Rishi Sunak news today: PM warns of nuclear war threat as he faces grim election prediction

In his long-waited speech, Rishi Sunak has highlighted the UK’s threats from authoritarian states including Russia, Iran, North Korea and China.

He added they are working to “undermine” the UK’s values.

Specifically focusing on Vladimir Putin, he said the Russian president’s “recklessness has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis”.

Rishi Sunak framed himself as the only man who can lead Britain through the “most dangerous period” for the world since the end of the Cold War as he made a desperate plea to voters to get behind his plan.

In what was in effect the opening salvo for a long general election campaign, the prime minister’s major speech in central London laid out his preferred battleground of defence and national security.

Citing the danger facing the UK, Mr Sunak said: “Putin’s recklessness has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis.”

But his keynote speech left many Tory MPs feeling flat because of a lack of new initiatives to tackle the major threats posed by China, Iran, Russia and North Korea – whom he described as the “axis of authoritarian states” undermining freedoms and security.

Meanwhile, Labour were bemused by the Tories relying on defence and national security after 14 years which have seen cuts to the army and the Royal Navy.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told The Independent that Labour is “happy” for the election to be fought on national security grounds. Sir Keir Starmer underlined his party’s election fighting machine by holding a summit with the 11 regional mayors who won in the local elections.

Dangerous criminals including a domestic abuser who posed a risk to children have been freed from jail early as part of a Government bid to cut overcrowding, a watchdog has warned.

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor raised “serious concerns” about the policy as he highlighted examples of high-risk inmates selected for early release.

First announced last year, the Government insisted the measure would be temporary and would only allow “low-level offenders” out of prison up to 18 days early under strict supervision.

But earlier this month Mr Taylor described the prison system as “creaking at every level” as it emerged ministers were preparing to extend the scheme for a second time so some criminals could be freed from jail up to 70 days before their release date.

In a report published on Tuesday, Mr Taylor said a “high-risk” inmate at HMP Lewes, who posed a danger to children, had his release date brought forward despite “having a history of stalking, domestic abuse and being subject to a restraining order”.

Another inmate who had been released early was recalled to custody before the watchdog’s inspection had ended. According to the findings, he had a “significant” drug problem and a record of self-harm as well as experiencing suicidal thoughts, but was freed despite “appeals for the decision to be reversed and staff having serious concerns for his and the public’s safety”.

He was homeless on release, according to the findings.

A £40 million Government package to help develop new life-saving brain tumour research is due to be announced.

The funding, which was first committed to by the Government in 2018, will be announced at a Parliamentary roundtable co-chaired by Health Minister Andrew Stephenson and chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Lucy Chappell.

The investment will be used to help develop new treatments for brain tumours, as well as improve patient care, support and rehabilitation.

It comes amid a collaboration between the Government, NIHR, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM), research funders and other charities.

Brain tumours remain one of the hardest to treat cancers, with just 12% adults surviving beyond five years after a diagnosis of a brain tumour.

In 2018, the late Dame Tessa Jowell led calls on behalf of all patients to tackle brain tumours.

A new national strategy was designed in response and the Government committed £40 million for new research.

The roundtable comes during the week of the sixth anniversary of Dame Tessa’s death in May 2018.

Jess Mills, daughter of Dame Tessa and chief executive of the Tessa Jowell Foundation, welcomed the announcement but stressed the need for “no more delays”.

MPs face being barred from attending Parliament if they are arrested for serious sexual or violent offences after the Commons voted to reverse moves to water down the measures.

The House of Commons Commission initially proposed that a risk assessment would take place on whether an MP should be prevented from attending the parliamentary estate if they were arrested on suspicion of committing a violent or sexual offence.

The proposal was later revised so the threshold for a ban was at the point of charge.

But MPs voted 170 to 169, majority one, in favour of a proposal from Liberal Democrat Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife) to revert to the threshold being an arrest.

The division list showed eight Conservative MPs voted in favour of the amendment, including former prime minister Theresa May, while Natalie Elphicke – who defected to Labour from the Tories last week – also supported it.

MPs have previously only been prevented from attending the parliamentary estate by voluntary arrangements with their own party whips under such circumstances.

