NewsBeat
Donald Trump considers 10% tariff on China from February
US President Donald Trump has said he is considering imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods as soon as 1 February.
Trump said discussions with his administration were “based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.”
It followed threats by Trump to levy import taxes of 25% on Mexico and Canada, accusing them of allowing undocumented migrants and drugs to come into the US.
On his first day in office, the new president also instructed federal agencies to conduct a review of existing trade deals and identify unfair practices by US trading partners.
Government borrowing rose more than expected in December, hitting the highest level for the month for four years, official figures show.
Borrowing – the difference between spending and tax revenue – was £17.8bn last month, £10.1bn more than in December 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Spending on public services, benefits, and debt interest were all up on the year, the ONS said, while an increase tax take was offset by a cut to National Insurance by the previous government.
The increased borrowing comes after interest rates paid on government debt surged earlier this month before falling back.
The spike in borrowing costs has threatened the government’s economic plans, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing pressure after figures last week showed the UK economy had flatlined.
The government has said growing the economy is its main priority to boost living standards.
Last month, the interest charged on government debt was £8.3bn, which was £3.8bn more than it was the year before. The amount marked the third-highest December debt interest repayments since monthly records began in January 1997.
Following the release of the figures, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said the government would “root out waste to ensure every penny of taxpayer’s money is spent productively”.
“Economic stability is vital for our number one mission of delivering growth,” he added.
Politics
Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal threatening UK-US ‘special relationship’ as Trump to make verdict in DAYS
A key aide for Donald Trump has warned the surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will jeopardise the “special relationship” between the UK and US.
The decision to cede the islands has been described as “haphazard” by former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie.
It comes as Downing Street is hoping for a friendly start to the relationship between the new Trump regime and Sir Keir Starmer.
Wilkie, who is leading the current transition team within the Pentagon, told the BBC: “I think it was a calamitous decision, I don’t think there was much thought put into it. “
He added that President Trump considered the move to be “something that could impinge on that special relationship” between the two nations, and that the Diego Garcia military base, on the largest of the Islands, provides “leverage to project power”.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘”Given Diego Garcia’s status as a key strategic asset, it is right to discuss the agreement with the new US administration.”
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Cooper and Starmer pledge tougher checks to stop youngsters buying knives online
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivers a statement at 10 Downing Street in London,
PA
Online retailers will be forced to put in place tougher checks to stop youngsters buying knives after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it is “shockingly easy” for children to buy blades.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs it is a “a total disgrace” that Rudakubana, then 17, and with a history of violence, was able to buy a weapon online and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.
Writing in The Sun, Starmer said: “It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives. The lessons of this case could not be clearer. Time and again, as a child, the Southport murderer carried knives. Time and again, he showed clear intent to use them.
“And yet, tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off of the internet without any checks or barriers. A two-click killer. This cannot continue. The technology is there to set up age verification checks, even for kitchen knives ordered online.
“We must now use it to protect our children from future attack and I will ensure that this happens.”
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A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham.
The boy was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday, West Midlands Police said.
He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries, according to the force.
Police said the boy’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
The force said in a statement: “We are continuing to appeal for any information which could help in our investigation.
“We have set up our major incident public portal (MIPP) where members of the public can submit photos or video evidence.”
Police are asking anyone with information to use the MIPP or call 101 quoting log 3324 of January 21.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following the death of a 12-year-old boy who was stabbed in Hall Green, Birmingham on Tuesday.
The victim was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, shortly after 15:00 GMT.
He was taken to hospital but died as a result of his injuries.
West Midlands Police is appealing for information, as well as photo and video evidence.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal stabbing in Birmingham.
England wicketkeeper Amy Jones says the team’s “best cricket is yet to come” as they prepare to salvage some pride from the remainder of the Women’s Ashes.
Australia retained the Ashes at the earliest opportunity with a thumping 57-run win in the first T20 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which handed them an unassailable 8-0 lead in the points-based series.
Each white-ball match is worth two points and the hosts won the preceding one-day international series 3-0, with the second of three T20s taking place in Canberra on Thursday at 08:40 GMT.
Jones acknowledged the disappointment felt by the team and the fans, but remains confident that England they can win the remaining matches to finish the series with a draw.
“We still feel positive that we can put on a show and entertain and inspire you all,” Jones told BBC Sport.
“There’s been many moments where we could have won different games, which I guess makes it all the more frustrating.
“But we can absolutely draw from here. Our best cricket is yet to come and we’re all really excited about that.”
Jones reaffirmed England captain Heather Knight’s view that they are “not far off” beating Australia despite particularly heavy defeats in the most recent matches.
She also responded to criticism that the side have faced since the defeat in Sydney, after it emerged that spinner Sophie Ecclestone refused a television interview with pundit and former player Alex Hartley.
Hartley had questioned the fitness of some England players following the Women’s T20 World Cup in the autumn, which both coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight denied was a problem.
“I can only speak for myself, but I just don’t like to look at it (comments in the media), because I know that it could get to me and therefore it doesn’t serve me,” Jones said.
“It’s their job to criticise, and of course it has an important purpose in growing the sport, but I don’t think I need the outside noise.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a video call hours after Donald Trump was sworn in yesterday, pledging to bring bilateral ties to “greater heights”, according to state media on both sides.
Calling Xi a “dear friend”, Putin said Russia and China were building ties “on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support” despite external pressure.
Xi called on Putin to “continue deepening strategic coordination, firming up mutual support, and safeguarding legitimate interests”.
Trump on Tuesday threatened tariffs on Beijing, calling it “an abuser”, and warned that “big trouble” will come for Moscow if it does not strike a deal to end war in Ukraine.
