Germany set to vote on historic increase in defence spending

EU

Germany’s Bundestag is poised to vote on a significant fiscal package that proposes amendments to longstanding debt policies, aiming to facilitate increased defence spending and establish a €500 billion infrastructure and climate fund.

The vote is seen as a response to Russia’s advances in Ukraine as the United States makes clear Europe can no longer rely on US protection from Russia.

Supporters of lifting the debt restrictions to boost defence spending say it’s essential for European security but there is also opposition. The decision could influence broader European defence initiatives, like the EU’s proposed €800 billion ReArm Europe fund.

Net Zero by 2050 is a fantasy says Kemi Badenoch

Climate Change

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said the UK’s 2050 net zero target, a legally binding commitment established by a previous Conservative government, is “impossible.” Badenoch argued that achieving net zero by 2050 would necessitate “a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us,” but did not offer an alternative plan.

Welfare reform announcement today – ‘Don’t punish the poor’ 

News Briefing

The UK government is set to announce significant welfare reforms today, aiming to reduce welfare spending by approximately £5 billion annually. These measures are part of an effort to address rising welfare costs, which are projected to surpass £100 billion by 2030.

Almost all the UK newspapers lead on the story, focusing on different angles from political turmoil within the party, to potentially pushing the poor into poverty.

Protest in Tirana at Albanian government’s TikTok ban

Europe

The ban was triggered by the death of a 14-year-old boy, who was stabbed by a fellow pupil at his school in Tirana and shared on social media.

The opposition are suggesting this is politically motivated and labelling it a form of censorship.