Science Secretary Peter Kyle speaking to Sky News as department set to receive £86bn

Winter fuel to be dealt with 'in run up to autumn'

There has been a lot of speculation that we could get more detail on the government's U-turn on the winter fuel payment cut.

With the spending review on Wednesday, it seemed a pretty safe bet to assume something would be forthcoming then.

But Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is careful about his words when Trevor Phillip asks.

"These issues are going to be dealt with in the run-up to the autumn where these decisions are going to be taken and announced," he says.

This appears to be saying we won't find out more till the budget later this year - it's normally held late October or early November.

Kyle goes on: "But this is a spending review that's going to set the overall spending constraints for government for the next period... for the next three years. 

"So you're sort of talking about two separate issues at the moment."

Asked for clarity, the secretary of state says: "I think what you're going to see is the overall spending constraints and allowances for each government department, and then each department's then going to start talking about how it's going to allocate those."

This seems like a slight offshoring of the debate on winter fuel to other departments.

To be fair to him, it's not his remit, but it means questions will rain down on Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall in the coming days.

Planning process can handle worries Chinese super embassy might be security risk

In his first question to Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, Trevor Phillips asks him about the story on the front of The Sunday Times.

This is a piece about the Americans apparently having concerns about the proposed massive Chinese embassy in East London.

Issues include its proximity to the City of London and Canary Wharf financial hubs, and the potential for things like phone and internet lines to be compromised.

In response, Kyle says such issues will be dealt with "assiduously" - carefully - as part of the planning process.

He claims the government deals with embassies and such issues "all the time".

Pushed on whether the fact it's the Americans and the White House raising the issues, Kyle says the UK and US share intelligence and the British government will always provide a "fulsome" response to the other side of the Atlantic.

"It's going through planning - these are issues that will be dealt with in that process," he says.

What is the spending review and what might Rachel Reeves announce?

On Wednesday 11 June, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the government's spending review.

Rather than details about taxes and how the government brings in money, it will instead be an outline for how the government wants to spend taxpayer cash.

Ms Reeves will be explaining how roughly £600bn will be spent over the course of a few years.

In the article below, Sky News answers some of the key questions about the review.

This includes whether taxes will go up, if we will see changes to the winter fuel payment cap - and what a spending review actually is.

Reform's Hamilton surge will force a rethink for SNP and Labour

In the centre of Hamilton, stands the now derelict Bairds department store - a reminder of the past and a sign of the political present.

Outside, people speak of a time when the high street was busy and the area buzzing.

As in other areas of the country, the blame for this sense of decline is placed at the door of the established parties.

"The SNP have done nothing for Hamilton… we need someone to do something and I'm not sure Labour will do it", said one woman stopping for a chat outside Belles Tearoom.

Apathy once again prevails.

But just over seven thousand people came up with a solution unusual for Scottish politics on Thursday.

Drug treatments and batteries in £86bn science and tech package

Research into faster drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries will form part of the £86bn science and technology funding due to be unveiled in the government's spending review next week.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will unveil how much taxpayer money each government department will get.

Each region in England will be handed up to £500m to spend on science and technology projects of their choice, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) says.

In Liverpool, the funding is being earmarked to speed up the development of new drug treatments, while in South Wales, it will fund longer-lasting microchips for smartphones and electric cars.

Overall by 2030, Ms Reeves's spending package will be worth more than £22.5bn a year, the government says.

"Britain is the home of science and technology," she said on Sunday. "Through the 'plan for change', we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off."

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will be speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips at 8.30am.

Defence secretary lays wreath to mark 81st anniversary of D-Day

John Healey is in Normandy today to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day.

The defence secretary attended commemorations at the British Normandy Memorial and Bayeux War Cemetery. 

He also had lunch with veterans of the Second World War who travelled to northern France to mark the anniversary.

D-Day was and remains the largest seaborne invasion in military history and ultimately led to the end of the war, as Allied troops battled through France and into Germany. 

Healey said: "We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to Western Europe.

"As we reset the nation’s contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values."

The ceremonies this year are all the more poignant at a time of global conflict, and with the defence budget very much on Healey's mind.

We'll have more on that confirmed in the spending review next week. 

Electoral Dysfunction: Rachel Reeves faces the numbers - can she cut it?

