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Good morning. Keir Starmer has said the UK does not need to choose between the US and Europe as he pledged support for Ukraine "for as long as it takes". Elsewhere, the UK's new Covid corruption commissioner has begun an investigation into PPE fraud, and France's Prime Minister Michel Barnier is facing a no-confidence motion over the budget. Plus, read on to hear from the Michelin-starred chef pleading for the return of his stolen Christmas pies.

The Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed not to choose between allies of the UK, in a speech on foreign policy at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London's Guildhall. Attacking the Conservatives for having "turned their back on the world", Starmer said his government would "never turn away" from its partnership with the US, and also promised to build stronger bonds with Europe. He stressed the current "dangerous times", saying stability was essential for growth, so the UK must continue to back Ukraine against Russia "as an erratic, increasingly desperate aggressor". He added: "There is no growth without security – and no security without alliances."

France's minority government is on the brink of collapse after Prime Minister Michel Barnier used special powers to force through his controversial budget without a vote in parliament. Furious opposition parties said they would back a no-confidence motion to oust the former Brexit negotiator in a vote that could take place as early as tomorrow. 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asked the new Covid corruption commissioner Tom Hayhoe to start an investigation into £8.7bn of personal protective equipment (PPE) bought during the pandemic, in a bid to recover the public money lost to fraud and underperforming contracts during the period.  Read more .