The Week 1541

A flotilla of 66 “little ships” sailed across the Channel from Ramsgate this week to mark the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo – the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. Between 26 May and 4 June 1940, about 850 privately owned boats and their crew assisted in the rescue of more than 300,000 Allied troops from the advancing Nazis. Organisers of the event said they hoped it would ensure that the legacy of the little ships “continues to inspire future generations”. A British ultra-endurance runner is believed to have become the fastest person to cross the width of Australia on foot. William Goodge, 31, embarked on the 2,361 mile journey from Cottesloe Beach in Perth on 15 April, and finished 35 days later at Bondi Beach, Sydney. Along…

What happened The pressure on Israel The UK suspended its trade talks with the Israeli government and summoned its ambassador in response to what David Lammy described as its “morally unjustifiable” military escalation in Gaza. Speaking in the Commons, the Foreign Secretary said that while Israel had a right to defend itself, its “intolerable” 11-week aid blockade had left thousands of Palestinians on the brink of starvation and was an “affront to the values of the British people”. The Netanyahu government, he added, was “isolating Israel from its friends and partners”. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel suggested that Britain’s sharp rebuke to its ally would be welcomed by Hamas; but there were also calls from backbench MPs for the Government to go further and accuse Israel of “genocide”. After days…

What happened Keir Starmer hailed a “new era” in relations with Europe this week after the UK and Brussels agreed a post-Brexit “reset”. Under the deal, announced at a summit in London with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, the EU will lift checks on food produce crossing the Channel in return for the UK committing to abide by EU food standards. As part of a new security pact, British defence firms will be able to participate in joint EU procurement programmes. Britons will be able to use border e-gates at more EU airports. The two sides also agreed, in principle, to establish a new youth exchange scheme and work towards a joint electricity market. The PM said the deal was a “win-win” that would deliver cheaper food and electricity…

Controversy of the week Trump’s diplomacy After months of sporadic diplomacy, and “a flurry of activity” over the past ten days, President Trump has taken peace talks between Russia and Ukraine precisely nowhere, said Olga Chyzh in The Guardian. A new round of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul last week – the first since 2022 – “came and went with little more than symbolic fanfare”. Then a two-hour phone conversation between Trump and Vladimir Putin on Monday concluded “with Trump appearing to withdraw from mediating the peace talks altogether”. The man who once promised to end the war in 24 hours said that only further talks between the two parties could resolve it. More “jarring” still was his evident excitement at the prospect of “TRADE” between the US and Russia:…

Tesco has unveiled a wedding-list service, featuring “bundles” of everyday products. For £63, a wedding guest could give a bundle of “Really Useful Stuff”, which includes five packs of 12 luxury toilet tissue, eight kitchen rolls and 100 bin bags. Or they could opt for the £39 “I Love Brew” bundle – a six-month supply of tea bags and packets of biscuits. The retailer says that many couples have already furnished a home, and so prefer gifts that will reduce their day-to-day costs. The march of AI continues: at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, visitors to an “intelligent” garden are invited to use an app to ask 12 trees, fitted with various sensors, how they’re feeling. So far, they’ve mainly reported being thirsty.…

Austria, which won its third Eurovision Song Contest. The nation’s contestant, JJ – a 24-year-old countertenor – dazzled the continent with a track called Wasted Love, which opens as an operatic ballad then shifts into a techno club anthem. The UK crashed out 19th out of 26, with 88 points from the judges, and nul points from the public. The Pig family, who welcomed a new addition – a baby sister for the never-ageing Peppa and George. Apparently, the piglet, named Evie, was delivered in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where Catherine, the Princess of Wales, had her three children. It costs around £10,000 per delivery, suggesting the Pigs are more prosperous than previously assumed.…