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Before flying to Washington, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said: ‘We have to be ready to play our role if a force is required in Ukraine once a peace agreement is reached.’ He told the Commons that Britain would raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income by 2027, funded by cutting development aid from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of GDP. The government surplus for January, when much tax comes in, was £15.4 billion, the highest ever, but far below the £20.5 billion predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Average household energy bills will rise from April by £111 to £1,849 a year. BMW said it was shelving reintroduction of electric vehicle production at its Oxford Mini plant. BP dropped its goal of cutting oil and gas production. The King pulled a pint of Gone for a Burton ale on a visit to the Tower Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said in a speech that, to preserve its sovereignty and strength, Britain should be willing to consider leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, the deputy party leader, gave up their shareholding of more than 90 per cent in Reform UK, control of which passed to a company limited by guarantee. Mike Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, was jailed for ten weeks for punching a man in his constituency, after which he lost the Labour whip. In County Down, a pony called Roana, thought to be the oldest horse in the United Kingdom, celebrated her 46th birthday.
Amanda Pritchard announced her resignation as chief executive of NHS England.
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