Reform UK government would replace top civil servants with those ‘more likely to implement party’s priorities’

Exclusive: Senior party figures conclude outsiders or existing senior staff deemed more suitable should take over from current permanent secretaries

A Reform UK government would expect to dismiss the top civil servant in every government department and replace them with people seen as more likely to implement the party’s priorities, the Guardian has learned.

Senior Reform figures have concluded that the current crop of permanent secretaries, the lead civil servant in each department, are not up to the necessary standard. Some would be replaced by outsiders, and others by existing officials viewed as more suitable.

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex hit back at ‘deranged’ author’s claims in new book

Royal couple criticise Tom Bower’s ‘fixation’ on them and describe released extracts as ‘conspiracy and melodrama’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have launched a scathing attack on a “deranged” author whose new book claims Queen Camilla once told a friend: “Meghan’s brainwashed ‌Harry.”

The royal couple hit out at Tom Bower, the author of Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, criticising his “fixation” on the pair.

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How US Sending of Marines to Strait of Hormuz Signals Posture Shift – Military.com

  1. How US Sending of Marines to Strait of Hormuz Signals Posture Shift  Military.com
  2. How a Marine Unit in the Middle East Could Open New Phase of Iran War - The New York Times  The New York Times
  3. USS Tripoli, 31st MEU Heading to the Middle East  USNI News
  4. More Marines and Warships Head to Middle East as Hormuz Mission Intensifies  WSJ
  5. More Marines heading to Middle East as U.S. continues relentless strikes on Iran  PBS
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This Week in Palestine: Israeli Settlers Kill With Impunity, Israeli Soldiers Rape With Impunity – Zeteo

  1. This Week in Palestine: Israeli Settlers Kill With Impunity, Israeli Soldiers Rape With Impunity  Zeteo
  2. Man reported killed in W. Bank settler attack; separately, 3 said hurt by settler gunfire  The Times of Israel
  3. Israeli settlers shoot Palestinians in West Bank villages, steal livestock  Al Jazeera
  4. Police arrest three for attack on Palestinian village  The Jerusalem Post
  5. EU and UK demand Israel stop surge in West Bank settler violence since Iran war  BBC
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Five arrested in Cuba after protest at local Communist party office

Rare action began peacefully but ‘degenerated into vandalism’ according to state-run newspaper

Five people have been arrested in Cuba for acts of “vandalism” after a small group of protesters broke into a provincial office of the Cuban Communist party and set fire to computers and furniture.

The incident, which also affected a pharmacy and another shop, took place in the town of Moron, a little more than 300 miles (500km) east of Havana.

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Jürgen Habermas Dies at 96; One of Postwar Germany’s Most Influential Thinkers – The New York Times

  1. Jürgen Habermas Dies at 96; One of Postwar Germany’s Most Influential Thinkers  The New York Times
  2. Acclaimed 20th century philosopher Jürgen Habermas dies at 96  NPR
  3. German philosopher and social critic Jürgen Habermas dies at 96  BBC
  4. Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher and sociologist, dies aged 96  The Guardian
  5. Habermas, the philosopher who shaped Germany's post-war conscience  Reuters
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Iran war entering ‘decisive phase’, Israel says, as attacks continue – South China Morning Post

  1. Iran war entering ‘decisive phase’, Israel says, as attacks continue  South China Morning Post
  2. Live updates: Israel says it is planning at least three more weeks of military campaign in Iran  CNN
  3. Senior Israeli official: There are ‘signs of cracks’ in Iranian regime, it may take time  The Times of Israel
  4. Live Updates: What's going on in Israel-Iran war?  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Israeli And U.S. Officials Indicate War Could Go On For Another Three Weeks  The War Zone
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Pope Leo takes possession of apartment in Apostolic Palace – Vatican News

  1. Pope Leo takes possession of apartment in Apostolic Palace  Vatican News
  2. Pope Leo moves into papal residence eschewed by Pope Francis  CBS News
  3. Vatican Awaits Pope Leo’s Next Moves  National Catholic Register
  4. After renovation, Pope Leo XIV moves into papal apartment eschewed by Pope Francis  National Catholic Reporter
  5. In a return to tradition, Pope Leo moves into new home in the Apostolic Palace  OSV News
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Former IRGC commander says Hormuz ‘will not reopen’ – The Jerusalem Post

  1. Former IRGC commander says Hormuz 'will not reopen'  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Iran says it's ready for a long war that would 'destroy' global economy  Le Monde.fr
  3. Iran is becoming more defiant in face of US-Israeli onslaught  The Guardian
  4. Iran Tests U.S. Military Might With a Guerrilla Assault on the Global Economy  WSJ
  5. CNBC Daily Open: A prolonged Iran war is on the horizon  CNBC
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Israeli strike kills 12 healthcare workers in southern Lebanon

The facility was attacked on Friday night, bringing the toll of medical staff to 31 killed in past 12 days

Israel killed 12 medical workers in a strike on a medical centre in south Lebanon on Friday night, bringing the toll of healthcare staff killed in the country by Israel to 31 over the past 12 days.

A primary healthcare facility in the town of Burj Qalaouiyah was hit by an Israeli strike late on Friday, setting it ablaze and causing the structure to collapse on top of the staff inside. The strike killed doctors, paramedics and nurses on duty, according to the Lebanese ministry of health, which said it “violated all international humanitarian laws” in a statement.

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Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv region kills at least 6 people and wounds dozens – CBS News

  1. Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv region kills at least 6 people and wounds dozens  CBS News
  2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 14, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  3. Ukraine war briefing: six people killed as Russia unleashes missile and drone attacks, officials say  The Guardian
  4. Russian strike on Kyiv region kills 4 and wounds 15, with peace talks stalled  NPR
  5. Five killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine as peace talks stall amid Middle East conflict  Sky News
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Pakistan, Venezuela & now Iran: How China has become laughingstock of the global stage – The Times of India

  1. Pakistan, Venezuela & now Iran: How China has become laughingstock of the global stage  The Times of India
  2. For Xi, Iran War Reinforces View of U.S. as Dangerous Superpower  WSJ
  3. US military supremacy shines as China fails big in Iran, Venezuela  The Hill
  4. China sees Iran war as a live lab for future US conflict  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Iran war shows US defence gaps; professor returns to China: 7 science highlights  South China Morning Post
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