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Thomas Harding

Thomas Harding

Security and Policy Editor
London
Thomas Harding is the security and policy editor covering Westminster politics and European affairs. He has reported extensively on the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the British parliament. Before joining The National in 2020, he was a special adviser to the UK defence secretary, working on policy and communications in the Ministry of Defence. He was also defence correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, covering the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, the Balkans and Northern Ireland. He has a degree in international history.
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Articles

Left: A video grab from social media shows clashes between protesters and security troops in Urmia, Iran’s West Azerbaijan province, on January 12. Right: Mourners attend the funeral of security personnel killed in protests over the currency collapse in Tehran, on January 14. AFP; Reuters
Iran dials up war rhetoric as some US staff leave ⁠base in Qatar

Tehran said it will strike US military assets in region if Donald Trump intervenes in support of anti-government protests

NewsJanuary 14, 2026
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to be part of a committee of international leaders, which will direct the administration of Gaza temporarily. PA
Starmer poised to accept post on Gaza board of peace

Announcement imminent on UK PM's role in overseeing Hamas disarmament and major reconstruction, sources tell The National

NewsJanuary 14, 2026
Police outside Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester after it was attacked in October 2025. Getty Images
Terror watchdog warns UK police that ignoring hate speech risks fuelling attacks

Jonathan Hall argues that violence is becoming 'normalised' with anti-Israeli chants at demonstrations

UKJanuary 13, 2026
Melanie Ward was the subject of social media threats after voicing support for the Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre in Fife. Alamy
Labour MP threatened over support for Islamic centre after racist attack

Former head of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Melanie Ward, confirms Police Scotland investigating social media 'vitriol'

UKJanuary 12, 2026
A defaced church in Port Sudan. MP Edward Leigh said the international community has ignored attacks on Christians in Sudan. Sky News Arabia
British MP condemns persecution of Christians in Sudan

Tory politician alarmed by reports of escalating attacks on religious minority

NewsJanuary 09, 2026
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential building in Kyiv. EPA
Russia fires hypersonic missile at Ukraine in ‘revenge operation’

Attack comes as experts tell The National that Marinera tanker seizure could be 'game changer'

EuropeJanuary 09, 2026
The Marinera, previously named Bella 1, was seized by US forces with UK support. EPA
First big test for UK 'hard power' as sanctioned Russian tanker transits English Channel

Challenge comes after UK minister speaks of new global order emerging where powerful countries will exercise their might to achieve goals

EuropeJanuary 08, 2026
A US Coast Guard vessel escorts the Marinera tanker. Its seizure could be part of a growing move against the global shadow fleet. AFP
AnalysisWidespread fallout from US seizure of Russian-flagged tanker begins

Questions raised over high seas legality and Washington's relationships with friends and foes

EuropeJanuary 07, 2026
A US Coast Guard officer monitors the Marinera during an operation to seize the ship. Photo: US European Command / X
US seizes two Venezuela-linked oil tankers including Russian-flagged vessel

One ship seized in Atlantic had carried fuel for Hezbollah-linked company and evaded interception after US Coast Guard tried to board in Venezuela

USJanuary 07, 2026
Ukrainian soldiers behind the front line after 130 days of fighting near Kostyantynivka, in eastern Ukraine. Some experts see little prospect of the war ending this year. AFP
AnalysisIs there hope for peace in Ukraine in 2026?

European leaders gather in Paris to work on peace strategy that can win crucial backing from Trump

EuropeJanuary 06, 2026
A protest outside the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, whose Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the prospect of the US taking control was 'fantasy'. Getty Images
Starmer tells Trump: 'Hands off Greenland'

UK Prime Minister rebukes US President as more voices in Washington call for annexation of mineral-rich territory

NewsJanuary 05, 2026
A UAE returning soldier from Yemen.
Yemen needs 'new counter-terrorism strategy' as UAE withdraws

Warnings also made that Al Qaeda and other terror groups could 'prosper' in power vacuum

MENADecember 31, 2025
Women waiting for aid in Somalia, one of the countries most severely affected by 'catastrophic' cut to overseas aid, a charity chief has told The National. AFP
'Catastrophic' overseas aid cuts will make world less safe, especially for women

Chief of charities' group tells The National UK's axing of funds will fall heaviest on females

UKDecember 31, 2025
UAE Special Forces take part in a military exercise in Abu Dhabi. The counterterrorism operatives will now be withdrawn from Yemen. AFP
UAE counterterrorist forces played 'crucial role' against Al Qaeda in Yemen

Team that will now be withdrawn works with US and UK to co-ordinate attacks on terrorists

MENADecember 30, 2025
Vladimir Putin's residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod that Moscow said was hit in a Ukrainian drone attack. Reuters
Russia to toughen stance in peace talks after accusing Ukraine of attacking Putin residence

Kyiv dismisses claim and says Moscow seeks to derail peace talks

EuropeDecember 30, 2025
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