No 10 accuses Labour MPs of fuelling market jitters after a U-turn on income tax, saying UK borrowing costs rose as investors balked at resistance to welfare cuts. The Chancellor will instead freeze thresholds, drawing more workers into higher bills through fiscal drag.

Israel has rebuked Westminster’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state despite the PM’s insistence that it is the only way to revive the two-state solution, as ministers ready tougher sanctions on Hamas under pressure from bereaved British families and Western allies.

MPs and economists argue the state pension triple lock is fiscally unsustainable, yet Starmer and Reeves pledge to uphold it amid concerns that abandoning the commitment would damage Labour’s credibility.

King Charles called on Donald Trump to back Ukraine and stand up to Putin’s aggression, praising the enduring special relationship between Britain and America at a Windsor Castle banquet.