Politics latest: Sir Keir Starmer to hold talks with Emmanuel Macron ahead of 'vital' Armistice Day commemorations in Paris

'We don't require the services of Nigel Farage', says shadow minister

The government has confirmed that Karen Pierce, the UK's current ambassador in Washington DC, will remain in post until the transition to Donald Trump is complete - but beyond that, it is unclear who will occupy that post under Labour.

There have been reports that Labour grandee Lord Peter Mandelson is in line for the post, and we asked Gareth Davies, the shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, if he would be a good choice.

Mr Davies replied that the appointment is a matter for the PM, but he would want to see in a US ambassador "somebody who stands up for British interests when it comes to trade".

He also noted the strong military relationship between us.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a good friend of Mr Trump's, has offered his services to the government, and we asked Mr Davies if the Tories would embrace such an offer.

He replied: "I think our links to the United States and to the Republican Party and to president-elect Trump's new administration will be strong enough that we don't consider the services of Nigel Farage [are needed].

Pushed by Sky's Wilfred Frost, the shadow minister added: "We have a long standing record in government and relationships with our friends and allies. We don't require his services."

Tory shadow minister has 'personal confidence' the US will continue to support Ukraine

We've just been speaking with Gareth Davies, the shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, and we start by asking if he agrees with the defence secretary that Donald Trump's re-election does not change the security of Ukraine.

He told us: "Our position on Ukraine hasn't changed. We changed leaders, but our position has not changed: We must and will support Ukraine in anything they need."

He went on to say that he is "confident" that the UK can continue to work with the US on just that, adding that they "would encourage Keir Starmer, as our new prime minister, to engage with president-elect Trump".

Pushed on if it is short-sighted of the defence secretary to insist that nothing has changed since Mr Trump's re-election, Mr Davies noted that the US Congress has passed a multi-year funding provision for Ukraine, and said "we should take confidence from that".

"It is in nobody's interest for Russia to succeed in this war, we must stand with Ukraine," he said. "And I have personal confidence that the United States will see that through."

The re-election of Donald Trump "is a success for democracy".

Macron greets Starmer with a hug as PM arrives at Elysee for talks

Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at the Elysee Palace, the home of the French presidency, for talks with Emmanuel Macron.

The French president greeted the PM with a big hug and a handshake before the pair walked inside.

They are expected to discuss issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the potential impact of Donald Trump's re-election as US president.

How do 'target town' voters in Grimsby feel after Labour budget?

Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes on the Humber estuary is a constituency that stitches together a town that once laid claim to being the biggest fishing port in the world at the height of the industrial revolution and the more Conservative-leaning seaside resort and rural villages around Cleethorpes.

This new constituency was a bellwether seat in the 2024 general election, sitting at the heart of the "red wall" in Brexit-backing Lincolnshire. A key seat in the Labour-Conservative battleground, this is a place Sir Keir Starmer had to take back on his path to power. And he did.

It was a big symbolic win for Labour as the party took back Great Grimsby, which had been Labour since the Second World War but flipped to Boris Johnson's Conservatives in 2019 and took the more rural and affluent Cleethorpes too.

But the bigger story on the night was that the Labour vote was as shallow as it was wide, and what I mean by that is Sir Keir's massive working majority of 165 seats was won on the lowest vote share of any government since the Second World War.

As landslides go, this one was built on particularly shaky ground. The victory was as much the story of a rejection of the Conservatives and the rise of other parties as a tale of a country embracing Labour.

Starmer meets Chelsea Pensioners and UK military officers in Paris

The prime minister has travelled to Paris to participate in Armistice Day events - the first PM since Churchill to do so.

Ahead of the major commemoration events, Sir Keir Starmer is meeting with Chelsea Pensioners, and British officers embedded with foreign military forces.

-SKY NEWS