Fury as UK using foreign aid budget to train Russia’s future leaders

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Monday, February 26, 2024 1/ Fury as UK using foreign aid budget to train Russia's future leaders  Rishi Sunak has been accused of aiding Vladimir Putin's regime over the government's plans to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money training up the next generation of Russian leaders.   Britain barred Russians from applying to the Chevening scholarship programme – a fully funded masters degree aimed at "emerging leaders" from all over the world – after Mr Putin invaded Ukraine two years ago.   But, despite the conflict still going on – and Britain ramping up sanctions on Moscow in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny – The Independent can reveal that the scheme has been reopened to applicants from Russia.   The prime minister is now facing calls to reverse the decision, with MPs and campaigners criticising the decision to use foreign aid money in this way. One MP said: "It will only possibly benefit apparatchiks of Putin's regime." Read the full story here 2/ US Air Force serviceman sets himself on fire in 'genocide' protest outside Israeli embassy Graphic video of incident shows man yelling 'I will no longer be complicit in genocide' 3/Zelensky fears Russia could launch new offensive in matter of months Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has only received a third of the shells promised by the European Union last year 4/ Minister suggests Lee Anderson could return despite anti-Muslim rant Labour has called on Rishi Sunak to confirm that no 'deal or undertakings' have been offered that would see Anderson sit as a Tory MP again 5/  Saltburn TikToker regrets that fans are now trespassing on estate Content creator says she has told her followers there is a 'public footpath through the estate' THE BIG QUESTION Has Labour's Rochdale debacle gifted George Galloway an open goal? Voters in Rochdale will head to the polls on Thursday for one of the most controversial by-elections in recent history. What was set to be a straightforward contest to replace the late Labour MP Tony Lloyd, who died of blood cancer in January aged 73, has been mired by a series of scandals, with residents left facing an invidious choice.   Read more Watch / Klopp joins Liverpool team to sing after Carabao Cup win The Independent Debate The Independent Debate Should speaker Lindsay Hoyle resign over Gaza ceasefire vote chaos? Yes, he should resign. It isn't just that he changed the rules to deprive the SNP of their right to a vote, on their own motion, in their own debate, in order to benefit Labour. Nor is it just that he offered no clear justification for doing so, least of all by implying that he had allowed the Mother of Parliaments' procedures to become influenced by threats of violence from outsiders. The key point is that all this is part of a trend. The Speaker has allowed Keir Starmer to follow an inquisitorial point-scoring style of debate in questioning successive Tory PMs at PMQs - something that Sir Keir has himself acknowledged when he described his second job on becoming Labour leader as - ' to expose the government's flaws.'     Margau     Lysistrata2 Share your opinion and read the full debate here. NUMBER OF THE DAY 100 - Over 100 new species have been found living on an underwater mountain off the coast of Chile in a "mind-blowing" discovery by scientists. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY "I'm not ashamed."  - Angela Rayner has hit back at criticism over the sale of a former council house she bought under the right-to-buy policy, declaring: "I am not ashamed." Read more OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE  Poor literacy in children could cost economy £830m Holidaymakers face higher summer air fares, Ryanair boss warns Muslim fears as Islamophobic incidents skyrocket by 365% Guy Walters: Inside the British Army base training Ukrainian civilians to be battle-ready in just five weeks Try 6 months of Independent Premium for just £6 Enjoy unlimited Premium news analysis, advert-free reading, a digital newspaper every morning, and more SUBSCRIBE The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 Join the conversation or follow us Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy notice and cookie policy