Connect with us

Published

on

The war in Ukraine needs “concessions on both sides” if it is to come to an end, Nigel Farage has said.

The Reform UK leader suggested the invaded nation could gain “quite a lot from settling”, though he refused to say if this meant giving up territory to Russia in return.

Politics Live: ex-Blair aide made new national security adviser

Mr Farage was speaking to Sky News after travelling back from America following his ally Donald Trump’s election victory.

Asked about the president-elect’s claims he could end the war in Ukraine “on day one”, Mr Farage said: “Well, the war is horrendous. There are nearly a million battle casualties. It’s like the battle of the Somme with drones.

“We have two options. We can keep feeding Ukraine, and that’s fine. And the war goes on for another year, two years, five years. The casualties mount. What Trump has said is he wants to attempt to broker a peace deal.”

The Clacton MP said that would require “concessions on both sides”, adding: ” I think Ukraine could actually gain quite a lot.”

More on Nigel Farage

He would not be drawn on whether that could mean Ukraine giving up territory, but said that “any negotiation is going to involve things that the other side don’t like”.

He added: “I think that the appeal to Ukraine would be part of that negotiation would be that Ukraine would become a full part of NATO. Now, Putin would hate that… but that would have to be part of the deal.

“If there were territorial concessions, that’s all for the negotiations.”

Pressed on if he thinks Ukraine should be open to territorial concessions, he said: “I’m not playing your silly game. I think there should be peace talks.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Farage joins Trump for election night

He added that while former prime minister Boris Johnson, a staunch backer of Ukraine, wants “the war to go on forever… all wars end either in negotiation, with concessions or annihilation”.

Armed conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in early 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and escalated in February 2022 when Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion.

Mr Farage previously drew criticism for his views on the conflict during the UK’s general election campaign, when he said the West “provoked” Russia into the invasion with NATO’s and the EU’s expansion.

He ultimately won the seat for Clacton in Essex, but has since faced criticism for not spending enough time in his constituency.

Asked about this during his interview, Mr Farage said: “I’ve just exchanged contracts on the house that I’ll be living there in, is that good enough?”

He also questioned how much time Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spends in his constituency, or Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, saying things were different for party leaders than backbench MPs.

“I am representing Clacton, yes, but I’m also leading a national political party which is rapidly rising in the polls, which we have to build from the ground up,” he said.

“Today is Friday. Very often MPs are in constituencies on Friday. I’m in Wales, we’re having an inaugural Reform UK conference here. We’re looking to the Senedd elections.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be in Exeter. If you’re a national party leader, it’s different.”

After the interview, a source close to Mr Farage said: “Nigel has been to Clacton more than 10 times since being elected. He has kept his promise to have a property in the constituency, writes a weekly column for the Clacton Gazette (10 weeks in a row) and is having two further visits next week.”

Continue Reading

Politics

Gaming data is the next AI battleground

Published

on

By

Gaming data is the next AI battleground

Gaming data is the next AI battleground

Gaming’s behavioral data is rapidly becoming the most sought-after resource in AI. Game telemetry fuels next-gen AI agents for everything from logistics to finance. The battle for gaming data is on.

Continue Reading

Politics

Rachel Reeves turning around UK’s finances ‘like Steve Jobs did for Apple’, claims minister

Published

on

By

Rachel Reeves turning around UK's finances 'like Steve Jobs did for Apple', claims minister

Rachel Reeves will turn around the economy the way Steve Jobs turned around Apple, a cabinet minister has suggested ahead of the upcoming spending review.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle compared the chancellor to the late Apple co-founder when asked on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips where the £86bn for his department is coming from.

Politics Live: Winter fuel payment cut to be dealt with ‘in run up to autumn’

Steve Jobs. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs, who died in 2011. Pic: Reuters

Rachel Reeves
Image:
Chancellor Rachel Reeves


The package, confirmed ahead of the full spending review next week, will see each region in England granted £500m to spend on science projects of their choice, including research into faster drug treatments.

Asked by Trevor Phillips how the government is finding the money, Mr Kyle said: “Rachel raised money in taxes in the autumn, we are now allocating it per department.

