Sir Keir Starmer will kickstart talks on a new security pact with Poland today aimed at protecting the UK’s national security. His visit to Warsaw comes after the prime minister signed a new 100-year deal pledging the UK’s “steadfast support” to Ukraine.
Friday 17 January 2025 07:36, UK
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Welcome back to the Politics Hub on Friday, 17 January.
Sir Keir Starmer is travelling to Poland today for talks on a new security pact to protect the UK’s national security.
The new treaty, which the prime minister will discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, is designed to protect Europe from Russian aggression, tackle people-smuggling gangs, and combat misinformation and cyber threats.
His visit follows a surprise trip to Kyiv on Thursday, where the prime minister reiterated his support for Ukraine and suggested that British troops could be deployed to the country as part of peacekeeping efforts.
Much focus will likely also be on the Middle East this morning, with Israel’s security cabinet due to meet to give final approval to a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
The ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday evening after months of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group controlling the enclave.
It is due to come into effect on Sunday.
We’ll be discussing all of that and more with…
Follow along for the very latest political news.
Labour is “making good on the promise” to enact recommendations from an inquiry into grooming gangs, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has told Sky News.
Asked whether Labour was committing to following all of the recommendations of the national grooming gangs inquiry carried out by Professor Alexis Jay, she said “a majority of them, absolutely, yes”.
But she said there are a few recommendations “where we are looking at the way in which we are implementing them”.
“We are looking at some of the recommendations to make sure that we implement them in spirit, in the right way, and do what Professor Jay wanted to happen.
“But there are a number of others where we’ve already committed, and we’re wasting no time in implementing them, particularly about mandatory reporting.”
None of the inquiry’s 20 recommendations were implemented until the government announced some measures last week.
However, Ms Nandy said she “utterly refutes” the idea that online intervention on the issue by tech billionaire and close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, accelerated government action.
“We brought forward the Children’s Wellbeing Bill a couple of weeks ago. That is legislation that we announced quite significantly in advance of any noise that we saw on social media.
“We’ve been very focused on this issue and it was part of our manifesto”.
Sir Keir Starmer will visit Poland on Friday for talks on a new security pact to protect the UK’s national security.
The new treaty is designed to protect Europe from Russian aggression, tackle people-smuggling gangs, and combat misinformation and cyber threats.
His visit comes following a surprise trip to Kyiv on Thursday, where the prime minister reiterated his support for Ukraine and suggested that British troops could be deployed to the country as part of peacekeeping efforts.
Ahead of the visit to Warsaw, Sir Keir said: “The UK and Poland are longstanding allies, and our cooperation stretches back for generations.
“With ever-increasing threats to Europe’s security, now is the time to take our partnership to the next level, so we can ensure we’re tackling the big issues that rebound on the British people at home – from Putin’s aggression to the vile people smuggling gangs trading in human misery.
“It is only through closer collaboration with our most important partners such as Poland that we’ll protect the UK’s national security – the key foundation on which I’ll deliver my plan for change.”
During his visit, Sir Keir will meet Polish businesses, including the firm InPost which has announced it will invest a further £600m into the UK in the next five years to grow its operations.
It is thought that the overall £1bn investment by the firm, which operates parcel lockers, could support up to 12,000 new jobs.
The Politics Hub is signing off for the evening after a day dominated by foreign affairs ahead of a huge few days.
Sir Keir Starmer has been in Ukraine to stress the UK’s ongoing support before the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and the uncertainty that brings about America’s backing for Kyiv.
Back in Westminster, the government has announced a series of local inquiries into grooming gangs – but remains under pressure from some MPs and victims to commission a national probe.
You can catch up on the main things you need to know via the key points above, and we’ll be back tomorrow morning.
With just days to go until Donald Trump returns as US president (the inauguration happens on Monday), world leaders like Keir Starmer are clearly “having to tread carefully” with their language about him.
For the prime minister, everything from the war in Ukraine to criticism from Elon Musk requires incredibly disciplined language.
Whatever happens, he knows he “cannot upset Donald Trump”, says our US correspondent Mark Stone.
Brits ‘blind sided’ by Musk’s attacks
The British embassy has been “working as hard as it can to be on good terms with Trump”, says Mark, but there’s no doubt Starmer’s incoming US ambassador Peter Mandelson has a “difficult job” on his hands.
Mark says the Brits were “blind sided” by Elon Musk’s sudden wave of attacks upon the PM, just as they weren’t expecting him to “effectively become the co-president, as he seems to be”.
The US-UK “special relationship” goes back to the Second World War.
But Trump’s so unpredictable that some even wonder “how quickly he could turn on Britain”.
This ain’t no Christmas romcom
Whatever happens, though, Starmer has to do his bit to stay on side.
