UK 'disagrees' with JD Vance on free speech comments

Could Boris Johnson return to frontline politics?

Lastly Ms Patel is asked about her former boss and the former prime minister Boris Johnson, who has been tweeting that Ukraine should become a member of NATO.

Asked if his tweets signal he wants to return to frontline politics, she says: "I am not even going to go there."

She says Mr Johnson led the UK's position on Ukraine, being the PM when the war broke out, so it is "not surprising he is giving his view."

JD Vance 'within his rights' to give speech on UK's values, says Priti Patel

Like the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Ms Patel is also asked about JD Vance's comments on free speech in the UK and Europe (see post 8.51). 

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Vance took aim at what he called the "backslide away from conscience rights" in the UK, which he said put the "basic liberties of religious Britons" at risk. 

Ms Patel takes a different approach to Mr Reynolds, who said he didn't agree with the comments. 

She said that when she was home secretary she  had to "effectively battle many of these free speech issues and cancel culture" - giving the example of campuses on universities "silencing various groups and individuals and organizations". 

" As you know, we are as a party, we are longstanding advocates of free speech," she says. 

Asked if it's appropriate for JD Vance to be talking to the UK about it's values, she says she "diagrees" with the premise of the question.

"He is absolutely within his rights to give a speech with any content that he chooses. That's absolutely right and proper."

Pressed if she agrees with what he said, she says she agrees that many countries face challenges on free speech.

"There's always more that we must do to defend free speech," she adds.

Shadow foreign sec calls for 'calm' over question of UK peacekeeping troops

Our last guest is Dame Priti Patel, the former home secretary and now shadow foreign secretary.

She is asked about the divide between Europe and the US on Ukraine's future in Nato - something the former supports but the latter opposes (see post 8.36)

Ms Patel says "all Nato countries" have given support for Ukraine and it is for Ukraine and NATO to determine its future together.

She adds that the support NATO countries have already given Ukraine has effectively "paved the pathway for them to effectively become a member through the long standing and extensive support we've been giving them". 

Asked if that means she would support their application with NATO, even if it meant British troops ending up on Ukraine soil, she said "we don't know" that this would happen.

Pressed on whether she would support the UK sending peacekeeping troops if a deal is reached between the US and Russia, she says "that's pure speculation" and she is not going to comment.

"We don't know, actually what a peace deal and the peace settlement would mean and what it would look like. I think, you know, we all have to be very calm and cool right now."

UK 'must find headroom' to recruit more service personnel, says head of defence think tank

The next guest on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips is Rachel Ellehuus, the director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) - a defence and security think tank.

Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, she says there should be a "sense of urgency" from European leaders to increase defence spending given the "security environment". 

For the UK, she says the government should "find the headroom" to invest in conventional capabilities, new technology, and also "continue to invest in people, recruitment, personnel". 

She says over the last decade, Washington defence policy has been less focused on Europe and more focused on the Indo-Pacific region. 

"It's about time we have this discussion around defence spending, 2,5% isn't enough," she says. 

Rachel Reeves CV row 'trivial', says cabinet colleague

Lastly, Mr Reynolds is asked about a row over the chancellor's CV, after she suggested she worked at the Bank of England for longer than she had. 

According to the BBC, her LinkedIn profile suggested she worked there nine months longer than she did, while she has also previously claimed to have worked there for "the best part of a decade" - when it was 5.5 years. 

 Mr Reynolds called the story "trivial". 

"I think what matters is a chancellor focused on the challenges this country has," he said. 

"Putting investment in, delivering our plan for change. That's what you're judged on as a politician."

UK can 'work together' with US to avoid Trump tariffs

Mr Reynolds is now being asked about whether the UK will be let off in Donald Trump's tariff war - and what Sir Keir Starmer will say to the US president when the pair meet. 

He says the prime minister will tell Mr Trump the UK supplies "specialist and niche" products to the US - and there's no need to charge us more.

Asked if that means treating us as a special case, he says there's a basis for the UK and US working together on areas like technology.

Pressed on why the US would treat us differently, he says the UK doesn't have a trade deficit with America like many other countries do. 

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I think it's worth reacting in a way which says we respect your agenda, we will work with you, and a mutual solution is in our mutual interest", he says.

Government 'disagrees' with JD Vance on UK freedom of speech values

Moving on to recent comments by JD Vance, Mr Reynolds says he "disagrees" with what the US vice president said about the UK failing to protect values such as free speech. 

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Vance took aim at what he called the "backslide away from conscience rights" in the UK, which he said put the "basic liberties of religious Britons" at risk. 

The business secretary says the UK and US "don't have to agree on everything". 

"I think that's one area where we would disagree. I speak as a Christian myself. No one is subject to any kind of enforcement from the state for praying in this country. 

"The example he gave was about people being able to access health care, in this case abortions, free of intimidation or harassment. 

