Labour’s party conference has opened with British Trade Minister Douglas Alexander telling The National that “change is possible” to renew the country's standing in the world.
Mr Alexander, who had just returned from a trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Oman, said the conference in Liverpool is a “big opportunity for us to set out our agenda in government and to make the case that change is possible”.
He spoke after Foreign Secretary David Lammy had warned Israel against growing settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and said he was keeping sanctions against Israelis “under close review”.
Doomed Britain
While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made significant changes both at home and in foreign policy, the conference opened against the backdrop of brewing ethics scandals and unease over the “doomed Britain” picture Labour has painted since coming into office.
Trying to strike a more upbeat line to his refrain that “things will get worse before they get better” and that next month’s budget will be “painful”, Mr Starmer vowed people will be “better off” under Labour.
“Changing the country is not like flicking a switch,” he said. “I’m not going to pretend that everything is fixed by Christmas.”
In a keynote speech at the Liverpool conference on Tuesday, Mr Starmer is expected to lay out his plans and set a new tone for Britain's foreign policy.
Settler sanctions considered
That has been most dramatically reflected in Britain’s changed stance towards Israel, with Labour imposing a partial arms ban, renewing funding to the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees and not opposing International Criminal Court proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Lammy applied further pressure on Israel, saying he is “deeply, deeply worried by the growing violence and settler violence that we see in the West Bank”.
“I’m not announcing further sanctions today, but that is kept under close review,” he added.
He contended that Britain had “never lost sight of the end goal”, which was “an irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution”.
“It is only once Palestinians and Israelis have the same fundamental rights: sovereignty, security and dignity in their own independent, recognised states that we can achieve a just and lasting peace for all.”
But Mr Lammy signalled that Britain was unlikely to impose a full arms ban, pointing out that Israel needs some arms licences to fight the Houthis in Yemen and other Iran-backed groups in the region.
“I think that would be a mistake,” he said. “It would lead to a wider war and an escalation that we here in the UK are committed to stopping.”
Ethics issues
The conference is emerging as the first big political challenge for Labour, with supporters questioning some of its policies and growing unease over emerging reports of free gifts its leaders have received.
Mr Starmer has received more than £100,000 in free Arsenal football tickets, as well as clothes, while it was also reported on Sunday that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner had been lent a New York flat for a holiday.
The prime minister has vowed not to take any more gifts, and the extent of the ethics scandals remains far from those faced by the previous Conservative government.
In the coming days, Mr Starmer will fight hard to keep his policies on track, knowing that hard choices will be needed to turn the country around.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
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Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Company%20profile
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In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets