Private hospitals threaten to refuse NHS patients as Labour's plan to cut waiting lists hits wall in row over costsCardiff, Wales, UK - 17 February 2025: Ambulances waiting outside the accident and emergency department of The Heath Hospital near Cardiff city centre. Picture: AlamyBy Danielle de WolfeLabour's plan to cut waiting lists by sending patients to private hospitals has hit a stumbling block amid threats to refuse NHS patients in a clash over costs. The plans, unveiled by ministers in January, involved paying private hospitals per NHS patient they take on, with the price capped. The move is set to incentivise private hospitals to provide care to as many patients as possible. Ministers said the plan forms the foundations of Labour's plan to cut NHS waiting times, with a target of 92 per cent of patients waiting fewer than 18 weeks for routine procedures by the next election.

The Times praises the Prime Minister’s call for a “coalition of the willing” from Ukraine’s European allies, but warns the power of any peacekeeping force would be limited without US firepower. The paper says: “The risk is that Sir Keir is talking himself into a deployment that could result in Britain’s threadbare army fighting with no US help. “After decades of freeloading on defence, Europe would be hard put to field anything but a token force in Ukraine. “Sir Keir must try to lower the temperature and re-establish unity. “Fair play to Sir Keir Starmer, he has acted with the calmness of an international statesman in dealing with a crisis,” the paper’s editorial states.

The UK Prime Minister welcomed Ms Meloni for a bilateral meeting on Sunday before the summit of political leaders in London focused on Ukraine and wider European security. Sir Keir, speaking at a press conference in Lancaster House, joked that they had the “first bilateral brunch in the history of British-Italian relations”. “And I think on this the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building, let’s say. A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “agreed on the importance of the transatlantic alliance in confronting shared challenges”. “They reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, agreeing that the UK and Italy will stand with them for as long as it takes.”

Margot Leicester in rehearsal for Escaped Alone (Picture: Joel Fildes)Margot, a familiar face on screen and stage, is part of a truly stellar cast for Escaped Alone which also includes Annette Badland and Maureen Beattie. “It is a bleak piece in many ways,” said Margot, “but so are the times that we are living in. “I think that we all use avoidance tactics to try and ignore much of what is going on now,” said Margot. “You cherish each other; friendship is very important and it’s lovely being friends with people known since you were little. There will be an interval followed by If If Only which runs for 30 minutes, Royal Exchange, Manchester, until Saturday, March 8.

Continued military aid to Kyiv and sustained economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s position. Ensuring Ukraine has a seat at the negotiating table and that any peace agreement upholds its sovereignty and security. Establishing a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and enforce the terms of a peace deal. The public exchange raised fresh doubts about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine, leaving European leaders scrambling to reaffirm their backing. This follows a previous £2.2 billion loan aimed at increasing military assistance, backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust now owns the 7,618-hectare Inverbroom Estate following its largest ever land acquisition. The charity said securing the site will enable it to significantly enhance its efforts to protect and restore wildlife at scale across Scotland. The trust plans to regenerate habitats on the estate (Landfor/PA)“It is apt that we take ownership of the site on UN World Wildlife Day. Scott Renwick, whose family have farmed at Inverbroom for three generations, said: “We as a family are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside the Scottish Wildlife Trust. “There is an incredible diversity of wildlife on the estate, from sea level to 3,300ft, from seals on the shore to ptarmigan on the tops.

Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Rachel Reeves’s financial package for Ukraine funded by frozen Russian state assets in the UK is welcome, but it does not go far enough. Only the interest on the assets is being used. What Ukraine desperately needs is repurposing of the entire principal for reparations to Ukraine that Russia owes but will never voluntarily pay. The government has for months said it is “considering” this issue, but it urgently needs to come off the fence before it is too late for Ukraine. Leading international lawyers have said it is legal; Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister and chancellor, explained last week how it will not set any undue precedent (save to

Craighill Primary School, Tain. Picture: Google MapsPrimary schools in Easter Ross have made the top five across the Highlands in the The Sunday Times’ Scottish primary school league table, released today. Bridgend Primary in Alness and Craighill Primary, Tain ranked third and fourth, respectively, just behind schools in Inverness and Thurso. The Primary School League Table ranks success at P7 in around 1,200 schools, using the Scottish government’s Achievement in Curriculum for Excellence Levels (Acel) database. There are over 2000 primary schools in Scotland but more than a third do not submit Acel data each year.

Mr. Trump’s acrimonious exchange with Mr. Zelensky deepened the divide. “Nobody wanted to see what happened last Friday,” said Mr. Starmer, who had his own, much smoother meeting with Mr. Trump a day earlier. The prime minister has tried to mediate between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump. Still, Mr. Zelensky has also expressed a belief that his rift with Mr. Trump is not irreparable. On Saturday, after meeting Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Starmer gave Ukraine a loan of 2.26 billion pounds (about $2.8 billion) to buy military hardware.

More than 10,000 displaced people applied for UK higher education courses this year, according to new data that experts say “sends a clear message to both universities and politicians”. Prior to that, there had been a “real paucity of accurate information” on refugees and asylum seekers, according to Dan Webb, higher education lead practitioner at Refugee Education UK (REUK). ADVERTISEMENT“This Ucas application data sends a clear message to both universities and politicians that higher education is of huge importance to students from a displaced background,” he said. It will help us to direct and focus our higher education support work to the areas and cohorts that most need it,” added Webb. Young people who have been through the asylum process have previously complained that they had faced repeated rejections from higher education institutions despite having strong academic records.

Adjectives including disastrous and vile were used to describe the meeting in which Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance openly berated the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Guardian leads with a quote from Donald Trump: “You are gambling with world war three”, characterising the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents as “disastrous”. The first three show the presidents arguing, the final one showing Trump and Zelenskyy looking away from each other. View image in fullscreen The Times front page, Saturday 1 March 2025 Composite: The TimesThe Express led on “Bust-up leaves Trump’s peace talks in crisis”. View image in fullscreen The Sun front page, Saturday 1 March 2025 Composite: The SunThe Independent said “Zelensky ambushed by Trump, calling the meeting a “disastrously bad-tempered summit”.

Photograph: EPAEuropean powers must realise it is “time to act” as they stand at a “crossroads in history”, Keir Starmer has said following a defence summit on Ukraine. Mr Keir told the press conference that “every nation must contribute” in the best way it can and a number of “important steps” were agreed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer: 'This is not a moment for more talk. Mr Keir said that leaders had agreed to “meet again very soon” to keep up work on the plans. Mr Keir said a US backstop is subject to “intense” negotiations.

Ryan Peake (Pic credit: New Zealand Open)Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Former Australian motorcycle gang member Ryan Peake completed a stunning redemption story on Sunday, winning the New Zealand Open and securing a spot in this year’s British Open . Fighting back tears, the heavily tattooed left-hander acknowledged the profound impact the sport has had on his life. "Yeah, I'm pretty lost for words at the moment, life-changing," Peake said. With his victory, Peake not only claimed a spot at the British Open but also pocketed $201,600 in prize money, marking a remarkable rise for the rookie on the Australasian Tour .

Burghead Primary School. Picture: Google MapsBurghead Primary School ranked highest in a list Moray schools scored in the latest Sunday Times Scottish schools league table, released today. Applegrove Primary School finished bottom of the Moray pack, ranked 1165th in Scotland overall, with a score of 250. The Primary School League Table ranks success at P7 in around 1,200 schools, using the Scottish government’s Achievement in Curriculum for Excellence Levels (Acel) database. There are over 2000 primary schools in Scotland but more than a third do not submit Acel data each year.

A group of high-profile lawyers on Saturday filed a suit against Panama over its detention of migrants deported from the United States, threatening to disrupt President Trump’s new policy of exporting migrants from around the world to Central American countries. The lawsuit, filed against the government of Panama before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, names 10 Iranian Christian converts and 102 migrants detained at a camp near a jungle in Panama as plaintiffs, according to a copy seen by The New York Times. The suit argues that the United States violated the Iranian group’s right to asylum on account of religious persecution and that Panama has violated domestic and international laws, such as the American Convention on Human Rights, in its detention of the migrants. The lawsuit was filed only against Panama, although one of the lawyers involved said he planned to file a separate complaint against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this coming week.