Campaigners who won a legal case in the UK’s highest court on the definition of a woman said they are “quietly confident” long-awaited guidance on single-sex spaces has not been watered down, the Press Association reports. PA says:

For Women Scotland (FWS), who celebrated a landmark legal victory a year ago, described their meeting with women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson today as “positive”.

The campaigners pressed for detail on changes made to draft guidance and what date they expected it to be published ahead of parliamentary scrutiny.

The updated draft code of practice – aimed at guiding businesses and other organisations on provision of single and separate-sex services such as toilets and changing rooms – had been handed to ministers by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last September.

Despite having been described by the watchdog’s chair as “legally sound”, the government gave “feedback” and it was confirmed this week that some changes have been made to the earlier version.

FWS director Susan Smith told PA they had been “a little nervous” amid reports about it having been toned down, but – while they were not given specifics of the changes that had been made – they understood this included adding more examples for service providers on how to implement the updated code.

She told PA: “I don’t think the guidance can be watered down in the sense that whatever the EHRC comes up with has to adhere closely to the supreme court’s ruling.

In an interview on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour this morning, Wes Streeting said that the new guidance could not be published until after the elections in May because it covered the whole of the UK and purdah rules for the Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections meant it could not be published now.

Asked why it had taken so long, he said:

On one level, this is really simple. Sex matters, biology is immutable, and the women who have not been heard in terms of their rights, voices and spaces are now not only being listened to but have been vindicated in law.

Some of the complexity arises especially when thinking about the protection of women’s spaces on the basis of sex, where that then presents some practical challenges in also making sure that we protect the rights and the dignity and the safety of trans people …

If we have got someone who is biologically female but a trans man, looks, sounds, acts, presents like a man, placing him in a women’s ward would be degrading, distressing, humiliating for him, and would also be of enormous concern to women.

So we have to make sure that there are appropriate spaces for him to be treated, in an appropriate space that protects his rights and dignity as well.

And right across public sector and workplaces, across the land, that has got to work in practice, not just in principle. And that’s where some of the complexity has arisen.

Steve Reed, the local government secretary, has announced changes designed to help people having difficulty paying their council tax bills on time in England.

In a news release explaning this, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says:

Under the current system, missing one monthly payment can leave people facing financial ruin as they become liable to pay the entire outstanding sum in a single payment just two weeks later.

This will change from next year with households given 63 days, roughly two months, to settle their bill and a requirement for councils to work with them on a sustainable repayment plan.

Billing for council tax will also be shifted to 12-month payments by default, rather than the current 10 months, and capping the costs which councils can charge when seeking a liability order – how councils recover overdue bills – to £100.

The Conservative party described this as “little more than window dressing in the context of Labour’s soaring council tax bills.”

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has told an American audience she does not know why they went to war against Iran.

Reviving criticisms of Donald Trump she has already stated, she said that she was “not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place” and that Trump seemed to have ended up in a worse position than he was before the war started.

Speaking at a CNBC event in Washington, where she is attending IMF meeting, Reeves said:

There were diplomatic negotiations happening before this. So if the aim is to now to get diplomatic negotiations, well, they were already happening before the conflict started …

We’ve never been clear about what the goals of this conflict is, which is why the impacts in our economy, but also here in the US economy and around the world, and particularly for our allies in the Gulf, like Saudi and Qatar and the UAE, are so immense.

Reeves said that it was important to reopen the strait of Hormuz to reduce energy prices. But, she pointed out:

It was open at the beginning of this conflict, and that’s what I mean about being clear about what the objectives of this conflict is.

We are willing to play our part [keeping it open], but the strait of Hormuz was open. There was no tolling a few weeks ago.

Yes, we want to get back there, but I’m not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place.

Referring to yesterday’s IMF downgrade of its growth forecasts, particularly for the UK, Reeves said: “We beat the forecasts for the UK economy last year. I’m confident that we will beat them again.”

But de-escalation was vital, she said.

A lot of long term damage has also been done to oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, so even if this conflict does come to an end tomorrow, there are longer term impacts of it, and until capacity and refining capability is back up at full strength.

