ROYAL Navy patrols are being stepped up in the Indo-Pacific to counter the growing threat of Chinese aggression.
Sir Keir Starmer said the increased visible presence of vessels is vital to British security.
His intervention, to protect maritime routes and Pacific economies, comes after a foreign policy review last year identified China as an “epoch-defining challenge”.
The PM, meeting Commonwealth leaders in Samoa, said: “As responsible international players, we cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges faced by our friends and partners on the other side of the world.
“So my message today is clear: this is just the beginning of our commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
“I truly believe we can create unique opportunities for people both in the Pacific and at home, and in doing so, we play our part in ensuring a safer, fairer world.”
The UK has two patrol vessels permanently in the region — HMS Spey and HMS Tamar.
And the Carrier Strike Group will visit Singapore next year to strengthen ties there.
China’s President Xi Jinping has just joined other heads of government at the BRICS summit in Russia, where Vladimir Putin desperately tried to show that attempts to isolate him over his Ukraine invasion are not working.
The Sun reported in February that China had crafted an unstoppable military under Xi Jinping’s ruthless dictatorship which posed the greatest threat to the world order.
As the West steels itself for global conflict, Europe is struggling to keep up with Beijing‘s formidable £175billion army and nuclear arsenal.
And experts warned The Sun that while Europe is focused on the raging war in Ukraine, China is ramping up its ability to unleash the full might of its forces on an unsuspecting West.
AN extra 60,000 carers will be able to claim government cash after changes expected at next week’s Budget.
Rachel Reeves is set to raise the limit people can earn before being ineligible for the carers allowance from £151 a week to £181.
The £30 uplift will be the largest increase in the threshold since the benefit was introduced in 1976.
It is the equivalent of 16 hours a week for people on the living wage.
Carers Allowance is an £81.90 weekly bung for people looking after a severely disabled child or adult.
The current earnings cap of £151 a week after income, national insurance and expenses has been criticised as far too low.
It has seen many selfless carers unknowingly bust the limit and later told to repay large sums of their benefits.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall had launched a review of the overpayments scandal.
Ms Reeves will say the raised earnings cap will reduce the likelihood of carers earning over the maximum.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: “We found 4 in 10 unpaid carers were pushed out of work because of problems with the earnings limit, plunging many into poverty.
“This new measure will help many more unpaid carers up and down the country to stay in paid work, putting much needed finances into families’ pockets.”
It comes as households on carer’s allowance continue to face substantial repayment demands after exceeding a critical weekly earnings limit.
Figures in August revealed that over 134,500 unpaid carers are collectively repaying £251million in benefit overpayments.
The Sun has previously highlighted cases where some individuals were required to repay up to £20,000 after unknowingly breaching carer’s allowance rules.
In an effort to reform the system and prevent more people from being caught out, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiated an independent review on the matter.
In response to the overwhelming number of repayment demands issued to claimants, the DWP’s independent review, in collaboration with the former chief executive of Disability Rights UK, aims to investigate the causes and mechanisms behind the overpayments.
It will then recommend “operational changes” to minimise the risk of future overpayments and outline how the DWP can best support those affected by overpayment issues.
CARER'S allowance is a UK benefit designed to help people who have caring responsibilities for more than 35 hours each week.
Those eligible get £81.90 a week paid directly into bank accounts.
To qualify, the person you care for must already get one of these benefits:
You don’t have to be related to the person or live with them to apply.
But if you share caring responsibilities with someone else, only one of you can make a claim.
The type of care you provide can vary, but includes things such as helping with washing or cooking, taking the person to medical appointments or helping out with household tasks such as shopping or organising bills.
To get the benefit, you must also meet a certain set of criteria:
Your earnings must also be £151 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses.
You can apply for the carer’s allowance online by visiting www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim.
CHOCOHOLICS are going wild after a brand new Cadbury’s treat was spotted on the shelves at B&M.
The retailer has recently been stocking the shelves full of different chocolate treats – including Cadbury’s Coated Fruit & Nuts.
A picture of the Cadbury Coated Fruit & Nuts alongside coated peanuts and sultanas were posted to a snack review Facebook page.
So far, it has wracked up thousands of likes, comments and shares with viewers desperate to get their hands on the treats.
Nearly 7,000 overexcited chocolate lovers rushed to the comments, with one telling their friend: “I’ll take them all!”
Another commented: “Need some of these.”
And: “This is a must!”
