Robert Jenrick hints at Tory-Reform electoral pact in new leaked recording

Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to lead the latest Ukraine peace talks, as officials from the war-torn nation are joined by US, British and European allies in London.

Today’s gathering comes as Donald Trump’s administration continues to drive efforts to find peace between Russia and Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has suggested he is hopeful the warring parties “will make a deal this week”.

But Kyiv could be forced to swallow a bitter pill under terms being ironed out between the US and Russia, according to the Financial Times (FT).

Vladimir Putin has offered to halt his invasion of Ukraine across its current front lines, the newspaper reported.

Among the ideas floated by the US for the settlement are Moscow’s continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions, and US recognition that Russia owns the Crimean peninsula, the FT said.

Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will represent the US at the talks in London.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio is unable to attend due to a scheduling issue, while Steve Witkoff – a Trump envoy who has been deeply involved in negotiations – is set to return to Moscow this week.

Defence Secretary John Healey told the House of Commons yesterday that allies will discuss “next steps” during the talks, “including what a ceasefire might look like and how to secure peace in the long-term”.

He also slapped down Putin’s claims that Russia had observed a promised Easter truce, telling MPs that British military intelligence had found no indication of a pause in fighting.

“While Putin has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it; while Putin says he wants peace, he has rejected a full ceasefire; and while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in the negotiations,” Healey said.

The Russian military has continued “to pressure Ukraine on a number of fronts”, Healey also said.

But he added: “I can confirm Russian military progress is slowing. Putin gained less territory in March than he did in February, less territory in February than he did in January.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to “defend Britain’s interests” as she prepares to meet fellow finance ministers in Washington and push for a US trade deal.

Reeves will spend three days in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) spring meetings, which bring together finance ministers and business leaders from across the G7 and G20.

It comes amid worldwide economic uncertainty after the IMF said the impact of US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs will significantly slow growth in economies around the world, including the UK.

The organisation said yesterday it is slashing its global growth forecast by 0.5 percentage points this year, with nearly all countries seeing a downgrade.

The UK economy is predicted to grow by 1.1 per cent this year, 0.5 percentage points less than January’s forecast, partly reflecting tariffs, as well as weaker consumption amid higher inflation driven by bills and energy price hikes.

While she champions Britain as a destination for investment, Reeves will also hold her first face-to-face meeting with American counterpart Scott Bessant for talks on an economic deal between the US and UK.

Securing such a deal with the US acquired a new sense of urgency earlier this month when Trump announced the sweeping tariffs on imports from the rest of the world. These included 10 per cent levies on all UK goods – then the lowest level imposed on any country – along with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and cars.

Although Trump rowed back from his initial announcement, instead instituting 10 per cent tariffs on all countries except China, his senior economic adviser Kevin Hassett has suggested this is a “baseline” which would require an “extraordinary deal” for the president to go below.

Trump himself has said he is in “no rush” to negotiate exceptions to the tariff regime due to the revenues he claimed the charges were generating.

Ahead of her visit to Washington, Reeves said: “The world has changed and we are in a new era of global trade. I am in no doubt that the imposition of tariffs will have a profound impact on the global economy and the economy at home.

“This changing world is unsettling for families who are worried about the cost of living and businesses concerned about what tariffs will means for them. But our task as a Government is not to be knocked off course or to take rash action which risks undermining people’s security.

“Instead, we must rise to meet the moment and I will always act to defend British interests as part of our plan for change.

“We need a world economy that provides stability and fairness for businesses wanting to invest, and trade, more trade and global partnerships between nations with shared interests, and security for working people who want to get on with their lives.”

Responding to the new IMF forecasts, she claimed “the UK is still the fastest-growing” European country in the G7.

Anyone without the correct form of photo ID to take part in next week’s local and mayoral elections in England has only a few hours left to apply for a special certificate.

Some 1,641 council seats are up for grabs on 1 May across 23 local authorities.

Elections are also taking place for four regional mayors and two local mayors, while voters in the constituency of Runcorn and Helsby will choose a new MP.

There are only certain kinds of photo identification that will be accepted at polling stations and voters without the correct ID will be turned away.

A passport, driving licence photocard or blue badge are all valid, as is an older person’s bus pass. People who do not have any of the right forms of ID need to apply for a voter authority certificate by 5pm today.

This can be done online at gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

Photo ID rules were brought in as part of the Elections Act 2022 and were first enforced in England in 2023 and across Britain at the 2024 general election. Voters in Northern Ireland have been required to show ID at elections since 2003.

An average of 219 applications for a voter authority certificate (VAC) were made each day in the week to 21 April, the highest number so far this year, but up only slightly from 215 the previous week and 211 a fortnight earlier.

Just 9 per cent of VAC applications in the most recent week came from people under 25, while 4 per cent came from those aged 75 and over, according to analysis of Government figures by the PA news agency.

Applications from 55- to 64-year-olds accounted for 28 per cent of the total, followed by 45- to 54-year-olds (22 per cent), 35- to 44-year-olds (19 per cent), 25- to 34-year-olds (10 per cent) and 65- to 74-year-olds (8 per cent).

Jackie Killeen, director of electoral administration and regulation at the Electoral Commission, said: “Voters will be required to show photo ID at polling stations next week.

“Our research shows that the vast majority of voters already have an accepted form of ID, but for those that do not, the free ID is an important option.

