5 important things happening in the UK today (12 June 2026)
Here are five important things happening in the UK on Friday (12 June 2026):
Armed forces minister quits after Healey exit as defence funding row deepens
The armed forces minister has followed Defence Secretary John Healey in quitting the government in a dispute with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over funding for the military. Al Carns resigned on Thursday evening, telling Starmer that the government’s defence investment plan (DIP) was “neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded”. It came after Healey resigned in a scathing letter warning that the level of military spending proposed by Starmer “falls well short” of what’s needed to protect the UK. [BBC]
Starmer on the brink
The upheaval has left Starmer struggling to shore up his reputation as a safe pair of hands at a time of growing international threats. It comes days before Starmer is due to meet G7 allies in France and weeks before a Nato summit in Ankara that will be attended by Donald Trump, leaving the prime minister facing the embarrassing prospect of explaining why his own defence secretary felt he was not doing enough to keep his country safe. [Guardian]
Reform seeks to rebuild ties with Maga
On the other side of the spectrum, Reform UK’s Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf has travelled to Washington, as he tries to convince key figures in and around the Trump administration that his party is their principal British ally. Yusuf’s visit underlines the upheaval on the right of UK politics, with Reform facing increasing pressure from Restore Britain, a new far-right party that has chimed with Maga messages around immigration and “western decline”. [Financial Times]
First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK
The UK’s first GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet for weight loss and weight management has today (11 June 2026) been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the semaglutide (Wegovy) tablet may now be prescribed to adults in the UK with obesity, who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above, or who are overweight with a BMI between 27 and 30 and at least one weight-related comorbidity. [GOV]
Financial news
Brent dropped to around $89 per barrel on Friday, hitting its lowest level in nearly two months after President Donald Trump said a peace agreement with Iran could be reached as early as this weekend. On Friday, Oil was trading lower at $85.78. The pound is trading at $1.34, €1.16, and ¥9.08.
