NewsBeat
MPs meet to scrutinise assisted dying bill for first time
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The crucial committee which will scrutinise the assisted dying bill was told to be “civil and courteous” as members met for the first time ahead of expert evidence hearings at the end of January.
The 23-member committee has a majority of MPs who are supportive of assisted dying, including two government ministers Stephen Kinnock and Sarah Sackman.
The MPs, who will test the proposed legislation line by line, met on Tuesday to set out the timetable for the inquiry process.
The meeting started with a disagreement between parliamentarians over whether the session, which would consider the suitability of witnesses to future hearings, should take place in private. Committee chairman Sir Roger Gale had to remind MPs to be nice to each other as “we are going to spend quite a lot of time together”.
MPs then voted for the meeting to be held in private. The bill, which will support terminally ill adults to end their own lives, has received initial backing from MPs but still has some way to go before it becomes law.
A number of amendments to the bill have already been submitted for MPs to consider. These include additional safeguards against people with severe anorexia seeking help to end their lives, and a clause to stop illnesses that can be managed or controlled through treatment from being classed as terminal.
MPs have also suggested a change to the bill that would require the doctor who approves the assisted death to have undertaken training on domestic abuse, including coercive control and financial abuse.
A number of MPs have also proposed a timetable for evidence hearings to run from the end of January until 6 February. The proposal, brought by member of the committee Danny Kruger, suggests a number of experts; including Sir Max Hill, the former director of public prosecutions, Baroness Hale, the former president of the Supreme Court, and Sir James Munby, the former president of the family division of the High Court.
A number of doctors from the US, Australia and Canada have also been suggested as expert witnesses to the committee.
However Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the historic bill, had proposed a different selection of witnesses, which Mr Kruger said he had serious concerns about.
He told Tuesday’s hearing that eight witnesses were proposed from abroad, but all of them were proponents of assisted dying, likewise there were no lawyers proposed as witnesses who are against the bill. “There is nobody from deaf or disabled people’s organisations”, Mr Kruger added.
Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the historic bill, has said she is “very open” to hearing how safeguards can be strengthened. She said some 40 people have been invited to give evidence to the committee.
She said this was “unprecedented for a private member’s bill and goes beyond what might typically happen with a government bill of a similar length”.
Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, who sits on the committee, said she will look to close a potential loophole in the bill that might allow people with severe eating disorders to end their lives.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has raised concerns the wording of the bill could cover anorexia, saying: “Its effects in severe cases could be deemed by some as a terminal physical illness, even though eating disorders are treatable conditions and recovery is possible even after decades of illness.”
Ms Olney claimed her amendment, which would replace an assessment of capacity with a test of ability, would safeguard those suffering from anorexia. She said: “My amendment would replace capacity with a functional test of ability and it will ensure that only those who can fully understand the nature of their decision can choose an assisted death. This key safeguard will, for example, protect those suffering from eating disorders.”
The committee is made up of 14 MPs who voted in favour of the bill and nine who voted against it.
The Independent revealed medically qualified MPs who opposed assisted dying were among those rejected for inclusion on the crucial committee.
These included qualified psychiatrist Dr Ben Spencer, meaning the three medically qualified MPs on the committee are all supportive of assisted dying.
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Britain is set to be battered by winds of up to 90mph from Storm Eowyn as the Met Office warned of a danger to life in parts of the country over the next few days.
Very strong winds are forecast to strike the north of England, south of Scotland and North Wales.
The forecaster issued an amber warning of wind from 6am to 9pm on Friday across the north of England, south of Scotland and North Wales.
There is also a yellow warning of wind for the north of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the south of England and the midlands.
“Storm Eowyn is expected to bring very strong winds and widespread disruption on Friday,” a Met Office spokesperson said.
“There is a chance that damage to buildings and homes could occur, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.
“Injuries and danger to life could occur from flying debris, as well as large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.”
Meteorologists said the strongest winds of up to 90mph were likely to be found along the more exposed coastal areas, while gusts are expected inland of between 60mph and 70mph.
The change to conditions is being caused by a powerful jet stream pushing low pressure across the Atlantic and towards the UK, following a recent cold spell over North America.
The forecaster advised securing loose items outside homes, including bins, garden furniture, trampolines and sheds, and gathering torches and batteries in case of any power cut.
