BP has announced it will cut its renewable energy investments and instead focus on increasing oil and gas production.

The energy giant revealed the shift in strategy on Wednesday following pressure from some investors unhappy its profits and share price have been lower than its rivals.

BP said it would increase its investments in oil and gas by about 20% to $10bn (£7.9bn) a year, while decreasing previously planned funding for renewables by more than $5bn (£3.9bn).

The move comes as rivals Shell and Norwegian company Equinor have also scaled back plans to invest in green energy and US President Donald Trump’s “drill baby drill” comments have encouraged investment in fossil fuels.

Murray Auchincloss, BP’s chief executive, said the energy giant would be “very selective” in investing in businesses working on the energy transition to renewables going forward, with funding reduced to between $1.5bn and $2bn per year.

He said this was part of a strategy “reset” by the company to focus on boosting returns for shareholders.

Helge Lund, chair of BP, added that the new direction of the firm had “cash flow growth” at its heart.

Shares in the company climbed before Tuesday’s announcement but fell shortly after.

BP is one of several firms in the energy industry to return focus on oil and gas production, which has seen an increase in profits as prices have increased following lows seen during the Covid pandemic.

The firm said it plans to increase its production to between 2.3 million and 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2030, with hopes of “major” oil and gas projects starting by the end of 2027.

Mr Auchincloss is under pressure to boost profits from some shareholders, including the influential activist group Elliot Management, which took a near £4bn stake in the £70bn company to push for more investment in oil and gas.

In 2024, BP’s net income fell to $8.9bn (£7.2bn), down from $13.8bn the previous year.

However, some other shareholders, as well as environmental groups have voiced concerns over switching focus back to fossil fuel production.

Last week, a group of 48 investors called on the company to allow them a vote on any potential plans to move away from commitments to renewables.

The environmental group Greenpeace UK said the latest move was “proof that fossil fuel companies can’t or won’t be part of climate crisis solutions”.

Challenged on the reduced commitment to investing in renewable energy, Louise Kingham, BP’s senior vice president for Europe and the UK, said none of the changes announced on Tuesday would alter the UK’s green energy plans, which include three wind farms and carbon capture projects.

She said the shift to renewable energy sources had slowed but that BP’s ambition had “not changed” to become a net-zero company.

According to the International Energy Agency, no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels,

“We just have to do this transition more smartly and more efficiently and try to get those returns for our owners because they are helping us to do that. If we don’t generate the returns, we can’t invest and do more,” Ms Kingham told a committee of MPs.

“It’s going to take everybody to move in concert to make this happen. It’s not just the decision of one company and what it chooses to do.”

The decrease in renewables will cover biogas, biofuels and electric vehicle charging projects, while BP will look to “capital-light partnerships” in other green energy such as wind and solar.

BP has already placed its offshore wind business in a joint venture with Japanese company Jera and is looking to find a partner to do the same with its solar business.

Five years ago, BP set some of the most ambitious targets among large oil companies to cut production of oil and gas by 40% by 2030, while significantly ramping up investment in renewables.

But in 2023, the company lowered this oil and gas reduction target to 25%.

In the five years since former chief executive Bernard Looney first unveiled his strategy, shareholders have received total returns including dividends of 36%.

In contrast, shareholders in rivals Shell and Exxon have seen returns of 82% and 160% respectively.

BP’s under performance has prompted speculation that it may be a takeover target or may consider moving its main stock market listing to the US where oil and gas companies command higher valuations.

Sir Ian Cheshire, who has held many executive roles at companies such as B&Q owner Kingfisher and Barclays bank, questioned whether BP’s latest move would work.

“I do wonder whether this sort of decision will look right in 10 years,” he told the BBC’s Today programme, added that the “overall energy transition” to renewables was “still going to come”.

“The climate change issue has not gone away, the science hasn’t changed,” he said.

A property in Drogheda, County Louth, is being searched as part of the investigation into the suspected murder of a six-year-old schoolboy who disappeared more than two years ago.

Kyran Durnin was reported missing from his home in Drogheda in August last year, but gardaí (Irish police) believe he may have been killed more than two years earlier.

They began a murder investigation in October, saying they were treating Kyran as missing, presumed dead.

That same month they carried out a dig at his formed family home in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, but there was no sign of his body.

Kyran was originally reported missing alongside his mother, Dayla Durnin, in August 2024.

One of Kyran’s grandmothers claimed she had last seen them in her home in Drogheda and, at that time, she appealed for her daughter Dayla to contact her.

Dayla was later found alive in Great Britain without Kyran.

Gardaí investigating the schoolboy’s disappearance have made two arrests during the course of their inquiry so far.

A man and a woman were arrested two days apart in mid-December but they were both released without charge within a day of being detained.

The man, who was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s murder, was found dead at his home in Drogheda just days after his release from custody.

He was named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire.

Confirming the latest search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda, gardaí said they were “aware of ongoing extensive public commentary” on their investigation.

They warned that most of the speculation, rumours and theories on what may have happened to Kyran was “inaccurate and misinformed”.

“Such ill-informed public commentary is not only disruptive to the Garda investigations but also adds to the trauma experienced by victims families,” they added.

Kevin Sharkey, BBC News NI Dublin Reporter

A Garda van and car are parked close to the house which is along a narrow residential street.

The area immediately around the house is cordoned off.

Gardaí are conducting their initial searches here out of public view.

