Going beyond the ordinary news headlines
Good morning! ☕ Let’s grab a coffee and dive into the headlines for Monday, 2nd June 2025. The sun is shining over the capital this morning, so let’s soak up the rays while catching up on the latest news.
Much of the news dominating the UK headlines focuses on international events, however, there are a handful of UK-focused stories – mostly around the UK’s defence spending and plans set to be announced later today in the Strategic Defence Review.
There is also coverage of the number of migrants crossing the English Channel as the defence secretary said the UK has (over the past five years) “lost control.”
There’s coverage in Scotland regarding the shooting death of two Scots in Spain after links to criminal gangs were revealed.
Internationally, the headlines here at home lead with the latest from the genocide in Gaza as a shooting at an aid distribution left at least 21 dead. In the USA, demonstrators at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado have been seriously injured after a man threw Molotov cocktails at them whilst shouting ‘free Palestine.’
More than 200 people have been killed in the Nigeria floods and in Australia, a woman is giving evidence in her trial after she was accused of poising her in-laws – the case has gripped the nation.
A little closer to home, Poland has elected a right-wing populist as president in a razor-thin win. At least two people have been killed in France and hundreds arrested following PSG winning the Champions League. There is ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine, as Kyiv announces that it completed its biggest long-range missile attack of the war.
The UK will build up to 12 new conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines, as part of a sweeping Strategic Defence Review to be announced on Monday by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The submarines will begin replacing the current fleet from the late 2030s and are designed to safeguard Britain and its NATO allies for decades to come.
The review, led by former Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson, sets out 62 recommendations, all of which the government is expected to adopt. The aim is to shift the British armed forces towards “warfighting readiness” amid rising threats, particularly from Russia.
Sir Keir will also confirm a £15bn investment in the UK’s nuclear warhead programme, alongside further commitments to boost cyber capabilities, long-range weapons production, and military infrastructure.
Alongside the new submarines, the government’s review includes:
The new submarines will support 30,000 jobs, 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles by the 2030s, according to the Ministry of Defence. These next-generation vessels—known as SSN-AUKUS—are being developed jointly with Australia under a defence pact agreed in 2023 by the previous Conservative government.
The announcement also reaffirms Labour’s pledge to deliver the Dreadnought class of nuclear-armed submarines, which will replace the ageing Vanguard fleet in the early 2030s. Both projects fall under the MoD’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise, which now consumes 20% of the defence budget.
Despite the ambitious plans, Defence Secretary John Healey has ruled out growing the Army before the next general election. His priority is reversing the decline in troop numbers, with a target to return to 73,000 full-time soldiers in the next Parliament.
Eight people were injured in Colorado, USA, after a man shouting “Free Palestine” attacked a pro-Israel demonstration with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower. The incident occurred on Saturday at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, around 30 miles from Denver.
The attack targeted a weekly event held by Run for Their Lives, a group that organises walks in solidarity with Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Victims, aged between 52 and 88, suffered burns and other injuries.
US authorities are treating the incident as a suspected terror attack. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested at the scene.
Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who entered the US in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa, which expired in February 2023. He had reportedly been living in Colorado Springs prior to the attack.
Footage from the scene shows Soliman shirtless, shouting slogans, and wielding what appeared to be incendiary devices in both hands. Eyewitnesses described him launching firebombs into the crowd while using a makeshift flamethrower.
Local and federal authorities are now investigating the motive and background of the attacker. The FBI confirmed the use of multiple incendiary devices, including Molotov cocktails. Boulder’s Police Chief, Stephen Redfearn, said emergency services responded to calls about “a man with a weapon” and people “being set on fire” around 13:26 local time (20:26 BST).
The FBI’s Denver field office said it is coordinating with local law enforcement and will determine whether federal terrorism charges will be filed.
No fatalities have been reported so far, but the violent escalation in a civilian setting has prompted concern among Jewish communities in the US and abroad.
Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, has narrowly won Poland’s presidential election, defeating liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.
With 100% of votes counted, Nawrocki secured 50.9%, compared to Trzaskowski’s 49.1%, overturning exit polls which had originally projected a Trzaskowski victory.
The result represents a significant political win for the Polish right, despite PiS losing parliamentary power 18 months ago.
Though largely ceremonial, Poland’s president holds the power of veto, which Nawrocki is expected to use to block key reforms proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU coalition, including judicial changes and abortion law liberalisation.
Nawrocki is a strong proponent of Polish sovereignty, traditional Catholic values, and is sceptical of EU climate and migration policies. He supports Ukraine militarily but opposes its accession to NATO or the EU during the ongoing war.
The result is likely to reinvigorate the PiS base ahead of the next parliamentary elections in 2027, and sets up a renewed clash between the presidency and government over Poland’s future in Europe.
Nawrocki will succeed outgoing conservative President Andrzej Duda, who endorsed Nawrocki and congratulated him for what he described as a “heroic fight”. With the presidential veto intact and the parliamentary majority still narrow, Prime Minister Tusk faces a bumpy path ahead for his reform agenda.
Both candidates supported aid to Ukraine, but differed sharply on Poland’s EU trajectory — a division likely to define Polish politics over the next two years.
Dominating the front pages is the news that two homes connected to the prime minister in North London were set on fire yesterday – as was a car on the street of one of the houses on fire.
For a second day, there’s a lot of coverage of yesterday’s announcement from the prime minister regarding a planned crackdown on legal migration to the United Kingdom.
WROCLAW, Poland — The new Chelsea era finally has lift-off. Just four days after securing a return to Champions League football, the Blues lifted their first trophy under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership after winning the UEFA Conference League with a 4-1 win over Real Betis.
Copyright WTX News 2025