Those travelling in this “disruptive spell of weather” are urged to be cautious, as road, rail, airports and ferries are likely to be affected.
Another area of low pressure could bring further wet and very windy weather across the UK by Sunday.
There is the potential for further weather warnings over the weekend and throughout next week, the Met Office added.
Meanwhile, the entire island of Ireland will be under weather warnings due to Storm Eowyn.
The Republic of Ireland’s forecasting agency issued a nationwide Status Orange wind warning for between 2am and 5pm on Friday.
The UK Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland due to Storm Eowyn.
Politics
Labour told to ‘hang their heads in shame’ as Lee Anderson lashes out over Axel Rudakubana ‘cover-up’
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has accused Labour politicians of orchestrating a “cover-up” over the Southport attack, saying they should “hang their heads in shame”.
Speaking on GB News, Anderson claimed the public had suspected terror links from the start, while politicians at Westminster denied them.
He praised Nigel Farage for demanding immediate answers about the case last summer.
The MP suggested the riots in the North West could have been “nipped in the bud” if authorities had been more forthcoming with information.
Lee Anderson blasted politicians in a furious rant
GB NEWS
“The great British public deserve to know the truth and there has been a cover-up,” Anderson told GB News viewers.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer yesterday admitted he had “withheld” information about Axel Rudakubana’s terrorist links but denied being part of a cover-up.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in the Southport knife attack in July 2024PASpeaking at an emergency press conference, he acknowledged being “kept up to date with the facts” by police and prosecutors.
The Prime Minister insisted revealing crucial details about the killer’s fascination with terrorism could have prejudiced his trial.
“It was not my personal decision to withhold this information. That is the law of the land and it is in place to protect the integrity of the system,” Starmer said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper backed this position, saying ministers could not ignore legal advice about contempt of court.
Lee Anderson spoke on GB News
GB NEWS
The Crime Reporters Association (CRA) has complained to the Director of Public Prosecutions about the Crown Prosecution Service attempting to “gag” Merseyside Police.
The CRA said officers were instructed to “stay silent” about the case as riots broke out last summer.
According to the association, the CPS tried to prevent officers from revealing details about Rudakubana’s background, which might have prevented false rumours fuelling unrest.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the failure to be transparent created a vacuum where dangerous misinformation took hold online.
“There could have been more openness and transparency … without prejudicing the trial,” Philp said.
Anderson drew direct comparisons to previous terror incidents, claiming there was a double standard in how information was handled.
“Jo Cox we had that instant and PC Palmer. These were all incidents that were stated as terror-related within 24 hours and it didn’t influence proceedings,” he told GB News.
The Reform UK MP accused Westminster politicians of hypocrisy in their approach to the Southport case.
His comments came as Starmer warned that Britain now faces new threats from “loners and misfits” radicalised by online violence, different from traditional organised terrorist groups.
Police say a 28-year-old man from Afghanistan has been arrested suspected of carrying out the attack.
With Democrats poised to deliver an early immigration victory to President Donald Trump, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus split over how to approach the issue in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning.
Some discussed using Democrats’ limited political leverage under unified GOP rule: Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) floated conditioning Democratic support for a debt-limit increase on protections for Dreamers — undocumented migrants brought to the U.S. as children.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), meanwhile, debated how to respond to hard-line Republican-led immigration bills — such as the Laken Riley Act, which has attracted Democratic support and is poised to pass Congress Wednesday. Two people familiar with the meeting were granted anonymity to describe the private conversations.
Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the need for her party to develop a winning strategy and better messaging to respond to the Republican bills and prevent swing-district lawmakers from having to break party ranks.
But Sanchez, who leads the caucus’ political arm, said progressive members’ messaging efforts weren’t working and said that Democrats were at risk of losing the larger battle over immigration policy as a result.
It was the latest manifestation of an intense debate that has racked Democrats since the 2024 elections, where many blamed immigration and border issues for swinging the presidential and congressional results to Republicans.
The Laken Riley Act was only the first of numerous tough-on-immigration bills that Republicans are likely to bring to the House floor. Dozens of Democrats have broken ranks so far, much to the dismay of many Hispanic Caucus members who are watching the party move to the center on its issue — including, they fear, its leaders.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stopped by the Hispanic Caucus meeting, the people familiar said.
