one and expecting people to hurt me.<\/p>\n She said the Donaldsons \u201cdo not control me now\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cThey forever changed me, but they will not take my future. The cycle is being broken and it ends with me,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Complainant B said:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cWhat happened took away my ability to trust people and, in all honesty, I don\u2019t think I really know what trust or love truly is. Nothing can ever change what was done to me. I wish it could.\u201d<\/p>\n Catherine Kierans, from Northern Ireland\u2019s prosecution service said the case showed sexual abuse \u201ccan be hidden behind a facade of respectability\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cIt also shows that no individual, irrespective of their position, status or public reputation, is beyond the reach of the law.\u201d The DUP also issued a party statement, saying their first thoughts were with the victims.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cRegardless of status or position every individual must be held accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cHe [Donaldson] deserves every day of the lengthy prison sentence he has to serve following the guilty verdict for preying on innocent child victims.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.14 EDT<\/p>\n Farage defends Reform vetting after candidates caught on camera making racist, violent comments Nigel Farage has claimed that \u201cthe establishment\u201d wants Reform UK<\/a> \u201cout of the picture\u201d as he made his first public comments since the party was embroiled in a new crisis after a number of its councillors and election candidates were caught on film making graphic threats of extreme violence.<\/p>\n Speaking on the day after detail of an undercover ITV News investigation were broadcast, Farage said:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cYou cant vet for future comments. You can look at someone\u2019s CV, you can look at someone\u2019s social media. I can\u2019t tell you want they say, I cant predict what they\u2019re going to say after a drink, when they have been provoked by somebody, or egged on to say something.\u201d<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cYou can\u2019t vet for future comments. I promise you there are 20,000 councillors across this country, many of them would have all sorts of opinions but you will never see the focus on those parties, only ever on us, and we know that, the establishment wants us out of the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of councillors have already stood down from the party, which said it was conducting an investigation over the first revelations from an ITV undercover investigation that aired on Wednesday.\n <\/p>\n Farage had postponed a major announcement that was due to take place in Essex on Thursday morning as the party tries to contain the fallout expected to come from further revelations in the coming days.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Amnesty International UK\u2019s refugee and migrant rights director Steve Valdez-Symonds has issued these comments on Mahmoud\u2019s visa threat.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cRather than threatening to impose a ban on the few Eritreans who might ever be granted a visa and be permitted to depart from that country, the Home Secretary needs to address the shocking fall in asylum grants under this Government that has got even worse on her watch.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cEritrea\u2019s appalling human rights record includes arbitrarily detaining people forced to return, and indefinite and forced conscription in circumstances that in some cases amounts to slavery.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cPoliticians are once again failing us all and putting lives at risk by simply refusing to manage this country\u2019s asylum responsibilities fairly and efficiently. That is why our asylum system is in such a mess and contributes to a toxic environment where some people are so easily stirred to anger, hate and even violence against refugees who are fleeing war or persecution.\u201d Home Office data shows just 77 work visas were issued to Eritrean nationals in the year to June, making up 0.03% of the total of 234,841. Eritreans accounted for an even smaller proportion of study visas issued in the same period, at 0.01% (33 out of a total of 385,974).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some more on the visa ban Mahmood has threatened for Eritrean nationals to convince the east African country to take back people who haven\u2019t passed the UK\u2019s asylum seeker checks.\n <\/p>\n Britain and Eritrea have been locked in a battle over migrant returns for months. Essentially, the UK has been trying to restore a deal that had been in place from 2024 which saw Eritrea issue emergency travel documents to nationals without a valid passport so they could be deported to their home country. But since March, Eritrea has rejected that deal.