It’s an old-style residential area with TV aerials on most of the rooftops and electrical and telephone wires criss-crossing the street.

While gardaí conduct their searches inside the house, local people are going about their normal daily business and mostly keeping their thoughts about this latest development to themselves.

Kyran had been a pupil at the national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk until the summer of 2022.

He did not return to class after the summer holidays and it is understood authorities were told he was moving to Northern Ireland and to a new school in Newry.

Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child welfare and protection, said it received no referrals or concern about Kyran’s attendance or educational welfare between 2022 and 2024.

In early December, two houses were searched in Drogheda. One of the searches involved the use of a cadaver dog.

The results of the searches were not made public.

The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, previously said he had never seen a case like this in his 40-year career in policing on both sides of the border.

2021-2022 – Kyran was a pupil at a national [primary] school near his home in Dundalk, but he did not return to the school after the 2022 summer holidays.

May 2024 – Kyran’s family moved out of their home in Emer Terrace in Dundalk, where they had been living for a number of years.

Unknown date in August 2024 – Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child protection, alerted gardaí about “a significant concern about Kyran”.

28 August 2024 – The approximate date of the last sighting of the boy and his mother in Drogheda, according to a missing person report made to gardaí.

30 August 2024 – Kyran and his 24-year-old mother Dayla Durnin were reported missing from their home in Drogheda.

4 September 2024 – Gardaí issued a public missing persons appeal, seeking help to find Dayla and Kyran.

16 October 2024 – Gardaí said they now believed that “Kyran is missing, presumed dead” and they confirmed they have begun a murder inquiry.

22 October 2024 – Kyran’s former family home and garden in Emer Terrace, Dundalk, is searched by forensic investigators, as well as nearby open ground.

24 October 2024 – the Dundalk search ends, with police adding that the results of the search were not being released for operational purposes.

31 October 2024 – Tusla declines to publicly release its review of its interactions with Kyran’s family, adding information it held on him was lost in a cyber attack.

10 December 2024 – A woman was arrested by gardaí investigating Kyran’s disappearance and murder but is released without charge the following day.

12 December 2024 – A man was arrested on suspicion of Kyran’s murder but again was released without charge the next day. Two houses in Drogheda were searched.

17 December 2024 – The man who had been arrested and released – named locally as 36-year-old Anthony Maguire – is found dead at his home in Drogheda.

26 February 2024 – Gardaí began a forensic search at a “domestic residence” in Drogheda.

Ukraine has agreed the terms of a major minerals deal with the US, a senior official in Kyiv has told the BBC.

“We have indeed agreed it with a number of good amendments and see it as a positive outcome,” the official said, without providing any further details.

Media reports say Washington has dropped initial demands for a right to $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from utilising the natural resources but has not given firm security guarantees to war-torn Ukraine – a key Ukrainian demand.

US President Donald Trump said he was expecting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington to sign the deal this week, after the two leaders exchanged strong words about each other.

Without confirming that an agreement had been reached, Trump said on Tuesday that in return for the deal Ukraine would get “the right to fight on”.

“They’re very brave,” he told reporters, but “without the United States and its money and its military equipment, this war would have been over in a very short period of time”.

Asked whether supplies of US equipment and ammunition to Ukraine would continue, he said: “Maybe until we have a deal with Russia… We need to have a deal, otherwise it’s going to continue.”

There would be a need for “some form of peacekeeping” in Ukraine following any peace deal, Trump added, but that would need to be “acceptable to everyone”.

Just last week, Trump described Zelensky as a “dictator”, and appeared to blame Ukraine – not Russia – for starting the war, after the Ukrainian leader rejected US demands for $500bn in mineral wealth and suggested that the American president was living in a “disinformation space” created by Russia.

Trump has been pushing for access to Ukraine’s minerals in return for previous military and other aid to the country since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion three years ago.

Zelensky argued nowhere near that much American aid had been provided, adding: “I can’t sell our state.”

On Tuesday, Trump said the US had given Ukraine between $300bn and $350bn.

“We want to get that money back,” he said. “We’re helping the country through a very very big problem… but the American taxpayer now is going to get their money back plus.”

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told the Financial Times – which first reported the minerals deal on Tuesday – that the deal was “only part of the picture”.

“We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” said Stefanishyna, who has led the negotiations.

According to Ukrainian sources, the US has had to back away from some of its more onerous demands from the war-torn nation and many of the details of this agreement will require further negotiation.

The precedent, however, is set. US aid in the Trump era comes with strings attached. Aid for aid’s sake – whether given for humanitarian or strategic reasons – is a thing of the past.

That represents a fundamental reordering of American foreign policy for more than 75 years, from the days of the Marshall Plan to post-Cold War idealism and George W Bush’s “Freedom Agenda” push to promote global democracy.

Ukraine is just the start. Expect Trump and his foreign policy team to apply their “America First” principles around the world over the course of the next four years.

Ukraine’s news site Ukrainska Pravda reported that the minerals deal was set to be signed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The news site’s economics unit EP said the two countries had also agreed to set up a reconstruction investment fund.

Ukraine holds huge deposits of critical elements and minerals, including lithium and titanium, as well as sizeable coal, gas, oil and uranium deposits – supplies worth billions of dollars.

Last year, Zelensky presented a “victory plan” to Ukraine and its Western partners which proposed that foreign firms could gain access to some of the countries’ mineral wealth at the end of the war.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open to offering the US access to rare minerals, including from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Ukraine and its European allies have become increasingly alarmed over a recent thaw in US-Russian ties, including their bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia last week.

There is concern in Kyiv and across Europe that they might be excluded from any negotiations aimed at ending the war, and that the continent’s future security as a whole could be decided behind their backs.

It is estimated that about 5% of the world’s “critical raw materials” are in Ukraine – including:

• 19 million tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which is used to make batteries for electric vehicles

• A third of all European lithium deposits, the key component in current batteries.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion began three years ago, Ukraine also produced 7% of the world’s titanium, used in construction for everything from aeroplanes to power stations.

Ukrainian land also contains significant deposits of rare earth metals, a group of 17 elements that are used to produce weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products vital in the modern world

Some mineral deposits have been seized by Russia. According to Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s economy minister, resources worth $350bn remain in Russian-occupied territories today.

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to travel to Washington to meet Donald Trump after setting out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027.

On Tuesday, the prime minister said he would cut the foreign aid budget to fund the military boost – a move welcomed by the Trump administration but labelled a “betrayal” by development charities.

Sir Keir will face MPs in the Commons on Wednesday before flying to the US, where Ukraine will be top of the agenda.

The spending announcement came as leaders across Europe looked to overhaul defence policies over fears the US could make a deal with Russia to end the Ukraine war which leaves the continent vulnerable.

Trump – who has long called for European members of the Nato military alliance to spend more on defence – is attempting to cut a rapid deal to bring the Ukraine war to an end after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He has been a staunch critic of the previous US administration’s military support for Kyiv and wants Europe to play a bigger role in any future security guarantees for Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials confirmed to BBC News a deal had been reached which gives American firms access to the country’s vast deposits of valuable rare earth minerals, which Trump signalled could mean continued US military support for Kyiv until a ceasefire with Russia is reached.

Announcing the defence spending plan, Sir Keir said the UK’s aid budget would be reduced from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in 2027, “fully funding the investment in defence”, which will rise from 2.3% of GDP.

He told the Commons that would mean spending £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027.

Last year the UK spent £53.9bn on defence.

The prime minister said defence spending would rise to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, once the contribution of intelligence services to defence had been factored in.

The move was praised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called it a “strong step from an enduring partner”.

Urging European allies to step up, Sir Keir said the UK would also set out a “clear ambition” to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP after the next general election.

Holding a news conference following the announcement, Sir Keir said an election pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP had been brought forward “in light of the grave threats that we face”, with the country facing a “dangerous new era”.

Asked if pressure from Trump had pushed him to act, Sir Keir insisted it was “very much my decision, based on my assessment of the circumstances that we face as a country”.

But he conceded “the last few weeks have accelerated my thinking”.

“I think in our heart of hearts we’ve all known that this decision has been coming for three years, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine,” the prime minister added.

In its election manifesto, Labour pledged to restore development spending to 0.7% of gross national income “as soon as fiscal circumstances allow” – a goal the government says it is still committed to.

Charities were stunned by the aid cut, with Save the Children calling it “a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest”.

“There is nothing respectful about slashing lifelines for families in the most dangerous places,” the charity’s chief executive Moazzam Malik said.

Labour MP Sarah Champion, who chairs the Commons International Development Committee, called on the government to “rethink today’s announcement”.

“Cutting the aid budget to fund defence spending is a false economy that will only make the world less safe,” she said.

Responding to the criticism, Sir Keir said it was “not a decision I wanted to make” but he argued there was “no driver of migration and poverty like conflict”.

The hike in defence spending will help the UK’s armed forces, which have experienced severe cuts since the end of the Cold War.

However, it will not completely reverse the decline in the country’s military capability.

Even before this extra cash injection, the Ministry of Defence was facing a black hole in its equipment budget of around £17bn over the next decade, according to the National Audit Office.

A large part of the increase will go towards plugging holes in underfunded programs and fixing urgent shortages in munitions, according to Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

But he said the commitment to reach 3% of GDP by the mid-2030s could lead to a “transformation in how our military fights”, giving the armed forces the ability to plan long-term and “ensuring that innovation is not always squeezed out by spending on big platforms”.

Dr Simon Anglim, a fellow at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, said spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 is “the barest minimum” to build a military strong enough to deter Russia.

If the US were to withdraw military support “we may have to start talking about more than that”, he told the BBC.

Sir Keir had previously said the government would set out a pathway to spending 2.5% of GDP on the military by the next general election, following a review of the country’s defence capabilities.

But rapid diplomatic developments, spurred by Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine, injected urgency into decisions about defence.

It is unclear if the increase will impress Trump, who has been telling European Nato allies they should be spending something more like 5% on defence.

Nato guidelines suggest each member state should spend at least 2% of their GDP, but recently the organisation’s head, Mark Rutte, said allies should be aiming for something “north of 3%”.

The prime minister’s trip to the White House later this week follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s talks with Trump on Monday.

Sir Keir will also host European leaders in the UK this weekend to discuss their future defence.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the increase in defence spending and the “repurposing” of money from the aid budget.

But she did question whether the government had a strong enough economic strategy to underpin the rise in spending on defence.

The Liberal Democrats have previously called for cross-party talks on reaching 3% of GDP on defence “as soon as possible”.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed the announcement but urged the government to “raise the money in different ways” through seizing frozen Russian assets or by increasing taxes on multi-national tech companies.

