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👋 Good morning! It’s Saturday 14 February 2026. I’m Neil McIntosh, editor of The Early Line, and it’s great to have you here.
📣 You’re reading the weekend edition of The Early Line. Paying subscribers get the full version, with six talking points and film, TV and sporting recommendations for the week ahead.
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Have a wonderful weekend, all!
🌦️ The weekend’s weather: The bright but cold weather continues today for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen, although all will see rain tomorrow. ⚠️ A weather warning for snow and ice across the country is in place overnight, tonight. London is bright today, wet and more overcast tomorrow. (Here’s the UK forecast).
SIX THINGS TO TALK ABOUT
Calls for transatlantic unity at Munich | What’s in the perfect kiss? | The measles peril, illuminated | Is your car going too far? | Ultra-posh travel | Where would you spend £1 million?
🍸 You’ll hear a lot about the Munich security conference this weekend: you may remember last year’s edition, when newly anointed US Vice President JD Vance pitched up and stunned his hosts by accusing Europe of suppressing free speech to the extent it was a bigger security risk than Russian aggression.
This year, it’s the turn of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address the gathering, and the early take on his remarks this morning are that his speech is still firm - but somewhat more conciliatory than Vance’s last year.
He’s called the 90s claims of “the end of history” a “foolish idea that ignored both human nature and […] the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history”, that led to “a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade” while pushing jobs overseas.
But he has also underlined the close links between the US and Europe, with “shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry and past sacrifices.
“So this is why we Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel,” he said. “The reason why, my friends, is because we care deeply.” (Guardian live blog)
Later, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will deliver a speech that says Britain’s “Brexit years” are over, and call for tighter security ties with Europe. He’ll praise the continent as a “sleeping giant” whose economic and military might can defeat its enemies. He’ll also hit out at Reform and the Greens, saying the future they offer would see “the lamps … go out across Europe once again”. (Independent)
Sam Kiley: Starmer has grasped what his predecessors would not - that Britain is better off in Europe than it is with the US (Independent)
Upgrade to read the full Party Line, and this week you’ll learn what’s in the perfect kiss, read about concerns that cars are starting to do too much of the driving, and get to vote on where you’d spend £1 million: choose between a high-end Edinburgh flat, or your own country house in the South of Scotland.
PLUS: find top TV, film and sporting picks for a weekend where there’s brilliant action in rugby, the Winter Olympics, the Scottish league and the English FA Cup. We’ve got all the biggest moments in one handy list!
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