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Foreign Secretary David Lammy looks set to travel more than 7,000 miles in 48 hours as the UK engages in whirlwind diplomacy as tensions in the Middle East continue to ratchet up.

Last night, he flew from London to Washington DC to meet with the United States secretary of state Marco Rubio - the American equivalent of the foreign secretary - and Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

According to Rubio's published itinerary, this will be taking place at 2pm local time today - 7pm UK time - and unusually will be at the White House.

There is no press access.

Lammy only arrived in the US just before 4am UK time, having left from the UK at around 7pm.

Meeting with the Iranians

Yesterday, it was reported that the E3 countries will be meeting with Iranian representatives in Geneva on Friday.

This includes Germany, France and the UK, with the group set up to engage in nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Sky News now understands Lammy will be attending this meeting as well - meaning he will have to return across the Atlantic on his government plane.

It seems that the European Union might also be involved in the talks.

Reuters reports - via German diplomatic sources - that the talks are taking place in coordination with the US.

The agency adds that they want assurances that Iran's nuclear programme will only be used for civilian purposes.

Families affected by serious maternity failings at an NHS trust in Nottingham say the health secretary has 'moved considerably' towards an England-wide public inquiry.

Wes Streeting held a private meeting with the group as the largest-ever NHS maternity review, led by Donna Ockenden, examines hundreds of cases involving mothers and babies who suffered poor care and harm at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.

Mr Streeting has previously described a damning report into maternity failings across England as a "cause for national shame" adding the "crisis in our maternity services... is one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night".

Among those taking part in the discussion on Thursday was Sarah Hawkins, whose baby daughter was stillborn in 2016 after negligent care at the trust. She told Sky News the meeting was "really positive".

"I think Wes [Streeting] listened to us and we felt heard. It's very obvious he wants rapid change, and I think what we really focused on was the legacy and we need accountability and we needed public inquiry.

"That door is still open, and what we've really enforced today was that we needed statutory public inquiry into England's maternity services."

Her husband Jack Hawkins, who was also at the meeting, felt the health secretary's position was shifting.

"I think he has moved considerably since we have been talking to him, and certainly even this week. I think at the beginning of this week, a public inquiry was not... in the forefront. Now he's [Streeting] actively looking for reasons not to have one."

In June, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed it was investigating NUH for potential corporate manslaughter offences and in February the trust was fined 拢1.6m in connection with the deaths of three babies in 2021.

The Tory leader has been out and about today, and she spoke to broadcasters as the world awaits Donald Trump's decision on whether the US will join Israel in striking Iran.

Asked if the UK should support US military action, Kemi Badenoch said: "The most important thing is to make sure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons, and we need to make that we support Israel in its activity to defend itself and protect itself."

But she said she is "worried" about the Diego Garcia military base in Mauritius, arguing that Labour has "surrendered" sovereignty of the territory to the ally of China, which is an ally of Iran, and said we'd need their "permission to launch" any kind of action from there.

"These are the sorts of things that show that Labour has very bad judgement, which is weakening our national security," she said.

Asked if parliament should get a say on any UK involvement, Badenoch replied: "I think it's very important that parliament has a say, but we also need a government to be able to make quick decisions."

She went on to say that "we always want to start with a diplomatic solution", but "there are some countries that are not interested in diplomacy or who are only pretending to [engage in] diplomacy while they're actually accumulating nuclear weapons".

"Iran launched a terrorist attack which was foiled on UK soil. They're not an ally of the UK. The world would be an extremely dangerous place if they get nuclear weapons," she said, adding that she wants to see "all necessary activity done to make sure that they don't acquire these nuclear weapons".

The Tory leader said she would approve American bombing raids from Diego Garcia, but what's key is acting "in the British national interest".

I have just spoken to the French ambassador to the UK - who very rarely does anything on camera - to talk about the need for de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict amid growing concerns the US will get involved.

It's a moment of great jeopardy for all European allies, our prime minister, and all European leaders pushing for de-escalation.

The message from the French ambassador today is to step back and de-escalate.

There will be talks in Geneva tomorrow between Iranian officials and Europe's leading politicians - David Lammy, as well as the foreign ministers of France, Germany, although no country formally confirming.

It is all an attempt to find a solution.

The big question is: will Donald Trump listen?

On his way to the G7 summit in Canada this week, Macron made a stop in Greenland to explicitly make the point that it is sovereign territory, amid Trump's threat to annex the Danish territory.

