A report oon the abandonment of the compulsory ID. A photo of a protestor with the text Keir Starmer abandons plans for compulsory digital ID Scheme intended to verify someone’s right to work in the UK will be optional, government admitted in 13th U-turn since taking power Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned plans for mandatory digital IDs for workers in the 13th significant U-turn of his ­premiership. The prime minister had previously announced that they would be ­compulsory to verify the right to work, as part of a crackdown on migration. Government sources said on Tuesday night that this would instead be optional when the IDs were introduced in 2029. Workers would be given the choice of using other ­documents to ­verify their identity.

Photo of Miliband with wind turbines in the background Ed Miliband wants UK’s biggest offshore wind farm growth to meet green vow The energy secretary is set to approve hundreds of giant turbines to reach his target of 95 per cent clean power generation by 2030 Ed Miliband is to announce Britain’s biggest expansion of offshore wind farms in a last-ditch attempt to hit his 2030 clean power pledge. Hundreds of giant turbines are to be built under subsidy contracts guaranteeing that households and businesses will pay a fixed price for the power they generate for 20 years. The wind farms will be funded by levies on electricity bills that could reach more than £1 billion a year when they start generating, expected by 2030. The industry says this will be largely offset by savings from the wind farms lowering wholesale power prices.

A photograph of a military lightly armoured vehicle and the text Israeli firm denied £2bn army training contract Elbit Systems UK had been accused of breaching business appointment rules in a dossier given to the Ministry of Defence more than seven months ago A subsidiary of Israel’s biggest arms manufacturer has lost its fight to win a contract to overhaul British Army training after controversy over the handling of the bid. Elbit Systems UK had led one of two consortiums trying to win the £2 billion contract to prepare soldiers for war. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) insider said the department had chosen the rival consortium, led by Raytheon UK, a subsidiary of the American defence firm Raytheon.