“I’m reminded of that scene in Love Actually,” admits Mark, “where the character played by Hugh Grant stands up to the American president at that news conference in Downing Street.”
“There’s no way any world leader will stand up like that” to Mr Trump.
Former British diplomat Lord Ricketts has joined Sophy Ridge to discuss the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
He describes it as a “precious moment of opportunity”, but warns it remains “fragile and very, very difficult” – with the Israeli cabinet yet to sign off on it ahead of its planned enforcement on Sunday.
And he says even if it does come into force on time, there remain unresolved issues that mean long-term peace remains out of reach.
There’s no guarantee that Israeli forces will pull out of the whole of Gaza and no answer as to who will “maintain law and order”.
“And then there is this massive issue of reconstruction,” he adds.
“Hundreds of billions of dollars are going to have to be found. It’ll have to come from the wealthy Gulf Arab countries, I think.”
He also thinks Britain will have a role to play in the humanitarian process once the war ends – if it does.
But he warns: “All these big difficult issues that have been there for decades, they have not been eased at all by this war.”
Sophy Ridge now turns shadow home secretary Chris Philp on to his party’s leader Kemi Badenoch, who have her first major speech of 2025 earlier today.
She used it to acknowledge mistakes the Tories made while in office, including immigration being too high and not coming up with a plan for economic growth before taking the country out of the EU.
Mr Philp says she was “very, very open and honest” but doesn’t say she should have apologised.
He also dismisses the suggestion that she needs to come up with some policy ideas – something Ms Badenoch’s said she won’t be doing until we get much closer to the next election.
The Tories will first “develop proper, credible plans” for how any policy ideas would even be implemented, Mr Philp says.
Reform UK may be above them in some polls at this point, but he says they’re only offering “eye-catching slogans”.
“I don’t think they have or will develop these detailed plans that are needed to actually fix these very difficult problems,” he adds.
Joining Sophy Ridge to discuss the home secretary’s announcement about grooming gangs is Chris Philp, Yvette Cooper’s Tory opponent.
Ms Cooper announced five government-backed local inquiries into grooming gangs – and Mr Philp told her in the Commons they were “totally inadequate” and a full national probe was needed.
He tells Sophy it’s a call being made by Labour MPs like Sarah Champion and Dan Walton, as well as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Many victims also desire a national inquiry, he says, “so the truth can come out, and the public can have confidence”.
Perpetrators yet to be caught and convicted should be jailed and wherever possible should be deported, Mr Philp adds.
He also says public officials – including police officers, local councillors, and people in the CPS – who “ignored this or covered it up” should be prosecuted for “offensive misconduct in public office”.
The idea of the UK providing troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine won’t convince those who think the prime minister has sounded anything but credible on defence since coming to power, says our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes.
Sir Keir Starmer came to Kyiv today “with lots of warm words and strong language about the need to take action”, she says, but he’s yet to answer big questions about the military back home.
Most notably, says Deborah, he “is yet to say when the UK is going to increase its defence spending to 2.5% of national income”, at a time when Donald Trump is saying NATO allies should be spending double that.
“There are real questions for the PM whether he can make any meaningful offering to some kind of security force on the ground given his own army is undermanned, underequipped, and very much in need of additional investment,” Deborah adds.
“When it comes to his own record on defence, people are asking questions as to whether he really is credible.”
What would this peacekeeping force be?
Deborah says “there have been talks behind the scenes for over a year now about this idea of some kind of security force” in Ukraine.
It could involve French, British, and other NATO troops on the ground.
The aim would be to “provide the security guarantees Ukraine needs to even contemplate Russian troops holding on to territory”, which some have suggested would be part of any peace deal.
Sir Keir Starmer “all but confirmed” the UK will have a role in any NATO peacekeeping forces deployed to Ukraine to help enforce a peace deal with the Russians during his Sky News interview today.
Our political editor Beth Rigby spent the day with the prime minister in Kyiv and said the visit came as talk of a ceasefire deal ramps up before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.
In a message to potentially nervous voters back home, the PM said British involvement is predicated on the fact that “the threat to our security starts on this border [in Ukraine]”.
“All of this so significant, just five days before the inauguration,” says Beth, which will throw up all kinds of challenges for Sir Keir.
Those include Ukraine’s possible future inside NATO, something it seems Trump will oppose; the UK’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands, which Joe Biden had signed off but is now on hold; and of course the constant criticism coming Starmer’s way from Elon Musk.
Sir Keir knows there’s a “new reality” on the horizon but knows “strong diplomatic ties” with Washington remain vital.
“He definitely doesn’t want to go toe to toe with Trump,” she says, even regarding Elon Musk.
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