US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of the UK government over its response to the Iran conflict, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the country would not be drawn into the wider war. Trump told reporters on Monday he was not happy with the UK, adding it should be involved enthusiastically in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - a vital oil shipping channel . He later told a press conference there were some countries that greatly disappointed me before he singled out the UK, which he said had been considered the Rolls-Royce of allies. Trump's remarks came after Sir Keir said the UK was working with allies on a viable, collective plan to reopen the strait. Sir Keir also said the UK already had minehunters in the region but there was no decision yet on what action would be taken.

Starmer'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaigner A leading campaigner has accused the prime minister of appeasing big tech companies and being late to the party in regulating social media and artificial intelligence. Crossbench peer Baroness Kidron told the BBC Sir Keir Starmer needed to get on with it rather than launching more consultations. She also criticised the PM for citing his own experience as a father of two teenage children on social media, arguing that this did not make him an expert on the subject and that his family were sheltered compared to others. The government rejected the claims, with a spokesperson saying it had already introduced some of the strongest online safety protections in the world. Sir Keir has launched a consultation on banning under-16s from social media and promised to crackdown on the addictive elements of the apps.

US President Donald Trump was right to re-establish links with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to set up peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, a senior Labour minister has said. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said there could be "no negotiated peace without Russia" and that Trump's approach had brought "Russians to the table". The US president has faced a backlash for excluding Ukraine from talks after his aides met Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week. Trump has also suggested Ukraine may be a bystander, saying it has "no cards" in the deal. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet Trump in Washington this week and press for Ukraine to be "at the heart" of any peace talks.

During his speech, Sir Keir emphasised that his government would take a more aggressive approach to the development of AI than the European Union has. Major tech companies have previously criticised the EU's approach claiming that it hinders growth and hampers innovation. Under the AI Act introduced by the EU last August, systems considered "high-risk", in critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, law enforcement, border management or elections, will have to comply with strict requirements set out by lawmakers. Sir Keir says the UK would "go our own way on this", and would regulate in a way that was "pro-growth and pro-innovation". And while the prime minister said he backed the AI Safety Institute set up by the last government, he suggested the Conservatives may have adopted an overbearing approach to AI safety.

Sir Keir set the G7 growth target in early 2023, more than a year before his party returned to power at July's general election. Earlier this month, he announced an additional target to improve living standards, leading to some accusations he was moving the goalposts on what he wanted his government to be judged by. But in his first appearance before the liaison committee of senior MPs since entering Downing Street, Sir Keir insisted he was still committed to getting the UK growing faster other G7 members, which include the US, Germany and Japan, by 2029. When it was pointed out to him that economic forecasts suggested this was not going to happen, he said they had not taken some future policy changes into account. He cited a rise to the legal minimum wage, announced at October's Budget, as an example of how ministers were boosting living standards.

Three milestones are for England - more housebuilding and planning reform, speeding up how long it takes to get a routine NHS operation, and improving pre-school education. There will also be a greener energy target for the UK and for putting more police on the beat in England and Wales. "My government was elected to deliver change, and today marks the next step. People are tired of being promised the world, but short-term sticking plaster politics letting them down," Sir Keir will say. "My mission-led government will deliver." Insiders I talk too are pretty sanguine about the prospect of this being seen by critics as a re-launch.