EXCLUSIVE: 24 hours with Andy Burnham in Ukraine for his first major foreign policy interview. The domestic-focused PM leaves warming to his global role. “I’m at my best when I can see the injustice and I can go at it. I see it here and I feel it here. I come away more determined to do something.” -his gutting convo with wounded soldiers -his anger visiting civilian bomb sites -his emotion seeing Zelensky with war widows -his frustration at the idea he’s disinterested in foreign affairs and vow to maintain Britain’s leadership role -he says he’ll try to win Trump round on Patriots in the US next month -wants his trips abroad to have purpose -says the war is at a critical moment and now’s the time to dig in as the Russian economy hits the buffers -reveals Russian casualties have hit 1.5m -says there’s evidence Russian public opinion is shifting -says if Ukraine can make it to early next year things will be in its favour -his more personal, emotional approach to diplomacy -how he sees similarities between his style and Zelensky’s, albeit under very different circumstances -that guitar moment -his praise for Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer -his concern about the impact of Iran on the UK economy -his optimism for a progressive resurgence and end to right-wing populism not just in Britain but around the world, maybe even in the US. “The pendulum has to swing back” bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Andy Burnham on the restriction of Starlink / Starshield: “Of course I have concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine in the position in which it finds itself at this moment in time. “The situation is currently fragile and needs careful handling. “There were talks in Oslo yesterday where the UK government was represented. “I think we need to handle the situation carefully so that we can bring back all sides to get the support behind President Zelenskyy and Ukraine.”

NEW: UK Counter-Terrorism Policing have re-arrested two men in the RAF Fairford investigation on suspicion of assisting the Iranian intelligence services A 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old dual UK/ Iranian national, both from the Borough of Westminster, London, have been arrested under the National Security Act The 24-year-old man was initially arrested on Sunday 27 September near RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, and the 25-year-old was subsequently arrested on Thursday 1 October in the Borough of Westminster, London Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said:

“Since the events at RAF Fairford on Sunday 27 September, our specialist teams have been working tirelessly to interrogate the many lines of enquiry involved in this hugely complex investigation. “So far seven men have been arrested in connection with our investigation. 
“As a result of the ongoing efforts of our officers, earlier today two of those men were re-arrested for offences relating to Section 3 of the National Security Act - assisting a foreign intelligence service. “This is very much a live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian state involvement. Our investigators are continuing to examine what that level of involvement was and the ambition behind it. “Due to their sensitive nature, national security investigations can take time to progress, and I'm grateful to everyone who has given my teams the time and space needed to pursue this work thoroughly and effectively. “From the outset our priority has been to uphold the integrity of this investigation and hold those who wish to do our country harm, accountable. "We know the public have unanswered questions. I want to be as transparent as possible and when we are in the position to share more, we will.”

Andy Burnham’s spokesman says RAF Typhoon jets will intercept Houthi missiles and drones. They won’t launch strikes on Houthis inside Yemen. Says Britain isn’t being drawn into the war and that defending Saudi is in the UK’s economic and security interests

Defence Secretary @wesstreeting confirms: “RAF Typhoon aircraft will conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack. These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis.”

Trump doubles down on his move toward Russia and away from Europe:

NEW: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Bloomberg interview by @DarynaKrasno and our Kyiv team + Says Trump is pushing Ukraine to capitulate to Russia. “I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate” + Says he’s offered to stop striking Russian oil refineries if the US provides Patriot air defences. “My latest model was: We don’t target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities” + Says the US is threatening to cut off support if Ukraine doesn’t stop its refinery strikes. “They just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we strike that, they will disconnect us from something” + Says the US is slowing deliveries of Patriots already paid for via the PURL scheme. “We have paid for the weapons. A part of the supplies has been authorized, while the rest haven’t been. And this is not a technical issue” + Says he thinks the US situation may improve after the mid-terms. “Politics is very aggressive during election time. I think it is agony now, but after elections, life will continue and I believe it will be calmer” bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

