#uk-politics

#uk-politics

The ending of the war between the US and Iran does seem to depend on your definition of the word ending. If by declaring you have won a war that is in stalemate is a means to an end, maybe we are halfway there. If also the US and Iran launching missile strikes shortly after Trump declared an imminent peace deal is progress then we should grab it with open arms.

Peter Murrell, the party's former chief executive, pleaded guilty when he appeared in the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday morning. He was charged with embezzling 400,310.65 between August 2010 and October 2022, during part of his 22-year tenure as chief executive of the party. Murrell admitted an amended indictment, which reduced the amount of the embezzled money down from more than 459,000.

Sir Gavin Williamson has announced that his pet tarantula, who once lived on his desk in the Houses of Parliament and Ministry of Defence, has died. The Conservative MP shared a series of photographs of him with his "trusty companion" set to Angels by Robbie Williams on social media to reveal the death. Cronus, who had been with the former defence secretary since he was a hatchling, achieved internet fame after reports about his life alongside his owner in Westminster emerged in 2016.

There is more that we can do, and I can announce today that we are giving our hauliers a 12-month vehicle tax holiday, helping to keep prices down, and we are backing drivers by extending the freeze in fuel duty for the rest of the year. This is possible because of the decisions taken by the chancellor, making us the fastest-growing economy in the G7. She will set out further action tomorrow.