Newslinks for Thursday 19th February 2026

Trump ‘prepares for Iran strikes’ and warns Starmer not to give away Chagos Islands

“Donald Trump has demanded Sir Keir Starmer “not give away” Diego Garcia in a fresh attack on his Chagos Islands deal. The US president warned the Prime Minister that he was making a “big mistake” by entering into a 100-year lease with Mauritius. It is the latest in a series of about-turns from the president on the deal, which he previously called an act of “great stupidity” before giving it approval earlier this month. Mr Trump said Diego Garcia, the shared US base, was crucial for possible air strikes on Iran, which experts predict could take place within days, despite peace talks.” – Daily Telegraph

• Trump pulls support for Chagos Islands deal – The Times
• Trump renews attack on Starmer’s plan to cede UK ownership of Chagos Islands – FT
• Brits evicted from sovereign territory 6,000 miles from home – The Sun
• Trump ‘identifies timeline for strike on Iran’ – Daily Mail
• President sends fighter jet squadron to ‘kick the door down’ in Iran – Daily Telegraph
• Trump’s Chagos rant means he’s preparing to bomb Iran – Daily Telegraph
• And Trump prepares to unleash ‘weeks-long blitz on Iran within days’ – The Sun
• British couple jailed by Iran for 10 years, family says – BBC News
• Obama thought Trump was a joke – Daily Telegraph

Comment

Starmer ‘not being honest’ on defence spending, say ex-military chiefs

“Sir Keir Starmer is not being honest with the British public over defence spending, former military chiefs have claimed. In a damning open letter, retired heads of the Army and Navy and an ex-MI6 boss warned the Prime Minister that the Armed Forces had been “hollowed out by years of chronic underfunding”. They said that instead of receiving more money because of Labour’s planned increase in defence spending, funding pressures such as pay rises for servicemen and high inflation meant the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was being forced to make cuts. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is locked in talks with the MoD, which is demanding more money to cover the estimated £28bn shortfall in its budget.” – Daily Telegraph

• Double defence spending or face war, Starmer warned – The Times
• Reeves just gaslit millions of Brits – and made voting Tory an option again – Daily Express
• Reeves to do ‘as little as possible’ in Spring Statement despite pressure to spend – Daily Telegraph
• Retail chiefs warn of fresh job losses as Labour prices people out of work – Daily Telegraph

Comment

Tech firms must remove ‘revenge porn’ in 48 hours, warns PM

“Deepfake nudes and “revenge porn” must be removed from the internet within 48 hours or technology firms risk being blocked in the UK, Keir Starmer has said, calling it a “national emergency” that the government must confront. Companies could be fined millions or even blocked altogether if they allow the images to spread or be reposted after victims give notice. Amendments will be made to the crime and policing bill to also regulate AI chatbots such as X’s Grok, which generated nonconsensual images of women in bikinis or in compromising positions until the government threatened action against Elon Musk’s company.” – Guardian

• Zuckerberg insists Meta does not target children in landmark trial – Daily Telegraph

Attacks on Romeo ‘driven by misogynistic jealousy’

“A vicious briefing war has broken out over the imminent appointment of Dame Antonia Romeo as cabinet secretary after her allies accused Foreign Office mandarins of “misogynistic” briefings against her. Romeo’s supporters accused Foreign Office officials of orchestrating a briefing campaign against her in an attempt to derail Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to appoint her as the first female head of the civil service. Her appointment is expected as early as next week but has triggered a backlash from current and former senior civil servants. Foreign Office sources hit back at her allies, dismissing accusations that the department’s officials were behind the briefing campaign against Romeo as “nonsense”. – The Times

• Mandelson ‘fuelled whisper campaign’ against Sunday Times – The Times

Starmer blames councils for scrapping elections

“Sir Keir Starmer has blamed councils for the cancellation of local elections. The Government had justified the delays by claiming that a looming reorganisation of 30 local authorities would have made elections expensive, complicated and unnecessary. However, Labour was accused of disenfranchising voters to avoid a wipeout by Reform UK and the Greens on May 7. The policy was reversed following The Telegraph’s Campaign for Democracy, which called for the delayed elections to go ahead. Asked about the reversal on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “I think it’s important to remind ourselves that the decision to cancel was a locally-led decision in the sense that each authority could decide.” – Daily Telegraph

Comment

• If Starmer is ousted, Labour could still win the next election. Here’s how that would work – Larry Elliott, Guardian

>Today:

>Yesterday:

BBC argues Trump failed to prove defamation

“Donald Trump failed to show the BBC defamed him in its edit of his Jan 6 speech, the broadcaster said in its argument for his lawsuit to be thrown out. Mr Trump sued the BBC in December seeking $5bn (£4bn) in damages for defamation after The Telegraph revealed a Panorama documentary had edited the speech he gave to his supporters before they stormed the US Capitol building in Washington, DC on Jan 6, 2021. In his legal complaint filed in Miami’s court for the Southern District of Florida, the president described the programme as a “brazen attempt” to influence the outcome of the presidential election between Mr Trump and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.” – Daily Telegraph

Other political news

• Children face review of right to special needs support at 11 – The Times
• Reform UK would bring back two-child benefit cap, says Jenrick – FT
• ‘Tories walking different streets to me,’ says Jenrick – Daily Mail
• Child poverty figures in the UK expected to be revised down – BBC News
• UCL students win £21mn over Covid disruption in watershed UK settlement – FT
• Pubs to stay open til 2am for all World Cup knockout rounds – The Sun

News in Brief