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, said that whilst his party backed the increase in defence spending, it could not support “the populist playbook” of cutting aid to fund it.

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship amid tensions between the Trump administration and Canada.

The petition, which opened to signatures five days ago, accuses Mr Musk of acting against Canada’s national interest and undermining its sovereignty.

In Canada, citizenship can be revoked only if someone has committed fraud, misrepresented themselves or knowingly hid information on an immigration or citizenship application. Mr Musk, who was born in South Africa, holds both Canadian and US citizenship.

Responding to the petition, the billionaire wrote on X: “Canada is not a real country.” The post was later deleted.

The petition claims the billionaire “has used his wealth and power to influence our elections” and “has now become a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty”. Mr Musk has Canadian citizenship through his mother, who was born in Saskatchewan.

Launched on 20 February, the petition, already signed by more than 250,000 Canadians, remains open for signatures until 20 June.

It is mostly symbolic and has no legal force. But petitions with at least 500 signatures and a member of parliament’s backing typically receive a government response, this one may not, as a spring election could dissolve parliament.

It was created by a British Columbia author and endorsed by MP Charlie Angus of the New Democratic Party. Angus, a 20-year MP for Timmins–James Bay, has announced he will not seek re-election.

The BBC has contacted his office for comment.

US-Canada tensions have escalated since Trump’s return, with the president repeatedly suggesting Canada could become a US state and threatening tariffs on steel, aluminium, and other imports.

Canadian leaders have pushed back, vowing counter-tariffs.

The spat has spilled out beyond government, with Canadians cancelling US trips, boycotting American products, and booing opposing anthems at hockey and basketball games.

Mr Musk moved to Canada from South Africa at 18, and worked odd jobs before studying at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He later emigrated to the US.

The billionaire has backed Trump’s hardline immigration policies but now faces scrutiny over claims he worked illegally in the US on a student visa.

In a recent interview, Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Trump, called Mr Musk a “parasitic illegal immigrant”.

The Tesla CEO has denied the accusations, and has said he did not work illegally. He became a naturalised US citizen in 2002, according to a recent biography.

The BBC has contacted Mr Musk via his businesses for comment.

Police will be given new powers targeting anti-social behaviour and be allowed to search homes for stolen mobile phones without a warrant under major legislation to be unveiled in Parliament.

The Crime and Policing Bill is at the heart of what the government calls its “Safer Streets mission” and ministers want it to become law by the end of the year.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the bill would take back “our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order”.

The Conservatives say the plans have been “copied and pasted from the last government’s announcements”.

The Crime and Policing Bill pulls together many measures set out in Labour’s general election manifesto.

But they come amid questions over whether police have the money to make the government’s plan work.

Ministers say that the enormous piece of legislation will target the crimes that communities want prioritised to make their areas feel safer and to bear down on behaviour that has gone unpunished.

Under the bill, police gain the power to enter and search a property without a court warrant for a stolen mobile phone, or other items that have been electronically tracked such as laptops or Bluetooth-tagged bikes.

The power means that victims of mobile phone thefts, who are tracking their device while it is in the hands of a criminal, can call on police to recover it quickly.

The bill also includes the government’s proposed “Respect Orders”.

These court-imposed restrictions will be similar to the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbo) developed in the Tony Blair era, then scrapped by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats coalition a decade ago.

While Asbos were popular with voters, critics say the restrictions often became unworkable or poorly enforced.

The proposed Respect Orders allow courts to impose restrictions on an individual’s behaviour, just like an Asbo.

But they would also be able to compel them to attend programmes such as addiction treatment or anger management courses to change their ways.

Other measures previously announced in the bill include:

• Scrapping a 2014 law that classified shoplifting of items worth under £200 as less serious than other retail theft – making them less of a priority for the police.
• An offence of assaulting a shop worker – also a Conservative commitment before the 2024 General Election.
• A new police power to seize without warning off-road bikes or e-scooters.
• A new offence of spiking drinks, separate to current assault laws.
• Giving judges the power to issue a Stalking Prevention Order against a suspect, even if they are not convicted of a crime.

Another already announced power to be added as the Bill goes through Parliament will compel online retailers to alert police to bulk or suspicious sales of knives.

The Home Office says the bill’s aims will be delivered by recruiting 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers by 2029 – and the department has pledged £200m specifically towards that.

But some forces have already warned they will have to cut officers this year because of a wider budget crisis.

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC ) said last year that forces faced a £1.3bn funding gap, and the available cash was not being shared evenly between forces due to outdated rules.

The Home Office has since confirmed it is putting £1.1bn extra into policing up to April 2026.

But the NPCC has warned that if it is to deliver the “Safer Streets” plan, forces would need a pay settlement that would help them to attract and retain the best possible officers.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For too long communities have had to put up with rising town centre and street crime, and persistent antisocial behaviour, while neighbourhood police have been cut.

“And for years too little has been done to tackle the most serious violence of all including knife crime and violence against women and children.

“That is why the new Crime and Policing Bill is about taking back our streets and town centres, restoring respect for law and order, and giving the police and local communities the support and tools they need to tackle local crime.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Labour had 14 years to come up with new ideas – but all they have done is copied and pasted what the last government had already announced.

“Labour’s funding settlement next year for police forces leaves them £118m short after accounting for salary rises, inflation and the national insurance hike – putting 1,800 police officers at risk.

