Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Malloy Aeronautics in Berkshire following the publication of the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip), June 30, 2026
KEIR STARMER’S parting gift to the country he has so misgoverned is an enormous and unaffordable arms build-up which helps set Britain on the road to war.
The Defence Investment Plan unveiled today specifically cuts energy and transport investment to pay for a fleet of new military drones. New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis appears to have squeezed new money out of the Treasury where his predecessor John Healey failed.
The vast sums now allocated to the military are never going to be enough for some, of course — the unrepentant Blairite hawks in the Labour Party, as well as the right-wing media and the arms corporations.
Their ideal is a small country attached to a huger military. Starmer’s plan takes a step in that direction.
That he announced it in the twilight days of his premiership is clearly designed to tie the hands of his heir apparent, Andy Burnham.
Not that Burnham has set his face against the frenzied militarisation of the economy. His position remains somewhat enigmatic, on this as on much else.
RAF Linton-On-Ouse in North Yorkshire, which the Home Office plans to use to detain thousands of asylum seekers in its quest to shut more hotels, June 26, 2026
FORCING people seeking refuge into £10,000 of debt is an “abandonment of principles that should never be negotiable,” campaigners warned today as the government published new plans for its immigration system.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the proposal, which would order asylum-seekers to pay the sum to cover living costs while they await a decision on their status.
If they do not pay, Ms Mahmood’s plans would automatically deny refugees settled status in Britain.
Critics immediately slammed the means-tested scheme, saying it would punish people fleeing war, torture and famine.
And it would only raise a “relatively small” amount for the Home Office’s goals of cutting the amount it spends each year on asylum accommodation and support by £4 billion.
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) condemned the move as “yet another shameless attempt by Labour to inflate the coffers of private companies like Serco, Mears and Clearsprings with multibillion-pound contracts to run asylum accommodation unfit for human habitation.”
JCWI spokesperson Seema Syeda told the Star: “Forcing people seeking safety into debt to pay for it is new depths of cruelty.
“There’s a simple solution: give asylum-seekers the right to rent and the right to work, so they can live in our communities in accommodation they choose — as all human beings deserve to be treated.
A Welsh flag before the Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium, Caerdydd
A PETITION to the Senedd seeking to change the country’s name from Wales to just Cymru was up to 412 signatures today.
The petition was started by John Price and says: “With an outward looking government, now is the time for us to assert our own intention for how we are seen across the world, in the language of our nation using the name chosen by our nation.
“Now is also the time for us to stop using two names for places with deeper, older Welsh names. We can sensibly keep some names with other dual and important historical meanings.”
The petition will be live until December 30 and at 250 signatures will be discussed by the Senedd’s petitions committee.
But petitions with more than 10,000 signatures will be considered for a debate in the Senedd.
The petition also explains that other countries that have changed their names include Turkiye and Czechia and notes that national parks using Welsh names have gained wider international attention.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Baghdad, Iraq on May 14, 2026. [Murtadha Al-Sudani – Anadolu Agency]
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi said there is “no evidence” that attacks against Gulf countries originated from Iraqi territory, while reaffirming that Baghdad will not allow its land to be used to target neighboring states.
In an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper published Monday evening, Zaidi discussed a host of issues, including restricting weapons to state control, combating corruption, economic reforms and Iraq’s foreign relations.
He said all security force commanders had been instructed to prevent any attempt to use Iraqi territory to launch attacks against neighboring countries.
“We will not accept dictates from outside our borders, neither from the East nor the West. Iraq’s decision belongs to its people,” he said.
Zaidi stressed that Iraq seeks to build strong relations with the international community and neighboring countries.
“After visiting the United States, we have working visits scheduled to Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Iran,” he said.
Regional tensions escalated when the US and Israel launched attacks against Tehran in February, killing more than 3,000 people, according to Iranian officials. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US bases.
Several Gulf states also came under attacks that they say were launched by Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq.
Monopoly of weapons
Zaidi said Iraq will hold a national conference later this year to reinforce the state monopoly of weapons. “There is no place for weapons outside the state, and we will not accept the existence of a state within a state,” he said.
He added that the government has already received weapons from Saraya Al-Islam, Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Al-Imam Ali armed groups.
“The most important step is not merely handing over weapons, but severing the link between the armed faction and the fighters under its command.
“We believe resistance is a necessity, not a profession. That necessity no longer exists, and we will not accept a state within a state,” he said.
Zaidi announced Sept. 21 as a final deadline for armed factions to surrender their weapons to the authorities.
Government spokesman Haider Al-Aboudi said Monday that the deadline coincides with the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition forces from Iraq under an agreement reached two years ago.
On June 3, military spokesman Sabah Al-Numan announced the formation of a committee tasked with ensuring that weapons remain exclusively under state control.
The issue of weapons outside state authority remains one of Iraq’s most pressing security and political challenges, with some armed factions operating under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) while others function independently.
The government says it aims to consolidate state authority over arms as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic stability and shield Iraq from regional tensions.
Corruption fight
Zaidi described corruption as “a threat to the existence of the Iraqi state,” calling his government’s campaign against corruption “irreversible.”
“There are people seeking to steal Iraq, not to serve it,” he said.
The premier said he had instructed the Finance Ministry to open a special account to recover embezzled Iraqi funds.
Zaidi also pledged not to draw a salary, accept gifts or “allow his hand to touch public money.”
He said he will not seek a second term in office or establish a political party after leaving office.
Zaidi’s government was approved by the Iraqi parliament in May. His constitutional term is four years.
On Sunday, Iraqi authorities announced the arrest of several officials and lawmakers accused of financial and administrative corruption following confessions by detained Deputy Oil Minister Adnan Al-Jumaili.
Jumaili was arrested on June 2 over allegations of financial and administrative corruption and illegal contracts.
Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council later announced the seizure of about $23 million in cash and the confiscation of 70 properties and 21 luxury vehicles, in addition to about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of gold jewelry.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to Malloy Aeronautics in Berkshire following the publication of the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip), June 30, 2026
