Before I could even cook – well, before I binge-watched cooking channels for inspiration – I could always cook a mean baked sweet potato.
They’re really high in potassium and are versatile enough that they can be loaded up with chicken, tuna, cheese or honestly just a blob of butter, and still taste delicious.
The best, easiest way to cook sweet potatoes
First of all, heat your oven to around 190°C.
Next, give your sweet potatoes a good scrub and dry them with paper towels. This ensures that the oil soaks in a little easier later.
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Now, you just need to prick a few holes in them using a fork and put them in the microwave for around five minutes.
Once they’re out, rest them on tin foil, pour a little vegetable oil on them as well as some mixed herbs (or whatever herbs and spices you’d like), rub the oil and seasonings into the skin and wrap them in the foil.
You should then put your sweet potatoes in the oven for around 30 minutes before checking to see if they’re soft enough using a fork. Sometimes, if they’re a little bigger, this can take up to an hour.
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If yours still isn’t soft enough, check it every 10 minutes to see if they’re ready.
Finally, add your toppings and tuck in!
What about leftovers?
If you’ve made too many sweet potatoes, you could blend them with vegetable stock and make a little soup for later.
Health benefits of sweet potatoes
According to BBC Good Food, the health benefits of sweet potatoes include:
The Substance has undeniably become one of the most talked-about movies of the past year thanks to its grisly gore and violence, scenes of full nudity and career-best performances from leads Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.
But there’s one other thing that plenty of viewers picked up when watching the graphic body horror.
Yes, we’re talking about all of those arses.
Coralie Fargeat’s film is littered with close-ups of bums, whether it’s Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle in the shower, Margaret Qualley clad in lycra for her energetic aerobics routine or just the man that Sue sleeps with the night before her big New Year’s Eve show standing in the buff in the hallway.
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(Also so many butts. Half the time it felt like the camera was stuck at butt level. I did not mind. But it was an interesting artistic choice: butts)
— R \"Nearest\" Nabors (they/them) (@rachelnabors) February 4, 2025
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","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"kes ","author_url":"https://twitter.com/joesnicky","cache_age":86400,"description":"watching the substance. i think this director just really likes asses— kes (@joesnicky) October 16, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"kes on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/joesnicky/status/1846354786125599178","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67b5d41ae4b04083cc9994da","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-substance-director-talks-butt-shots_uk_67b5d41ae4b04083cc9994da","entryTagsList":"ukfilm,the-substance,coralie-fargeat","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":8},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67b5d41ae4b04083cc9994da","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"ukfilm","slug":"ukfilm","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukfilm","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukfilm","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukfilm"},"section":{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"topic":{"title":"Film","slug":"ukfilm","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukfilm/"},{"name":"the substance","slug":"the-substance","links":{"relativeLink":"news/the-substance","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-substance","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-substance"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-substance/"},{"name":"coralie fargeat","slug":"coralie-fargeat","links":{"relativeLink":"news/coralie-fargeat","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/coralie-fargeat","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/coralie-fargeat"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/coralie-fargeat/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
Well, Coralie has finally shared her take on why her work focusses so heavily on people’s posteriors (it’s been noted that her first film, Revenge, uses similar framing techniques).
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The Oscar nominee told Letterboxd: “The ass is a very strong symbol of how [a woman’s body] is not neutral in the public space. How our body is constantly scrutinised, has been shaped to please the man’s eyes, has been seen as a body part that was objectified, that was detached from the person who was simply bearing it.”
Margaret Qualley, Coralie Fargeat and Demi Moore at the premiere of The Substance last year
via Associated Press
She went on to say that The Substance uses so many bum close-ups as a way of inviting viewers to think about “how much it is the focus of so many different gazes that we have to live with, that we have to take into account, that we have to endure”.
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“That’s something that has defined the way we can inhabit the public space,” she explained. ”[That] shapes a lot of our behaviour.”
Coralie added: “It represents the way a woman should be totally free and entitled to use her body the way she wants, to show it if she wants, to be as sexy as she wants, to be totally at ease and happy, to be whoever, however, whatever she wants.
“To get to this place with real freedom without it being an injunction, without it being something that you reproduce because you feel that it’s your only way to exist… That’s what those shots represent to me.”
As well as specific nominations for Demi Moore and its director, The Substance is also in the running for Best Picture – a rare feat for a horror flick – as well as Best Original Screenplay and Best Makeup And Hairstyling.
Boris Johnson is charging people more than £120 for a meet and greet in Scotland this September.
The former Conservative prime minister is already charging between £53.90 and £159.50 for tickets just for the public to attend “An Evening with Boris Johnson”, a live show at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on September 2.
