Free Republic

Sir Keir Starmer last night denied he was too left-wing to get on with Donald Trump as the Government faced more embarrassment over Labour MPs' previous comments about the returning President. The Prime Minister insisted they had a positive phone call after this week's election and that the special relationship between the UK and US is more important than ever. He was asked by reporters at the European Political Community summit in Hungary yesterday about claims that Mr Trump had privately described him as 'very left-wing', suggesting relations between the administrations would be strained. Sir Keir replied: 'I had a...

Tony Blair has finally said sorry for the Iraq War – and admitted he could be partly to blame for the rise of Islamic State. The extraordinary confession by the former Prime Minister comes after 12 years in which he refused to apologise for the conflict. Blair makes his dramatic ‘mea culpa’ during a TV interview about the ‘hell’ caused by his and George Bush’s decision to oust Saddam Hussein. (snip)

PM facing embarrassment over links between adviser and Islamist group. Adviser Tariq Ramadan is grandson of Muslim Brotherhood's founder . ... Tariq Ramadan is one of 14 members of the Foreign Office’s Advisory Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, chaired by Tory peer Baroness Warsi. He is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, and was a member of a taskforce set up by Tony Blair after 7/7. But Prof Ramadan, 51, is grandson of the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder Hassan al-Banna and his father Said Ramadan was a leading light. ... He was kept out of France in...

David Cameron plans to strip welfare handouts from immigrants who cannot speak English. In a radical bid to slash Britain’s benefits bill, the Prime Minister intends to stop printing welfare paperwork in foreign languages and prevent claimants using taxpayer-funded translators at benefits offices. The move – which would also hit British residents who cannot speak English – was due to be announced tomorrow, but has been delayed following a row with Nick Clegg.