When the US president left the summit early, Macron suggested it was due to events in the Middle East - but Trump tweeted that the French president was "publicity seeking", adding: "Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong."

Sky's political editor Beth Rigby asked France's ambassador to the UK if this exchange has harmed what once seemed to be a good relationship between the two leaders.

Helene Duchene replied: "Oh, I don't think so. I saw the tweet, of course. But, you know, they have a longstanding relation.

"President Macron was already there, he's the only leader who was there during the first mandate of President Trump."

As a result, she said, the pair have a "longstanding" and "efficient" relationship.

France's ambassador to the United Kingdom has told Sky News that there is no military solution to eliminating Iran's nuclear programme, and called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations.

Speaking to our political editor Beth Rigby, Helene Duchene said France is "very concerned" about Iran's nuclear programme, but argued that negotiation is the path forward rather than the risk of broader regional instability.

She said: "The message we have is that we are, of course, very concerned by the Iranian nuclear programme. It's a serious threat to our security interests, to the security interests of the region. We see that for long since this programme has been discovered in 2003.

"But, we don't think that there is a military solution for eliminating this nuclear programme because, you know, even destroying [Iran's] Fordow [facility] would maybe delay, degrade the programme."

Duchene also argued that destroying that facility - that only the Americans have the weaponry to achieve - would come with an "important risk at the nuclear level with contamination, proliferation and enormous risk on destabilisation of this region".

"So our message is that the good thing to do is de-escalate and negotiate because it's the way we can find a solution," she added.

'There is another solution'

Asked how hopeful she is that her government and others will be able to persuade President Trump to not strike and instead negotiate with Iran.

The ambassador replied that they have to "take the initiative" and "create a dynamic" to make the point that there is "another solution" to the danger of Iran's nuclear programme "that we can achieve with negotiation".

She would like to see a "strong agreement which is going to help reduce the capabilities" and leave Iran with a nuclear programme that is "limited", can be "verified", and "that will bring the real de-escalation".

Tomorrow's talks in Geneva tomorrow being held by the French, German, and British foreign ministers with their Iranian counterpart are a "way to show that there is another way to go than a military strike".

Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates has, as ever, given his insight on the day's news in this morning's episode of Politics at Sam and Anne's.

He highlighted just how important it is that Foreign Secretary David Lammy is meeting both the Americans and the Iranians in the next two days.

"That is just a really important moment tomorrow," he says of the meeting with Iran and European allies in Geneva on Friday.

"And David Lammy at the helm of these discussions directly with Iran, having flown directly from the US means that he is an utterly pivotal figure in what's going to happen in the next 48 hours. 

"I suppose the fact that that meeting tomorrow is taking place means the whole world is being given some breathing space because surely nothing will now happen before that meeting has concluded.

"And the consequences of that meeting have been digested. So we've got 24, 36 hours for everyone to draw breath, plan and debate what happens next."

Listen to the full episode at the top of the page, or tap to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter 

The UK's largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200% in the 10 local authorities won by Reform at last month's local elections.

Unison figures show its membership increased by an average of 272% in the week after the results were announced, which saw Reform take control of 10 councils and pick up more than 600 councillors.

The data, shared with Sky News, shows an average of 64 people joined the union in the week beginning 5 May, following the poll in England on 1 May - compared with an average of 28 for the previous week and 21 for 2025 as a whole.

In a speech celebrating his party's gains, Mr Farage warned workers at councils now controlled by Reform - including Durham, Kent, Doncaster and Staffordshire - to seek "alternative careers" if they worked on diversity or climate change initiatives.

Mr Farage has sought to bring the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency - nicknamed DOGE - to the UK in a bid to slash the costs of the state.

He has singled out council spending and environmental policies for particular criticism.

David Lammy is set to meet with his counterparts from France, Germany and Iran - as well as the EU - in Geneva tomorrow.

The foreign secretary is hotfooting it back to Europe from the United States to discuss the unfolding situation in the Middle East.

A UK official said: "The UK has had long-standing concerns about Iran's nuclear programme for many years and the foreign secretary is ready to support talks to press for a diplomatic solution to this, reiterating need for diplomatic settlement to address nuclear issue for the long term."

We've just had the latest data for people crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Some 244 people made the journey in four boats yesterday - an average of 61 people per vessel.

If added to the previous six days of crossings, it shows that 2,066 have made the crossing since last Thursday.

The worst day for crossings was last Friday - when 919 people made the voyage in 14 boats.