So damage has been done for beyond the duration of this conflict, but the sooner it can de-escalate, and that we get back to the diplomatic negotiations, which were happening before the conflict began, the better for the global economy, including here in the US, where of course, inflation is also going to be higher, and oil and gas prices, including for consumers and businesses in the US, is going to be higher. That’s the last thing the global economy needs.

The Electoral Commission has announced that it is monitoring election material for AI deepfake audio and video content. Offending items could be reported to the police.

The commission says that there is no evidence yet of deepfake material having a material impact on a UK election, but the threat is growing. Around a quarter of people said they say deepfake material during the 2024 general election, a survey by the commission found.

During these elections, online material will be monitored under a pilot project involving a team from the Home Office.

Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive at the commission, said:

Voters want accurate information. Deliberately misleading or abusive video of candidates must not be shared. Deepfakes are becoming more sophisticated and more accessible, as we have seen in elections around the world.

A deepfake is yet to meaningfully affect a UK election, and we are determined to keep it that way. This pilot means we can identify deepfakes quickly, track their impact, work with parties and candidates to take down or correct misleading material. This will give voters confidence that accurate information about how elections work is available. We will share our findings after the May elections.

The commission says, where it finds material raising ‘“serious concerns”, it will refer it to the police or other relevant bodies, and request its removal by social media companies.

Journalists were originally briefed on these plans in January.

The elections in May will be the biggest set of UK elections ahead of the next general election. Voters are electing a new parliament in Scotland, a new Senedd in Wales, and six mayors and around 5,000 councillors in England.

Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has said that the government will prioritise aid for frontline responders in Sudan, as she confirmed £146m in humanitarian funding for the country. In an announcement to coincide with her arrival at the International Sudan Conference, she said:

Today, in Berlin, I will call for the international community to join in a shared resolve: to secure a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution – to stop the suffering and allow the people of Sudan to determine their own peaceful future.

In a news release about the aid, the Foreign Office said:

The foreign secretary confirmed the UK will protect its £146m humanitarian package for Sudan, including more than doubling support for frontline responders and local aid groups, including Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), to reach over 1.8 million people in need, helping fund lifesaving work to those impacted by violence and starvation. ERRs work neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood to deliver food, water, medicine, sanitary supplies and psychological support in some of the hardest to reach areas.

The UK has also doubled funding to local human rights defenders to ensure they can play a crucial role in the documentation and investigation of violations.

Mark Townsend has more in his story about the conference, which marks the third anniversary of the war.

Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has said that the cost of living crisis is “totally avoidable” and down to decisions made by governments. Highlighting figures which he said illustrated the “normalisation” of food back use, Polanski said:

The affordability crisis is something affecting nearly everyone, from the most vulnerable to people in work and comfortable, where any change in circumstance can push people over the edge into requiring a food bank.

This crisis is totally avoidable and down to choices made by this Labour government and previous Tory governments.

The Greens have a plan which would make different choices, taking on corporate power and vested interests to give ordinary people a way out of this crisis.

The Greens highlighted five measures that they said they would use to deal with the affordability crisis. They are:

-universal support with energy bills this winter

-the extension of free school meals to all primary and secondary pupils

-the introduction of rent controls – because housing costs are one of the greatest impacts on household poverty

-the UK to join a customs union with the EU to reduce costs to businesses

-the introduction of a 10:1 pay ratio which would help increase wages for those on lower incomes while limiting the salaries of high-paid executives.

Britain’s largest housebuilder is planning to dramatically cut back on buying new land, blaming the impact of the conflict in the Middle East and putting Labour’s ambitious housebuilding target under more pressure, Mark Sweney reports.

Anas Sarwar has dismissed as “a desperate lie from a desperate man” a claim by Reform UK’s Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, that he offered to do a deal with the hard-right party to keep the Scottish National party out of power. As Libby Brooks and Severin Carrell report, Offord made the claim on Channel 4’s Scottish leaders’ debate on Tuesday evening, alleging the Scottish Labour leader came “bouncing up” to him at an event in December last year, suggesting they “work together to remove the SNP”.

Here is the full story.

Eluned Morgan, the Welsh first minister, has urged the government to drop plans to site a joint radar base with the US in Wales.

In an interview with the Times, she said that the government should “pause” its involvement with the project in the light of Donald Trump’s conduct during the Iran war.

In 2023, as part of the Aukus defence pact between the Australia, the UK and the US, plans were announced for the creation of a Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) programme to track objects orbiting around Earth.

This will involve radar stations being set up in all three countries. The UK one is destined for the former Cawdor Barracks in Pembrokeshire, in the region represented by Morgan in the Welsh Senedd.

Morgan, who is expected to be force out of office in the Senedd election next month, told the Times:

Trump’s hostility towards the UK and verbal attacks on our nation in the light of the prime minister’s refusal to give the US president support in the attack on Iran should lead us to pause our involvement in this proposal.

His threats to annihilate the Iranian civilisation reached a new low recently and we should not be associating ourselves with such an unreliable partner who threatened war crimes on civilians, and have insulted UK armed forces in terms of their commitment to fight in Afghanistan.

According to the Times, if the Ministry of Defence does not pause this proposal, the Welsh government does have the power to “call in” the application, meaning that it could hold up or block the development.

At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson defended the original plan. Without directly criticising the first minister, the spokesperson said the proposed base would create jobs and provide a valuable service.

He said:

The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme will secure long-term jobs in Pembrokeshire, Wales and help protect essential satellite communication and navigation works.

We’re engaging with the local community on proposals to redevelop Cawdor Barracks to host DARC, which will be operated by UK personnel.

We are following processes agreed with Pembrokeshire county council and have already completed a comprehensive environmental impact assessment including to ensure the project has minimal impact on the local skyline.

Cawdor Barracks has a long history of supporting the UK’s military. This site has been both a Royal Air Force flying station and a Royal Navy base.

At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said that, despite Donald Trump’s threat, talks about implementing the US-UK trade deal were still taking place.

The spokesperson said:

We secured a preferential deal last year thanks to this government’s engagement with the US.

UK teams across Whitehall and in Washington are also continuing to engage with the US administration at all levels as they develop their wider approach to trade.

Those discussions are ongoing.

As Eleni Courea and Lisa O’Carroll reported in a story at the end of last year, although the trade deal was announced with great fanfare in May last year, in reality a lot of the detail was unresolved.

In his interview with Sky News last night, Donald Trump said that relations with the UK had “been better”. At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said the government did not accept relations were at a low point.

Asked about the president’s comments, the spokesperson said:

I certainly wouldn’t characterise it [the US-UK relationship] in the way that the president has said.

The special relationship with the US exists on multiple levels and we have a close relationship which spans trade, diplomacy, national security, culture and beyond.

It’s far bigger than any individual issue.

The strength of our alliance is demonstrated by the way our forces are working side by side to support the collective self-defence of our allies in the Middle East and the prime minister has been clear that we will only act in the UK’s national interest and we will not get dragged into the war.

Keir Starmer does face a dilemma over defence spending. The defence investment plan (DIP) was meant to be published last autumn, and when a government decision gets delayed for months, that is almost always a sign that various factions in Whitehall, or in No 10, can’t or won’t agree. At some point Starmer is either going to have to disappoint the defence establishment (like George Robertson), or the Treasury and Labour MPs. It’s a contest that the Treasury and Labour MPs have a better chance of winning, but as yet the dispute is unresolved and it was always going to easy to Kemi Badenoch to taunt him over his dithering.

Which she did, reasonably effectively. Given that Starmer was unable to give a date for the publication of the DIP, or say anything new about his defence spending proposals, Badenoch was able to convey the impression that, on her main question, he was being evasive.

But it was all very predictable, and it felt very much as if Badenoch (who does not really have much credibility on the issue of defence spending) was just pig-backing on the arguments of people who do (like Robertson, and the assorted retired generals and admirals who were all over the airwaves yesterday.)

Worse, Badenoch made the rookie error of retaining a joke that may have sounded funny in the office, but which was not going to work in the context of the chamber. This was the reference to Samantha Niblett’s interview yesterday. Badenoch said: “What are Labour doing? Promoting sex toys in parliament. It gives a whole new meaning to fiddling while Rome burns.” In other circumstances, this would have been quite funny. But it came just after Badenoch declared this to be “a moment of profound national seriousness”, which meant it jarred horribly. There is no one else in British politics at the moment who claims so often to be “serious”, while disproving it so frequently.

Starmer did not have an answer to Badenoch’s particular question about the DIP but he had a robust response to her general argument about Labour’s record on defence spending. This is what he said in response to her first question.

My responsibility is to keep the British people safe, and that is a duty I take seriously. That is why I don’t agree with [Robertson’s] comments

Last February, that was seven months after taking office, I took the decision to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6%, paid for by my difficult decision on overseas aid.

Last June, at the Nato summit, I committed to raising core defence spending to 3.5% Last November, the budget committed record funding to defence. I reaffirm those commitments now.

The strategic defence review, is a 10 year blueprint for national security. The defence investment plan will put that into effect. It will be published as soon as possible.

With even more glee, Starmer also, repeatedly, mocked Badenoch over the Conservatives’s initial support for the Iran war. She claims that she is being misrepresented, but Starmer is winning this argument and – even though it may annoy the speaker – it makes sense for him to keep punching this bruise as often as he can.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says Donald Trump has threatened to rip up the trade deal with the UK because of the government’s stance on the war.

Davey says Trump “treats our country like a mafia boss running a protection racket”. He says this is the last straw. The state visit must be called off.

Starmer says a lot of pressure has been applied to him, including what happened last night. He says he will not yield. “I know where I stand,” he says.

But he says the state visit should go ahead. He says it will support links that last beyond who is in power at any one time.

UPDATE: Starmer said:

My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start, we’re not going to get dragged into this war.

It is not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night.

I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war, and we will not do so.

In relation to the King’s visit, the purpose of the visit is to mark the 250th anniversary of relations and independence, obviously, of the US.

The monarchy is an important reminder of the long-standing bonds and enduring relationship between our two countries, which are far greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time.

Kemi Badenoch asks why Lord Robertson had “corrosive complacency” on defence.

Starmer says he respects Robertson. But he does not agree with him on this. He has committed twice to raising defence spending, including by cutting aid, a difficult decision.

The defence investment plan will be published as soon as possible, he says.

James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, has said balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero-sum game”, amid stark warnings that the UK will have to increase its military budget to ensure national security during global volatility. Pippa Crerar has the story.

PMQs is starting soon.

Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that until recently he believed stories about Peter Mandelson maintaining a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s first conviction for child sex offences were “overblown”.

In his interview with Woman’s Hour, Streeting also claimed that he did not read the Financial Times story in 2023 saying that Mandelson stayed in Epstein’s house in New York while Epstein was in jail in 2009 – and that when he saw references to this on social media, he dismissed it as trolling.

Pointing out that Mandelson hosted a podcast for the Times until he was made ambassador to the US, Streeting also claimed that the media should have scrutinised Mandelson more intensely.

In the past Streeting and Mandelson were regarded as friends and allies, leading figures on the Labour right. But, after the full extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein emerged with the release of the Epstein files earlier this year, leading to Mandelson’s arrest over allegations that he leaked confidential government information to Epstein, Streeting abruptly distanced himself from the peer.

In a move that seemed intended to ensure the Mandelson link did not harm in a potential Labour leadership content, Streeting pre-emptively published the WhatsApp messages they had shared (ahead of their official release due to the Commons humble address vote). In an article for the Guardian, he also declared: “Contrary to what has been widely reported, I was not a close friend of Peter Mandelson.”

On Woman’s Hour, the presenter, Nuala McGovern, asked Streeting how it was possible that he did not know about how Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein extended beyond the first conviction. What it because he had not seen the 2023 reports, or because they did not concern him?

Streeting said he had not seen the reports. He went on:

I’ll be honest, when people would pop up on social media laying those sorts of charges, they tended to be the sort of people who appear in your timeline trolling. And I just didn’t think it could be credible that [Mandelson] would have had that kind of relationship.

Asked to explain this more, Streeting said the original report was not “a big story at the time”, and he had not read it at the time.

This showed how Mandelson was not being held to account, he said.

So, the FT did a report, but I don’t remember seeing it in other newspapers. Mandelson still had a podcast. He was appearing regularly on really big news programmes. And so, to be honest, the only time I remember seeing stuff, Mandleson/Epstein, you just think, ‘I haven’t seen that from a credible news source, he hasn’t been questioned, I think that must be overblown’.

Asked if he questioned his judgment now, Streeting replied: “Of course, absolutely.”

He said there has been a political failure to ask Mandelson full questions about his ongoing relationship with Epstein. “It is also, I think, a media failure,” he said.

And, linking to the main subject of his interview (see 10.13am), he concluded:

I think it stems from the same root cause, which is those women [Epstein’s victims], those girls, not being taken seriously enough, their experiences not mattering enough and being prioritised. And that is exactly the sort of sexism and misogyny at the root of the issue, I’m afraid. And I think all of us have to take responsibility for that.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is taking questions on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour now about the women’s health strategy for women. You can listen here.

Explaining why the women’s health strategy has been reissued, he cited two factors.

In part, the failure to deliver timely access to care for women can be explained by the generally poor performance we saw in the NHS, which was declining year on year [before Labour took office].

We started to arrest that decline. Waiting lists are now falling but – and the BBC’s data and report today shows this really clearly – while it is true to say that waiting lists rose for the general population, they rose even faster and higher in women’s health care, particularly around the [gynaecology] waiting list, for example.

And I think that is a symptom of a deeper culture … which is a culture of medical misogyny, sexism in the NHS, both conscious and unconscious bias, which means even in an NHS that’s getting worse or was getting worse for everyone, it was getting disproportionately worse for women.

Iran war truth-telling in government seems to be spreading. After Rachel Reeves described Donald Trump’s war as “folly”, Keir Starmer made a point of saying that it was helping Vladimir Putin.

The comment came in the readout issued by Downing Street of Starmer’s meeting yesterday with his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten. Normally these readouts are bland to the point of meaningless, but on this occasion someone decided to include a line about who is gaining most from Trump’s folly.

A No 10 spokesperson said:

Turning to recent events in the Middle East, the prime ministers updated on their recent diplomatic meetings, including Prime Minister Starmer’s visit to the Gulf, and Prime Minister Jetten’s meetings in Washington.

The summit on the strait of Hormuz on Friday would be a vital moment to continue to drive diplomatic, military and economic work, the leaders underlined.

Both also reiterated their deep concern at the situation in Lebanon and the need for deescalation. On Ukraine, the prime minister thanked Prime Minister Jetten for The Netherlands’ unwavering support and reflected on Ukraine’s momentum on the battlefield.

Putin was benefiting from the events in the Gulf, and it was vital partners looked at how they could step up pressure on Russia to mitigate that, the prime minister added.

This article by Simon Goodley last week explains why Russia is doing so well from the war.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is in Washington where later she will be meeting the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. Yesterday he defended the war against Iran, saying “small bit of economic pain” was worth the long-term security benefits. He told the BBC:

I wonder what the hit to global GDP would be if a nuclear weapon hit London... I am saying that I am less concerned about short-term forecasts, for long-term security.

Reeves, who is in charge of an economy that will suffer more than any other in the G7 as a resut of the war, according to the IMF, is unlikey to agree. Yesterday she called the war “folly”.

It shoud be a lively meeting.

Graeme Wearden has more on this on his business live blog.

Good morning. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is publishing a revised women’s health strategy for England today. As Andrew Gregory reports, the strategy implicitly accepts that women have been let down by a (largely male) medical establishment which has not always taken their health concerns seriously.

