A minister has warned Liz Truss cannot afford to make any more mistakes, as the prime minister fights to save her premiership.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said he remains supportive of Ms Truss, unlike many of his colleagues, but there was no more room for error after a day of U-turns.
Asked how many more errors Ms Truss can make, Mr Heappey told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “I suspect given how skittish our politics are at the moment, not very many.”
Pushed on exactly how many, he said: “I don’t think there’s the opportunity to make any more mistakes.”
Mr Heappey added that the whole cabinet supported the mini-budget – the first time a minister has admitted that.
He said the mini-budget was presented to the cabinet ahead of Mr Kwarteng announcing it, and they agreed on the fact “each policy would drive growth”.
But, he said he “100%” apologised for the mini-budget and the following turmoil.
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Mr Heappey added that he admired Ms Truss for apologising to the public and took a dig at Boris Johnson as he said it was “a contrast to a year ago when the previous prime minister’s woes began”.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said he would quit if Ms Truss rowed back on her pledge to spend 3% of GDP on defence.
And Mr Heappey told Sky News: “The commitment the prime minister made is 3% by 2030 and to be clear like the Secretary of State, that’s something that I believe must be delivered given the need to keep our nation safe given increasingly uncertain times.”
He later confirmed to LBC he would quit if the commitment was not held to.
During a full cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, the chancellor told ministers every department would need to find savings, a Treasury source said.
Ms Truss is also due to hold talks with MPs from the right of the party as she joins a meeting of the European Research Group of Tory MPs this evening in an attempt to get them to support her.
Last night, she spoke to a meeting of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, who are more to the centre of the party.
“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.
The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.
The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.
Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.
The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.
A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”
The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
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“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.