Coming out of the broader House Democratic Caucus meeting earlier in the morning, Jeffries said Democrats were “unified in the position that we want to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system in a bipartisan and comprehensive manner.”
Hispanic Caucus chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) called the meeting an “informative discussion” about members’ positions and said, “we all agree that the situation at the border needs to be stronger but that we also recognize that Dreamers, farmworkers and families must be protected.”
“We are all united on this,” he said, adding that included Jeffries.
Democratic lawmakers have broadly emphasized to leadership in the wake of the election there needs to be a cohesive message from the party on immigration. But the particulars of that has been tricky, with Republicans eager to put them on the spot by holding votes on bills that would, for instance, require the detention of many migrants accused of crimes.
Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) was among those calling for a more forceful response to the GOP legislation.
“I think we need to stand firm, as we’ve done on other causes in the Democratic caucus,” he said. “While we firm up a position on immigration policy in general as we plan forward, it’s important to push back on efforts like this, because if not, then you cede the ground to all kinds of other falsehoods that are to come.”
Some other lawmakers, however, said there had to be some recognition of political reality.
“I think each member has to have a response based on what’s in the best interest of their district,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.). And he took a longer view of their response to Trump: “It’s not a sprint, it’s a two-year marathon.”
2025 is Britain’s last chance to avoid a long-term migration catastrophe of Boris Johnson’s making, a leading think tank has warned.
Back in March 2021, Boris Johnson’s Home Secretary Priti Patel introduced the “New Plan for Immigration” to the Commons.
A few months later, the Office for National Statistics announced that 332,000 non-EU migrants had arrived in Britain between June 2020 and June of that year.
A few years later, 1,034,000 non-EU migrants arrived in Britain over the same June-to-June period. A more than 200 per cent increase.
Damning data shows a sharp spike in non-EU migration immediately after Johnson and Patel’s ‘new plan’
UK GOVERNMENT
Patel had hailed what she called a “significant overhaul of our asylum system”. It was “new, comprehensive, fair, but firm”.
She had promised “new rules to stop unscrupulous people posing as children”, a beefed-up Border Force, and “rapid removals” of “those with no right to be here in the UK”.
With Brexit having been delivered, and EU free movement no longer foisted upon the UK, Westminster could now look further afield. At the time, that was Hong Kong, as dissidents to Xi Jinping’s regime found themselves unexpectedly crushed under China’s boot in the former British dependent territory.
Leaving the EU would let Britain be “immigration liberals”, wrote James Forsythe, future Political Secretary to future Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with Hongkongers in mind.
He had written that the issue on the minds of many Brexit-backers “was control, not immigration levels, per se”.
READ MORE ON BRITAIN’S MIGRATION CHAOS:
Leaving the EU would let Britain be ‘immigration liberals’, wrote James Forsythe
GETTY/THE TIMES
Then, in May 2022 – and midway through an unprecedented surge in arrivals from outside the EU – the Johnson Government’s interpretation of the Australian ‘points-based system’ was accused of having “significantly weakened control” over Britain’s borders.
Those numbers would keep climbing until 2024, the ONS says, and they’re now expected to drop.
That surge has been branded by some as the “Boriswave” – a term which found its origins on social media, and has since made its way to think tanks and political parties alike. On December 29, Reform UK officially adopted the term in a scathing attack on Johnson’s non-European migration surge.
Proponents of the term will argue Johnson and his Government directly oversaw – and allowed the conditions for – millions of non-EU nationals to come to Britain.
And now, with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) open to most of those who arrived via the Work or Family visa route after five years, Britain faces a “ticking clock“.
That’s the warning of Sam Bidwell, of the Adam Smith Institute, who calls for an immediate reform of ILR rules to “limit the long-term harms of the so-called ‘Boriswave’”, which will start being handed ILR for life from early 2026.
The surge in non-EU migration has been branded by some as the ‘Boriswave’
PA
That will give the “Boriswave” the right to taxpayer-funded state benefits, the ability to use the NHS free-of-charge, and the chance to bring in family members – a “cascade of dependents”, as Bidwell put it.
Britain’s system “was not designed to cope with long-term settlement at such scale and pace,” he warns.
Even if Labour manages to deliver 1.5 million new homes between now and 2029, the scale of the non-EU migration wave is such that that tally could be wiped out entirely.
