United Kingdom: Security

Domestic

London faced multiple security incidents, including a police raid on an Anti-Zionist Movement event and a fatal ambush on a vehicle in East London. The UK's defense ministry reported a doubling of drone incursions last year, prompting London authorities to consider granting the military permission to shoot down drones. Separately, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated Britain must accelerate its defense spending increases and advocated for closer European collaboration on defense. He is set to propose a multinational defense initiative aimed at reducing rearmament costs, with plans to deploy UK aircraft carriers to the North Atlantic this year. Finnish ministers held meetings with British security officials, focusing on regional developments and bilateral security cooperation.

International

British police arrested former UK ambassador to the United States and former government minister Peter Mandelson as part of an investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein; he was released on bail amid allegations he leaked sensitive government information. Britain's High Court ruled the UK government acted illegally in banning the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, a decision the government will appeal. Russia's envoy stated British forces in Ukraine are legitimate targets, accusing the UK and France of plotting to secretly transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine. UK officials, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have called for sending non-combat troops to Ukraine. In a separate development, Trump accepted a deal with the United Kingdom regarding the strategically important Chagos Islands, while the president of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, also presented a deal to Trump amid a broader US-UK dispute over island base control. A diplomatic standoff continued, with the UK expelling a Russian diplomat over spying accusations and a UK official calling for action over the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.