But others were slightly shocked at the price of the chocolate – despite being in the bargain retailer B&M.
An unhappy shopper commented: “£6 tho?”
Another pointed out: “I was going to say ‘yes please’ to sultanas jar then saw price and size of them!”
Despite what may seem expensive to some, the jars are sharing-sized and are seemingly perfect for the festive season.
The new selection includes various nuts and fruits coated in the delicious Cadbury’s chocolate.
Options include peanuts, almonds, sultanas and hazelnuts.
Cadbury has plenty of other exciting ranges which prop up on shelves every once in a while.
For example, this year a Cadbury’s mint-flavoured twirl appeared on shelves in B&M, originally launched in Australia, and only £1 for four.
There’s also loads of classic fan-favourites making a comeback in time for Christmas, such as the Dairy Milk Chocolate Puds.
For individual pud it costs 75p in Sainsbury’s and just 70p in Waitrose.
You can also buy bags of mini puds for £1.65 in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Poundland.
And the rare 360g Dairy Milk mint crisp bar has returned to some shelves this year – selling cheapest in Asda for £4.
Other Cadbury Christmas bars which are available in supermarkets this year also include the Dairy Milk Classic Wonderland and Mini Snow Balls edition.
Remember to always compare prices when shopping so you know you’re paying the right amount for what you’re getting.
A great way to do this is via the comparison site Trolley which will show the prices for every store.
You can also visit the Cadbury website to browse all their latest products and launches.
It comes as B&M shoppers also went wild for a new twist on the Dream bar.
Meanwhile, chocolate lovers raved about a new type of M&M – the Candy Popcorn M&M Minis.
Nestle also added a new chocolate to its Quality Street “Favourites Golden Selection” pouch: the Toffee Penny.
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
RURAL drivers would suffer a “hammer blow” if Rachel Reeves hikes fuel duty in the Budget, campaigners have warned.
Research shows they spend almost £800 more each year on petrol than those in urban areas.
The Countryside Alliance group has written to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget demanding pump levies are frozen and the 5p cut remains in place.
They say: “Pressure on rural communities’ finances remains, and so we would argue that now is not the time to let the cut lapse.”
Organisation boss Tim Bonner added: “Cars are an absolute lifeline for rural communities.
“The Government needs to spare a thought for people outside cities who can’t rely on public transport, which in many cases isn’t even an option.
“A fuel duty hike would be a hammer blow at a time when many rural people are already struggling”
Fuel duty has been frozen since 2011 and The Sun’s Keep It Down campaign is calling for another year of held rates.
Ms Reeves is under pressure to honour her pledge to protect “working people” who use their cars to travel to work every day.
PRISON guards joked about assaulting tennis champion Boris Becker and mocked the suicide of a young inmate in a series of leaked WhatsApp messages.
Warders at HMP Wandsworth quipped about serving the Wimbledon champ some “new balls” and giving him a “back hander” after he arrived at the prison in 2022 to start a two-and-a-half year sentence for hiding his assets.
After one officer said how Becker “looked scared when he came in last night”, another, Kevin O’Farrell, asked “did you give him a back hander?”
O’Farrell added: “Would have been ace. Love to have seen that.
“He’ll see some new balls tonight that’s for sure.”
Becker was at Wandsworth for a few weeks as part of his two and a half year sentence, of which he served eight months, for concealing £2.5 million of assets during a bankruptcy case.
In WhatsApp messages obtained by The Times, prison guards also ridiculed a 21-year-old prisoner who took his own life, saying they hoped he “suffered” and described his death as “splendid” just hours after the incident.
Officer Armin Naroozi also posted a gif of a man dancing alongside the words “another one bites the dust” in light of the young adult’s suicide.
The group of guards were found to have also joked that it would be “good to see” some inmates tasered, while they regularly made homophobic and misogynistic remarks.
Almost 30 members of staff, including at least one senior figure, were part of the WhatsApp group.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Becker said that he previously had no knowledge of the “disturbing chat history” in the WhatsApp group.
The content “does not match his experiences in HMP Wandsworth”, adding: “The prison staff have always behaved decently and respectfully towards him.”
The Prison Service said that it had strengthened its vetting processes and introduced a whistleblowing helpline.
A spokeswoman said: “This was truly despicable behaviour that tarnishes the hard work of the overwhelming majority of our prison staff.
“The two officers involved were dismissed last year when these messages came to light and their actions were reported to police.
“Where officers do fall below our high standards, robust action will be taken as was the case here.”