I discussed in detail with UK Prime Minister @AndyBurnham everything related to security, the protection of our people, preparations for winter, and available diplomatic opportunities. I thank the United Kingdom for its steadfast support for our energy sector. There is a new contribution, and we particularly value it as winter approaches. At the same time, we are in constant communication with our partners about finding additional air defense capabilities for Ukraine. Our intelligence is now reporting that Russia is preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine. When Ukrainians are living every day under the threat of missile and drone strikes, lifting sanctions is out of the question. The Prime Minister and I see this eye to eye: as long as the war continues, sanctions must remain in place and be strengthened. Thank you!

Really welcome today’s £23m package to improve the experience of rape and serious sexual offence survivors. Better facilities, better support and a new taskforce to tackle delays will make a huge difference in helping survivors feel safe & treated with the dignity they deserve.

I found her instagram. She's extremely political active and is an open boarders Pro Gaza leftist. It's not doing her or he cause any good, calling her neighbours xenophobic. While supporting the refugees for thee but not for me. instagram.com/kin.ship/

Today we're raising the bar on school food for the first time in over a decade. More fruit and vegetables, more fibre, stronger breakfast standards, less sugar and more support for schools to help children eat well and thrive. 🍎 Find out more here➡️gov.uk/government/news/healt… @Georgia_Gould

Dear RNLI, here is how you do it: "For over 200 years volunteers of the RNLI have risked their lives to save people at risk of drowning at sea. We receive no government funding, our work is funded by the generosity of the British public. Since we were founded in 1824, the RNLI have rescued over 146,000 people from the waters of Britain and Ireland. To provide these services, the RNLI carefully manages its resources to ensure we are ready to rescue anyone that gets into difficulty at sea. However, in recent times the waters of the English Channel have seen very large numbers of people attempting to cross the channel from France on boats that present a serious risk to the lives of their occupants. Over the last five years, over 160,000 people have made this crossing, which amounts to more people than the RNLI has rescued over its 200 year history. Even more concerning is that over the last 12 months we have seen these dangerous dinghys grow in size, reaching the point where each boat can now carry in excess of 120 people. While the RNLI is committed to providing assistance to anyone who is in danger at sea, these unprecedented numbers now place significant pressure on our volunteers and our boats. This understandably impacts our ability to provide an essential backstop to the safety of seafarers, fishermen and the general public around the 23,000 miles of British and Irish coastline. With that in mind, the RNLI asks the government to assume responsibility for managing the controlled transfer of small boat passengers onto safer vessels in the English channel. Over the last few years the RNLI has demonstrated that this can be managed in a consistently safe manner, to the extent that the risk of this is far more manageable than the dangers faced by other users of the sea. We believe that this is a task that could, and should be managed by the government, while the resources of the RNLI are dedicated to those at risk all around the British Isles. The RNLI will continue to be on hand should a vessel of any kind get into trouble in the channel, and their passengers are in need of rescue. The RNLI has always been a dependable last resort for those who are in danger at sea, and that will continue to fulfil that role into the future."

We are gonna need new leaflets….

The government ignored five requests for help from Cleveland police before last week's deadly outbreak of gang-linked violence in Middlesbrough, it is claimed. Matt Storey, the Cleveland police and crime commissioner, who oversees the force's performance, had written at least seven letters to the government since July 2024 warning that officers were "woefully underfunded" and that their ability to protect the public was at risk. His office said that only two received a response, while multiple requests for extra support were not answered. One sent on January 19 said the force's budget "fails to deliver the resources required to meet the operational realities faced by Cleveland police". Another, sent two weeks earlier, said that a 3.3 per cent budget rise — the lowest out of England's 43 forces — would "lead to cuts in policing numbers". The most recent, sent last month to Andy Burnham, who has not responded, said dwindling recruitment was fuelling "concern about whether help will be there when it is needed most". Cleveland police had to call in 200 officers from neighbouring regions last week after a car crash that killed two officers set off unrest in the south of Middlesbrough. The Home Office said the government was "grateful to Cleveland police, who have delivered a robust response in very difficult circumstances". It added: "We have been in regular contact with the force and local leaders, ensuring they have the support they need and engaging on their financial concerns.” "The force will receive up to £197.8 million in funding in the 2026/2027 financial year — a 3.7 per cent uplift in cash. Alongside this, we are reviewing the funding formula as part of our wider programme to reform policing, working with forces to build consensus around a future model." Grim acceptance: One week to the day after a fatal car crash claimed the lives of seven people, there was silence on Middlesbrough's South Bank estate. Under a towering CCTV camera, a group of young boys kicked a football in a playing field. On a nearby wall, a message sprayed in graffiti read: "RIP The Boys" — a tribute to the five local lads who were killed joyriding down the A66. But after seven days of suspected gang violence, during which houses were rammed, two people died in an arson attack and youths celebrated the lives of the dead by setting cars alight at night, there is little hope that the heightened focus on Middlesbrough and its deep-rooted crime will change anything for the people living here. "What's happened lately is awful but it's not really that different to a lot of what goes on all the time," said a local councillor, who asked not to be named out of fear of being targeted. "Teenagers go around on bikes, quads, running up and down, delivering drugs, all that sort of stuff, while younger children are groomed into the business. There's no decent jobs for them, so is it any surprise they fall into this?" Cleveland police, the force trying to contain the violence, has been begging the government to take notice for two years, without much luck. Dwindling resources: The force, which serves almost 590,000 people, has 1,500 officers. This is 220 fewer than 16 years ago - a 12.8 per cent decrease, the largest proportional reduction in staff of any force since 2010. At least ten police stations were closed to the public between 2014 and 2024. Police chiefs blame these dwindling resources on the force's funding, which has risen by 35.9 per cent since 2010-11 to £129.7 million for 2026-27, compared with the national average rise of 43.7 per cent. This is despite its table-topping crime rate of 123.4 offences per 1,000 people in 2025-26 — well above the national average of 87.2. In May the government granted the force special funding, including £481,505 for intensified patrols in hotspot areas of Cleveland but Storey said it was not enough to address the type of crime that had erupted over the past week. Continued…