According to the event page, Johnson is known for “enacting the will of the British people” over Brexit and unleashing a “visionary agenda of domestic policy reform”.
Johnson also helped to “protect the union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,” the advert on Usher Hall’s website says – although the Brexit vote actually helped to elevate the cause of Scottish independence.
Johnson, now a columnist for the Daily Mail, is then described as a “pre-eminent global leader in the effort to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion”, and “considered by the Kremlin as enemy number one”.
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He is also praised for leading the UK “through the darkest days of the pandemic” on the event page.
The former prime minister was ousted from office halfway through his term when ministers from his own government started to resign en masse over his leadership.
Johnson was ejected in July 2022 for a number of scandals, including being fined for breaching his own government’s social distancing rules during the Covid lockdown.
He resigned as the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP the following year, shortly before an investigation into the partygate scandal found he had deliberately misled MPs by alleging Covid rules were followed at all times in Downing Street.
Among them have been a religion-obsessed recluse in the horror film Heretic, an eccentric thespian in Paddington 2 and, infamously, an Oompa Loompa in the movie musical Wonka.
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Throughout it all, though, Hugh says he’s been choosy about the roles that he selects, turning down anything he thinks has been “insufficient in quality or independence allowed to the filmmakers”.
And that’s why he was so bemused when one of his more recent movies underperformed at the box office.
Speaking to Vanity Fair last year to promote Heretic, Hugh was asked about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, in which he played the conniving scam artist Forge Fitzwilliam.
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Hugh Grant in 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
PARAMOUNT PICTURES/Moviestore/Shutterstock
Despite largely glowing reviews (including from Hugh himself, who maintains it is “such a good film”), the adventure movie was described by some critics as a “box office bomb”, which the Bafta winner admitted he’s still perplexed by.
“It’s the biggest mystery to me,” the British star admitted, questioning: “Why didn’t anyone do market research before?”
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Hugh continued: “I think that’s what went wrong: Basically, people just thought, I don’t want to see a film about this game. Why had no one asked the public?”
The Love Actually star can currently be seen in the new Bridget Jones sequel Mad About The Boy, reprising the role of Daniel Cleaver from the first two films.
With a week to go until the new series gets underway, David has shared some of the stars he’ll be speaking to – including one guest that’ll be music to the ears of Doctor Who fans.
Russell was showrunner of Doctor Who during David’s first stint in the Tardis, and oversaw the anniversary specials that brought him back as the Fourteenth Doctor.
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He also wrote shows like Queer As Folk, Years And Years and It’s A Sin.
Russell T Davies at Comic-Con last year
via Associated Press
David quipped: “Yes, I know, just what the world needs… more podcast episodes. But with a line-up this good, I couldn’t resist coming back for season three.
“These guests are top-notch and you won’t want to miss a single one. And as for the finale…we don’t talk about the finale. Let’s just say it’s a series first.”
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David originally launched his podcast in 2019, interviewing the likes of Olivia Colman, Dame Judi Dench, James Corden and Doctor Who co-stars Billie Piper and Catherine Tate across its two seasons.
Other guests have included Tina Fey, Sir Brian Cox, Jennifer Garner, Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy, Star Trek icon George Takei and former prime minister Gordon Brown.
“My ability to tolerate alcohol, even in small doses, dramatically declined,” Dr. Mary Claire Haver, an OB-GYN and author of “The New Menopause,” wrote in a pinned Instagram post, listing what “shocked” her about her own menopause.
Emma Bardwell, a registered nutritionist who focuses on menopause and perimenopause, said something similar on Instagram recently: “Alcohol and menopause. Not a great mix if we’re all honest, but often a crutch we use to numb the overwhelm.”
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Conversations about menopause and alcohol seem to be popping up on social media more lately. But doctors say their patients have been mentioning it for years — saying things like they suddenly feel tipsy after a single drink in their 40s and 50s or that alcohol generally makes them feel lousy.
“This is not something new,” said Dr. Lauren Streicher, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwestern University, and host of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: The Menopause Podcast. “I’ve been doing this for decades, and women have often said to me, ‘Boy, I just can’t drink anymore. It makes my hot flashes worse. I’m already sleeping terribly. It makes my sleep worse.’”
While Streicher said there’s “probably a connection” between alcohol tolerance and perimenopause and menopause, it hasn’t been well studied.
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Still, you might be curious about that connection if you’ve reached your 40s and noticed alcohol hits a little differently. Here’s what women’s health experts want you to know.
During perimenopause, your levels of the hormone oestrogen start to decline, and this can bring symptoms like hot flashes, low libido, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, mood changes and problems sleeping.
