Connor Stringer

Chief Washington correspondent for @Telegraph. Got a story? e:[email protected] DM for signal

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

***EXCLUSIVE***

The United States may reconsider its position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands if it does not increase its defence spending, @Telegraph can reveal.

The extraordinary proposal is among a series of creative measures drawn up by senior Pentagon officials to incentivise Nato allies that fall short of the alliance’s 5pc spending pledge.

Britain will receive “special attention” in Washington’s review of whether allies have credible plans to hit the target, a senior US official told The Telegraph.

Officials believe that while Britain has the potential to be a leading defence partner, the Defence Investment Plan is not enough of a “step in the right direction”.

The measure is part of a wider effort by Donald Trump’s administration to push Nato into what officials are describing as a new era of the alliance, dubbed Nato 3.0.

W/ @Barnes_Joe

[Matt Wilkinson @MattSunRoyal]

Photo of Meghan’s dad ‘abusing a child’ found among sick stash of pics, videos & DVDs handed over to cops

More shocking revelations in Thomas Markle Sr case in @TheSun

https://t.co/XBk8u9SBes

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

Burnham told Trump Ukraine must have full access to Starlink in their call this afternoon.

Notable Falklands mention too.

No10 readout:

"The Prime Minister underlined the importance for Ukraine to have full access to Starlink so they can continue to defend themselves against Russia's full-scale invasion. The Prime Minister recognised the work of President Trump to bring Putin to the negotiation table and the leaders agreed to work together, alongside international partners to bring an end to the bloodshed.

"Turning to energy, the leaders welcomed the continued collaboration between UK and US companies, especially on nuclear power.

"The two leaders discussed the Energy Secretary's decision to approve Jackdaw. The leaders agreed on the significant benefits this will bring to the UK, boosting the economy and supporting jobs for British workers.

"Turning to the Falklands Islands, the leaders discussed the Sea Lion project. The Prime Minister raised the economic consequences of Argentina’s coercive measures for the UK and US and reiterated the importance of respecting the Islanders’ right to develop their natural resources.

“The leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East, with the Prime Minister reaffirming the UK’s support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of hostile Houthi attacks.

"The two leaders look forward to seeing each other soon."

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

🚨NOW on the south Lawn: Donald Trump says he spoke to Andy Burnham this morning and praised him on getting the "job done" on drilling in the North Sea.

Ukraine discussed but not as much as North Sea drilling.

"Andy is getting it done. I guess it's against the liberal principle, but he knows what's right," he says.

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

🚨NOW on the south Lawn: Donald Trump says he spoke to Andy Burnham this morning and praised him on getting the "job done" on drilling in the North Sea.

Ukraine discussed but not as much as North Sea drilling.

"Andy is getting it done. I guess it's against the liberal principle, but he knows what's right," he says.

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

🚨NOW on the south Lawn: Donald Trump says he spoke to Andy Burnham this morning and praised him on getting the "job done" on drilling in the North Sea.

Ukraine discussed but not as much as North Sea drilling.

"Andy is getting it done. I guess it's against the liberal principle, but he knows what's right," he says.

[Chloe Chaplain @ChaplainChloe]

EXC: Trump and Burnham scheduled to speak amid tensions over Russia-Ukraine war and hints of renewed US offensive against Iran

Leaders are due to speak this afternoon - not clear whether the President is seeking UK support for any military action

w @josh_wingrove @alexwickham

[Alex Ward @alexbward]

“The Starlink system used by Ukraine’s military was suffering from low speeds limits early on Friday, despite President Trump saying that SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk had restored the service.” https://t.co/uZP4uHVrFR

[Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss]

The GRU hacked into Jared Kushner's iPhone. Dutch military intelligence (MIVD) then recruited a GRU spy who gave them access to the hacked phone. What MIVD discovered was that Kushner had access to two bank accounts --one Azerbaijani, the other Israeli --where Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati ruler Mohammed bin Zayed deposited money. It sounds like a slightly far-fetched episode of "Slow Horses," but it's real. And it proves just how eye-poppingly corrupt this administration was and continues to be as its "special envoy" decides the fate of tens of millions in Europe in the Middle East. Simply incredible reporting by Matthew Cole, drawn from his new book on Kushner. https://t.co/8AyV60gg1X

[White Guy Fieri @whiteguyfieri]

Buy your tickets now.