If such a large amount of people are, in fact, here to stay, the consequences could be dire.
Bidwell himself butted heads with ex-Spectator editor Fraser Nelson just days ago after the latter penned an article in The Telegraph headlined: “Britain’s integration miracle is a beacon of hope amid instability.”
Nelson had argued that Britishness – part of which the “Boriswave” could soon comprise – is “a set of values that anyone can adopt”.
But under Johnson and Patel’s “new plan”, the UK has imported millions of people who, as Bidwell says, are “less culturally compatible” than the EU migrants who came before.
He points to damning statistics on integration, like how 52 per cent of British Muslims would support making it illegal to depict the Prophet Mohammed, or how Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in the UK are less employed and take up more social housing than national averages.
Bidwell also casts off “oft-cited figures about Indian high-earners” as a “misrepresentative statistical fudge” directly due to the “Boriswave”.
Thanks to the recent influx of Indian nationals (240,000 in the last year alone, according to the ONS), the median Indian (aged 22-40) now earns less than the national average.
The difficulty of integration may not be so obvious to “the Westminster bubble”, as Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe pointed out on social media.
For them, “integration means cheap labour and exotic food”, but “out in proper Britain, integration has largely not worked”, he says.
“On such a vast scale, it has been an undeniable failure.”
Bidwell’s ILR plans were written before the reemergence of Britain’s grooming gangs scandal – which has thrust mass migration into the spotlight once again.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick warned that some of those who have migrated to the UK in recent years have “backward, frankly medieval attitudes to women” – adding that “we have to be very careful about who is coming into this country”.
‘Integration has largely not worked… it has been an undeniable failure,’ Rupert Lowe has warned
GETTY
But Jenrick was Rishi Sunak’s Immigration Minister for more than a year – and oversaw part of the “Boriswave”.
The Tory leadership runner-up shifted from campaigning for Remain in 2016 to his new role as a migration hardliner – which one former Minister blamed on his stint in the Home Office.
Before that, “he was seen as sensible, pragmatic and fairly centrist,” a former Minister told the i last summer.
“He was very good as the Communities Secretary, but he seems to have been radicalised by his time in the Home Office,” they added.
That’s the same Home Office which Sam Bidwell has previously accused of falling victim to “performative empathy“.
Jenrick has been vocal on mass immigration post-leadership bid – sparking fury from ex-Johnson adviser Samuel Kasumu, who claimed to the BBC that he could be “the most divisive person in our political history” and “has the potential to incite hatred in ways that I have never seen”.
But he issued a stark warning last November. “Some parts of our country are unrecognisable from 30 years ago,” Jenrick said.
And, of course, there’s the fiscal impact too.
Robert Jenrick was ‘radicalised by his time in the Home Office’, one former Minister told the i
PA
“According to figures produced by the OBR, the average ‘low-wage migrant worker’ will cost the British taxpayer £465,000 by the time they reach 81 years of age,” Bidwell’s policy recommendation warns.
“According to analysis conducted by Karl Williams, from the Centre for Policy Studies, just 5 per cent of all visas in 2022-23 were given to high-skilled migrants who are likely to be net contributors,” he adds.
Pockets of social media aside, Johnson has largely evaded criticism for overseeing the introduction of so many fiscally harmful and culturally “incompatible” migrants to Britain.
Asked why, Bidwell told GB News: “He still carries a lot of capital with a certain sort of Brexit voter… because he was the face of Vote Leave.
“He has managed to escape scrutiny because many of those voters – particularly older voters in that cohort – will see him as the man who got Brexit done.”
Johnson has escaped scrutiny because voters ‘see him as the man who got Brexit done’
PA
The former PM now “enjoys a kind of comfortable martyrdom” despite the “Boriswave” because “one might argue that he was arguing for an anti-immigration cause”, he added.
Integrating the “wave” will be “a lengthy and difficult process”, Bidwell says.
The solution? Triple the ILR threshold to 15 years.
Britain should put safeguards in place to ensure that “high-quality, compatible” migrants from countries such as the US, Australia, and Canada continue coming to Britain.
And if Labour doesn’t have the mettle, a future Government could one day revoke ILR status from existing holders by amending Section 76 of the Nationality, Immigration, and Asylum Act 2002.
