Guardian UK Politics
Defence secretary reveals UK navy foiled secret Russian submarine operation in North Sea – UK politics live
The UK's Royal Navy successfully forced Russia to abandon a covert submarine operation in the North Sea, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed — a rare public acknowledgment of ongoing underwater confrontations between NATO allies and Russian forces. The month-long operation underscores the heightened military tensions playing out beneath the surface of European waters. Meanwhile, questions are mounting over whether a Russian warship is actively escorting sanctioned oil tankers through the English Channel, ships that are helping finance Moscow's war in Ukraine.
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Starmer says talks with Gulf leaders have reinforced sense Iran war ceasefire is ‘fragile’ – UK politics live
Keir Starmer's meetings with Gulf leaders have left him warning that the Iran ceasefire remains dangerously precarious, raising fresh concerns about regional stability. The diplomatic engagements come as a separate security standoff unfolds in the English Channel, where sanctioned Russian oil tankers — funding Moscow's war in Ukraine — are reportedly being escorted by a Russian warship. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper refused to confirm the incident, despite the UK having recently authorised the military to board such vessels in British waters.
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UK navy foiled Russian submarines surveying undersea cables, defence minister says
British forces successfully disrupted a Russian submarine operation targeting undersea cable infrastructure in the North Sea, forcing Moscow to abandon the mission after a month-long Royal Navy surveillance effort. Defence Secretary John Healey revealed the operation involved a warship and P8 maritime patrol aircraft working in tandem to track and monitor the vessels. The disclosure underscores growing Western concerns about Russian sabotage threats to critical subsea infrastructure following a string of suspicious cable incidents across Europe.
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British crypto billionaire Ben Delo says he has given £4m to Reform UK
Ben Delo, a British crypto billionaire pardoned by Donald Trump after pleading guilty to violating US banking law, has donated £4 million to Reform UK since the start of 2025. The contribution makes Delo one of the party's most significant backers, arriving just before a government cap on overseas donations took effect. Delo, who frames the gift as a stand for free speech, adds substantial financial firepower to Nigel Farage's insurgent political operation.
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Ten years after Brexit, this is the UK: a divided nation frozen in time | Aditya Chakrabortty
A decade on from the Brexit referendum, new research shows British political identity has calcified along Leave/Remain lines rather than traditional party allegiances — and the divisions show no sign of healing. Where voters once defined themselves by red or blue, many now cling to referendum-era tribes that have outlasted their original purpose. The findings paint a portrait of a democracy stuck in 2016, unable to move past a single vote that reshaped the national psyche.
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