Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised in the House of Commons for Britain's role in an estimated 185,000 forced adoptions in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976, hours from a parallel Dutch cabinet apology in The Hague covering some 15,000 children relinquished between 1956 and 1984. Both governments promised follow-up measures; neither, so far, has put compensation on the table.
On 9 May 2026 the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is pre-positioning in the Middle East for a UK and France-led multinational Strait of Hormuz mission spanning more than 40 nations, set to begin once a sustained Iran-US ceasefire holds. France has moved the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Red Sea.
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, became the largest party in English local government on 8 May 2026, gaining at least 421 seats while Labour lost 318. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to stay despite calls inside his own ranks to change course on tax and immigration.