“Police forces are warning that this will get worse this year due to Labour’s inadequate funding settlement.”

Disgraced Cheshire MP Mike Amesbury is facing calls to quit the House of Commons after being jailed for 10 weeks for repeatedly punching a man in the street.

The Runcorn and Helsby HP, who has been sitting as an Independent since he was suspended by Labour bosses following October’s fracas, admitted assault and was sentenced on Monday.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Local residents deserved better and we look forward to them getting the representation they deserve in the future with a new Labour MP.”

Conservative co-chairman Nigel Huddleston called on Amesbury to “do the right thing and resign”, adding that constituents “deserve an MP who is able to stand up for them in Parliament”.

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf also called on the 55-year-old MP to quit immediately, adding: “The great people of Runcorn deserve far better than waiting six weeks for a recall petition to take place.”

At an earlier court hearing, Amesbury pleaded guilty to assaulting 45-year-old Paul Fellows.

Video footage widely shared on social media showed a confrontation in the Cheshire town of Frodsham in the early hours of 26 October.

Sitting at Chester Magistrates’ Court, Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said a pre-sentence report showed Amesbury’s actions were the result of “anger and loss of emotional control”.

Under Parliamentary rules, a Westminster by-election can be forced if 10% of registered voters in a jailed MP’s constituency sign a petition calling for one.

The recall process can only be triggered once all avenues of appeal against a custodial sentence have been exhausted.

Amesbury won the newly formed seat of Runcorn and Helsby in July’s general election, with a majority of more than 14,000 over Reform UK.

He was first elected as MP for Weaver Vale in 2017 and represented the Cheshire constituency before it ceased to exist following last year’s boundary changes.

The Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party took swift action following Mike Amesbury’s completely unacceptable actions and he is no longer a Labour MP or a member of the Labour Party.

“It is right that Mr Amesbury pleaded guilty and has now been sentenced.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said any peace deal in Ukraine must come with security guarantees, as he met US President Donald Trump at the White House for talks on the war.

“This peace must not be a surrender of Ukraine, it must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees,” he said as the two leaders held a joint news conference following their meeting on Monday.

Trump, who did not mention security guarantees himself, said the cost and burden of securing peace in Ukraine must be paid for by European nations and not just the US.

Macron responded that Europe understood the need to “more fairly share the security burden”, and added that talks on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion had shown a path forward.

While the pair exchanged warm words throughout Monday, some clear differences emerged on the issue of ending the war in Ukraine as they spoke to reporters in the Oval Office and then held a 40-minute news conference later in the day.

The topic of including security guarantees in any peace deal was one area of difference, as was the potential next steps to end the war.

Trump said he wanted a ceasefire as soon as possible, adding that he would visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin once one was agreed.

Macron, however, pushed a more considered approach involving a truce and then a broader peace deal that would include guarantees for protecting Ukraine long-term.

“We want peace swiftly, but we don’t want an agreement that is weak,” he said.

The pair did agree, however, that any peace deal should include the deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. That suggestion has been rejected outright by Russia.

“They would not be along the front lines. They would not be part of any conflict. They would be there to ensure that the peace is respected,” Macron said in the Oval Office.

Trump then said Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept that. “I specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it,” he said.

The French president praised Trump’s efforts to engage with Putin in recent weeks, saying “there is good reason” for him to do so.

Trump declined to call Putin a “dictator” after using the term last week to describe Ukraine’s president, and said he planned to meet with the Russian leader after holding a call with him last week.

“I don’t know when we’ll speak,” Trump said. “At some point I’ll be meeting with President Putin.”

He also invited Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House to conclude a deal to share some of the country’s natural resources. “He may come in this week or next week,” Trump said. “I’d love to meet him.”

And while there were no moments of open disagreement between Trump and Macron, the French president did interrupt his US counterpart in the Oval Office to push back on his claim that EU aid to Ukraine was all in the form of loans.

“No, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort,” Macron said.

“If you believe that, it’s OK with me,” Trump replied.

The meeting between the two leaders came on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Zelensky began the day with a news release marking “three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians” before hosting an event with global representatives.

At the event in Kyiv, which was attended by many world leaders, he said “we hope that we can finish this war this year”.

Other leaders, including from the UK, Germany and Japan, spoke by video link. There was no US representation.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed the recently warming relations between Moscow and Washington.

“Russia may have gained an open ear in the White House but they have not gained an inch of legitimacy,” he said.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told attendees: “We must speed up the delivery of weapons and ammunition” to Ukraine, saying the war remains “the most central and consequential crisis for Europe’s future”.

Also on Monday, the US twice sided with Russia in votes at the UN related to the war in Ukraine.

The two countries first opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which was eventually passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

UNGA members backed the European resolution by 93 votes but the US did not abstain but actually voted against it, along with Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary and 11 other states.

The US and Russia then backed a US-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an end to the conflict but containing no criticism of Russia.

The Security Council resolution was passed but two key US allies, the UK and France, abstained in the vote after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.

Meanwhile, the EU and UK passed a fresh round of sanctions on Russia on Monday. The EU sanctions, the 16th round passed since Russia’s invasion, targets Russia’s aluminium exports, and its so-called “shadow fleet” of ships allegedly used to bypass sanctions.

The UK sanctions target machine tools and electronics used by Russia military, and the defence minister of North Korea who is allegedly responsible for deploying over 11,000 forces to Russia to assist in the war.

