Britain | DD News

July 10, 2026 5:22 PM

Andy Burnham poised to become Britain’s next PM after most Labour lawmakers support him

Andy Burnham is on the brink of becoming Britain's next prime minister after an overwhelming show of support from Labour lawmakers left him all but certain to replace Keir Starmer. Burnham said he had received nominations from 322 out of the 403 Labour members of parliament on the first day of nominations on Thursday, leaving him one short of ensuring he can be the only candidate. "It's all starting to feel very real," Burnham said in a short video clip announcing he had nominated himself. Th...

July 5, 2026 10:24 AM

US VP Vance says Britain has been failed by leaders, hopes next PM delivers change

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Britain had been "failed by its leadership for a long time," adding that he hoped the country's next prime minister could deliver the structural change voters were seeking after years of political turmoil. In an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper, Vance said frequent changes of government pointed to deeper problems in British politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last month he would step down after two years in office, paving the way for Britai...

June 22, 2026 12:07 PM

Ten years on, Brexit disputes still hold back Britain’s reconciliation with EU

Ten years on from Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union, much of the rancour and vitriol between London and Brussels has gone. But the tensions that drove the historic rupture - over immigration and ideology - remain. Compounding that, the sides are now limited in how far they can go in rebuilding ties due to the advance of populist and far-right parties in Britain, France and Germany, despite the much more volatile world that confronts them today. Britain finally left the world's b...

June 9, 2026 9:36 PM

Britain, Canada, France and Norway announce coordinated sanctions over West Bank settler violence

Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced new coordinated sanctions on Tuesday against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move follows escalating violence by Israeli settlers, which diplomats say is intended to undermine prospects for a Palestinian state. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled among millions of Palestinians in land that Israel captured in a 1967 war. Nearly all countries and a range of U....

June 1, 2026 5:26 PM

Britain will not have to pay Rwanda millions over asylum deal, court rules

Britain will not have to pay Rwanda tens of millions of pounds over a canceled asylum deal, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said on Monday. The Hague-based body said it had rejected all financial claims made by Rwanda, which had argued Britain still needed to honour the terms of the deal which Prime Minister Keir Starmer cancelled in 2024. After taking office that year, Starmer scrapped the prior Conservative government's asylum plan, under which Rwanda would have been paid to take in migra...

May 4, 2026 12:34 PM

NATO’s Rutte says Europeans have ‘gotten message’ from Trump

European nations have "gotten the message" from U.S. President Donald Trump and are now ensuring that agreements on the use of military bases are being implemented, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday. Trump has accused some NATO nations of not doing enough to support the United States in the Iran war. In a further sign of his discontent with European allies, the U.S. announced on Friday plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. "Yes, there has been some disappointment from the...

April 22, 2026 5:25 PM

UK lawmakers approve lifetime smoking ban for today’s under-18s

Children in Britain who are 17 or younger, and anyone born in the future, will never be able to legally buy cigarettes after lawmakers approved new stricter restrictions on smoking. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill raises the legal age for buying tobacco by one year, every year, starting with people born on or after January 1, 2009, meaning affected age groups face a lifetime ban. The law, which is due to receive royal assent next week, also tightens controls on vaping, including banning sales of ...

April 15, 2026 9:56 PM

Finance ministers, stung by hit to economies, call for full Iran war ceasefire

Finance ministers from almost a dozen countries led by Britain called on the U.S., Israel and Iran to implement their ceasefire in full on Wednesday and said the conflict would weigh on the global economy and markets even if it was resolved soon. A joint statement, signed by the finance ministers from Australia, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Norway, Ireland, Poland and New Zealand as well as Britain, was agreed a day after the International Monetary Fund cut its global economi...

March 3, 2026 6:38 PM

UK yet to decide on sending warship to defend Cyprus base

Britain has yet to decide whether it will send a warship to defend its Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus, a source close to the matter said on Tuesday after the Times newspaper reported ministers had discussed such a deployment. An Iranian-made drone strike hit a runway at the Akrotiri base in the early hours of Monday. Britain has said UK assets were targeted by Iran. The Times report, citing three sources, said defence minister John Healey had a meeting on Tuesday with senior military ...

March 2, 2026 3:39 PM

Britain asks parents: Should social media be banned for under-16s?

Britain is seeking the views of parents and children on whether to ban access to social media for under-16s, as well as possible restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots. Governments worldwide are trying to limit the impact of social media and gaming on children's mental health and sleep, with parents feeling outpaced by platforms built to maximise the time young users spend online. Australia introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, and other gov...