“But the key thing is we are going to be investing record amounts of money into the innovations of the future.

“Just bear in mind that how Apple turned itself around when Steve Jobs came back to Apple, they were 90 days from insolvency. That’s the kind of situation that we had when we came into office.

“Steve Jobs turned it around by inventing the iMac, moving to a series of products like the iPod.

“Now we are starting to invest in the vaccine processes of the future, some of the high-tech solutions that are going to be high growth. We’re investing in our space sector… they will create jobs in the future.”

👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈

The spending review is a process used by governments to set departmental budgets for the years ahead.

Asked if it will include more detail on who will receive winter fuel payments, Mr Kyle said that issue will be “dealt with in the run-up to the autumn”.

“This is a spending review that’s going to set the overall spending constraints for government for the next period, the next three years, so you’re sort of talking about two separate issues at the moment,” he said.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘So we won’t get an answer on winter fuel this week?

Scrapping universal winter fuel payments was one of the first things Labour did in government – despite it not being in their manifesto – with minsters saying it was necessary because of the financial “blackhole” left behind by the Tories.

But following a long-drawn out backlash, Sir Keir Starmer said last month that the government would extend eligibility, which is now limited to those on pension credit.

Read more: Spending review 2025 look ahead

It is not clear what the new criteria will be, though Ms Reeves has said the changes will come into place before this winter.

Mr Kyle also claimed the spending review will see the government invest “the most we’ve ever spent per pupil in our school system”.

However, he said the chancellor will stick to her self-imposed fiscal rules – which rule out borrowing for day-to-day spending – meaning that while some departments will get extra money, others are likely to face cuts.

Continue Reading

Politics

Minister dismisses US misgivings over Chinese ‘super embassy’ in London – as Tories warn of ‘espionage base’

Published

on

By

Minister dismisses US misgivings over Chinese 'super embassy' in London - as Tories warn of 'espionage base'

A minister has dismissed reported US misgivings about plans for a Chinese “super embassy” near London’s financial districts.

Peter Kyle told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that security concerns will be “taken care of assiduously in the planning process”.

Politics live: Winter fuel payment cut to be dealt with ‘in run up to autumn’

There have been protests against the proposed site of the new Chinese embassy, outside Royal Mint Court. Pic: Reuters
Image:
There have been protests against the new Chinese embassy. Pic: Reuters

According to The Sunday Times, the White House has warned Downing Street against the proposed massive embassy at Royal Mint Court.

The site is between financial hubs in the City of London and Canary Wharf and close to three data centres, raising concerns about espionage risk.

Asked for the government’s view on the risk, Mr Kyle said: “These issues will be taken care of assiduously in the planning process.

“But just to reassure people, we deal with embassies and these sorts of infrastructure issues all the time.

“We are very experienced and we are very aware of these sorts of issues constantly, not just when new buildings are being done, but all the time.”

He added that America and Britain “share intelligence iteratively” and if they raise security concerns through the planning process “we will have a fulsome response for them”.

However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said he shared the US’s concerns.

He told Trevor Phillips: “I agree with the United States. We think it is a security risk in the government.

“The Conservatives were very clear. We should not be allowing the Chinese to build the super embassy. It is likely to become a base for their pan-European espionage activities.”

He added that underneath the sites are cables connecting the City of London to Canary Wharf and these could be intercepted.

Sky News has contacted the Chinese embassy for comment.

Read More: Diplomatic win for UK hosting US-China trade talks

China has been attempting to revise plans for the Royal Mint building, opposite the Tower of London, since purchasing it in 2018.

The proposal for the embassy, which would be China’s largest in Europe, was previously rejected by Tower Hamlets council in 2022.

However, Beijing resubmitted it in August after Labour won the election, and the plans were “called in” by Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary.

It means that an inspector will be appointed to carry out an inquiry into the proposal, but the decision ultimately rests with central government rather than the local authority.

Two large protests were held at the site in February and March, which organisers claimed involved thousands of people.

Continue Reading

Trending