Putin told Xi, however, that any Ukraine settlement “must respect Russian interests”, according to foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov who spoke to reporters after the call.
Beijing has been accused of building up Moscow’s war machine by providing it with critical components for the conflict in Ukraine.
Trade between both countries reached a record $240bn (£191bn) in 2023, up more than 64% since 2021 – before Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Putin and Xi confirmed readiness to build relations with the US on a mutually beneficial and respectful basis, if the Trump team shows an interest”, Ushakov said.
He also said, however, that the call was “not connected with Trump’s inauguration in any way”.
The call lasted about one-and-a-half hours, during which Putin and Xi also discussed the situations in the Middle East, South Korea and Taiwan, according to Ushakov.
Chinese state media said Xi also expressed readiness to work with Putin in response to “external uncertainties”, without mentioning specifics.
Xi held a phone call with Trump last week, which the US president described as a “very good” discussion for both countries. They spoke about trade, fentanyl and TikTok, among other things, he said.
Putin has yet to speak with Trump, but congratulated him on state television hours before the inauguration.
PA MediaThe Conservatives have called for the forthcoming public inquiry into the Southport murders to consider why the police, prosecutors and government did not make public more details about the killer last summer before his trial.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have both said the government could not have risked Axel Radukabana walking free by ignoring advice that publishing information could have jeopardised his trial.
But Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was likely an “information vacuum” had resulted in misinformation which “fuelled” the riots which followed the Southport attack.
He asked why the discovery of ricin and a copy of an al-Qaeda training manual in Radukabana’s house could not have been swiftly revealed.
Cooper said the government had wanted to make public that Radukabana had been referred to the counter-extremism programme Prevent, but could not because of legal advice.
Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder on 31 July, shortly after launching his attack which killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.
Within days, in early August, officers searching Rudakubana’s home found ricin and a file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad against the Tyrants, the Al Qaeda training manual”.
The government was kept up-to-date about the discovery. The BBC has been told the ricin was in a Tupperware box in his bedroom.
Police rarely give details of an ongoing investigation without what they describe as a “policing purpose”.
In this case, false rumours were spreading online about the killer, including that he had migrated to Britain.
Senior officers felt under pressure to reassure the public, and dispel some of the rumours about the suspect by making clear he was in fact British.
But after discovering the ricin and manual they did not immediately make this public.
The investigation continued, with searches taking weeks because of the need for teams to wear hazmat suits and take a break every 40 minutes.
As they prepared to announce the outcome to the investigation, senior police officers became frustrated that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was advising them to withhold many details they felt should be made public, due to false claims online.
The killer was not charged with production of a biological weapon, and possession of information likely to be useful for terrorism, until 29 October 2024.
Sources close to the handling of the case say police wanted to announce these charges and reveal the discovery of the ricin and manual 11 days earlier, on 18 October, but there was a hold-up as the CPS and the police negotiated over what could be said publicly.
A source said the CPS “put a load of red pen through the statement”.
Rudakubana was finally charged with the additional two offences on 29 October.
It was at this point, three months after the Southport attacks, that police made public for the first time that the ricin and manual had been found.
He was not charged with preparing for acts of terrorism, because under current laws this would involve finding evidence of a political motivation or ideology, and none had been found.
The prime minister suggested on Tuesday the laws defining terrorism might need to change to take account of lone attackers without a clear motivation.
Rudakubana has now pleaded guilty to all the charges he faced and will be sentenced on Thursday.
Normally the risk of jeopardising the case falls away once all charges have been decided, either by a plea, or a jury reaching a verdict.
Crime reporters attended a police and CPS-led briefing setting out the entire case – but on Monday, the CPS again decided the information should not be published, this time until after the sentencing.
Despite that, the prime minister and home secretary have both given details about the case in the Commons.
Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy official spokesperson told political reporters on Tuesday afternoon that the prime minister had “not strayed” into areas related to sentencing.
Yet the CPS insists it needs to protect the sentencing process due to take place on Thursday.
Nick Price, CPS director of legal services, said: “The next stage of the process is for the prosecution to present our full case to the court on Thursday – including relevant details of the defendant’s past – so the judge can consider all the evidence when passing sentence.
“This will be the point when the full details of this case will be heard by the public.
“We recognise the profound interest in these proceedings, and it is important the prosecution case is presented to the court so the facts can be determined which may inform the sentence handed down.”
The CPS has taken this position because it believes the judge is entitled to make factual findings about the case and must also determine what weight to attach to different aspects of the evidence.
However, the Crime Reporters Association, representing around 50 senior crime and home affairs correspondents, has written to the CPS raising concerns that the service is breaching a long-established principle that there is no legal risk in publishing material about a case after guilty pleas and before sentencing.
The CPS said in its response that the “independence of the judge must be respected”.
The mental health of the working-age population appears to be getting worse, with the number of NHS prescribed anti-depressants rising 32% in nine years.
Two teenage boys have been charged with rape, in Hampshire.
The incident is alleged to have taken place at Fordingbridge recreation ground on the evening of 17 January.
Hampshire Police said that both boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were from Fordingbridge and aged 14.
One, police said, had been charged with rape, threats to kill, possession of a knife in a public place and kidnap/falsely imprisoning a person with intent to commit a relevant sexual offence.
The second has been charged with rape, threats to kill and kidnap.
A third boy, aged 13 from Romsey, was released on conditional bail pending further police inquiries.
Both defendants have been sent to appear at Southampton Youth Court.
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A force spokesperson said: “Police were called at 10.41pm on Friday January 17, however the incident is suspected to have occurred earlier in the evening.
“The girl continues to be supported by specialist officers.”
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