👀 David Cameron has been regularly helping Kemi Badenoch with PMQs prep, I’m told

He’s been partly credited with her improved performance... and has encouraged her to reject parts of the Conservatives’ record in power, which obviously includes his stint as PM

More nuggets 👇

Badenoch or bust: Tory campaign rallies behind ‘leader with a backbone’ Conservatives strive to present upbeat message ahead of tough local elections

Badenoch or bust: Tory campaign rallies behind ‘leader with a backbone’

My read on the Conservatives’ confidential internal revival strategy, seen by @financialtimes.com

Plus the morale boost from new HQ, and chief exec w/ multi-party campaigning experience in Scotland

www.ft.com/content/dd67...

UK defence ministry left to foot £200mn bill for Ukraine mission Treasury rejected push for funding to come from central government reserve

MoD now accepts it’s paying for first tranche of £200mn... but CoW bill set to rise to £600-800mn, so more wrangling lies ahead

Told it’s characteristic of funding battles about other UK military initiatives responding to world events, amid DIP deadlock

www.ft.com/content/05ae...

EXC: Treasury accused of reneging on deal with MoD to pay for proposed British peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine from central funds

MoD left to fund millions for Coalition of Willing from over-stretched budget, in latest example of wrangling btwn the two depts over military funding

Lord George Robertson’s attack against Starmer’s complacency on defence spending makes the FT splash tomorrow

A former Labour defence secretary and former Nato secretary-general, as well as the SDR author, his intervention will be reverberating around No 10 and Whitehall tonight

Govt spox: ‘We are delivering on the SDR to meet the threats we face.

‘It is backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war, with a total of over £270bn being invested across this parliament.’

Govt is finalising DIP and will publish it asap

Robertson, a highly respected former Nato gen-sec, had kept his counsel & tried to work constructively behind scenes til now, but ran out of patience

‘We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe... Britain’s national security & safety is in peril,’ he’ll say

Referring to Donald Trump’s criticism of Nato, Robertson will say: ‘Recent days have shown that the role and priorities of the United States have shifted, and will never be the same again’

He’ll say Chancellor Rachel Reeves ‘used a mere 40 words’ about defence in Budget last autumn - & no words in Spring statement last month

Robertson will say ‘depressingly’ neither the Lib Dem nor Reform leader hv taken up his offer of a briefing on SDR (Farage spox says they’re unaware of offer)

Iran conflict (& HMS Dragon debacle) has also shown up ‘parlous state’ of UK military, he will say

Robertson warns UK faces not just shortages of military kit, but ‘crises in logistics, engineering, cyber, ammunition, training and medical resources’

‘There is a corrosive complacency today in Britain’s political leadership. Lip service is paid to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger — but even a promised national conversation about defence can’t be started,’ he will say

Iran war ‘has to be a rude wake-up call’

Starmer accused of ‘corrosive complacency’ on UK defence by former Nato chief Lord George Robertson, author of British military review, says premier is not willing to make the necessary investment

Robertson has spoken exclusively to @financialtimes.com and shared a speech he’ll make in Salisbury tmrw

In it he’ll accuse ‘non-military experts in the Treasury’ of ‘vandalism’, arguing: ‘We cannot defend Britain with an ever expanding welfare budget’

www.ft.com/content/88b1...

🚨 Major intervention on defence spending by Lord George Robertson, author of govt Strategic Defence Review, tonight

UK’s leaders have shown ‘corrosive complacency’, putting nation ‘in peril’ while it’s ‘under attack’

PM ‘not willing to make the necessary investment,’ he tells @financialtimes.com

Brexiters turn their backs on Donald Trump after Iran chaos Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch distance themselves from the US president, having once celebrated his example

Strange! Sorry about that. Does this work?

www.ft.com/content/385a...

UK government urges companies to work with it on protecting undersea cables [FREE TO READ] Defence secretary gathers business leaders to discuss ‘rising threats’ to critical submarine infrastructure

EXC: Gov is pressing companies to work with it more closely on protecting undersea cables from Russia

John Healey gathered biz leaders from telecoms (Vodafone & BT) & defence last Fri to warn military, wider govt & industry must ‘step up together’ to protect subsea cables

as.ft.com/r/c7c3925e-7...

