UK politics live: Badenoch vows to ‘make Starmer sweat’ as Jenrick promises big migration cut in Tory speeches

British forces “played their part” in attempts to prevent further violence in the Middle East, the Defence Secretary has confirmed, after Sir Keir Starmer said he stands with Israel following an attack on the country by Iran.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, John Healey said he “completely condemn(s) Iran’s attack against Israel”.

“British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,” he added.

“I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism.”

Earlier the Prime Minister had said he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink” and again urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave amid escalating violence in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Britons fleeing Lebanon were set to board a UK Government-chartered flight to safety on today.

Mr Healey is visiting Cyprus to meet troops who are preparing for the possibility of evacuating British citizens from Lebanon.

Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to open the door for the European youth mobility scheme during his visit to Brussels today.

The prime minister will hold a bilateral meeting with president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

He aims to reset Britain’s relationship with the European Union but is facing early demands from leaders on migration, fishing and youth mobility.

Sources close to his senior negotiator - european affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds - say he is unwilling to agree to a youth mobility scheme too quickly and will want to use the EU’s enthusiasm for the project as a negotiating chip.

Such demands for concessions by the EU leades are likely to be raised this week before detailed negotiations later this year.

Keir Starmer kicks off his bid to reset Britain’s relationship with the European Union on Wednesday morning - but is facing early demands from leaders on migration, fishing and youth mobility.

The prime minister wants to tackle defence and security, crime and immigration, and then trade under a “three pillar” strategy for the crunch talks with EU leaders in Brussels, as revealed by The Independent last week.

But Sir Keir will also arrive in Belgium under growing pressure to agree to a youth mobility scheme to allow under-30s to travel more freely between Britain and the EU.

Our political editor David Maddox has the full story below:

The four Conservative leadership candidates are preparing for their final chance to address the party’s conference in their race to be Rishi Sunak’s successor.

Optimism, the party’s future and the economy will be among the topics touched on when Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly address delegates in Birmingham on Wednesday.

Their contest has been the focus of the four-day gathering as the party looks to rebuild after the general election loss in July.

The final session comes the day after Mr Jenrick suffered a backlash from his rivals for claiming that UK special forces were “killing rather than capturing” terrorists.

Ms Badenoch is also expected to focus on economic policy and pitch that the Conservatives “have to be the party of wealth creation”, while Mr Cleverly will tell members to be “enthusiastic” and “optimistic”, and that they will win back the electorate by being “professional”.

James Cleverly said he “messed up” when he joked about spiking his wife’s drink with a date rape drug.

In December 2023, the Sunday Mirror reported that Mr Cleverly told female guests at a Number 10 event that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit”.

At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the former home secretary said his comments – which he made hours after announcing plans to crack down on spiking – were “wrong” and “crass”.

Asked what his wife Susannah Cleverly’s response to the remark was, Mr Cleverly replied: “Oh you don’t want to hear what Mrs Cleverly said to me after.

“If you think that got me in trouble, repeating the words she said to me would get me in an awful lot of trouble, particularly on a live broadcast.

“Look, I messed up. I messed up. I was trying to make a point that I was the home secretary who was updating the law to make spiking illegal, to protect women. I was trying to make that point in front of a number of journalists.”

Robert Jenrick has said he “would absolutely” reverse Labour’s introduction of VAT on private schools if he were to become prime minister.

Speaking about his own experience of being sent to private school, the Tory leadership contender said we “should never bow to the politics of envy”.

Mr Jenrick said: “I grew up to two people from a working-class background. Money was quite tight in our household - my mum and dad had quit their jobs and set up a small business and it didn’t prosper initially.

“I went to a state primary school and my grandad died. And my grandmother, who was not a wealthy person herself, decided - instead of going on a cruise or doing anything else you might do with some money - to spend that money putting my sister and I through private school.

“To me, that is an innately conservative story and we should never bow to the politics of envy. We should respect people who make decisions like that.”

Read the full report from our political editor David Maddox: