Evening briefing: Today’s essential headlines
Chancellor on defensive | Rishi Sunak has defended his Spring Statement and stressed he “can’t solve every problem” after it emerged living standards will fall further this year than at any time since records began in 1956. The Chancellor has become the subject of social media memes ridiculing him for his mini-Budget. More on its impact in the business section below. He has also defended his wife over accusations that his family are “benefiting” from Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The big story: PM says UK will not give jets to Ukraine
The United Kingdom will not supply planes and jets to Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said, as he seeks to avoid escalating the war even further.
Following a meeting with Nato and G7 leaders, the Prime Minister led a press conference in Brussels, saying that “Nato and G7 leaders are “united today in our determination to continue turning the screws on the Kremlin’s war machine”.
Mr Johnson vowed to clamp down on Putin’s treasure trove of gold which provides a lifeline to the Russian president amid sanctions.
Russia today dragged Hunter Biden into its propaganda about the existence of biological weapons labs in Ukraine, claiming that the US president’s son had funded the facilities.
Yet Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to apologise over a “tasteless” claim that the Ukraine war has bolstered the case for a second Scottish independence referendum.
[embedded content]
It comes as the White House’s Tiger Team is primed and ready to strike back against Vladimir Putin if Russia launches a nuclear attack on Nato allies.
The team of national security advisors plans out different scenarios and how the United States and its allies should respond in secret meetings held three times a week.
They are looking at the possibility of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack as the Russian president becomes frustrated by the country’s lack of progress in Ukraine.
Yet a Western official has said it is “highly unlikely” that Nato would intervene militarily in Ukraine if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in the country, after a summit of Alliance leaders in Brussels.
Navy ship ‘destroyed’
In Ukraine, a Russian Navy landing ship has reportedly been destroyed by Ukrainian forces after its location appeared in a Kremlin propaganda video.
Ukraine’s navy said it had achieved a direct hit on the Orsk, a Russian Alligator-class tank carrier, while it was anchored in the captured port of Berdyansk in the south of the country.
The reported success came just three days after Russian state media filmed the 370ft vessel having armoured vehicles unloaded from it, which were set to reinforce troops in nearby Mariupol.
Watch video showing thick black smoke surging above the port.
Ukraine is using facial recognition software to identify dead Russian soldiers by matching photos of their faces to social media accounts.
It is one of Ukraine’s new tactics for letting Russians, who have limited access to non-state-controlled media, know of the deaths of their family members and the brutal toll of war.
Lavrov’s ‘stepdaughter’
In Britain, Sergei Lavrov’s “stepdaughter” has been added to the sanctions list as the Government turns its attention to the relatives of Vladimir Putin’s cronies.
Polina Kovaleva, the 26-year-old daughter of the Russian foreign minister’s mistress, was added to the list alongside the paramilitary Wagner Group, which is seen as Putin’s private army.
Taking action against Kovaleva, who bought a £4.4million Kensington flat with cash at the age of 21, “sends a strong signal that those benefiting from association of those responsible for Russian aggression are in scope of our sanctions”, the Foreign Office said.
Read more on the sanctions and details on the Wagner Group, the assassins which Ukrainian intelligence said has been ordered to kill Volodymyr Zelensky.
Comment and analysis
Around the world: North Korea’s ‘largest’ missile test
North Korea conducted what is thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test ever today, in what would be the first full-capability launch of the nuclear-armed state’s biggest missiles since 2017. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the launch of an “unidentified projectile” from North Korea, revealing that the launch was assumed to be a long-range missile, possibly an ICBM fired on a “lofted” trajectory high into space, Yonhap news agency reported. The Pentagon and South Korean military have warned for weeks that Pyongyang could be preparing to launch an intercontinental-range missile capable of carrying warheads to anywhere in the United States.
Thursday interview
Bridgerton’s Claudia Jessie on playing a teen at 32
The breakout star of Netflix’s bonkbuster talks to Rebecca Reid about the new season’s prudery, Eloise’s sex life and why single female characters are often thought to be gay
Sport briefing: Wickets fall – PM’s gaffe – Defoe retires
Joe Root and Zak Crawley fell in quick succession on the opening day of the third Test against the West Indies. Follow England’s first innings in Grenada. Boris Johnson made a gaffe as he backed Ukraine to host Euro 2028 – despite the UK and Ireland having submitted a bid hours earlier. Meanwhile, Jermain Defoe has announced his immediate retirement from football less than two months after his signing for Sunderland hastened the departure of former Black Cats manager Lee Johnson.
Editor’s choice
-
Ambulance, review | Michael Bay, master of action and crass chauvinism, is back – hurrah!
-
I lost my ability to walk, then my husband | I was determined to fulfil my promise to him
-
Lanzarote package holiday | Frightfully un-middle class but the best time I’ve had in years
Business briefing: Consumers ‘ripped off’ at the pumps
The fuel duty cut is yet to be passed on at the pumps, raising pressure on retailers to cut prices immediately. In his Spring Statement, Rishi Sunak promised a 5p per litre cut to fuel duty and urged retailers to pass on the savings to customers as soon as possible. The changes to duty technically apply when retailers refill their oil supplies so could take several weeks to feed through to consumers. It comes as analysis shows seven in eight workers will see their taxes rise before the next election despite the Chancellor’s commitments to reduce the burden on households. Yet Mr Sunak has hinted that the Government could intervene further to protect families from soaring energy bills ahead of next winter.
Tonight starts now
Passive aggressive hot bed of middle class competition | As the weather warms up and the nights get longer, a run feels like a more appealing way to tone up before that summer beach holiday that will arrive before you know it. Organised running clubs like Parkrun have become increasingly popular but in the badlands outside Ipswich, a row has broken out. Read how the decision to ban dog harnesses is the latest step in the “fun” event’s journey to becoming something more sinister.
Three things for you
And finally… for this evening’s downtime
‘I feel guilty but I’m not going to stop driving it’ | While SUVs have, like all cars, become more fuel-efficient and planet-friendly, research shows they’re still not remotely good for the environment. As protesters target ‘Chelsea tractors’ again, Jack Rear examines whether it will be enough to put an end to outsized 4x4s.