Such a move would doubtless prove unpalatable to the current Government, despite its promises to stem the flow of migration – and even then, only illegal migration.
As Bidwell says, “it seems unlikely” that Labour would do such a thing.
“However”, he adds, “this fact alone does not mean that the British people need to live with the mistakes of the past few years for decades to come”.
NewsBeat
Rupert Murdoch’s publishers pay more than £1bn and counting after latest Prince Harry settlement
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Rupert Murdoch’s UK publishing business has paid out more than £1bn over the phone-hacking scandal and its subsequent legal fees, with the latest settlement involving Prince Harry reported to be at least £10m.
On Wednesday morning, the Duke of Sussex’s barrister announced that News Group Newspapers (NGN) had offered an “unequivocal apology” and agreed to pay substantial damages.
According to royal correspondent Chris Ship, these amounted to an “eight-figure” sum, marking a significant addition to the total.
The payout follows years of legal battles stemming from allegations of unlawful information-gathering by journalists and private investigators working for NGN’s titles.
Harry and Lord Tom Watson, former Labour deputy leader, were the final remaining claimants in the case against NGN, which denied the allegations, after many high-profile figures – including actor Hugh Grant – had already settled similar claims.
By 2021, it was widely reported that NGN had already spent over £1bn in damages to 1,300 people, including legal fees.
Since then, Murdoch’s company has reached settlement agreements with 39 additional individuals, culminating in today’s high-profile settlement with the Duke of Sussex.
Between July and December last year, the 39 individuals who reached settlements with NGN included among their cast the actor Hugh Grant, who resolved his claim in April after being warned he risked £10m in legal costs if his case went to trial.
Other high-profile individuals who settled included actress Sienna Miller, former footballer Paul Gascoigne, comedian Catherine Tate, radio presenter Chris Moyles, Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, ex-Boyzone member Shane Lynch, and actor Mathew Horne.
For Prince Harry, however, the financial compensation was arguably secondary to the “full and unequivocal apology” issued by The Sun for its use of private investigators, and by the now-defunct News of the World for phone hacking.
NGN also apologised to the duke for “the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life, as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, particularly during his younger years.”
Speaking outside the High Court in London, Harry’s barrister, David Sherborne, described the agreements as a “vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling.”
He added: “After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers – including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and legal costs, as well as paying off those in the know to prevent the full picture from coming out – News UK is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law.”
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, an NGN spokesperson clarified that the apology to Harry included “incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011.”
The spokesperson added: “There are strong controls and processes in place at all our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now. There was no voicemail interception on The Sun.”
They also addressed publicly made allegations that News International had destroyed evidence in 2010-2011, stating that these claims “would have been the subject of significant challenge at trial” and “continue to be strongly denied.”
The Trump administration has expanded the process to swiftly deport undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have lived in the US continuously for two years or more.
US border agents have been told to summarily deport migrants without allowing them to request legal protection, according to internal documents obtained by CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
The US has also moved to cancel all refugee travel and processing, leaving thousands stranded as they wait to come to the US.
Trump has promised mass deportations and declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border that he says will allow the government to deploy troops and surge additional resources.
Trump has signed a flurry of immigration and border-related actions and decrees this week aimed at cracking down on immigration.
The orders include tackling the definition of birthright citizenship and declaring illegal immigration at the border a national emergency.
A notice posted on the website of the Federal Register says the expedited removal policy took effect on the evening of 21 January.
The policy, which has traditionally been limited to undocumented migrants detained within 100 miles (160km) of the country’s international borders, now allows officers to use it anywhere in the US.
“The effect of this change will be to enhance national security and public safety – while reducing government costs – by facilitating prompting immigration determinations,” the notice reads.
It adds that the change will allow the Department of Homeland Security to address “the large volume of aliens” in the US illegally and ensure the “prompt removal…of those not entitled to enter, remain, or be provided relief or protection”.
The expanded policy could be challenged in court.
Until now, “unauthorised” immigrants detained in the US were given a notice to appear in immigration court, where they could present their case for asylum.
Deportation proceedings typically couldn’t begin until a judge issued a decision.
But earlier this week, Trump cited an immigration law – 212(f) – that allows the president to suspend the entry of foreign nationals deemed “detrimental” to the US.
Citing internal documents and US officials, CBS has reported that the policy also applies to the US border with Canada and to Customs and Border Protection’s maritime sectors, such as Florida.
