Four in 10 voters oppose moves to restore the foreign aid budget – and would rather the money was spent on the NHS and strengthening Britain’s borders, a poll for The i Paper reveals.
The survey, by BMG Research, found that nearly half of Britons do not want Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to return the aid budget to 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI), after it was cut to 0.5 per cent under the previous Conservative government.
Nearly a quarter of voters would prefer to see money saved from the cuts spent on the NHS, while one in six would rather see it invested in stopping small boats.
Voters would also prefer the Prime Minister prioritise supporting struggling households with the cost of living and boosting the UK’s defence budget.
Scottish students discover 1,000-year-old Viking church
Students discovered the remains of what is thought to be a medieval Viking church about 1,000 years old during an archaeology field trip to an uninhabited Scottish island.
Where was the medieval site found?
Pupils from Gordonstoun, a private school once attended by the King, made the discovery on a six-day field trip to Swona, a tiny Orkney island about seven miles north of John O’Groats where only feral cattle live.
The medieval building bears similarities to other Viking churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its remains, including what is thought to be the foundation of its altar, were found beneath a more recent building.
How was it found?
The Gordonstoun team helped professional archaeologists from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (Orca) to uncover the remains.
Gordonstoun housemaster Dan McLean, who organised the trip, said: “The only real hint about a church being on the island is a map reference to a ruin known locally as the ‘Twinly Kirk.’”
After discovering a step leading to the possible church altar, the group found other clues regarding construction method, layout and orientation.
Another clue was that it was dry stone, and there was no clay bonding or mortar. There are also cairns nearby and a wall that blocks access to a landing point.
dan mclean, gordonstoun housemaster
More conclusions to come?
- Radiocarbon dating of the students’ samples could draw more conclusions about the structure.
- The pupils also explored a probable prehistoric settlement in the centre of the small, privately-owned island.
- Elsewhere, they investigated a circular ditch believed to have been the site of a Viking warning beacon.
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UK POLITICS
Mayor hopeful Cleverly swipes at Reform on London crime
Sir James Cleverly has said mayoral candidates cannot “credibly” stand for election to run London while “obviously” hating the city, in remarks that will be interpreted as a swipe at Reform UK.
Battle for the capital
The former home secretary, who has announced he’s stepping down as shadow housing secretary to bid for the Conservative nomination for London mayor, made the comments when asked about claims from Reform’s mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, that the capital is unsafe.
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Is London safe?
Cunningham said this week that her children are “petrified” to visit Shepherd’s Bush following a stabbing, and has frequently characterised London as gripped by crime, telling The i Paper last year that there are “no safe parts” in the capital.
Asked directly about her comments, Cleverly told The i Paper: “I’m not here to talk about her. Let her talk about her and let her justify her statements.”
Cleverly on London crime
- Cleverly argued responsibility for crime in London lay with the current mayor, Lord Khan of Tooting.
- He said the capital’s performance on crime was “an outlier” in the UK while he was home secretary.
- Cleverly went on to criticise those who often depict London as afflicted by crime.
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I don’t think you can credibly be the candidate for mayor of London if you obviously hate the city you’re trying to get elected for. I love London. I’m unapologetic about that.
james cleverly
Reform: Cleverly is ‘out
of touch’
- A Reform UK spokesperson said Cleverly was “out of touch”.
- If “James Cleverly thinks crime is not an issue in London then he’s even more out-of-touch than we originally thought”, they said.
- The spokesperson added: “London needs a mayor that is realistic about the issues the city faces, not one that will turn a blind eye to them.”
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US and Iran trade strikes in first hostilities for weeks
The United States and Iran have traded strikes for the first time since late July, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Here’s what we know.
Where did the US strike?
US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Central Command claiming the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines.
News outlets in Iran reported explosions near Larak island.
Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform of the bombing of the Kharg Island oil hub, claiming it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”.
What was Iran’s response?
Later, Iranian state TV showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired by Iran at US bases in Jordan in response to the American strikes. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles in the country’s airspace early Monday.
The UAE air force also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters, the country’s defence ministry said.
US ‘eliminated’ Iran’s threat
- The US disputed Iran’s claim that its strikes were an act of aggression.
- “Iran created the threat and the US military eliminated it,” Centcom said.
- This was “to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce” in the Strait of Hormuz, it added.
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Return to open conflict?
Since last confirming it had struck Iranian targets on 29 July, the US had turned its focus to increasing economic pressure in a bid to end the months-long war.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the fighting began on 28 February.
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Thousands of prisoners set for early release
Thousands of prisoners are set for an early release as part of controversial Government plans to ease jail overcrowding.
Here’s what we know.
Cutting the numbers
About 5,000 prisoners were due to be released early from October, down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to block rapists and “serious” child sex offenders from being eligible.
Under further changes announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday, several hundred more criminals will now be exempt from the early release scheme.
More exemptions
- Anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, is now ineligible.
- The exemption extends to those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving or allowing the death of a child.
- Grooming gang perpetrators will also be blocked from early release amid concerns about a potential loophole in the system.
The unlawful killing exemption means two men tied to the killing of PC Andrew Harper will remain behind bars after backlash over their initial eligibility for early release.