"I think that's an important British value to so I think we disagree in our interpretation of that."

Could British troops be part of a peackeeping force?

With defence and the war in Ukraine very much dominating the news agenda today, Mr Reynolds is asked if British troops could be  part of a peacekeeping force? 

Mr Reynolds says the UK "will always play our part in a peace settlement". 

He adds: "It's a little bit hypothetical at this stage, but of course, it's in our national interest to make sure that's a durable peace [in Ukraine]". 

'Whole cabinet recognises defence spending must increase'

Mr Reynolds is now being asked about the UK's defence spending, and whether that could increase. 

He says he "disagrees" that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, doesn't want to spend more money, 

"The whole cabinet, the whole government, I think most people in this country recognise the pressures the world is under, recognise more will have to be spent on defence."

He says the upcoming spending review will set out the roadmap towards the 3% of the GDP target  - with the government currently at about 2.5%.

Pressed if whether is signalling that defence spending will go up in the spending review, Mr Reynolds says: "Look, we will set out that roadmap. We have already put more money into defence in the first budget of this new government, so our credentials are there."

'Too early to talk about divisions with allies on NATO', says minister

Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, is up first on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.

Asked about America and Europe's differing views on Ukraine joining NATO, and if we've parted paths with the US, he says: "I'm not sure we have, we all want the war to end."

He says it's "too early to start talking about divisions between allies". 

Electoral Dysfunction: 'If you've got racist thoughts then you shouldn't be an MP!'

 Do MPs say one thing in public, and another in private? This week, Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson ask what's been going on with the two MPs suspended from the Labour Party over WhatsApp messages containing offensive comments.

Andrew Gwynne and Oliver Ryan both lost the whip after Sunday newspaper revelations.

It's been a difficult week for Harriet - she's worked with Andrew Gwynne for a number of years and says it's made her question her judgement.

Also - are we about to see by-elections as a result?

And in the week the assisted dying debate is back in the news, we discuss the repercussions of the plan to scrap the need for High Court approval after Beth speaks to the MP who has campaigned for the changes, Labour's Kim Leadbeater.

Lammy says US agrees that Ukrainians 'have to be part of negotiated deal with Russia'

David Lammy has spoken to media at the Munich Security Conference following his meeting with US vice president JD Vance.

The foreign secretary said he was "very encouraged in our conversations about Ukraine", adding: "All of us have this desire to bring this horrendous war to an end.

"We share the view that there has to be an enduring peace... there was an agreement that Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians have to be part of that negotiated deal."

Lammy also said it is "not surprising that Donald Trump wanted to speak to Vladimir Putin" after the shock phone call this week.

Nor was it surprising that he wanted to speak to Zelenskyy, he said.

"But these are just talks at the moment. We are some way from a negotiated peace," he added.

Reeves: People will judge me on my work as chancellor, not my CV

The chancellor has also now publicly addressed reports about inaccuracies in her online CV.

Rachel Reeves' LinkedIn profile said she stayed at the Bank of England nine months longer than she actually did, the BBC has reported.

She has publicly said she spent a decade there, but her LinkedIn profile claimed she worked at the bank from September 2000 to December 2006.

However, she is understood to have left by March 2006, when she started working at Halifax Bank of Scotland.

Reeves' spokesman, in a comment given to the BBC, said the dates on her LinkedIn were inaccurate, blamed an administrative error by her team, and said the chancellor had not seen it before it was published.

Asked about the accuracy of her LinkedIn page this afternoon, Reeves told broadcasters: "I worked as an economist at the Bank of England between 2000 and 2006 before going to work in financial services for Halifax Bank of Scotland.

"And I'm really proud of the work that I did before I became an MP, but in the end, people are going to judge me on the job that I'm doing now as chancellor of the exchequer to grow the economy and put more money in the pockets of working people."

Chancellor: 'No one ever raised concerns about my expenses'

The chancellor has spoken publicly for the first time since it was reported that she was accused by former employees of being involved in an "expenses scandal" while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) from 2006 to 2009.

One ex-colleague told the BBC that Rachel Reeves nearly got sacked after an investigation into three senior managers accused of "signing off each other's expenses".

This included spending hundreds of pounds on handbags, perfume, earrings and wine for colleagues, including one gift for her boss.

A whistleblower said there was also concern about her spending on taxis and on a Christmas party, and in a Facebook group of former HBOS employees seen by the BBC, several people referred to Ms Reeves being investigated over her expenses spending.

Yesterday, Ms Reeves' spokesperson said she was "not aware of an investigation, nor was she interviewed". Her lawyer has denied the allegations. Jayne Wayper, former HR business partner for HBOS, said: "I do not recognise any of the accusations or claims that have been made against Rachel Reeves."