As Rachel Reeves prepares for next week's spending review, Beth explains why it could be a defining moment for the government and the chancellor is faced with difficult choices.

Harriet talks about the two-child benefit cap and whether the government can afford to scrap it.

And as Sir Keir Starmer puts the country on a war footing, Sky's defence correspondent Deborah Haynes joins Beth, Ruth and Harriet to talk about the strategic defence review and why there's no argument across parliament about defence spending.

Deborah also talks about her own podcast, The Wargame, which is out next week and simulates an attack on the UK.

Starmer will be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching shock by-election victory

Anything other than a win for Labour would have been a humiliation in this contest.

It wasn't any old local by-election - this was a contest where Labour knew it could act as a mini barometer of Sir Keir Starmer's recent U-turn on winter fuel payments and become a test of how popular the politics of Nigel Farage are in Scotland.

Labour are power hungry and have, for a long time, set their sights on forming the next Scottish government.

The prime minister will this morning be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching this shock victory over the SNP and Reform UK.

This contest on the outskirts of Glasgow came at a time where Labour had been firefighting and grappling with polling suggesting they had blown their chances of ousting the SNP from power in Edinburgh after almost 20 years.

The SNP had a spring in their step during this campaign after a chaotic couple of years.

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney had apparently stemmed the bleeding after the infamous police fraud investigation, endless fallout over gender identity reforms, and last year's general election where they were almost wiped out.

This result leaves them no further forward than 12 months ago, with questions over the party's strategy.

ICYMI: Minister 'not going to speculate' on whether UK partly to blame for Ukrainian drone attack

Russia's UK ambassador has told Sky News that Ukraine's recent attacks risk escalating the conflict to "World War III" - as he partly blamed the UK.

In an interview with Sky News' Yalda Hakim, Andrei Kelin pointed the finger at the UK when he suggested Ukraine must have had assistance in the attacks - particularly vast drone attack on Russian aircrafts.

"[This] kind of attack involves, of course, provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession. And this is London and Washington," he said.

"I don't believe that America [is involved], that has been denied by president Trump, definitely, but it has not been denied by London.

"We perfectly know how much London is involved, how deeply British forces are involved in working together with Ukraine."

Sky's Matt Barbet asked cabinet minister Steve Reed if the UK is providing "geospaced data" to Ukraine to assist in their attacks, like the one on Russian aircrafts.

He replied that he does not know and is "not going to speculate".

But he added: "I know that we as government, cross-party actually, are standing foursquare alongside Ukraine as they fight, as they try to defend themselves against a brutal, unprovoked, and illegal attack, an invasion, by Vladimir Putin.

"We want there to be peace talks - we want this conflict to end. But it's quite right that we should support Ukraine."

Asked if there is a risk the UK gets sucked deeper into the conflict than the public would maybe be comfortable with, the cabinet minister said: "I do know that the people of this country and the government of this country, want to stand alongside Ukraine.

"We need those peace talks to happen. We need peace to happen in that region, we can't allow Russia to get away with invading any more countries."

Trial date set for three men charged over fires at Starmer-linked properties

A trial date has been set for three men charged in connection with arson attacks on two properties and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer.

Two fires took place in north London early last month - one at the home the PM lived at before he moved to Downing Street, and a car on the same steret was also set alight.

Another fire took place on 11 May at the front door of a house linked to Sir Keir that was converted into flats in Islington.

Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, appeared together at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok, 34, refused to attend the hearing.

Two of the fires took place in Kentish Town, north London - one in the early hours of May 12 at the home where Sir Keir lived before he became Prime Minister and moved into Downing Street.

Lavrynovych, of Lewisham, south-east London, has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life on 8 May, 11 May, and 12 May.

Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, are each accused of one count of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life between 17 April and 13 May.

Lavrynovych and Carpiuc appeared at the hearing via videolink from HMP Belmarsh, and spoke only to confirm their identities and dates of birth via an interpreter.

Ms Justice Cheema Grubb told the court that Pochynok had refused to leave his cell for the preliminary hearing.

All three defendants were remanded in custody to next appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on 17 October 17.

A provisional trial date was set for April 27 next year in front of a High Court judge.

A fourth person, a 48-year-old man, was arrested by police at Stansted Airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the incidents.

The Metropolitan Police said he had been released on bail until next month.

-SKY NEWS