News 21/11/25

Donald Trump has addressed reporters at the White House alongside New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, speaking about the 28-point peace plan for Ukraine.

Asked if he had discussed it with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said: “We have a plan. It’s horrible, what’s happening. It’s a war that should have never happened.” He added: “We think we have a way of getting peace. He’s going to have to approve it.” When asked about criticism of the plan, Trump replied: “You mean he [Zelenskyy] doesn’t like it? He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it then they should just keep fighting I guess.”

Sir Keir Starmer has called for an investigation into links between Reform UK and Russia, following the jailing of the party’s former Wales leader for accepting pro-Russian bribes.

Speaking to Sky News at the G20 summit in South Africa, the prime minister said Nigel Farage “needs to launch an investigation into his party to understand how that happened.” He added the probe should also look into “what other links are there between Reform and Russia,” describing the bribery case as a serious criminal offence that “undermines our country.”

Donald Trump’s proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine appears heavily weighted toward Russian interests, according to a draft seen by the Associated Press.

The document, said to stem from talks between Washington and Moscow, mirrors long standing demands from the Kremlin, including the transfer of significant Ukrainian territory to Russia and strict limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces.

The terms are widely viewed as impossible for President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept, and he has repeatedly rejected calls for territorial concessions as part of any settlement.

Police in Slough are urging the public not to approach a twenty six year old man who is wanted after failing to attend probation and court appointments.

Officers are searching for Thomas Connors, described as white, around five feet six to five feet seven inches tall, and known to visit Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Oxford and Enfield. He is being sought for missing post custodial supervision meetings and for failing to appear in court on unrelated matters. Police say anyone who sees him should call immediately and avoid direct contact.

The prime minister has refused to rule out tax rises in next week’s budget, despite the possibility of breaking Labour’s election manifesto commitments.

Sir Keir Starmer spoke during a visit to South Africa for the G20, saying only that the government would act responsibly. Ministers had previously suggested they did not intend to raise taxes further, but the Treasury is now expected to announce a series of significant measures on Wednesday. Labour’s manifesto last year pledged to keep taxes for working people as low as possible.

A BBC board member has resigned, citing what he calls serious governance issues at the top of the organisation.

Shumeet Banerji informed colleagues of his decision on Friday. His departure follows the resignations of director general Tim Davie and the chief executive of BBC News, Deborah Turness, earlier this month. Both stood down amid a row over the handling and editing of a Panorama documentary featuring President Donald Trump. Mr Banerji said he was not consulted on key decisions leading to those resignations and felt unable to continue.

A second MP has now left Your Party, the new left wing group created by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former MP Zarah Sultana.

Dewsbury and Batley MP Iqbal Mohamed announced his decision on social media, referring to what he described as false allegations and smears made against him. He did not give further detail but said British politics needed a genuinely inclusive movement for change. Your Party has not yet commented.

Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, has been jailed for ten and a half years after admitting he accepted tens of thousands of pounds in cash to make pro Russian statements to the media and the European Parliament.

Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb told the court that Gill had taken money in exchange for what she called the improper execution of his public duties. The fifty two year old, from Anglesey in North Wales, pleaded guilty in September to eight counts of bribery, covering a period between December 2018 and July 2019. He had served as an MEP for UKIP and later the Brexit Party.

There has been a fatal crash at the Dubai Air Show where an Indian jet fighter went down during a demonstration flight.

The HAL Tejas aircraft, which is operated by the Indian Air Force, came down at around ten past two local time at Al Maktoum International Airport. The pilot, who was the only person onboard, was killed. Video from the scene showed a plume of thick black smoke rising above the runway as emergency teams responded. The air show is one of the largest in the region and takes place every two years.

A twenty three year old Afghan national has admitted raping a twelve year old girl in Nuneaton.

Ahmad Mulakhil changed his plea to guilty when he appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Friday, admitting one count of raping a child under thirteen in July. Mulakhil, who has no fixed address, had previously denied several other charges, including abduction and multiple counts of rape and sexual assault. He appeared in court alongside co defendant Mohammad Kabir, also aged twenty three.

Three vehicles have been seized in South Buckinghamshire as part of a police crackdown on illegal and nuisance vehicles.

Officers working on Operation Grotto, which launched earlier in the autumn, carried out targeted patrols across Chesham on the evening of November twentieth. Two cars and a scooter were taken off the road, including an off road bike that a rider abandoned after its chain came off.

Ofgem has confirmed that the average annual energy bill will rise slightly in January, despite falling wholesale prices.

The regulator says the price cap for a typical dual fuel household will move from one thousand seven hundred and fifty five pounds to one thousand seven hundred and fifty eight pounds between January and March. The increase of just three pounds a year works out at around twenty eight pence a month. Analysts at Cornwall Insight had expected a small drop, but Ofgem says network and operating costs have kept upward pressure on bills

Households and businesses are being warned that energy bills are unlikely to fall sharply any time soon.

The energy minister Michael Shanks says there is no shortcut to bringing prices down, despite growing pressure on the government ahead of next week’s budget. He admitted Labour’s pledge to cut bills by three hundred pounds through a switch to clean power has yet to be delivered. Ofgem will confirm its latest price cap this morning, with analysts expecting only a one percent reduction. The cap currently stands at one thousand seven hundred and fifty five pounds a year, still around thirty five percent higher than before the war in Ukraine. The UK continues to record the second highest domestic electricity prices among developed nations and the highest industrial rates, even though renewables supplied more than half of the country’s electricity last year.

Much of the UK has been waking up to what may be the coldest night of the year so far.

Seven yellow warnings for ice are in place this morning. Forecasters say temperatures dipped to around minus twelve in parts of Scotland, with lows near minus seven across England and Wales. Meteorologists say lighter winds under a ridge of high pressure allowed the cold air to settle more sharply than in recent days.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready for what he calls honest work with the United States after receiving a draft peace plan intended to end the conflict with Russia.

Reports in the US suggest the proposal would see Ukraine relinquish remaining areas of Donbas under its control, reduce the size of its military and commit never to join NATO. The extent of Kyiv’s involvement in shaping the plan is unclear, though the White House says it has engaged equally with both sides. Zelensky’s office says Ukraine has agreed to examine the plan in pursuit of a just end to the war.

A well known Strictly Come Dancing figure has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

Hertfordshire Police say the man was detained last month and released on bail while inquiries continue. The BBC says it cannot comment during an active investigation. Reports suggest the allegation relates to an incident after a BBC event and that the woman involved was not connected to the programme.

A major new prostate cancer screening trial has begun across the UK.

The forty two million pound Transform study will test the most effective ways of detecting the disease, with the first invitations already sent from GP practices. Researchers say the project aims to deliver safer and more reliable diagnosis and could pave the way for a national screening programme.