Burnham urged by opposition parties to follow Macron and act with more urgency on Russian threat – UK politics live

French president Emmanuel Macron earlier said he put measures in place to protect the country’s critical infrastructure

Micheál Martin, the taoiseach (Irish PM), thanked Andy Burnham for his stance on Israel as the two men met at No 10 North today.

Support for the Palestinian cause is particularly strong in Ireland because of its historical experience of colonialism, and, in a reference to the sanctions on West Bank settlements imposed by Burnham’s government, Martin said:

I think for the United Kingdom under your leadership to take the stance that it’s taken, I think, is important for … standing up for humanitarian values and justice and fulfilling the rights of all in the Middle East to security, to peace and to some decent future for their children and generations to come.

Formed in 1999, the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) sees more than 300 children aged 11 to 18 democratically elected by their peers to represent young people in their area, who then debate and campaign on a variety of issues.

Once a year, they hold a debate in the House of Commons chamber.