Keir Starmer blasts European allies for 'needing to do more on Nato' as he advises Donald Trump that alliance is 'in America's interest'

Sir Keir Starmer has told reporters that Britain's European allies need to do more in Nato after Donald Trump stepped up threats to pull out of the alliance.

The Prime Minister was speaking to reporters as part of a visit to the Gulf states as the ceasefire deal between the US and Iran continues to verge on the precipice.

Sir Keir said: "We’re very strong supporters of Nato and I’ve been making the argument for some considerable time that we need to do more. It’s the single most effective military alliance the world has ever known.

"Do we Europeans need to do more? Yes, I’ve been making that argument for the best part of two years, to our European partners as much as anybody else. We continue to make that case and we will make that case."

He added: "It is in America’s interests, it’s in European interests. Nato is a defensive alliance, which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been.

"So we’re strong supporters of Nato. We’ll always be strong supporters of Nato. Do I think this will be a stronger European element to Nato? Yes, and I think we should step into that space.

"We’re already doing it, which is why we’re co-ordinating strategically with our partners in Nato."

Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the ceasefire in the Middle East was "fragile", as he left Qatar at the end of his trip to the region.

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Tony Blair's organisation urges Ed Miliband to open up North Sea oilfields in major energy warning

Ed Miliband must approve drilling at Britain’s largest untapped oil field, Sir Tony Blair’s think tank says.

More North Sea exploration is "essential", it argues, warning that the UK’s approach to energy "is increasingly out of step with global competitors".

While the UK is right to commit to Net Zero by 2050, it needs to adopt a more pragmatic approach, the report finds, explaining: "Energy is not an area where ideology can substitute for outcomes."

Our reporter Matt Gibson has the full story here.

John Healey says Labour should not be judged on President Donald Trump's social media posts

Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK should be judged on its actions in the Middle East rather than Donald Trump’s social media posts.

He told the London Defence Conference: "In the end I’d rather our actions spoke for themselves. If you look, even in this current conflict, the basing permissions that we in the UK have agreed with the US have been invaluable to their military operations."

Put to him that President Trump was furious that the UK did not give permission to use British bases earlier, Mr Healey said "sure".

However, he added: "In northern Iraq, our RAF regiment has been, almost daily, taking down drones and jointly protecting US forces and that joint base we’ve got with them.

"If we focus on our actions rather than just simply the exchange of words and social media posts, then the fundamentals for me remain.

"The fundamentals for me remain that America is absolutely locked into, with benefits as well as massive contributions, to Nato."

Labour minister slaps down suggestion British armed forces are 'on their knees'

A Labour minister has rejected the claims that the British armed forces are "on their knees" as he took a swipe at opposition politicians.

Defence Procurement Minister Luke Pollard told GB News: "I don't subscribe to this talking down of our armed forces that we're seeing from sone figures in the media and some politicians.

"The PM is right when he says we're being buffeted by international events.

"We're keeping our efforts focused on addressing the cost of living and getting the Strait of Hormuz open again."

Bank of England warns of 2008-style financial crash as Iran conflict decimates British economy

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has warned that the conflict in Iran could trigger a financial crisis similar to the 2008 meltdown.

Mr Bailey said turmoil in the $3trillion private credit sector, equivalent to around £2.2trillion, could spread across the global economy.

Speaking on Thursday in his role as Financial Stability Board chairman, he said Britain is already facing an energy shock alongside volatility in debt markets.

Our money reporter Joe Sledge has the full story here.

Huge £31billion investment in Britain is pulled over Labour's red tape and 'mad Net Zero agenda'

A £31billion investment in Britain has been pulled because of high energy costs and Labour's red tape.

The project, named Stargate UK, was intended to build a large data centre in northeast England and make thousands of powerful chips for AI development.

OpenAI, behind the massive investment push, has now said it will only move forward with the cash when the "right conditions" in the UK are in place.

At the moment, regulation and energy costs left "long-term infrastructure investment" off the table, it warned.

Our reporter Peter Stevens has the full story here.

Scottish Tory leader says Greens are 'more extreme' than Reform UK

The Scottish Greens are more extreme than Reform UK, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said.

Russell Findlay attacked the left-wing party after one of its candidates in the Holyrood election backed the abolition of prisons.

He also accused the party of wanting to "effectively" legalise heroin and crack cocaine, while Mr Findlay also accused the SNP of having a "bitter streak of Anglophobia".

He said he disagreed with Reform’s claim that Scotland was "at breaking point", but added that "uncontrolled mass migration" was putting pressure on public services.

Asked which other Scottish party he considered the most extreme, he said: "It’s a tough question. I genuinely think the Greens, if you just look at some of what they are proposing.

"Just this week, we’ve had a senior candidate who may well end up in Holyrood saying we should abolish prisons. That would mean murderers and rapists aren’t locked up.

"It is their policy that heroin and crack cocaine should be effectively legalised, which would cause further devastation and drugs deaths in Scotland."

Police in London and Manchester given extra £5m following Golders Green attack

Police in London and Manchester are to be given an extra £5million to pay for more patrols around places of worship, the Home Office has said.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said the money would help "keep people safe in the places where they live, work and worship".

The funding uplift follows an alleged arson attack in Golders Green, north-west London, where four Jewish community ambulances were set alight last month, and a terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester last October.

It will go towards Project Servator deployments, involving specialist officers who are trained to spot suspects who might be preparing to commit serious crimes.

More than 20 people have already been arrested on suspicion of antisemitic hate crimes, as part of a separate Metropolitan Police effort to crack down on hate crimes after the incident in Golders Green.

Mr Jarvis said: "At a time of heightened concern for some communities, it is vital that we step up our support.

"Project Servator has a proven track record of stopping criminals and terrorists through highly visible, unpredictable deployments that vary in time and location, deterring those planning harm and reassuring the public.

"This new funding will back the police with the resources they need to step up patrols, protect communities, and keep people safe in the places where they live, work and worship."

Here's what's happening today in Westminster and beyond...

Good morning and Happy Friday from all of us on the GB News Politics team. Here's what's happening today in Westminster and beyond...

Shabana Mahmood has been told to tear up Labour’s "one-in, one-out" deal as new exclusive analysis by GB News exposes how more than 21,100 migrants ignored warnings about being transferred to France in the first seven months of the pilot scheme. Our Deputy News Editor Jack Walters has the full story here.

Sir Keir Starmer held a phone call with Donald Trump last night, just hours after the Prime Minister said he was "fed up" with the US President and Vladimir Putin. You can read the full write up from our reporter Fintan Starkey here,

Elsewhere, Defence Secretary John Healey is due to open the London Defence Conference where he'll be answering questions about the UK's response to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will launch his party's local election slogan "Vote Reform. Get Starmer Out."

Green leader Zack Polanski, who had his own similar "Vote Green. Let’s Make Hope Normal Again" slogan launched yesterday, is facing calls from senior party figures not to alienate the party’s traditional environmental base with issues including the Israel-Palestine conflict and LGBT+ rights.

Meanwhile Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey will begin the last day of his Red Wall tour with a rally in the Midlands.

North of the border, the Holyrood campaign is ramping up with Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar launching his party’s battle bus at 10am in Glasgow, with his Conservative counterpart Russell Findlay also in the city where he’ll be accusing the SNP of wasting taxpayer money.

First Minister John Swinney is in Inverness today, announcing out a package of measures that he says will support people into home ownership.

Parliament is back sitting on Monday and here on GB News this morning we'll be joined by Defence Procurement Minister Luke Pollard.