Brexiters turn their backs on Donald Trump after Iran chaos [FREE TO READ] Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch distance themselves from the US president, having once celebrated his example

Brexiters turn their backs on Donald Trump after Iran chaos

Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch, Boris Johnson & Lord David Frost had high hopes for Trump’s second term

We compare what they said as he returned to the White House... and what they say now

as.ft.com/r/c46e29ed-9...

Great to discuss ‘whole of society’ readiness for conflict at the London Defence Conference today

Fascinating insights and lessons from Taiwan via Lin Fei-Fan, Moldova via @dorinrecean.bsky.social, Finland via Janne Kuusela, & Ukraine via @drjademcglynn.bsky.social. Top panel to moderate!

15 women were willing to come to testify in court on behalf of the FT.

That included 3 whose allegations had not previously been reported.

Plus an excellent turn from @georgewparker.bsky.social on the politics of the Bayeux Tapestry - spanning Calvinist mobs, Napoleon & the Nazis

His FT Mag piece on the iconic embroidery is here. A must-read ahead of British Museum exhibition this year!

www.ft.com/content/03dd...

Squeezed Britain: student loans, salaries and strikes Podcast Episode · Political Fix · 10 April · 36min

🎙️Squeezed Britain: student loans, salaries and strikes 📻🎧

On Political Fix this week, we discuss the cost of living fallout from the Iran war - and the govt’s struggle to respond

Feat @stephenkb.bsky.social, @georgewparker.bsky.social & @chris-smyth.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

EXC: Canada pushes to join the UK-Italy-Japan advanced fighter jet project GCAP

Ottawa is seeking to participate with “observer” status for now, under efforts to “diversify defence procurement & grow partnership with like-minded allies” - ie away from US

as.ft.com/r/c87f331a-6...

How did I end up here? — Nigella Lawson’s first FT column A defence of food writing (and a recipe for rice pudding) as Nigella returns to her alma mater newspaper

Something good to start the month: writing that will make you want to abandon your plans for the day and spend it cooking. And as a special treat, @nigella.bsky.social’s first column is free to read www.ft.com/content/4819...

City grandee Ian Cheshire favourite to be named Ofcom chair [FREE TO READ] Former Kingfisher boss vying for key internet and broadcast regulation role with politicians Margaret Hodge and Jeremy Wright

EXC: City grandee Sir Ian Cheshire is the frontrunner to be named the new Ofcom chair

w/ @danielthomasldn.bsky.social & @aarmstrongsays.bsky.social

as.ft.com/r/b58135fe-b...

UK opposition calls for details after submarine captain steps down [FREE TO READ] Commanding officer’s interactions with ‘rising star’ Labour MP Joani Reid in the spotlight

NEW: Opposition parties demand clarity from govt over the exit of nuclear-armed submarine captain from his role, following investigation into relationship with Labour MP Joani Reid

as.ft.com/r/5054f97b-e...

A Royal Navy spokesperson told the FT: “The security of the nuclear deterrent is our highest priority, and we have robust processes in place to protect the security of our people and capabilities. We will not comment on individual cases.”

Reid’s spokesperson declined to comment

However, the captain and Reid were found to have exchanged flirtatious messages & action was taken to mitigate any blackmail risk, one of the people said. Reid rejects that the messages were flirtatious, a person close to her said

There was no physical relationship between the pair

People familiar with case said that allegations of an inappropriate relationship were thoroughly investigated last year and the captain was not subjected to disciplinary action. The officer has not broken any military rules.

This week, after the MoD was approached about the matter by the Financial Times, the officer decided to step back from his position for personal reasons. He has not left the Royal Navy

Fresh security checks were carried out this month after Reid’s husband was arrested under the UK National Security Act on suspicion of assisting China’s foreign intelligence service, the people said

MoD was satisfied by the checks & remains confident of no breach of security

Royal Navy launched investigation last year in response to allegations the senior military officer — who’s married — had conducted an inappropriate relationship w/ Reid, acc to people familiar with matter

Probe was from a “due diligence perspective” to examine any blackmail risk