NEW: Bloomberg Saturday read Andy Burnham confronts the nightmare of being PM under Trump. Does he have a plan? — He might want to focus on domestic issues but the Ukraine crisis has pushed foreign policy to the top of his agenda. Privately government officials talk about a dark reality: Trump is simply not on the UK’s side on the fundamental issue of European security. — It’s brought the special relationship to its lowest point in recent memory and poses Burnham a premiership-defining challenge, one senior official says. Even Churchill would find it difficult dealing with these global problems without Britain’s main ally and we have a novice in No10 by comparison, they say. — The early Burnham-Trump relationship has been difficult. While Trump was polite in front of the cameras at their first meeting, behind-closed-doors he railed against Britain’s lack of support for his Iran war, sources say. On Fairford, Trump and the White House have said things, ie that a joint US-UK operation tailed the suspects and that they planned a spectacular drone attack, that just aren’t true, they add. — Trump’s latest shift toward Russia leaves questions that Burnham’s government is struggling to answer, not least what is his strategy to handle the president and ensure Ukraine is not pressured into accepting an unjust outcome to the war. — On taking office, Burnham decided to follow the Keir Starmer/Jonathan Powell approach of pursuing quiet diplomacy to persuade Trump into taking less hostile positions towards Europe. Advocates point to counterfactual scenarios that would have been much worse: Trump didn’t try to take Greenland by force, he hasn’t left NATO, he hasn’t stopped all intel and military support for Ukraine, he hasn’t fully sided with Putin. — The UK’s key foreign policy aim beyond Ukraine is ensuring the transatlantic alliance does not collapse because that would realise Russia’s overarching strategic objective, an official said. Burnham and Britain’s role are more important than ever now Macron and Merz are declining powers, they say. — But right now it’s hard to argue the strategy is working. Officials say the change of government means diplomatic relationships have had to be restarted from scratch. No10 has announced no phone call between Burnham and Trump since the diesel deal, nor any call between the PM and other European leaders. Officials note the lack of progress under the Coalition of the Willing format in recent months. UK pledges to secure more air defences for Ukraine, including from the US, have yet to deliver. — If you ask the government what Britain is doing to help Ukraine, what conversations it’s having with the US to get them into a better place, what Burnham is doing with Macron and Merz, what’s happened to the coalition of the willing and where are the promised air defences, there is no answer. — It is very important to say that veteran UK officials do not see the situation for Ukraine as dire. The US appears to have been pressured by Zelenskyy into restoring Starlink. Ukraine retains the ability to strike Russian oil refineries even without US support. Russia is militarily and economically weak and desperate, and that is why Putin is so keen for Trump to up pressure on Zelenskyy, they add. Britain is sending more Storm Shadows. — Burnham told Bloomberg in Kyiv in August that he sees a progressive resurgence across the world in response to failed populism, including possibly in the US. In other words, he’s looking forward to a post-Trump world. But he still has to find a way to deal with him now. And the reality is, even if it’s Trump’s fault, an adverse outcome in Ukraine would be what Burnham’s premiership is remembered for. With @ChaplainChloe: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

And should remember: Jonathan Reynolds and the government are still refusing to disclose who else attended the Sept. 14 meeting in No10 with Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and what was discussed. Which is the opposite of transparent and comprehensive!

Quite something given what is going on

Amid a series of global crises and economic problems, the UK foreign secretary and chancellor have filmed a video of themselves “eating Thai snacks while riding a Tuk Tuk around Bangkok…”

Exclusive: The UK is sending Ukraine more long-range Storm Shadow missiles so it can disrupt Russian military operations targeting its civilian infrastructure before the winter, sources tell Bloomberg. The resupply of the British-made cruise missiles was discussed by Andy Burnham and Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the Ukrainian president visited London on Wednesday, the people said.  The UK considers Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to target Russian sites involved in attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure to be defensive, they added. Russia has ramped up production of jet-powered drones and missiles in recent weeks in order to escalate its attacks on Ukraine, and it’s important Kyiv is able to counter those efforts, they said. Britain does not believe Ukraine should halt its strikes on Russia while Moscow refuses to do the same, the people said. Storm Shadow has proved highly effective at penetrating Russian air defences and hitting military and industrial targets. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

As Burnham promises more transparency on Man City… Jonathan Reynolds and his team have refused multiple requests over the last week to say who else attended his Sept. 14 meeting with the club’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and what was discussed. Point blank refusal to answer.

Musk says any decision to restrict Starlink / Starshield for Ukraine was made by Trump. Doesn’t deny it happened

Hell of a story this…

BREAKING: Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells @piersmorgan he has been betrayed by Trump, that Elon Musk and the US deliberately cut off Starlink and people are being killed as a result “This is not the right side of history,” he says. “It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner” On Musk and Starlink he says: “This decision will bring a lot of human losses. Of course, people will die” “I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely. Because it was 1am at night, Starlink was blocked by SpaceX and the United States” “It’s not just about attack. It’s also about defending life. So people were killed because, not enough destroying, not enough interceptors, including interceptors with Starlink, which didn't work. Of course.” Asked if he’s angry with Musk, Zelenskyy says: “Yes, I think he is not right. It's a big mistake.”