But, for Labour, this is not just a health announcement. The English local elections are just over three weeks away, and Labour is using this announcement as a platform to attack Reform UK, saying that Nigel Farage’s party can’t be trusted to stand up for women.

Labour HQ has sent out a briefing note backing up this claim with this list of 10 reasons why is says Reform are not on the side of women. For the record, here is the list in full.

1. Reform want to reopen the debate on abortion limits

Nigel Farage has described the current 24-week abortion limit as “utterly ludicrous” and called for Parliament to revisit it - raising concerns about rolling back long-established reproductive rights.

2. Reform figures have questioned women’s bodily autonomy

Senior Reform figure, Danny Kruger MP, has argued that women do not have an “absolute right” over their own bodies in the context of abortion, undermining a fundamental principle of women’s healthcare and rights.

3. Reform would scrap the Equality Act

Suella Braverman MP, Reform’s equalities spokeswoman, has pledged to repeal the Equality Act - removing key legal protections against sex discrimination in workplaces, services and public life.

4. Reform have links to anti-abortion campaigns

Farage has accepted payment to speak at events linked to anti-abortion groups, while candidates with similar views are standing for the party - raising concerns about the direction of travel.

5. Reform would roll back workplace protections

Plans to scrap the Employment Rights Act would put at risk protections for maternity leave, workplace discrimination and job security - undermining progress made for women at work.

6. Reform would bring back the two-child benefit limit

This policy disproportionately impacts women, particularly single mothers, pushing families into poverty and limiting financial support for children.

7. Reform figures have made regressive comments about women at work

Farage has previously backed claims that employers avoid hiring women because of maternity rights - echoing outdated attitudes that penalise women for having families.

8. Reform figures have criticised breastfeeding in public

Farage has suggested women should not breastfeed in a way that is “openly ostentatious” - policing women’s behaviour in public spaces.

9. Reform has platformed and defended controversial figures

Farage has described Andrew Tate as an “important voice for men”, despite widespread concern about misogyny and the impact of such views on young people.

10. Reform’s record on violence against women raises serious concerns

The party is considering bringing back former MP James McMurdock, who was jailed for assaulting his then-girlfriend.

Commenting on this, Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said:

Today Labour is taking action to fix a system that has too often ignored women - cutting waiting lists, improving care and putting women’s voices at the centre.

But Reform’s record speaks for itself. From attacking reproductive rights to undermining protections at work, they simply can’t be trusted to stand up for women.

Reform UK has been approached for a comment. I’ll post it when I get a reply.

Farage is probably more interested in the Telegraph splash. It reports the findings of a poll by JL Partners which, as well as saying Labour is on course to lose power in Wales (no surprise), also says “Labour is also facing a Reform rout across England, with the near-total collapse of the Red Wall and the loss of stronghold councils held since the 1970s.”

James Johnson, the co-founder of JL Partners, told the Telegraph:

If these results come to pass, we will be looking at a major political earthquake across Britain.

It could be the worst local election ever for Labour in England, a collapse for the Conservatives in their historic Blue Wall heartlands, and a brutal third place for Starmer’s party in Wales.

One cannot overstate how seismic that result in Wales would be – it is a place that has stayed Labour even in the party’s darkest days. Plaid Cymru, the SNP, and the Greens are all contributing to this, but it is Reform that looks set to be the real story, potentially moving into opposition in Wales and securing England councils across the country.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, holds a campaign event on postal voting. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, is doing a separate event at 10am on maternity services, and John Swinney, the first minister and SNP leader, is campaigning in South Ayrshire at 2pm.

10am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour speaking about the government’s women’s health strategy, ahead of speaking at a formal launch at 11am.

11am: Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, speaks at a Green event about ending the “normalisation” of food bank use.

Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.

3.15pm (UK time): Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, speaks at a CBNC event in Washington, where she is attending IMF spring summit meetings. She also has a meeting at some point with her US counterpart, Scott Bessent.

3.45pm (UK time): John Healey, the defence secretary, is expected to speak at a press conference in Berlin after a meeting of fellow defence ministers from the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

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