Burnham also confirmed the Government will seek to end imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs), releasing offenders previously assessed to pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public.
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What are IPPs?
IPPs, available between 2005 and 2012, meant offenders given such a sentence could only be released once the Parole Board determined they no longer posed a threat. They essentially meant some offenders could be held indefinitely; several hundred still were as of June 2026.
More than 2,000 IPP offenders are in jail, including 1,415 who were recalled to prison.
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Potential problems
However, Labour’s justice minister Jake Richards warned MPs in January that abolishing IPP sentences retrospectively “would result in prisoners being released whom the independent Parole Board has determined are too dangerous”.
Meanwhile, Sir David Gauke, the ex-Tory justice secretary who helped Labour craft the early release scheme, has warned that freeing IPP prisoners could be even riskier than releasing killers and rapists early.
Patel to be replaced by Tugendhat in Tory reshuffle
Ex-Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat is set to replace senior Conservative Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary, it has emerged.
New international role for Patel
Dame Priti said she would now look to strengthen Tory links with global centre-right and fellow conservative parties through a new “international role”.
Tugendhat, her reported replacement in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet, returns to the frontbenches, having previously served as security minister under former Tory prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
China hawk Tugendhat
- Patel called for stronger action to protect the UK from threats posed by China, Iran and Russia.
- Tugendhat is one of the most hawkish MPs on China and has campaigned against plans for the new super embassy in London.
- He has been on the backbenches since a failed Tory leadership campaign in 2024.
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Tory reshuffle continues
The move comes as part of Tory leader Badenoch’s impending reshuffle of her frontbench, with the role of shadow housing, communities and local government secretary also vacant after Sir James Cleverly quit to run for London mayor.
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Weekend lie-in may be good for your health
Having a lie-in at the weekend may actually have health benefits, new research suggests.
Here’s what we know.
No shame for sleeping in
Researchers from Korea University gathered data on 41,000 adults over a seven-year study, measuring participants’ “catch-up” sleep at the weekend as well as their blood pressure and level of physical activity.
One key takeaway, the team said, was that people should not feel “lazy or guilty” for staying in bed a little longer at the weekend.
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Weekend slumber: facts and figures
Blood pressure boost
1 h 27 min
The study showed one to two hours extra sleep helped maintain good health.
Sleeping for an extra hour and 27 minutes resulted in .
9%
This amount of extra sleep was linked to a nine per cent less chance of high blood pressure.
The study also found any level of extra sleep on the weekend was linked to a six per cent lower likelihood of high blood pressure.
But don’t overdo it…
When weekend catch-up sleep becomes excessive, the degree of sleep irregularity and circadian disruption may increase, which could offset that benefit.
Dr Nawton Lee, korea university
A common problem
It comes as one in three adults in Britain have high blood pressure, or hypertension. The average British adult also records less than the NHS-recommended seven to nine nightly hours of sleep.
Despite being symptomless, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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Under the current timetable set by Burnham’s predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, the foreign aid budget will fall even further to 0.3 per cent in 2027 in a bid to boost defence spending.
If this further cut goes ahead, it would mean the UK’s humanitarian funds to some African countries would have to be cut by up to 90 per cent by 2029, according to a report by UK charity umbrella group Bond.
It comes after The i Paper revealed that ministers have privately indicated that they support finding a route back to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on international aid, but there is no timeline for how such a spending commitment can be met.
Both Burnham and Miliband have publicly supported the 0.7 per cent target in the past, with Burnham explicitly defending it during the 2010 Labour leadership contest and Miliband backing the commitment as Labour leader.
A full return to the 0.7 per cent target rather than the planned 0.3 per cent level would cost around £13bn a year on current economic projections – a figure recognised by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
In a new poll commissioned by The i Paper, 40 per cent of the public said they would oppose a return to the 0.7 per cent target while just 25 per cent supported the move.
Nearly a quarter of those who oppose the uplift would rather see the money spent on the NHS (22 per cent), while 16 per cent would prefer spending on border control and immigration.
These are key issues for voters, with the NHS facing severe funding pressures driven by rising operational costs and inflation, as well as chronic staff shortages and treatment delays.
The public is also keen to see the Prime Minister crack down on small boats, with a recent surge of seven vessels carrying nearly 500 people last week – despite overall arrivals down 43 per cent this year compared to the same point in 2025.
The survey also shows that 14 per cent of respondents would prefer the money to be spent on support with the cost of living, while 13 per cent said they would rather the Prime Minister prioritises defence and national security.
It found that views varied widely by political party, with 62 per cent of Reform voters and 51 per cent of Conservatives opposing the restoration of the foreign aid budget, compared with 36 per cent of Lib Dems, 20 per cent of Labour supporters and 22 per cent of Green voters.
Labour opposed cuts to the foreign aid budget under the Conservative government and ahead of the 2024 election, promising to restore it to 0.7 per cent when circumstances permitted.
But after becoming prime minister, Starmer went further in the opposite direction, announcing in February last year that aid would be cut from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of GNI by 2027, using the savings to increase defence spending.
A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “There has been no new commitment on aid spending. The Government’s position remains exactly as set out previously: we are committed to returning development spending to 0.7 per cent of GNI when fiscal circumstances allow.”