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Some also report changes in their alcohol tolerance. But this is likely more age-related than menopause-related, said Dr. Monica Christmas, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, and director of the menopause program at the University of Chicago Medicine and associate medical director of the Menopause Society.
Another factor is that liver function may be impacted by oestrogen, Streicher said. Theoretically, lower oestrogen levels could get in the way of metabolising alcohol, but she noted that this hasn’t been well studied.
Because of these changes, you might feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than you used to or feel hungover even when you didn’t drink much, said Dr. Madeline Dick-Biascoechea, an OB-GYN and director of the Menopause Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. As your alcohol metabolism changes, “You will have increasing effects of alcohol per volume that you drink as you age,” she said.
How alcohol affects perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
Many women report drinking more alcohol to deal with their menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, mood shifts and sleep disruptions, research shows. However, alcohol can actually make them worse.
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SimpleImages via Getty Images
Alcohol can worsen many symptoms women experience with perimenopause and menopause, including anxiety, depression, lack of motivation and a loss of interest in activities.
Shifting hormones can disrupt the body’s ability to regulate temperature. Your blood vessels dilate when you drink alcohol, and this could trigger hot flashes and night sweats, Christmas said.
About half of menopausal women report difficulty sleeping. Sipping a glass of wine in the evenings might make you feel relaxed and sleepy, but it can actually disrupt your quality of sleep, Streicher said.
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Many women also experience anxiety, depression, lack of motivation and a loss of interest in activities during menopause — and as a depressant, alcohol can make these mental health challenges worse, Christmas said.
“Drinking alcohol during the time when we’re already experiencing these natural changes related to hormonal fluctuation, alcohol can exacerbate them,” she said. “And so, that also may feel like an intolerance.”
Keep in mind, though, that everyone experiences perimenopause and menopause differently — some women have no symptoms, while others experience them intensely, Christmas added, and not all women notice changes in how alcohol affects them.
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What to do if your alcohol tolerance seems to be changing.
Pay attention to how much you’re drinking as you reach perimenopause and menopause, Dick-Biascoechea said. Not only can it potentially worsen symptoms, it could raise your risk for other health conditions.
A 2025 report by the Office of the Surgeon General said that consuming alcohol can raise your risk for breast, colorectal, throat, mouth, voice box, oesophageal and liver cancer. Excessive alcohol intake has also been linked to dementia, osteoporosisand cardiovascular disease.
Dick-Biascoechea said women should have no more than one drink per day or seven per week. According to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse, one standard drink equals 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, and 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
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If you’re drinking more than that, she suggested cutting back, and if that’s a struggle, talk to your doctor for help. Resources are also available at FindTreatment.gov.
Even when you drink in moderation, sip more water with your beer, wine or cocktails, Christmas said. Also, make sure to consume alcohol on a full stomach.
Drinking is “not a solution for your menopause symptoms, and it’s going to have an enormous impact on your overall health,” said Streicher, who asks patients about their alcohol intake when they bring up menopause symptoms.
Streicher recommended seeking out a menopause practitioner for help — and added that not all doctors are experienced with menopause or perimenopause. The Menopause Society offers an online tool to help you find an expert in your area.
Ultimately, menopause is a normal stage of life, Dick-Biascoechea said. “But, being normal doesn’t mean that it’s easy. It’s a lot of changes … and keeping yourself as healthy as possible will make this transition better and successful.”
Recently, Kellogg’s released an all-new brand of cereal ― Oaties, available in plain and chocolate flavours ― which carried a Willy Wonka-unmeltable-ice-cream-level claim.
“Each bowl,” the company asserted, “is filled with crispy, crunchy pillows of wholegrain oats that have been lovingly crafted to stay crunchy in milk.”
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Apparently, food scientists spent months achieving the miraculous bite. The product’s tagline ― “it’s crunch time!” ― doubles down on the sog-free promise.
This, I told myself, was a case for the emptiest journalistic minds of our generation (mine). So, I thought I’d get my hands on a box, cover its contents in milk, and try it at five, 10, 15, 20, and 30-minute intervals.
And, because I take my duty seriously, let me start off with proof I really, really dunked those bad boys:
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Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
The writer dunking all the cereal which had floated to the top of the bowl under the milk with a spoon
You’re welcome.
1) After five minutes
Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
A bowl of the Oaties cereal after 5 minutes
I left the bowl of submerged cereal on the side for five minutes.
I’ll be honest ― approaching the abandoned bowl made me arrogant. “Aha!” I thought. “Those are definitely some softer outsides.”
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That was true ― the first half-millimetre of the cereal had expanded and softened after a five-minute lactose jacuzzi.
