Keir Starmer met Michel Barnierthe French Prime Minister, this morning in Paris. They have known each other well, ever since Starmer was shadow Brexit secretary and Barnier was the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and Barner says he was “tres heureux” to meet his old interlocutor.

And here’s a translation (mostly from Google, but with my version of “vient de loin, a connu les épreuves”, because Google’s wasn’t very good.)

Very happy to see you again, @Keir_Starmer, this morning in Paris.

The French-British friendship has come a long way, through thick and thin. It will be invaluable in meeting the challenges ahead.

Thank you, Mr Prime Minister, @10DowningStreet, for being with the French people on November 11.

(The tone of Barnier’s message may upset some Brexiters. They still see him as the devil incarnate, and seeing him so friendly about Starmer may renew their suspicions about the Prime Minister’s Europhilia.)

Good morning. Keir Starmer is in Paris this morning for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Prime Minister is visiting to attend France’s Armistice Day service, but the real interest will be in what the leaders of Europe’s two biggest military powers have to say as they discuss the implications of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

Here it is Jessica Elgotnightly preview story.

John Healeythe Minister of Defense, held a media tour this morning. What exactly Trump will do with Ukraine – anything, really – remains uncertain, but in the US it is reported that Trump has spoken to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, and urged him not to abandon the Russian offensive in Ukraine escalate. In her story Mayan Yang reports:

Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin on Thursday and discussed the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The newly elected US president advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s extensive military presence in Europe,” the Post reported.

It added that Trump expressed interest in further talks on “an early resolution of the war in Ukraine.”

During the election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war “within a day,” but did not explain how he would do so.

According to a former US official familiar with the call who spoke to the Washington Post, Trump is unlikely to want to start his second presidential term with an escalation of the war in Ukraine, “which gives him incentive to want to prevent the war worsens. ”.

In an interview on the Today program said Healey was pleased with this report. When asked if Ukraine was losing the war, he replied:

Ukraine is certainly under pressure. Russia is certainly escalating, and President Trump reportedly told Putin this and warned him against further escalation. If he did, he’s right.

Russia is escalating with massive North Korean troops on their territory. It is escalating with more than 2,000 kamikaze drones in one-way attacks targeting Kiev and the rest of Ukrainian cities in the past month alone. And one person is responsible for that escalation, and that is Putin.

I’ll be posting more of Healey’s interviews soon.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Keir Starmer meets Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in Paris.

10:00 am: Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, gives evidence to the Post Office Horizon inquiry. He will be followed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who will testify in her capacity as Reynolds’ predecessor as business secretary. Her evidence could continue into the afternoon.

11.30 am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

2:30 PM: Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, answers questions in the House of Commons.

Afternoon: Starmer is expected to address journalists as he flies from Paris to Baku, where he is attending the Cop29 summit.

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