Heavy rain has caused flooding and disruption across parts of Wales.

The Met Office had issued an amber weather warning for rain across mid and south east Wales on Sunday from 15:00 GMT until 06:00 on Monday.

The forecaster warned rain could become “persistent and heavy” on Sunday followed by showers into Monday morning, with between 50mm (1.9in) and 100mm (4in) of rain, leading to surface water and river flooding.

Winds of more than 70mph (112km/h) had also been recorded in parts of Wales and Scotland, adding to the impact on travel on Sunday.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued 7 flood alerts and 30 flood warnings. The warnings on Monday cover parts of the River Cothi, River Towy, River Tawe, River Neath, River Ely, and the River Usk.

Flooding blocked railway lines between Penrhiwceiber and Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf on Sunday, and also at Fernhill, it prevented train services between Aberdare and Pontypridd, with passengers being offered a bus service instead.

In Monmouthshire flooding caused the closure of the A4042 in both directions between Llanellen and the A40 at Hardwick Roundabout in Abergavenny.

The amber rain warning covered Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.

North Wales Police reported a road closure on the A4086 road at Llanberis due to flooding to the south of the Royal Victoria Hotel.

On Sunday evening several thousand sandbags were distributed to key flood risk areas across the Rhondda Cynon Taf, while dozens of crews and heavy machinery were put on standby.

Council leader Andrew Morgan said pumps were deployed with additional inspectors and drainage engineers on site.

The local authority’s emergency control room was also fully staffed, he added, with CCTV cameras monitoring the culverts being closely watched.

The council also advised residents to move their cars from high-risk areas and offered free parking spaces to those in need.

Mick Antoniw, MS for Pontypridd, said in an update at about 21:00 GMT that cars had been removed from Sion Street and Berw Road in the town with floodgates in place at Clwb Y Bont.

He added the River Taff was “very high” but the streets had not flooded.

Resident James Wilcox was out walking his dog when he captured footage of the River Taff in Pontypridd.

He said it initially looked like police were blocking the road off and were knocking on doors.

“A friend lives on the street, and they’ve since placed sandbags, so I assume the police were ensuring everyone was informed and safe,” Mr Wilcox added.

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a further £200m investment in the Grangemouth site.

The prime minister called the announcement an “investment in Scotland’s industrial future” when he addressed Scottish Labour’s conference in Glasgow. The money will go towards creating a new industrial purpose for the site.

The oil refinery, owned by Petroineos, is set to close by the summer with the loss of more than 400 jobs.

Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, announced £25m of new funding in a statement to Holyrood last week and called for the UK government to invest more in the site.

Petroineos announced the refinery at the central Scotland facility would close and transition to become an import terminal after reporting massive losses last year.

Redundancy letters were sent out to staff at the refinery earlier this month, with just 65 of 500 jobs expected to be retained.

Approximately 2,000 people are directly employed at the site – 500 at the refinery, 450 on the Forties pipeline from the North Sea and a further 1,000 in the Ineos petrochemicals business.

A £1.5m report into the feasibility of Grangemouth becoming a low-carbon energy hub, known as Project Willow, is due to be published by the end of the month.

Addressing the party’s Scottish conference, Sir Keir said oil and gas would be part of Scotland’s future for decades to come to protect the country’s energy security.

But he said the UK had to be at the forefront of clean energy and that the Grangemouth site presented a “huge opportunity for renewal”.

He said the site could have a future in bioengineering, biofuels, or Hydrogen energy.

He told the conference: “We will grasp the opportunities at Grangemouth, work alongside partners to develop viable proposals, team up with business to get new industries off the ground.

“And to attract private investors into the partnership we need, we will allocate £200m from the National Wealth Fund, for investment in Grangemouth, investment in Scotland’s industrial future.

“That is the difference a Labour government can make.”

The PM added that working people had to be protected, and that every worker made redundant would get 18 months full pay.

He said there would be a £10m skills and training offer backed by the UK government and any businesses within the Grangemouth Freeport area that takes on the refinery workers would get national insurance relief.

Sir Keir said a £100m growth deal was already in place for the area, supported by both the Scottish and UK governments.

The Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told the BBC’s Sunday Show the investment would pave the way for a “clean and secure energy future”.

Sarwar previously admitted there had been “nowhere near enough progress” on efforts to support workers.

However, he said his party was “determined to deliver a just transition”.

He said: “We were promised the ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’ by the SNP government, we were promised a transition by a previous Tory government that was going to be fair.

“But it has not felt fair when you looked at what is happening in Grangemouth and this is a demonstration that this UK Labour government and a Scottish Labour government too, post 2026, will be absolutely determined to deliver a genuine just transition.”

He added: “That means thousands more jobs, billions of pounds worth of inward investment and the clean energy future, and security that our country needs.”

The £200m investment will come from the National Wealth Fund.

The fund is publicly-owned and backed by the Treasury, and invests alongside the private sector in projects across the UK – primarily focusing on initiatives that support clean energy.

The UK government said its aim was to direct “tens of billions of pounds” of private investment to decarbonise the British economy.

An initial £5.8bn injection was earmarked for green projects including “carbon capture, green hydrogen, ports, gigafactories and green steel,” according to UK government documents.

On Tuesday, Scotland’s first minister said his government would commit £25m to establish a “just transition” fund for Grangemouth.

This money would expedite any proposals which come from Project Willow, which is examining other industries which could exist on the site such as plastics recycling, hydrogen production and sustainable aviation fuel.

John Swinney said the additional £25m would take the Scottish government’s total investment for the site to £87m.

He also urged the UK government to at least match the Scottish government’s just transition fund.

The first minister said on Tuesday: “We need the UK government to do at least the same and deliver a fair amount to avoid significant economic disruption in central Scotland, and to protect and promote Scotland and Grangemouth’s future interests.

“In short, we need this Labour government to do what it said it would do before the election.”

BBC Scotland News has approached the Scottish government for comment on the £200m funding announcement.

Unite is the sole union representing workers at the plant.

It has led a campaign for the refinery to be transitioned into a production hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The union said the funding was a “step in the right direction,” but warned the “devil would be in the detail”.

General secretary Sharon Graham said the deal was “welcome news” but stressed it was only the start of securing the facility for future generations.

She said: “This needs to be the start not the end in delivering a real workers’ transition for Grangemouth.

“It is essential that all stakeholders come together to put the meat on the bones and that this investment counts for jobs and our security. Clear timescales will be important as well as details on jobs.”

Roz Foyer, general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), said securing the jobs and futures of the workforce “must be the priority”.

She added: “This announcement cannot be dismissed lightly. However, this funding will only have a transformative impact if used correctly and is accompanied by even further investment from both governments.”

Donald Trump has been back in the White House for a month.

His fifth week in office saw more dramatic moves as the president continued on his plan to remake the federal government, implement sweeping cuts and reshape American foreign policy.

This week he called Ukraine’s war-time president a “dictator”, pledged to make IVF more affordable and dismissed his highest-ranking military officer.

If you’re after a catch-up, here is a reminder of 19 major moves from the Trump administration this week.

Trump on Tuesday called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” – part of a heated back and forth between the two leaders that also saw the US president appear to blame Ukraine for Russia’s invasion.

His attacks came after Zelensky reacted to US-Russia talks about the war, from which Kyiv was excluded.

Zelensky said Trump was “living in a disinformation space” governed by Moscow after Trump said the Ukrainian leader was down to 4% approval rating among the Ukrainian public – a figure Zelensky said was being spread by Russia.

Zelensky’s term was due to come to an end in May 2024 but his country has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion three years ago, and elections are suspended.

The “dictator” line prompted criticism from European leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said it was “simply wrong and dangerous”.

On Tuesday, US and Russian officials held their first high-level, face-to-face talks since the war started but Ukraine was not invited.

Top US officials met Moscow counterparts in Saudi Arabia, prompting fears in Kyiv that the country invaded by Russia was being sidelined.

On Friday, he told Fox News it was not important for Zelensky to be at peace talks but he would “of course” take a call from him.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks with Russia were a first step towards negotiating a peace deal and nothing would be imposed on Ukraine.

Russian authorities released a US national who was arrested at a Moscow airport this month for cannabis possession.

Kalob Byers, 28, was freed hours before the talks between US and Russian officials over the war in Ukraine were set to begin.

The US also said it will release a Russian national – Alexander Vinnik, who was arrested in 2017 on charges related to the laundering of billions of dollars using virtual currency Bitcoin – as part of a prisoner exchange that brought home American schoolteacher Marc Fogel last week.

The Trump administration is moving to end New York City’s congestion pricing plan, which charges vehicles entering the city in certain areas, then uses tolls to upgrade its aging transit systems. It was launched last month.

“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” Trump said on social media. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

In response, New York Govenor Kathy Hochul said: “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. We’ll see you in court.”

Four women who allege they were sexually abused by the social media influencer Andrew Tate said they were “extremely concerned” by reports that US officials had asked Romania to relax travel restrictions against Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, who have dual UK-US nationality.

The Financial Times newspaper first reported that US officials had brought up the case with the Romanian government last week, and it was then followed up by Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell at the weekend.

One source told the paper that a request had been made by the US to return the brothers’ passports to them so they could travel while waiting for the criminal case against them to finish.

The US State Department has been approached by the BBC for comment.

The US Border Patrol said there was a decrease in migrants illegally crossing the US-Mexico border in January.

It recorded 29,000 arrests – the lowest since May 2020 and down from 47,000 in December, according to department figures.

Trump took office on 20 January, replacing predecessor Joe Biden.

The Trump administration has promised to clamp down on undocumented migration into the US, which has also included declaring an emergency at the southern border and expanded processes that allow for rapid expulsions.

Trump reassigned the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week, US media reported. The move came after Trump and border tsar Tom Homan expressed anger that deportation numbers weren’t higher.

The Trump administration – and his Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) leader Elon Musk – are continuing a cost-cutting drive that aims to drastically reduce the federal workforce.

More than 6,000 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees are expected to be fired, and on Friday the Pentagon said it planned to “release” 5,400 probationary workers starting early next week.

Around 1,000 employees in the US National Park Service were let go last weekend – roughly 5% of the workforce – according to CBS News.

It has also begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, and the head of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union David Spero called the firings “shameful”.

Polling suggests there is public support for less government spending but also concern that Musk’s efficiency drive could go too far.

Trump’s administration is attempting to rehire officials with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) who worked on the government response to bird flu before being fired over the weekend, US media report.

The terminations came as the latest outbreak of the bird flu has wreaked havoc on poultry and cattle farms, causing egg prices to skyrocket.

A USDA spokesperson told the BBC that although “several” officials working on bird flu were “notified of their terminations” over the weekend, “we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters”.

