However, Darren Jones, who lost his Cabinet role as chief secretary to the prime minister in Mr Burnham’s reshuffle, questioned the arithmetic. A source close to the prime minister pushed back, telling reporters the digital ID costings had always been accounted for within general government spending. The policy is only possible because the UK left the EU; under EU rules VAT on domestic energy could not previously fall below 5%. The change will not apply in Northern Ireland, which remains bound by separate EU VAT arrangements. The prime minister also held introductory calls with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Trump describing the exchange on Truth Social as a “very good conversation.”