This is ‘probably one of the most alarming times for Britain’s defence since the second world war’, says Lib Dem leader Ed Davey as he calls for more spending

The Democratic Unionist Party has described Sinn Fein’s decision to boycott a visit to Washington DC on St Patrick’s Day as “short-sighted” and “reckless”, PA reports.

Earlier today, Sinn Fein’s leaders announced that they would not be attending an event at the White House in “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza”.

The fact that Sinn Fein’s decision to boycott the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington DC was announced in Dublin speaks volumes about where Northern Ireland sits as a priority for Sinn Fein

The DUP will be represented in DC for St Patrick’s events. We always use the opportunity to strengthen Northern Ireland’s economic and political ties with the United States, regardless of who occupies the White House. We will continue to engage with our partners in Washington, promoting Northern Ireland as a place to invest, work, and do business.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.

Downing Street says the two leaders spoke overnight, after Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian president of being a ‘dictator’

As well as appearing on the airwaves this morning to promote Labour’s £270m Arts Everywhere fund, culture secretary Lisa Nandy also supplied some quotes for the press release accompanying the launch.

She said:

Arts and culture help us understand the world we live in, they shape and define society and are enjoyed by people in every part of our country. They are the building blocks of our world-leading creative industries and make a huge contribution towards boosting growth and breaking down barriers to opportunities for young people to learn the creative skills they need to succeed.

The funding we are announcing today will allow the arts to continue to flourish across Britain, creating good jobs and growth by fixing the foundations in our cultural venues, museums, libraries and heritage institutions [and] will ensure that arts and cultural institutions truly are for everyone, everywhere.

Look, we’ve had a decade where funding to the arts, funding for communities has been slashed. We’ve seen culture erased from our classrooms and our communities. It’s economic madness.

This is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK – film, music, literature, TV. We export them all over the world. We’ve got countries clamouring to invest here in the UK. Some of the biggest streamers in the world, who want to invest more in the UK, but it takes support from the government