<\/p>\n Diplomats had been trying to hash out a solution behind the scenes for months; Mahmood has now gone public with her ultimatum:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cMy message to the Eritrean government is simple: take back your nationals or face a complete ban on your citizens entering the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n Restrictions have already kicked. From today, Eritrea\u2019s diplomats are facing limits on how far they can travel outside of London without seeking foreign office permissions. And fast-track visa processing has been halted.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.35 EDT<\/p>\n Andy Burnham has \u201capologised\u201d and corrected the record after saying an \u201cindividual\u201d was \u201cresponsible for the murder\u201d of Ann Widdecombe, PA reports.<\/p>\n The PM was accused of a \u201cbreach of the presumption of innocence\u201d by the Tories after his comment during Prime Minister\u2019s Questions.<\/p>\n While No 10 declined to comment on Wednesday evening, Burnham has now corrected Hansard, the official record of government.<\/p>\n A Downing Street spokesperson said:<\/p>\n double quotation markA correction has been issued to Hansard, and that will be published in due course.<\/p>\n Asked if the PM understood the code, they said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe fact that we have issued an update speaks for itself.<\/p>\n Burnham referred in the chamber to the \u201cindividual responsible for the murder\u201d of Widdecombe \u2013 a former Conservative minister and Reform UK\u2019s justice spokeswoman \u2013 despite the legal process still being in its early stages.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.00 EDT<\/p>\n Chancellor promises ‘breathing space’ for consumers in budget John Healey has promised to use his first budget in a fortnight\u2019s time to offer consumers and businesses a \u201cbreathing space\u201d while sticking to Labour\u2019s fiscal rules.<\/p>\n Speaking to journalists in Bangkok, where he has been attending the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings, the chancellor said he was conscious of rising costs.<\/p>\n double quotation markI want the budget to be a budget that gives Britain a bit of breathing space \u2013 but also reinforces the strength of our fiscal plans and the strength of our resilience and our economy for the future.<\/p>\n The government has already cut VAT on electricity bills<\/a>, but Healey is expected to announce a further package of energy support at his 28 October tax and spending statement, before what is expected to be a sharp rise in the energy price cap in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe prime minister\u2019s talked about recognising the cost of business, not just the cost of living.<\/p>\n Healey also reiterated his insistence that he will be sticking to the spending plans set out by his predecessor, Rachel Reeves, at last year\u2019s spending review \u2013 and cabinet colleagues will have to find any additional resources within their existing budgets.<\/p>\n double quotation markWhen the second half of a spending review is in place, there are pressures on departments, and colleagues are doing a good job of managing with what they\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n You have to reprioritise if you want to do fresh things.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As we\u2019ve been reporting, former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to a total of 15 years for sexual offences against two women who were children when he abused them three decades ago.<\/p>\n You can read our full report from my colleague, Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll, here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.46 EDT<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s AI Security Institute is \u201cno longer enough\u201d to keep the country safe and the government should bring forward statutory AI protections, the chairman of the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee has warned.<\/p>\n Liam Byrne, the Labour<\/a> former minister, said the Cyber Resilience Bill could be used to bring the statutory protections into law.<\/p>\n It is currently making its way through Parliament, having passed its initial stages in the House of Commons earlier this year.<\/p>\n Speaking in the Commons today, Byrne said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe are blessed to have the AI Security Institute in this country, but it\u2019s no longer enough.<\/p>\n So, will ministers confirm that we will have Government amendments at report stage of the Cyber Resilience Bill to ensure that we have statutory AI protections to keep this country safe?<\/p>\n AI minister Kanishka Narayan said he would work with MPs across the House \u201con ideas for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, looking in particular at protections on AI security\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.19 EDT<\/p>\n Will the UK PM overshadow the SNP\u2019s conference? The Scottish National Party\u2019s conference kicks off today, and as my colleagues Patrick Greenfield and Eve Livingston write, this year even Andy Burnham has been invited<\/p>\n But by the time John Swinney<\/a> stands up to address members on Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen to reinvigorate the case for a second independence referendum, his party may regret giving the UK prime minister so much prominence in the conference buildup.