Government joins emergency talks to release strategic diesel reserves
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The UK is in urgent discussions with European partners to release emergency diesel stocks after Donald Trump threatened a ban on US exports. The prospect of a fuel shortage arrives as the budget approaches, with the prime minister attempting a 'grand bargain' on electoral reform and a national care service while borrowing costs rise. At the same time, police have arrested a UK-Iranian national following a counter-terrorism incident at a US military base.
The Conservative opposition claims the government may call a general election as early as May, though Nigel Farage is already planning to disrupt any new Brexit settlements before then. It is a busy morning for the prime minister, who is also facing questions over the depth of his relationship with the owners of Manchester City. In the chambers of the Premier League, the club is currently arguing that its guilt is a matter of opinion.
Ministers are reportedly considering cuts to youth disability benefits to fund a back-to-work scheme, a move that would sit awkwardly alongside the cost-of-living pressures already forcing young workers to opt out of their pensions. Elsewhere, the debate over assisted dying has become unavoidable following the advocacy of the late Esther Rantzen. It appears that while the government wants a conversation about the future, the present is proving expensive.