It’s not the first time this has happened – after firing officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration last week, US media reported that the government was trying to reinstate some, but was struggling to contact them.

Trump has signed an executive order that will examine ways to make in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments more affordable.

Speaking at an event at Mar-a-Lago, White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the order asks that the Domestic Policy Council make recommendations within 90 days to protect access to IVF and “aggressively” reduce its costs.

During his campaigning, Trump said that IVF treatments would be paid for by insurance companies or the government if he returned to the White House.

A row erupted between the White House and the Associated Press (AP) – a global media organisation – after Google Maps changed the Gulf of Mexico’s name to the Gulf of America for people using the app in the US.

Trump has ordered the body of water to be renamed in US government documents.

The AP says that it will not change the name of the Gulf of Mexico in its style guide, which is used by many US media outlets.

Trump said on Tuesday that he will block AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One until it stops referring to the Gulf of Mexico.

The media organisation sued three Trump officials in response, US media reported on Friday. The AP argues Trump’s ban violates the First Amendment and is seeking an emergency hearing to declare Trump’s moves unconstitutional.

US justice department lawyers on Wednesday defended their decision to end a criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Last week, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss fraud and bribery charges against Adams. Seven justice department lawyers, including the top US prosecutor in Manhattan, resigned over an order to drop the case.

Adams was indicted last year on the charges. He denies any wrongdoing.

Trump has denied that he had any involvement in asking prosecutors to dismiss the Adams case.

On Friday, a judge paused Adams’ trial and ordered an outside lawyer to advise him by coming up with arguments against dropping the charges – essentially creating a legal test.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order ending federal benefits for undocumented migrants.

The measure will seek to ensure that any federal funds to states and localities “will not be used to support sanctuary policies or assist illegal immigration”, according to the White House.

The Trump administration also suspended a service on Tuesday that helped children who come to the US without a parent or guardian to navigate the immigration court system.

Trump said he is considering using a percentage of the potential savings from Elon Musk’s taskforce to send payments directly to US taxpayers.

“We’re thinking about giving 20% back to the American citizens and 20% back to pay down debt,” Trump said in Florida this week, without giving further details.

Before making the remarks, Musk had posted on his social media platform X that he “will check with the President” after a user suggested the pair should announce a “DOGE Dividend”.

During his speech at the Munich Security Conference a week ago, US Vice-President JD Vance launched a scalding attack on European democracies saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but “from within”.

Vance was expected to address possible talks to end the war in Ukraine but instead accused European governments – including the UK’s – of retreating from their values, and ignoring voter concerns on migration and free speech.

The speech was denounced by several politicians at the conference.

Rubio boycotted a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in South Africa this week, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will not attend next week’s gathering of G20 finance ministers.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa told the meeting that a commitment to multilateralism and international law is vital to solving global crises.

Announcing his refusal to attend, Rubio said South Africa was “using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] and climate change”.

Bessent said he had other commitments in Washington.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has told US military services to identify $50bn in cuts next year so the money can be used elsewhere for Trump’s priorities.

The deputy defence secretary said in a statement on Wednesday that “excessive bureaucracy” and “unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including through so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs” would end.

Late Friday night, Trump announced on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was leaving, as well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has restored funding for 9/11-related cancer research after Doge attempted to cancel it last week, according to officials.

The $257,000 (£199,000) contract goes towards data processing to compare cancer incidence rates among firefighters exposed to the World Trade Center toxins with firefighters who were not.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said: “9/11 cancer research and funding for FDNY should have never been on the chopping block”.

Trump’s motorcade drove round the Daytona racetrack in the opening event of the season’s Nascar series.

The president’s Air Force One jet gave a flyby for spectators before he met the drivers and led them for a lap around the circuit.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown was fired as the highest-ranking military officer in the country, responsible for advising the president and defence secretary.

On Friday evening, Trump took to social media to announce the departure of Gen Brown, who was the second black officer in US history to hold the post. The president said five other top officers were being replaced.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously said Gen Brown should be fired because of his “woke” focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the military.

A police officer who removed a burglar’s tag so she could have a sexual relationship with him has been jailed.

Natasha Conneely, of Kempston in Bedfordshire, admitted to a charge of corruption or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges and was sentenced to 18 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court on Friday.

The 31-year-old had been working for Bedfordshire Police’s offender management unit in May 2023 when it was discovered she had started a relationship with a known burglar.

An investigation by the force’s professional standards department found she had removed his monitored offender’s tag so he could visit her home undetected.

Afterwards she checked the system to see if their whereabouts had been captured.

It was later discovered they had spent a night together in a hotel in Leeds in June 2023.

Conneely’s team was responsible for managing offenders in the community with tagging and other methods designed to deter reoffending.

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: “Becoming involved in a sexual relationship with such an offender was totally inappropriate

“Her actions to allow them to spend time together undetected were entirely selfish and had real potential to leave the offender free to further offend with no safeguards in place.

“The evidence of their communication, in my view, demonstrates she entered this relationship and course of conduct of her own free will and her conduct falls far below the standard the public rightly expect. “

Conneely resigned from the force after she was charged.

A police hearing in November 2023 found her behaviour amounted to “gross misconduct for discreditable conduct and honesty and integrity” and ruled she would have been dismissed had she not resigned.

She was placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, meaning she cannot return to policing.