<\/p>\n Burnham is expected to visit Scotland<\/a> on Friday \u2013 the middle of the event \u2013 in a thinly veiled attempt to overshadow the SNP gathering. While he will be in a different venue, the former Manchester mayor\u2019s presence in Scotland will loom large over the event. Since taking over at No 10 in July, Burnham has largely avoided direct confrontations with his political rivals, rarely attacking Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch. But he has taken a different approach with the Scottish first minister.\n <\/p>\n The SNP leader was the only politician from a rival party, apart from Margaret Thatcher, that Burnham mentioned in his keynote address to the Labour party conference last month. He reflected on Swinney\u2019s prediction that he would be the last prime minister of the UK at a meeting of separatist parties Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to mark the first time all three devolved parliaments were governed by nationalists. Swinney inadvertently did so on the day Burnham\u2019s father died.<\/p>\n \u201cI quote that not to seek sympathy,\u201d Burnham said, holding back tears. \u201cNor to criticise John Swinney. I relay it because I want you to know how it made me feel. Utterly determined to prove him wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond ruling out a second independence referendum, recent British prime ministers have often paid little attention to Scottish internal affairs. Burnham has already said there is \u201cno clear consensus\u201d for another vote. But unlike his predecessors, he has decided to take on the SNP by loudly make the case for the union on Scottish soil.<\/p>\n Burnham presents a new challenge for the SNP as they seek to re-energise the case for Scottish independence<\/a>. Swinney has said he wants a new vote before 2031. The separatists have grown used to facing off against rightwing, pro-Brexit governments in London during two decades in power in Holyrood, making it easier to argue that Scotland\u2019s interests have been dismissed. Burnham\u2019s devolution agenda, openness to exploring a return to the European Union and \u00a32 bus fares are harder to confront.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Streeting at the Pentagon today as US-Ukraine tensions escalate Defence secretary Wes Streeting is in Washington DC to meet US counterpart Pete Hegseth at a sensitive time when relations between the two normally close allies are strained by tensions over Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East.<\/p>\n The meeting is due to take place at lunchtime in the Pentagon a day after Ukraine\u2019s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited London and said he felt betrayed by the US decision to throttle military access to the Starlink satellite internet system.<\/p>\n The UK finds itself in the middle of the deepening US-Ukraine dispute, and on Wednesday prime minister Andy Burnham met Zelenskyy and promised that he would engage in \u201claying the ground\u201d for a reconciliation with US president Donald Trump.<\/p>\n At the same time, the UK faces questions about its ability to safeguard US military bases in Britain to the satisfaction of Hegseth, more than one of which has been targeted by Iran, leading to the recent withdrawal of 12 B-1 bombers from Fairford.<\/p>\n The US is also weighing up whether it wants to help Saudi Arabia in the fast developing conflict with Yemen\u2019s Houthis at a time when it is trying to step away from a fresh outbreak of fighting with Iran before midterm elections next month.<\/p>\n That presents the UK with a difficult choice, because while the UK has largely kept out of the Iran war, it has acted as a junior partner with the US in joint in a series of air strikes on the Houthis during 2025 and early 2025.<\/p>\n Labour recognises that engaging in fresh bombing in the Middle East could be a difficult sell to the British public when Trump\u2019s war in Iran is being blamed for cost of living pressures and increased energy prices at home.<\/p>\n Prior to meeting Hegseth, Streeting will also appear at the CSIS thinktank, at a session entitled \u201cthe future of UK-US defence cooperation\u201d.<\/p>\n Prior to his flight to the US, Streeting sidestepped the tricky geopolitical issues and emphasised that he hoped that in future \u201cBritain and America can lead the next generation of defence innovation\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Frances](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Frances_Mao.png\")
Frances Mao<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792085772_532_Ben_Quinn.png\")
Ben Quinn<\/p>\n![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/richardadams_140x140.jpg\")
Richard Adams<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nBen Quinn<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n![\"Heather](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792085773_924_Heather_Stewart,_L.png\")
Heather Stewart<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Patrick_Greenfield.png\")
Patrick Greenfield<\/p>\n![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Dan-Sabbagh,-L.png\")
Dan Sabbagh<\/p>\n
![\"Taz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Taz_Ali.png\")
Taz Ali<\/p>\n