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Sir Keir Starmer has said that Russia started the Ukraine war and “could end the conflict straight away”.

The prime minister has arrived in Washington DC for talks with President Joe Biden at the White House over the ongoing conflict.

Sir Keir has backed Kyiv’s right to defend itself after Russian leader Vladimir Putin suggested his country would be “at war” with NATO if the West allows long-range weapons to be used against it.

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Putin: ‘It will mean the direct participation of NATO’

The PM said the UK does not “seek any conflict with Russia”, before adding: “That’s not our intention in the slightest.”

The UK has been providing Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles since last year but, like the US, it does not allow the country to launch the weapons against sites in Russia amid fears of escalation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling for restrictions to be lifted on the use of such missiles against targets in Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.

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On Thursday, President Putin said allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the US, and European countries are at war with Russia… if this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us”.

Responding to his remarks, Sir Keir told reporters on the flight to the US: “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defence and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defence – we’re providing training capability.”

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‘We need more’, Zelenskyy tells allies

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US secretary of state Antony Blinken held talks with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv earlier this week as Ukraine continued to appeal to the two countries to change their stance – especially in light of American intelligence that Russia had received a shipment of weapons from Iran.

But while neither politician would reveal any decision, both Mr Lammy and Mr Blinken confirmed they would pass on the message to their respective leaders before they met at the end of the week, with the latter telling Sky News that President Biden was “not ruling out” moving his position.

Antony Blinken and David Lammy meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Antony Blinken (l) and David Lammy (r) met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (c) for talks this week. Pic: Reuters

It will also be the first time Sir Keir and President Biden meet after the UK government chose to ban some weapons export licences to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Mr Lammy announced the decision in the Commons last week after legal advice to the government said there was a “clear risk” they might be used to commit “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

But he faced a backlash, both from MPs who thought the move undermined the UK’s support for Israel and from MPs who wanted the ban to cover all weapons export licences.

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On the same day, President Biden said a final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was “very close” – but that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure an agreement.

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McIlroy wins Masters to complete career Grand Slam – follow latest reaction

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Rory McIlroy claims career Grand Slam with US Masters win

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Rory McIlroy claims career Grand Slam with US Masters win

Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.

The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.

McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after winning in a playoff against Justin Rose after the final round at the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after winning in a playoff against Justin Rose after the final round at the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP

“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.

“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”

McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.

Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

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Pic: AP

McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.

The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.

How did McIlroy get to the victory?

McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.

The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.

The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.

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Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way

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Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way

Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.

The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.

It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.

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British Steel: What happens next?

Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.

“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.

“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”

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British Steel Ltd steelworks in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
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Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks

Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.

It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.

Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.

However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.

Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.

“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”

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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’

Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.

The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.

The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.

Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.

“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”

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