Asked about the claims this afternoon, Reeves told broadcasters: "No one ever raised any concerns about my expenses when I worked for Halifax Bank of Scotland.

"I submitted, had processed and had my expenses signed off in the proper way as you would expect, and no issues were ever raised during my time at Halifax Bank of Scotland."

She added that nobody had gone on the record to suggest there had been concerns, and said: "I was never questioned, never asked to pay back any expenses."

UK waiting to see if Trump follows through with tariffs plan

A waiting game on tariffs is beginning to play out between the UK and the United States on tariffs, amid warnings that Donald Trump's latest strategy could hit the UK especially hard.

The US president on Thursday revealed he has asked his government to consider what tariffs should be applied to other nations - and to include the VAT applied to US goods in those countries in the calculations.

It is the latest step in Mr Trump's attempts to bring production back to the US and charge other nations for access to the American market. He has asked for a report to be completed by April.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge the UK was waiting to see how it would react.

He told Sky News: "Sometimes tariffs are announced, a couple of days later, they are unannounced."

US vice president takes swipe at UK in speech at security conference

The US vice president has just been speaking about issues of freedom now at the Munich Security Conference - and he took swipes at various countries, including the UK.

JD Vance said: "Unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it's sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War's winners."

"And perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs."

He was specifically referring to 51-year-old Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted in October last year for breaching the safe zone around an abortion centre.

"After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply, it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before," Vance said.

The conviction was not related to Smith-Connor's thoughts while he was in the safe zone, but rather breaching the zone after refusing orders from police to move on.

Badenoch: Chancellor has 'very serious questions to answer'

Kemi Badenoch was asked about allegations facing Chancellor Rachel Reeves of inaccuracies in her CV, as well as her use of expenses in a previous job, revealed by the BBC (Reeves categorically denies all the claims).

The Tory leader told broadcasters: "I think she's got some very, very serious questions to answer."

She continued: "Keir Starmer said that he was bringing in a government of integrity.

"He's lost one minister due to corruption allegations, another one has had to resign because of fraud that was committed while she was working."

Badenoch said the allegations facing the chancellor are "very serious things", and she needs to "to come out and explain what's going on".

More broadly, the Tory leader said: "This is a government that is not serious, that doesn't have a plan for the country, made claims that are shown not to be true, has broken lots of promises.

"We as the opposition, the Conservative Party, will be holding them to account."

UK should not retaliate if Trump imposes tariffs, says Tory leader

Kemi Badenoch has just been speaking with broadcasters, and she was asked if the UK government should retaliate against the US if Donald Trump decides to impose tariffs on the UK.

The Tory leader replied: "No. I think we need to do what we were doing the last time the Conservatives were in government."

She explained that when Boris Johnson was PM and Donald Trump was in the White House, negotiations on a trade deal were under way.

"President Biden cancelled those," Badenoch said. "Now is the time to pick up where we left off.

"It is important that Labour finishes the job that we started, because if we have a trade deal, then we won't have tariffs."

Lammy meets US vice president to discuss Ukraine, European security, and 'special relationship'

Foreign Secretary David Lammy is at the Munich Security Conference today, and he has met with US vice president JD Vance.

Lammy said he looked forward to discussing support for Ukraine, as well as European security.

The foreign secretary also described the US-UK relationship as "more than just an alliance, it's a covenant between two partners".

He added: "We are committed to increasing defence and encourage our friends across Europe to do the same, and of course we have got important issues to discuss on Ukraine and how we support Ukraine at this difficult moment, and also broader issues of UK-US security."

The vice president said: "Honestly, we have a lot in common, and the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States will remain very strong.

"We are going to talk about something that he and I spoke about a couple of years ago, which is our shared belief that Europe really should take a big role in its own security, and I'm glad the foreign secretary agrees with me on that.

"I think there are other issues of common agreement, I'm sure we will talk about Russia-Ukraine."

Trump's envoy spontaneously handed phone to Starmer for 'brief' call during meeting

Downing Street revealed a short while ago that Keir Starmer and Donald Trump spoke on the phone yesterday during a meeting between the PM and Trump's new special envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett.

Our political correspondent Tamara Cohen has been contacting sources to get a bit more detail about the phone call.

She learned that the president spontaneously phoned Burnett while he was meeting with Starmer, and he handed the phone over so the two leaders could have a brief conversation.

Tamara understands that they spent just a couple of minutes on the phone, and no policy was discussed.

"Donald Trump was essentially saying, 'you are two good guys who should do good work together', and they also discussed that they were both looking forward to the forthcoming visit to the US," Tamara explained.

Insiders also tell her that it shows that the UK's stance on tariffs - wanting to be cautious, not wanting to make any retaliatory noises at the moment - has gone down well with the White House.

Burnett is British, and he formerly produced the US version of TV show The Apprentice, in which Donald Trump starred.

-SKY NEWS