Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy’s offer to work with Trump on Ukraine peace deal – as it happened

The only time in the history of Nato where article 5 has been invoked is in the immediate response of 9/11, an attack on the United States of America. The United States of America’s friends and allies, including the UK and including France, rallied to their support and British service personnel lost their lives supporting America.

It was, I think, a foolish and insulting, throwaway remark. I understand that he has explained his position but I think it was a hurtful and thoughtless remark.

• Rishi Sunak, the former Conservative prime minister, has said that President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday last week was “wrong” and “very hard to watch”. (See 5.35pm.)

President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday last week was “wrong”, the former prime minister Rishi Sunak has said. In an interview with Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking podcast, he said:

It was very hard to watch. As someone who has spent a lot of time with Volodymyr, been in Kyiv with him, has seen what he has had to go through for his country, to see him be called a dictator, told that he started this war, for him to have been treated that way was wrong.

Keir Starmer has welcomed President Zelenskyy’s latest offer to work with President Trump on a peace deal for Ukraine. Downing Street has released this readout of the call between Starmer and Zelenskyy this afternoon. A spokesperson said:

The prime minister updated on his discussion with President Trump last night. It was vital that all parties worked towards a lasting and secure peace for Ukraine as soon as possible, the prime minister added.

Turning to President Zelenskyy’s most recent calls for further diplomatic efforts to achieve the swiftest possible end to the war, the prime minister welcomed President Zelenskyy’s steadfast commitment to securing peace.

Underscoring that any peace for Ukraine needed to be lasting and secure, the prime minister said no one wanted peace more than Ukraine.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days.

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, also told MPs that the terrorism law watchdog Jonathan Hall KC has been asked to draw up a new procedure to allow the proscription of state and state-linked organisations, which could deal with groups including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Hall’s work will give “specific consideration to the design of a proscription mechanism for state and state-linked bodies providing more flexibility than is offered under the existing powers”, Jarvis said. He continued:

We are utterly determined to stay ahead of those who threaten our country and any step that could aid us in that critical endeavour will be considered.

In the past UK governments have resisted calls to proscribe the IRGC because, given its state links, this could be seen as the UK designating the entire Iranian regime as a terrorist organisation, leading to the collapse of diplomatic relations.

Keir Starmer spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon, Downing Street has said. A readout of the call is expected to be released soon.

Iran has been announced as the first foreign power to be placed in the enhanced tier of a new government scheme to protect the UK from covert foreign influence, PA Media reports. PA says:

Security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs the Tehran regime and its intelligence agencies would be placed on the top level of the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs) when it comes into effect this year.

Jarvis said Iran had become “increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours”.

In a Commons statement on Tuesday, he said evidence of the Iranian regime’s direct action against UK targets has “substantially increased” in recent years, including of media organisations and journalists reporting on its violent oppression, and Jewish and Israeli people internationally.

He said: “It is clear that these plots are a conscious strategy of the Iranian regime to stifle criticism through intimidation and fear. These threats are unacceptable. They must and will be defended against at every turn.”

The minister said Firs is a “critical disruptive tool” the UK intelligence and law enforcement agencies need to degrade threats faced by the state.

Under the scheme, anyone who is directed by Iran to carry out activities in the UK, such as criminal proxies, must register it or face five years in prison, the minister said.

Firs was initially expected to come into force in 2024, but in August the new Labour government confirmed a delay to its implementation.

Jarvis told the Commons it is expected to have the scheme up and running by the summer.

It comes as the government has faced calls to place China in the enhanced tier of the scheme.

The designation would give ministers the power to require registration of a broader range of activities for specified countries, parts of countries or foreign government-controlled entities “where this is necessary to protect the safety of interests of the UK”, according to the Home Office.

Asked by shadow home secretary Chris Philp whether China will also be placed on the list, Jarvis said other announcements would be made in due course.

According to a story by Jack Elsom in the Sun today, “China will not be included [in the enhanced tier] to avoid a diplomatic spat with Beijing.”