The separate order to stop refugee travel and processing comes just days after Trump signed an executive order suspending the US’s Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), saying America “lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans”.
It halts USRAP until “further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States”, the order says.
More than 1,600 Afghans who had already been approved to come to the US have had their travel plans cancelled, prompting an advocacy group, Afghan USRAP Refugees, to pen an open letter to President Trump.
More than 3,000 other Afghan nationals are waiting in Albania to be resettled in the US.
In another significant departure from the Biden administration’s immigration policies announced on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security has rescinded existing guidelines that prevent immigration officers from entering “sensitive” areas such as schools.
In a statement, DHS said that the guidelines “thwart” law enforcement.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens – including murderers and rapists – who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesman said.
The spokesman added that “the Trump administration will not tie the hands” of law enforcement, and expects them to “use common sense.”
A two-year-old boy and 41-year-old man have been killed while two others were injured in a stabbing incident in the southern German state of Bavaria.
A man, described by police as a 28-year-old Afghan national, has been arrested following the knife attack in a park in Aschaffenburg on Wednesday.
Police said the two seriously injured people were receiving hospital treatment and that a cordon remained in place in the area around the scene.
Officers have said the motive for the attack is currently unclear.
Near the crime scene in Aschaffenburg.
Pic: DPA/AP
The suspect, who had followed a day care group of five small children, was detained at the scene in Schoental park, an English-style garden in the Bavarian city, where the attack occurred at around 11.45am local time.
Train services in the town were temporarily interrupted as the suspect tried to flee along the tracks, German news agency dpa reported.
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Pic: DPA/AP
However, he was quickly detained, police said.
A witness is being questioned, police added. They said there was no indication of further suspects and no danger to the public.
Police said they did not know the nationality of the two people who were killed and they did not release any details about those injured.
Germany has been hit by a string of violent attacks, including a car ramming into a crowd at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in December, killing six people and injuring about 200.
NewsBeat
Vladimir Putin warned after Royal Navy tracks ‘spy’ ship that entered UK waters for second time in months | UK News
A Russian “spy” ship has been monitored by the Royal Navy after it entered UK waters earlier this week, the defence secretary has said – as he issued a warning to President Vladimir Putin.
The vessel, called Yantar, has been used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure, John Healey told MPs.
The UK and its NATO allies are increasingly concerned about the risk that President Putin‘s country poses to offshore cables, pipelines and other infrastructure.
Trump issues Putin ultimatum on ending Ukraine war – latest updates
Defence Secretary John Healey. Pic: PA
Mr Healey said Yantar entered the “UK exclusive economic zone about 45 miles off the British coast” on Monday.
He said that for the last two days, the Royal Navy has deployed Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset and patrol ship HMS Tyne to “monitor the vessel every minute through our waters”.
In a direct message to Mr Putin, he said: “We see you, we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”
Navy rules of engagement changed
The defence secretary said he changed the navy’s rules of engagement so “our warships can get closer and better track the Yantar”.
He said the ship “has complied with international rules of navigation” and has since sailed into the North Sea.
Russia has said Yantar is an oceanographic research ship which is operated by its defence ministry.
Second incident in months
Mr Healey told the House of Commons it was the second time Yantar had entered British waters in recent months, after it was detected in November “loitering over critical undersea infrastructure”.
RFA Proteus monitoring Russian ship Yanter in November 2024. Pic: Royal Navy/PA
Back then, a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine was used to warn off the “spy” ship.
Mr Healey added: “I authorised a Royal Navy submarine, strictly as a deterrent measure, to surface close to Yantar to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move.
“The ship then left UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean.”
‘Monitoring its every move’
RAF maritime patrol aircraft, minehunter HMS Cattistock, offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne and surveillance ship RFA Proteus were also deployed “to shadow Yantar’s every movement”.
Mr Healey added: “I authorised a Royal Navy submarine, strictly as a deterrent measure, to surface close to Yantar to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move.
“The ship then left UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean.”
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Mr Healey warned: “Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat to Britain, and I want to assure the House and the British people that any threat will be met with strength and resolve.”
P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint spy planes will join the NATO operation to protect undersea cabling in the Baltic Sea, while RFA Proteus has also been deployed to monitor offshore infrastructure.
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