Torsten Bell and Dan Tomlinson criticise some of the arguments in ex-PM’s 5,700-word critique of Labour

• Tony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to Trump

Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, posted this on social media about Tony Blair’s latest intervention this morning.

Tony Blair.

What the billionaire class have paid for.

Spot the difference between “Tony Blair says” and “Nigel Farage says”

Polens Präsident Nawrocki weigert sich, neue Verfassungsrichter zu vereidigen, durch die das Tribunal wieder unabhängig werden soll. Der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte stellt sich auf ihre Seite.

Die rechtsnationale oppositionelle PiS in Polen ist verunsichert von Viktor Orbáns Wahlniederlage in Ungarn. Und am rechten Rand wächst Konkurrenz. Parteichef Kaczyński setzt auf mehr Radikalität. Nicht alle machen mit.

Article 42.7 had languished in obscurity for decades – until Donald Trump began casting doubt on US commitment to Nato

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Most people have heard of Nato’s article 5. The “one for all, all for one” clause states an armed attack on one member country should be considered an attack on all, requiring member states to come to the victim’s aid – including with “the use of armed force”.

Not so many, till this week, had heard of the EU’s own mutual defence clause, article 42.7 (pdf), which says that if a member state comes under armed attack, the others “shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power”. That’s perhaps because there hadn’t, until recently, been much need for Europeans to consult article 42.7. More than 40 US military bases and 85,000 troops across the EU (and UK) were testament to Washington’s defence commitment to the old continent.

Sakharov prize winner was given eight-year sentence after process widely condemned as politically motivated

The Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov prize winner, has been freed after five years in a Belarusian penal colony as part of a US-brokered multi-country swap deal.

His release has been confirmed by Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, who posted a picture of him on social media, saying: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.”

Developments in Berlin and Tokyo show how far the strategic environment has shifted in response to authoritarian threat and American unpredictability

When Donald Trump hosted Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, last month, he could not resist a gratuitous reference to Pearl Harbor. The US president is impelled to trash longstanding alliances. He has done more than anyone to demolish the postwar global order.

This week alone, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, questioned whether the US would be “loyal” to Nato if Russia attacked. A Pentagon memo reportedly floated suspending Spain from Nato and reviewing support for the British claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. And a report said US officials believe that it has depleted munitions so rapidly in Iran as to put in question contingency plans to defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion in the near future.

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Péter Magyar hopes building stronger relations with Poland will help restore ties with bloc after Orbán’s rule

The Hungarian election winner, Péter Magyar, is eyeing a special relationship with Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk to draw on the neighbouring country’s experience of repairing relations with the EU after years of illiberal rule.

Since 1989, the two countries have seemingly shared parallels in their paths. Now the two centre-right, pro-European leaders preside over the tricky task of restoring the rule of law and improving state institutions after years of democratic backsliding and clashes with the EU.

Nach 16 Jahren Orbán steht Ungarn vor einem Neuanfang. Leicht wird es nicht. In Polen etwa wirkt die achtjährige PiS-Ära noch immer nach, in Brasilien die vier Jahre unter Bolsonaro. Was lässt sich daraus lernen?

Polens Regierungschef Donald Tusk freut sich über den Wahlsieg von Péter Magyar. Der erste Auslandsbesuch des Ungarn soll nach Warschau gehen. Doch dort weiß man auch: Das Regieren wird hart.

Congratulations pour in from across EU, with leaders from Spain, Poland, France, Britain, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and beyond hailing a new chapter

• Full report: Hungarian opposition ousts Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power

EU leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his decisive election victory in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity.

The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the EU’s 27 member states and its institutions.

Ungarns Ministerpräsident Orbán bekommt im Wahlkampf Unterstützung aus der Slowakei und Tschechien. Auch die PiS-Partei in Polen hofft auf seinen Sieg – im eigenen Interesse.

‘Sinister’ leaked audio appeared to capture Péter Szijjártó telling Moscow he would try to amend EU sanctions list to its liking

Polish and Irish leaders have called the Hungarian government’s actions “repulsive” and “sinister”, after leaked audio appeared to capture its foreign minister telling Moscow he would try to amend the EU sanctions list to its liking.

On Tuesday – days before an election in which Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is facing the toughest battle of his 16 years in power – a joint media investigation published a report that it said was based on leaked phone calls between Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Die EU möchte die Armeen ihrer Mitglieder besser ausstatten, Warschau sollte mit Abstand am meisten von dem Programm profitieren. Doch Staatschef Nawrocki hat ein Veto eingelegt. Kann Ministerpräsident Tusk es umgehen?

Der polnische Präsident und die rechtsnationale PiS-Partei lehnen günstige EU-Kredite für neue Waffensysteme ab: Die Unabhängigkeit des Landes sei in Gefahr.

Ukrainian president hosts Poland’s PM Donald Tusk, after earlier announcement that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to exchange 314 prisoners

US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said that the US, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners in “the first such exchange in five months.”

He said:

“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.”

“We may be, in the course of 2026, coming to a point where the whole thing becomes unsustainable, because so much of the Russian economy has been distorted so much by the building up of the war economy at the expense of the civil economy. I think defying the laws of economic gravity can only go on for so long.”

Von links bis rechts wird in Polen das Freihandelsabkommen mit Südamerika einmütig abgelehnt. Trotzdem bekämpfen sich die politischen Lager mit Vorwürfen – und mit Gülle.

Eigentlich tickt Polens Premier Donald Tusk politisch ganz anders als sein ungarischer Kollege Viktor Orbán. Doch ihm sitzt die rechtspopulistische PiS-Partei im Nacken. Deshalb hadern beide Länder mit der EU.