But that was all. A bite revealed that the real crunchiness of this cereal lies in its centre ― there was almost no give in the rest of the pillows.
I was confused but intrigued.
2) After 10 minutes
Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
The same cereal bowl after ten minutes
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I was pretty surprised to note that the topmost cereals, despite my previous dunking, had remained mostly dry at this stage.
Not much to report at the ten-minute mark; a note I took in my phone read: “exactly the same as five minutes.”
Anticlimactic, but consistent.
3) After 20 minutes
Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
The same bowl of cereal after 20 minutes
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At this point, I did start to notice (and taste) a difference in texture.
About a fifth of the outside layer of the cereal was soft now, and they looked fuzzier and lumpier in the milk.
But lo and behold ― the middle part was still strong and crunchy (more on that later).
I started to wonder how these shells became so impermeable. An incredulous peek at the ingredients list returned nothing suspicious ― just oat, corn, and wheat flour with sugars and fortifiers.
4) After 30 minutes
Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
The same bowl of cereal after half an hour
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The most-dunked pillows in the bowl had definitely become softer on their outsides, even including their corners (which had more or less all stayed stiff ’til now).
But if you look at the bowl, you’ll see the outermost layer still remained unsoaked. And even a bite of the “soggiest” centre pices revealed a bone-dry, still-crunchy inside.
Amy Glover / HuffPost UK
The cross-section of an Oatie cereal that had soaked for 30 minutes in milk reveals that while its outer layer is soft, the inside is hard and crunchy
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I do not know how it’s done (though I’m on the case).
Nor do I (plot twist) particularly like crunchy cereals ― I love soggy ones.
But if you’re in the firm camp, we were pretty surprised by how well these (literally and figuratively) held up.
Labour has also promised to hike defence spending from its current rate of 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% although it is yet to offer a clear timeline.
But, when shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns slammed the prime minister for not increasing investment in the sector sooner this morning on Sky News, she received a bleak reminder.
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The MP began by claiming Starmer’s “priority today should be to talk about defence spending” – something she said should have in place “since July”.
But presenter Frost quickly hit back: “I mean, you’re trying to criticise the state of defence spending, [seven] months into their government when this is a long-term issue after 14 years in power.”
That’s less than the last full year Labour was last in power, 2009-10, when defence spending was at £57.1bn.
But Kearns hit back: “I’ve always been very clear. I was critical of my own government, but the reality is 2.3% of defence is what we’ve been spending, that is a good amount, and we’ve been investing in the right equipment.”
She added: “But what I’m saying is, since July, a decision was made to side with the Treasury to not give the increase in defence spending we need to continue to replenish stocks, replenishing stocks should be the priority.”
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She said that was necessary in case the UK needed to provide peacekeepers to Ukraine.
“I will continue to stand with Ukraine, but I will continue to speak out as I have done from the moment I was elected, to make sure we defend our security,” Kearns said.
The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch also criticised Labour’s defence spending today.
Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference, she said: “Failing to spend more on defence isn’t peace-making, it is weakness, and it only emboldens their threats to democracy and global stability.”
Here’s Alicia Kearns(Tory MP) complaining that the govt haven’t increased defence spending since July.
Wilfred Frost: You’re trying to criticise the state of defence spending, 6 months into their govt, when this is a long-term issue after 14 years in power? pic.twitter.com/o5FJTXsW4u
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Wilfred Frost: You’re trying to criticise the state of defence spending, 6 months into their govt, when this is a long-term issue after 14 years in power? pic.twitter.com/o5FJTXsW4u— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) February 17, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":544,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1891407836736851969/pu/img/ZAJrJY1G-hc8517Y.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":864,"title":"Haggis_UK on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1891407905406046523","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67b322fee4b0cd020cc29138","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/sky-presenter-slams-tories-over-criticism-of-defence-budget_uk_67b322fee4b0cd020cc29138","entryTagsList":"conservative-party,defence,alicia-kearns","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":14},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67b322fee4b0cd020cc29138","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"conservative party","slug":"conservative-party","links":{"relativeLink":"news/conservative-party","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party"},"relegenceId":3696340,"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Conservative Party","slug":"conservative-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party/"},{"name":"defence","slug":"defence","links":{"relativeLink":"news/defence","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/defence","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/defence"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/defence/"},{"name":"Alicia Kearns","slug":"alicia-kearns","links":{"relativeLink":"news/alicia-kearns","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-kearns","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-kearns"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-kearns/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
Here’s Alicia Kearns(Tory MP) complaining that the govt haven’t increased defence spending since July.
