Russia threatens to strike UK military websites over its assist with supplying weapons technology to Ukraine
Russia has warned the UK and France that they have been “playing with fire” by supplying missile technology to Ukraine, saying Moscow would retaliate by placing British military websites in Ukraine and elsewhere, in accordance to Russian media.
Russia’s overseas ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, stated Russia would reply to Ukrainian strikes utilizing British weapons by hitting any British military services in Ukraine and past, Russia’s state-owned Tass information company reported.
It got here after Andy Burnham introduced earlier this week that the UK authorities will release the blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French model of the UK’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, permitting Ukraine to work with France to produce its personal model.
Key occasions
What the Home Office figures on asylum present
Here’s a abstract of the quarterly figures launched by the Home Office on asylum (these all relate to the place as of June, so doesn’t embrace any of Andy Burnham’s tenure):
16,021 asylum seekers have been housed quickly in UK resorts, down 50% year-on-year from 32,041.
85,891 folks utilized for asylum within the UK, down 21% from 108,585 within the earlier yr.
Home Office spending on asylum within the UK decreased to £4.36bn in 2025-26, down 8% from £4.76bn in 2024-25.
40,168 folks have been ready for an preliminary determination on an asylum utility, down 56% from 90,812 a yr earlier.
42,394 folks have been granted refugee safety or one other type of depart to keep within the UK within the yr to June, after an preliminary determination on their asylum declare. This is down 21% from 53,480 grants within the earlier yr.
Mahmood: Asylum figures present authorities is ‘restoring management’
Commenting on the asylum figures, dwelling secretary Shabana Mahmood stated:
Just a little over two years into workplace and the asylum backlog is down, the quantity of asylum seekers in resorts is falling, unlawful working arrests are at file ranges, and deportations and returns are up markedly.
Small boats numbers are additionally now falling, however we’re not complacent and there’s extra we should do.
That is why I’ve boosted enforcement on the French seashores and abroad and launched new laws to deal with the pull components that draw folks right here by way of unsafe and unlawful routes.
This authorities is restoring management at our border and equity to the migration system.”
Number of asylum seekers in resorts has fallen, Home Office figures present
The quantity of asylum seekers being housed quickly in resorts has fallen, in accordance to Home Office figures.
At the tip of June, that determine stood at a brand new low of 16,021, 50% decrease than a yr earlier and down 70% on the height of 56,018 in September 2023.
It is the bottom determine since information was first reported in 2022. The Labour authorities has pledged to finish the use of resorts for asylum seekers by the tip of this parliament.
While we wait to see what extra comes of these Russian threats, we have now some figures from the Home Office on migration. Posts incoming…
Zakharova took explicit purpose on the UK, in accordance to the Tass report of a briefing this morning, taking situation with Burnham’s determination to hand over British labeled info that can permit Ukraine to manufacture its personal Storm Shadow missiles.
She did additionally point out a deal by the French aerospace and defence firm Safran to supply steering methods for the Ukrainian FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missile.
“Those in the west who make and implement these decisions must know that they are playing with fire,” Zakharova was quoted as saying.
“The consequences could be completely unpredictable, including for themselves.”
Zakharova stated the UK and France bear “direct responsibility” for any Ukrainian assaults carried out on Russian territory, Tass reported.
She was quoted by the Russian information company as saying:
It’s clear that by transferring so-called meeting features to the Ukrainians, London and Paris are frantically attempting to absolve themselves of duty for finishing up strikes deep into our nation’s territory.
It gained’t work. You in Paris, London, Berlin, and different capitals bear direct duty for taking part in terrorist assaults.”
She additionally included Germany in her tirade this morning, saying Berlin “dreams of creating the strongest army in Europe”, whereas the UK and France “are announcing steps to transfer military technology to [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy”.
She stated the three international locations have been “fuelling and stoking the Ukrainian crisis”.
Russia threatens to strike UK military websites over its assist with supplying weapons technology to Ukraine
Russia has warned the UK and France that they have been “playing with fire” by supplying missile technology to Ukraine, saying Moscow would retaliate by placing British military websites in Ukraine and elsewhere, in accordance to Russian media.
Russia’s overseas ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, stated Russia would reply to Ukrainian strikes utilizing British weapons by hitting any British military services in Ukraine and past, Russia’s state-owned Tass information company reported.
It got here after Andy Burnham introduced earlier this week that the UK authorities will release the blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French model of the UK’s Storm Shadow cruise missile, permitting Ukraine to work with France to produce its personal model.
Opening abstract: McFadden hails ‘inspiring’ jobs scheme for younger folks as Burnham due to make first Wales journey as PM
Hello, and welcome to our UK politics weblog. It’s all work, work, work this morning, with the federal government sounding a triumphant notice over its jobs assure scheme to get younger folks into work, whereas the prime minister is due to go to Wales to communicate to staff and apprentices.
The work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, declared “work is good for you” throughout a visit to Boots’s headquarters in Nottingham yesterday, the place he met some of the primary cohort of 18- to 21-year-olds recruited underneath the scheme. “It’s bad for your mental health to be sitting at home, isolated,” he added.
You can learn extra on that right here:
McFadden was put to work earlier within the day when he visited Sainsbury’s in south-west London, stacking cabinets within the bread aisle with Andy Burnham and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, after the federal government introduced the grocery store would provide 10,000 work expertise placements for younger folks. We coated the details of that announcement in yesterday’s live blog.
Tackling youth employment has turn out to be a key precedence for the federal government, as it hopes to scale back the quantity of younger folks not in schooling, employment or coaching (or, because the ugly acronym has it, Neet). About 1 million younger folks fall into this class, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to launch the most recent figures at present.
On the media spherical this morning, McFadden stated talking to younger folks yesterday was “inspiring”.
“Just a matter of weeks ago, these young people had been on the dole, sometimes for two, three or four years,” he instructed BBC Breakfast.
“They told me how they’d lost hope, they’d lost confidence, they’d lost belief in the future. And now, in some cases, just three or four weeks into work, that was changing.”
Burnham will make his first official go to to Wales as prime minister, the place he’ll communicate to Welsh staff and apprentices about “reindustrialisation, jobs and the cost of living”.
“I am in south Wales today because the answers to the UK’s challenges will not come from an echo chamber,” Burnham stated. “They will come from the places that know their own strengths, and from a government willing to listen and then act.
“Good jobs in every community, in every part of the UK. That is what I want every leader in this country signed up to.”
Burnham can be due to communicate to ministers within the Plaid Cymru authorities that ended Labour’s 100-year control of Wales within the May Senedd elections. The prime minister is reportedly additionally talking with the boss of Tata Steel, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, in Port Talbert, the place the corporate had closed down its blast furnaces in 2024, ensuing within the loss of about 2,800 jobs. On Sunday, Alex Daniel had this report on Tata Steel’s Llanwern plant in south Wales, which is working at roughly half capability as a result of it is struggling to compete with low-cost imported metal from Asia.
The prime minister is due to communicate to the media from 10am, we are going to carry you the most recent strains as soon as we get them.
Burnham’s Wales journey kinds half of his summer season listening tour across the UK earlier than parliament returns subsequent week, however Scotland is seemingly feeling snubbed. Scottish first minister John Swinney stated he was “surprised” Burnham didn’t make a visit to Scotland as half of his tour, however the prime minister confirmed he’ll meet the leaders of the devolved nations in a discussion board in October.