Boris Johnson news: PM warns Trump over threat to bomb Iranian cultural sites, as Long Bailey handed Labour leadership boost

Labour leadership vote: Only a two-day window for registered supporters?

According to The Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh, Labour’s NEC is ready to make sure any registered supporters will have only two days to sign up to get a vote in the leadership contest, for the price of £25.

In 2015, people were given two months to sign up as registered supporters for a small fee of £3 – but, a year later, the charge went up to £25 and they were given just 48 hours. But around 120,000 are thought to have signed up in that period – more than in 2015.

New Labour leader to be elected on 4 April.

Labour's next leader will be announced on Saturday 4 April, the party has confirmed.

Nomination from MPs and MEPs – the first round of the process – will also kick off tomorrow and close on Monday 13th. The freeze date for new members & affiliated supporters wishing to vote in the contest will be 20 January.

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: "Our National Executive Committee has agreed the timetable and process for the leadership and deputy leadership elections. The ballot will run from February 21 to April 2, with the results announced on Saturday April 4.

"We are by far the largest political party in the UK with well over half a million members. We want as many of our members."

Corbyn outvoted on cost of becoming registered Labour supporter?

Apparently Jeremy Corbyn was one of those attempting to reduce the price for registered supporters to sign up for a vote to £12 – but got outvoted.

Tory politician shares ‘Tory scum’ graffiti

The Conservative MSP Annie Wells has condemned graffiti spray-painted on her constituency office in Glasgow.

After Wells posted a photo of the “Tory scum” message, a spokesperson for the politician said: “It’s depressing that abusive graffiti like this has become the norm for MSPs and MPs across Scotland.”

Philips backtracks on suggestion Labour could campaign to rejoin EU

Labour leadership hopeful Jess Phillips has rowed back on her suggestion that the party could campaign to rejoin the EU under her stewardship if Brexit proved damaging.

The outspoken Birmingham MP set herself at odds with other contenders to succeed Jeremy Corbyn by saying "if our country is safer, if it is more economically viable to be in the European Union, then I will fight for that regardless of how difficult that argument is to make.”

But Ms Phillips appeared to backtrack from her comments to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, instead saying that a campaign to rejoin the EU would not feature in the next Labour manifesto.

Johnson planning official events to mark departure from EU, No10 suggests

Boris Johnson is planning official events to mark the UK’s departure from the European Union on 31 January, Downing Street has indicated.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said that details of Mr Johnson’s plans for Brexit Day would be announced “shortly”.

But he declined to say whether the PM will give the government’s support to a parliamentary move by Brexit hardliners to require Big Ben to be sounded at 11pm on Brexit Day as the UK’s membership lapses.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is planning to throw a £100,000 “celebration” party in Parliament Square on the night of EU withdrawal, with fireworks, bands and speakers. 

Ratcliffe demands meeting with PM over wife Nazanin's 'desperate' situation after Soleimani killing

The husband of Iran-detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has requested an urgent meeting with Boris Johnson following major escalations in tensions between Iran and the US.

Richard Ratcliffe said he wants to see the prime minister to ask how the government plans to keep prisoners with dual nationality safe after the US killing of Qassem Soleimani sparked threats of retaliation by Iran.

Mr Ratcliffe has said his wife was “desperate” when she heard about Soleimani’s killing and has warned the airstrike ordered by Donald Trump has made the campaign to release British prisoners more difficult.

Yvette Cooper says she will not stand in Labour leadership race

Senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper has announced she is not standing in the Labour leadership contest, and in comments directed as Jeremy Corbyn, she writes: "We didn't win the argument, we lost."

Ms Cooper, who ran against Corbyn in the 2015 contest, wrote in an article for The Guardian:  "I am really grateful to everyone who urged me to stand again but this isn’t the time for me to do so. However, I’m not going anywhere – the next leader needs support and we all need to keep fighting for the Labour government our country so badly needs."

Johnson's holiday has left him one step behind on the Iran crisis - Andrew Grice

"Boris Johnson is finally back at his Downing Street desk today, after being criticised for his slow response to the dramatic, worrying turn of events in the Middle East.

"Johnson decided not to cut short his luxurious 12-day break on the Caribbean island of Mustique after Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a key Iranian general. Most prime ministers would have returned early, keen to show they were at the helm during a crisis, as David Cameron did from his holiday in Italy during the 2011 London riots. (Cameron’s fingers were burnt as opposition leader in 2007, when he went ahead with a visit to Rwanda despite flooding in his Witney constituency)."

Foreign secretary says UK will reinforce protections for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has also distanced the UK from US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Iranian cultural sites could be targeted.

He said: "We have been very clear that cultural sites are protected under international law and we would expect that to be respected."

Speaking after a meeting of senior ministers to discuss the crisis, Mr Raab said: "Clearly our first priority is to make sure that UK nationals, citizens, shipping, diplomatic missions and military personnel are safe.

"We've changed our travel advice, we are going to be reinforcing in due course the Royal Navy protection for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

"On a diplomatic front our overwhelming message that the Prime Minister and I are conveying to our European and American counterparts, and also critically our partners in the Middle East, is the importance of deescalating the tensions and finding a diplomatic way through this crisis."