Social media has led to a ‘complete rewiring of childhood’, says minister– UK politics
The government has published new guidance for parents that says under-fives should be limited to one hour of screen time a day Hello and welcome to the UK politics blog, follow along to get the latest updates. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is in France today for the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Vaux-de-Cernay, near Paris, where she is expected to speak with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
On top of the agenda is the conflict in the Middle East, with reports suggesting Rubio will ask ministers for help reopening the strait of Hormuz. In early comments ahead of the summit, Cooper said Iran “cannot hold the global economy hostage”, adding that she wants to see a “swift resolution” to the Middle East crisis.
She also expressed “deep concern” over Russia’s ties with Iran “that have been longstanding in terms of shared capabilities”. The US and European powers have accused Russia of helping Iran target US forces in the region, which Moscow has denied. Russia and Iran have significantly deepened their military and strategic ties since Moscow’s continuing invasion of Ukraine.
The Russians have used Iranian drones extensively during the war and the two countries have devised ways to circumvent western sanctions to sell oil abroad. Prime minister Keir Starmer said the Iran and Ukraine wars could have “huge implications” for the future and could reshape the global order.
“How they end and on what terms could well define us for a generation,” he told Sky News. Starmer is visiting a school in London this morning, as new government guidance advices parents to limit screen time for children under the age of five to one hour a day, while under-twos should not be watching screens alone.
Peter Mandelson will reportedly be asked to hand over messages from his personal phone as part of the government’s disclosure of documents related to his appointment as UK ambassador to the US. The government has so far only had access to his work phone. Starmer told Sky News that he “beats himself up” over Mandelson’s appointment, saying it was a mistake he would never repeat.
In other news this morning, there have been reports that Peter Mandelson will be asked to hand over messages from his personal phone as part of the disclosure of files related to his appointment as ambassador to the US.
MPs moved in February to force the publication of tens of thousands of documents amid questions over what was known about Mandelson’s links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before he was handed the Washington job. There have been concerns that messages might be lost after Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney had his mobile phone snatched on a London street last year.
The Cabinet Office is understood to hold a number of text and email exchanges between Mandelson and McSweeney despite the phone theft, and a tranche is expected to be publicly released as part of the Mandelson files in the coming weeks. McSweeney quit Downing Street last month, with many having blamed him for pushing Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US.
Mandelson was sacked from the role in September last year over the Epstein scandal, and the issue has continued to plague the prime minister ever since. In Scotland, Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said the SNP has “completely failed” island and coastal communities.
Ferry operator CalMac said services had been “significantly disrupted” in some areas, including services to Arran and Mull, due to mechanical issues with vessels. Its statement yesterday indicated Arran had no major vessels currently in service, with Islay operating with one vessel to the island.
During an election campaign stop which saw Cole-Hamilton take a speedboat ride down the River Clyde in Glasgow, he told the Press Association: “The SNP have completely failed our island communities and our coastal communities as well, and left them high and dry.” Keir Starmer’s comments about the “fight” to protect…