Badenoch warns Britain must prepare for war with Russia

Kemi Badenoch has delivered a warning that Britain must prepare for the possibility of war with Russia, framing defence readiness as an urgent national priority. The Daily Mail reports her saying "we cannot defend ourselves by capping bus fares" - a line directed at domestic spending priorities under the current government.

The comment arrives as Donald Trump has warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that Britain faces "disaster" if it does not address immigration and the energy crisis, according to the Sun. Trump is preparing for a visit to Ireland next week, with government insiders already discussing what the meeting with President Connolly will yield. The Mirror suggests Trump may be positioning himself to challenge Burnham over the Falklands.

Badenoch's framing is the house move here: she has recast the defence question as a choice between security and the small comforts of managed decline. Bus fare caps - a policy Burnham championed when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester - become the symbol of misplaced priorities. The argument is not technical; it is categorical. Defence or devolution. The country or the constituency.

Meanwhile GB News reports that Burnham faces warnings of a "financial tsunami" amid rising borrowing costs, with critics questioning whether he is the leader to navigate it. Paddy Power is reportedly preparing to close a hundred shops with the loss of four hundred jobs, blaming Labour's tax rises on betting.

What to watch: whether Burnham addresses the defence spending question directly, and whether the Trump visit produces a concrete disagreement on the Falklands or remains rhetorical pressure.