Wilfred Frost: You’re trying to criticise the state of defence spending, 6 months into their govt, when this is a long-term issue after 14 years in power? pic.twitter.com/o5FJTXsW4u
Kearns also said we “all have to worry” Trump will let Ukraine down.
Speaking to Times Radio, she said: “I think we all have to worry because the world has let down Ukraine consistently throughout its history. I mean, whether it was Yalta, whether it’s the last of years, whether it’s when Georgia was invaded.
“I was in Ukraine ten days before the renewed illegal invasion almost three years ago. And I sat there as German and French ambassadors told me that our intelligence assessments were absolutely wrong and that Putin wasn’t going to invade.
“We always seem to take Putin at his word and we always underestimate Ukrainians. I don’t understand how we keep repeating the same mistakes.”
Vice President JD Vance on Sunday defended his controversial speech from last week, during which he said the biggest threat facing Europe wasn’t from US adversaries like Russia and China, but “from within.”
Vance also raised eyebrows on Friday over his decision to meet with Alice Weidel, the co-chair of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, following his address before the Munich Security Conference which had already spread alarm and anger among European officials.
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Margaret Brennan, the moderator of CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday interviewed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asking the Trump official to explain what was accomplished by Vance’s words and actions, beside irking America’s allies on the continent.
“Why would our allies or anybody be irritated by free speech and by someone giving their opinion?” Rubio asked.
Brennan pushed back, noting that Vance delivered those remarks in Germany — “a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide,” in reference to the Holocaust. The CBS host added that Weidel represents a party with ties to extremism.
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“Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide,” Rubio replied. “The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews and they hated minorities.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Vance doubled down, suggesting his embrace of the far-right amounted to exercising “free speech,” while appearing to scold Brennan’s line of questioning.
“Does the media really think the holocaust was caused by free speech?” Vance asked.
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During Friday’s speech, Vance had harsh words for Europe, while sharing no criticism of U.S. foes in Beijing and the Kremlin.
“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.”
He also appeared to criticise European countries for isolating extremist parties, seeming to point the finger at Germany, even though he didn’t explicitly reference the AfD.
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“Shutting people out of the political process protects nothing,” he said.
The AfD, which has also been promoted by Trump ally Elon Musk, has been scrutinized by the country’s intelligence service for years over its ties to extremists. The party, which is now mainly running on an anti-immigration platform, is still expected to have a strong showing at Sunday’s election, with polls predicting it will finish second behind the Christian Democrats.
Keir Starmer has called for Europe to “step up” amid this “generational challenge” to the continent’s security right now.
The prime minister spoke to the media as pressure rises around the Ukraine war.
Starmer will head to Paris for an emergency summit with his European counterparts today, and is expected to travel to Washington to meet with Donald Trump next week.
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The continent is scrambling to respond after the White House suggested it would only consult, but not directly include, Europe while negotiating a peace with Russia over the Ukraine war.
The new Trump administration has also called for Europe to be more responsible for its own security rather than relying on American support.
Speaking to broadcasters in Bristol, Starmer issued a call to action to his European neighbours. He said: “We’re facing a generational challenge when it comes to national security.
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“Obviously, the immediate question is the future of Ukraine, and we must continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position whatever happens next, and to make sure that if there is peace – and we all want peace – that it is lasting.”
He added there is a “bigger piece here as well” noting that the challenge we face “isn’t just about the front line of Ukraine.”
“It’s the front line of Europe and of the United Kingdom. It’s our national security,” Starmer said.
Labour has promised to increase spending its current rate of 2.3% of GDP to 2.5%, but it has not provided a clear timeframe for doing so.
The PM told broadcasters: “We are going through a strategic review of defence at the moment, which is looking at the challenges and the capability, and then we’ll set out that path.
“Part of my message to our European allies is that we’ve all got to step up on both capability and on spending and funding. Now, that includes the UK, which is why I’ve made that commitment to spend more.”
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“Until we get a peace agreement, we must ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position,” he said.
The prime minister said: “We don’t know what’s going to happen next, and we need to have realistic and credible answers to how any ceasefire, how any peace agreement, will be lasting, just and enduring, because the last thing I want to see is a pause in the fighting that simply gives Putin the chance to come again, which is why it’s very important that we have these discussions.”
Starmer also downplayed concerns about a split between the US and Europe after vice-president JD Vance attacked the continent last week.
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Amid reports he was looking to act as a bridge between Washington and the rest of Europe, Starmer said: “I think what the US wants to achieve is lasting peace in Ukraine that aligns precisely with what we want in the United Kingdom, what Ukraine wants and what our European allies want.
“What we now need to do is to make sure that we work together on a plan that could get us to that point.”
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