UK has no credible plan to mobilise volunteers in event of war, ex-defence minister admits – as it happened

British Army soildiers. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

1.00pm GMT

Lunchtime summary

• More than 10,000 people serving in the armed forces are “not medically deployable”, according to figures from the Ministry of Defence. Commenting on the figures, James Heappey, a defence minister in the last government, said they may have overstated the extent of the problem because many of the people in this category were probably just declared unfit because they had missed dental checks. (See 10.28am.) But during the general election the poor state of dentistry in the UK was just one of many public service failings highlighted by Labour.

• Heappey, who was a defence minister for almost five years until the election, has said that the UK does not have credible plans to mobilise volunteers in the event of a war. (See 10.28am.)

• The British car industry has welcomed government proposals that could allow Toyota Prius-style hybrids to continue to be sold in the UK after 2030, as part of a package of measures to ease regulations on carmakers.

• The number of young people spending Christmas Day alone has increased ninefold, according to UK research that compared festive attitudes and behaviours in 2024 with 1969.

Updated at 1.02pm GMT

12.56pm GMT

Anthony Barnett, the co-founder of openDemocracy and veteran campaigner for progressive change in Britain since the days of Charter 88, is not impressed by Pat McFadden’s interview with HuffPost UK today. (See 10.47am.) He posted this on Bluesky.

To govern is to choose. But here is the apparently hugely influential McFadden saying that to govern is “not” to choose! It captures the continued disaster of the Starmer government.