Ms Chamberlain said: “It is not about the guilt or innocence of any individual MP, but about safeguarding. It’s really important that Parliament is just as safe as any other workplace and that everyone is held to account by similar rules.”

Labour former minister Sir Chris Bryant told the PA news agency: “I’m delighted. This is long overdue.

“Parliament should be no different from any other workplace.”

The UK needs to reduce its reliance on overseas fruit and vegetables and back British producers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will tell his Farm to Fork summit on Tuesday.

The second annual summit will include publication of the first UK Food Security Index, which would “ensure the Government and sector is resilient to unexpected shocks to the market and extreme weather”, Downing Street said.

The Prime Minister is to tell British farmers and growers that they are “vital to the security and the fabric of our country”.

The first draft of the security index would allow the Government, industry and farmers to monitor the impact of external factors, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or extreme adverse weather events.

It will set out how Government will track UK-wide food security on an annual basis, monitoring domestic food production, land use, input costs and farmer productivity.

Downing Street said this year’s index would show that the UK farming sector was at its most productive since records began.

But it will highlight that currently the UK produces the equivalent of just 17% of the fruit and 55% of the vegetables that end up on British plates, significantly lagging behind meat, dairy and grains.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt has said the number of MPs and Lords that had been victim of “vexatious” harassment claims was “surprisingly large”.

She said: “Many members raised the comparison about the profession that we’re in and other professions, particularly the police force, and of course the police themselves may be also subject, not infrequently, to vexatious claims made against them for all kinds of reasons.

“But I would say the volume of members of both Houses that have come to see me during this process, who have been victim of vexatious claims, was surprisingly large.”

Ms Mordaunt also clarified that the risk-based exclusion practices would apply to the Speaker and deputy-speakers, stating “if they were panel members, they would clearly recuse themselves as they would in other scenarios.”

Labour MP Jess Phillips, who pressed the case for exclusion at the point of arrest, told the Commons: “Today, just on this one day, I have spoken to two women who were raped by members of this Parliament; that’s a fairly standard day for me.

“I notice these are not the people who have so far been mentioned much today and some of them told me what they wanted me to say.”

Ms Phillips, reading out remarks, said: “Exclusion at the point of charge sends a clear message to victims that not only will we not investigate unless a victim goes to the police but we won’t act unless they’re charged, which happens in less than 1% of cases. ‘So what’s the point?’ was essentially what this victim said to me.”

She added: “I’m going to stand here and speak up for them because every single one of them wishes for this to be on arrest.”

Ms Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, later said: “We seem to act like we’re some sort of superior beings and the people who currently get excluded are often young women, and I’ve dealt with cases who are young men, who never work in politics again.”

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg described the plans for risk-based exclusion of MPs from Parliament as an “extraordinary power grab by standing orders to undermine a fundamental of our constitution”.

The Conservative former minister told the Commons: “I know Members of Parliament talking about privilege sounds as if they are talking about themselves, but no, it is of our constituents to be represented, and they are not only represented by votes, indeed most of the time they are least represented by votes because they go the way of a Government majority with one more or less not making a ha’p’orth (halfpennyworth) of difference.”

He added: “But the real representation is in this very room. It is not even in Westminster Hall or in committee, it is in this great cockpit of debate, and taking away that right by a cabal is against the constitution.”

Sir Jacob claimed he did not have strong opinions about whether exclusions should be made at the point of arrest or charge, but added: “If we want to do this, let us find time or legislation and let us do it properly.”

Conservative former minister Dame Karen Bradley said “excluding the voice from these benches is a very severe punishment for constituents”, as she defended that charge for an offence was the right point at which to exclude an MP.

Dame Karen, who is chairwoman of the Procedure Committee said the committee was “very nervous” about giving the proxy vote to an excluded member.

She said: “Maybe it’s because in the committee we see proxy votes as a privilege. We have agreed that a proxy vote can be given to those on baby leave, and to those with long term sickness but one can’t get a proxy vote for bereavement for a sick child, for any matter or issues as to why or may not be able to attend this place, but we would give a proxy vote to someone who has been excluded on the basis that they are a risk to being in this building? That doesn’t sit comfortably with many members of the committee.”