Undercover reporting revealed Reform UK candidates making inflammatory comments, prompting questions regarding the party's candidate vetting processes. The party stated it has now "improved and prioritised its vetting procedures."
Russian forces and Malian troops have withdrawn from the northern city of Kidal following co-ordinated attacks by separatist fighters and Islamist militants across Mali. The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed control of Kidal after securing an agreement for Russian withdrawal. The upheaval saw Malian Defence Minister Sadio Camara killed in Kati, near the capital, in an apparent suicide bombing.
Senior Labour figures have dismissed Conservative demands for a parliamentary inquiry into whether the Prime Minister misled MPs regarding the vetting of Lord Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of repeatedly misleading Parliament, urging Labour MPs to back a new investigation by the Privileges Committee. However, Labour MPs and former ministers argue that such an inquiry would be a waste of resources and a politically motivated manoeuvre ahead of local elections.