All proceeds will go to the foie gras defense fund.

[Alex Ward @alexbward]

NEW: Trump called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine that the SpaceX chief had throttled, U.S. officials said.

The system was working more normally Thursday, shortly after their conversation, per Us and Ukrainian officials

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

NEW: President Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec 11, a judge has ordered.

[Jon Levine @LevineJonathan]

NEW YORK TIMES now confirming my reporting from weeks ago that El-Sayed signed a letter in support of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2012

(naturally not crediting the Free Beacon at all)

El-Sayed also refused to comment on letter to them!)

https://t.co/VT4OmCQcwp

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

NEW: Rosneft deep dive by Bloomberg News

+ Officials at Russia’s largest oil producer are concerned that even a few more months of the war with Ukraine could leave lasting damage across the business.

+ One of Rosneft’s biggest refineries, Ryazan, has been shut for more than half the time since it was first hit by Ukraine in May and has run well below full capacity when operating, according to damage assessments seen by Bloomberg.

+ Another, Syzran, has spent much of the past six months either completely shut or operating at less than a third of capacity, according to data reviewed by Bloomberg. The Tuapse refinery has been offline since April.

+ Ukraine is conducting repeat strikes on the refineries as soon as repairs are completed or nearing completion. The need to repeatedly repair damaged equipment is straining operations and causing costs to pile up to levels that Rosneft officials have privately warned cannot be sustained long-term.

+ Some plants have deliberately slowed repairs as a result, stretching work that should take days into weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

+ Efforts to protect the facilities with shipping containers, nets and steel cables have proved ineffective against swarms of drones, company plans show.

+ The damage is particularly difficult to repair when strikes hit complex secondary units, whose parts would previously have been sourced from the West. It means relying on Russian-made copies and Chinese imports that can take months to obtain and are not always compatible with existing machinery.

+ It’s put Rosneft into financial trouble. Even before the ramping up of Ukraine’s drone campaign, the company saw a “perfect storm” for its finances. Since then, its profits are down and debt is rising despite what should have been a big windfall from the Iran war.

+ Moscow Credit Bank, which is linked to Rosneft, is showing signs of distress with $8 billion of problem loans. It highlights how both Russia’s energy and banking sectors are coming under strain at the same time, a dynamic causing concern to Russian finance officials.

All this and much more in the full story here: https://t.co/0qbu8cCStl

[Joe Barnes @Barnes_Joe]

Further confirmation for our scoop last Friday that Elon Musk was behind the decision to throttle Ukraine's use of Starshield!

https://t.co/rTyj40Lo2w

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

NEW: Susie Wiles helped set up Katie Zacharia's appearance on Fox News on Thursday that later saw her ousted as press secretary.

The interview with Sean Hannity, which aired during prime time, turned into a pointed examination of Zacharia’s first press briefing and her legal credentials.

One source described the appearance as a “sanctioned hit." Zacharia was not Wiles' preffered choice for the role.

W/ @SophiaCai99 and @wsteaks

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

https://t.co/oraHFQYudv

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

NEW: Susie Wiles helped set up Katie Zacharia's appearance on Fox News on Thursday that later saw her ousted as press secretary.

The interview with Sean Hannity, which aired during prime time, turned into a pointed examination of Zacharia’s first press briefing and her legal credentials.

One source described the appearance as a “sanctioned hit." Zacharia was not Wiles' preffered choice for the role.

W/ @SophiaCai99 and @wsteaks

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk approached Donald Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine, The Telegraph can reveal.

The billionaire tech entrepreneur approached the US president with the proposal to introduce speed limits on the system, which hampered Ukraine’s drone defences, according to four sources familiar with the discussions.

🔗 https://t.co/csB61ujIuK

[Joe Barnes @Barnes_Joe]

EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph.

The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries.

‘The reality is that they were both in it,’ a senior source said of Musk’s and Trump’s involvement.

But after a night of carnage in Kyiv caused by the slowdown, Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.

The SpaceX boss then proceeded to tweet, blaming the US administration, and ultimately, President Trump for authorising the slowdown.

‘He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it,’ the source said.

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

Kristi Noem out as Trump’s special envoy. Busy day at the White House job centre.

[Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound]

National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell telling friends he might quit - which would be pretty huge. He’s the collective memory on the political side and one of the few with good contacts in Washington and the Middle East https://t.co/oxiWLWiqGw