“Time is running out to apply for the free ID, so we are calling on anyone that needs it to make sure they have submitted their application by 5pm on Wednesday so that they can cast their vote on 1 May.

“Applications can be made online or by completing a paper form, which can be obtained from your local council. Voters will need to provide a photo, their full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their national insurance number.”

No scheduled elections are taking place on 1 May in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. It is nonetheless the first big test at the ballot box for political parties since Labour won the general election in July 2024.

Of the 23 local authorities in England holding elections on 1 May, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The others are the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, plus Doncaster Metropolitan Council.

Every seat on all 23 authorities is up for grabs, but boundary changes mean some areas will be electing fewer councillors than before.

Four combined-authority mayors are being elected on 1 May, for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire and the West of England, along with two single-authority mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside.

UK Government borrowing rose to £151.9bn in the year to the end of March, overshooting official forecasts by £14.6bn, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing was higher than the £137.3bn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The yearly figure was also £20.7bn more than the same period a year earlier.

It comes as borrowing rose to £16.4bn last month, the third-highest March borrowing since monthly records began, the new figures show.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, said: “Economic stability is crucial within a changing world.

“We will never play fast and loose with the public finances, that’s why our fiscal rules are non-negotiable and why we are going through every penny of taxpayer money spent, line by line, for the first time in 17 years to tear out waste.

“We are laser-focused on making sure taxpayer money is delivering our Plan for Change missions to put more money in people’s pockets, rebuild the NHS and strengthen our borders.”

Talks aimed at ending the long-running Birmingham bin strike will resume today.

Leaders of the Unite union will meet officials from the city council in a new bid to resolve the row.

Union members have been on strike for more than a month in a bitter dispute over pay and jobs, leading to rubbish piling up on the streets.

The two sides met last week and both said they were prepared to hold talks over Easter, but that did not happen.

The council has been concentrating on clearing the rubbish, while the Government has urged both sides to negotiate a deal.

Despite pressure for an end to the strike, the row remains deadlocked, with little sign of a breakthrough.

Police officers who fail background checks will be automatically sacked under new rules coming into force to improve confidence in policing.

Measures will be introduced to Parliament on Wednesday which will make it a legal requirement for serving officers to pass vetting procedures.

It will also mean police chiefs given will be able to get rid of officers unfit to serve from next month.

The move comes after head of the Metropolitan Police Sir Mark Rowley accused officials of dragging their feet on giving police chiefs stronger powers to sack rogue officers.

He previously said it is “absurd” that officers who are not fit to hold vetting cannot be lawfully sacked.

The Home Office said the changes follow recent legal challenges which have “brought to light” the difficulty forces can have removing officers who are not fit to protect the public.

In February, a Metropolitan Police officer accused of sexual offences, Sergeant Lino Di Maria, successfully mounted a legal challenge after having his vetting removed over the allegations, which he denies.

He was found to have no case to answer in respect of misconduct allegations, and argued that having his vetting removed without the accusations being proved is a breach of his right to a fair trial.

The force confirmed that it had now been granted leave to appeal against the High Court judgment tomorrow after it was a deemed a matter of public importance.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “In recent years, serious cases which have badly failed all proper policing standards have damaged public trust in the officers who are supposed to protect them, and undermined the majority of brave, committed officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe.

“It is simply not acceptable that officers who are clearly unfit to serve or pose a risk to their colleagues cannot be removed.

“That’s why these new rules are essential and it is why this Government has been working closely with forces to overcome these barriers to restore confidence in policing.”

Rowley said: “The ability to hold a vetting clearance is the most basic indication of whether someone can be trusted to hold the extensive and often intrusive powers that police officers are given. It was never right that an officer could lose their vetting, but not lose their job.

“These reforms close that glaring gap in the law and will allow us to move swiftly to remove those who have no place in policing.

“This matters not just for the public we serve but for the vast majority of hardworking officers who should be able to feel safe, have full trust in those they work alongside and have the confidence of the public.”

The reformed police dismissal system will come into force from 14 May.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vetting, Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, backed the changes which “provide clear routes for action to remove individuals who fall below the high standards the public and our workforce rightly expect and deserve”.

The Home Office also plans to introduce further safeguards to improve vetting national standards later this year, including stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.

Morning and welcome to The i Paper live blog.

Robert Jenrick has hinted at a Tory-Reform pact to ensure that Conservatives and Reform UK are no longer competing with one another for votes at the next election, according to a leaked recording.

In the audio obtained by Sky News, the Shadow Justice Secretary can be heard telling the students at the UCL Conservative association dinner in late March that he is still working hard to defeat Reform.

He says it would be a nightmare scenario if Sir Keir Starmer is re-elected as a result of the two parties being disunited but has denied he is encouraging a pact with Reform.

Jenrick can be heard saying: “[Reform UK] continues to do well in the polls. And my worry is that they become a kind of permanent or semi-permanent fixture on the British political scene. And if that is the case, and I say, I am trying to do everything I can to stop that being the case, then life becomes a lot harder for us, because the right is not united.

“And then you head towards the general election, where the nightmare scenario is that Keir Starmer sails in through the middle as a result of the two parties being disunited. I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared for that to happen.

“I want the fight to be united. And so, one way or another, I’m determined to do that and to bring this coalition together and make sure we unite as a nation as well.”