Keir Starmer in the headlines as Labour leadership turmoil and electoral fallout put his premiership under pressure. Born 1962, lawyer-turned-politician, PM since 2024.
Holyrood results have produced a reshaped Scottish Parliament, with the SNP retaining leadership while Labour ties for second with Reform UK. Greens gain constituencies, Conservatives fall back, and Lib Dems win a historic seat in Orkney. Greens and Reform UK appear to be shaping the new balance of power as counting continues.
Labour has suffered the worst local elections losses for a governing party in more than three decades. Several MPs are calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, with a leadership contest discussed among party members if a path to replacement is not found by Monday. Starmer insists he will stay on and continues to frame the moment as a long-term project.
Labour has lost control of several councils across England while Reform UK and the Greens gain ground; the results signal a reshaping of the political landscape ahead of any general election, with the SNP and Plaid Cymru also indicating shifts in power in Scotland and Wales.
Zviko Chihoro, a 28-year-old Green Party candidate in Brixton Rush Common, is challenging Labour in Lambeth, citing housing and local services as key priorities and linking his campaign to Palestine solidarity and personal experiences of oppression.
The Met has expanded a dedicated protection unit for London's Jewish communities as police investigate a pattern of antisemitic hate crimes and arson attacks targeting synagogues, ambulances, and other Jewish sites amid rising tensions connected to the Gaza war and wider Iran-linked activity.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has told leaders at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan that the postwar rules-based order has been ruptured and 'will be rebuilt out of Europe.' His intervention has put Canada at the centre of talks about transatlantic ties, NATO commitment and trade tensions with the United States.
In London, Keir Starmer has acknowledged voter anger over Labour’s local election losses while reaffirming his resolve to remain prime minister. He argues a leadership change would cause chaos and cites past Tory misrule as a warning. The party saw Labour council seats collapse and Reform UK gains momentum amid a fractured field.
The Guardian reports that Wales and Scotland are shifting toward nationalist administration, while Labour’s grip weakens. SNP and Plaid Cymru are set to govern in Edinburgh and Cardiff, with potential impacts on North Ireland, and a more combative stance toward Whitehall is anticipated.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has argued he has faced up to the country’s challenges and aims to restore hope by strengthening ties with the EU and pursuing a youth mobility deal, amid internal calls for a timetable for his departure following recent local and regional election losses.
The Item Club has warned that the UK faces a year of job losses driven by higher energy costs and supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, with South Wales and the Humber hardest hit. London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow are also expected to shed thousands of posts as discretionary spending contracts.
Labour MPs and former leaders are pressuring Sir Keir Starmer to set a timetable for departure as election losses fuel growing calls for leadership change. Catherine West has floated a cabinet-led reshuffle, while Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting emerge as potential contenders. Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman have been brought back into government to shore up the party.
A Deltapoll survey has found 59% of British adults would back re-joining the EU in a fresh Brexit referendum, published ahead of the EU referendum’s 10th anniversary. The Mirror reports that Labour’s Starmer is pushing to participate in an EU loan scheme for Ukraine that could boost UK defence jobs, while the US faces tension with Europe over Ukraine and Iran.
The US has announced a redeployment of 5,000 troops from Germany, a move that has followed public tensions between President Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran conflict. Berlin has dispatched naval vessels toward the Strait of Hormuz and is defending its limited role; US lawmakers and analysts are warning the withdrawal will complicate NATO posture and logistics across Europe.
The UK has passed the Tobacco and Vapes Act that has created a rolling age ban: anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be legally sold tobacco. The law has also given ministers wide powers to regulate vaping — including flavours, packaging, advertising and where vaping is allowed — and will tighten sales rules for under‑18s.
A small boat carrying 82 people has run aground near Hardelot after its engine failed overnight; two young women have been found dead inside the vessel and 16 people were rescued at sea. Dozens are injured, including three with severe burns; French authorities have opened an investigation while the UK-France policing deal is being rolled out.
Police have arrested a 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman in Romford as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into a suspected arson attack on a memorial wall in Golders Green. The wall was not damaged; detectives have linked the probe to a wider series of attacks on Jewish-linked sites in north-west London.
Sweden's coast guard has detained the Jin Hui on suspicion of flying a forged flag and seaworthiness concerns. The vessel, flagged Syrian and linked to Russia's sanctions evasion network, remains under investigation as authorities coordinate with international partners.
Across Scotland, political campaigns focus on education, school discipline, ASN support, and cost-of-living pressures. Opinion columns argue for changes to schooling, while party pledges promise jobs, housing, and safety measures amid growing public scrutiny of SNP performance.
A 45-year-old man, Essa Suleiman, has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London. He has also been charged over an earlier south London incident. The suspect has been remanded and the UK terrorism threat level has been raised to "severe."
In the wake of local elections, Reform UK has won dozens of seats and councils, challenging Labour and the Conservatives. Nigel Farage’s party argues for tax cuts and streamlined spending, while Labour faces internal scrutiny over leadership and strategy as results nudge regional gains for Reform.
Labour is under intense scrutiny as local and devolved election results unfold. While leaders deny immediate plans to quit, backbenchers and allies are weighing the party’s direction, amid warnings of potential leadership challenges if results catastrophically worsen.
Keir Starmer is attending the European Political Community summit in Armenia and has signalled Britain’s interest in joining the EU’s €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The move follows Hungary’s veto lift and comes as Tory and Labour lines clash over Brexit terms and future economic ties. Downing Street says negotiations are ongoing, with Britain seeking deeper defence and economic links with Brussels.
The United States has announced "Project Freedom" to help stranded commercial ships exit the Strait of Hormuz, saying CENTCOM will support the effort with warships, aircraft, drones and 15,000 personnel. Iran has warned any foreign armed forces entering the strait will be attacked and state media have reported clashes and disputed claims of vessels being hit.
Reform UK has announced plans to detain migrants in centres not within areas that elect Reform MPs or councils, prioritising Green-led constituencies. Critics call the proposal a punitive, politically charged move amid local elections, with Labour and Greens opposing the policy.
The Pentagon has announced a plan to pull 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, with President Trump stating he will cut much more than that figure. The move, which has surprised NATO and sparked questions among European leaders, comes amid tensions over the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and European willingness to participate in broader Middle East actions.
Labour has been facing mounting pressure as local and devolved elections open across England, Wales and Scotland. The party is seen as likely to suffer historically poor results amid policy U-turns and controversies, with Reform UK and Plaid Cymru making gains and Green support rising in several regions.
The local elections across England and the semiautonomous parliaments in Scotland and Wales are likely to yield a heavy setback for Keir Starmer’s Labour. Polls open early and results are expected by Friday afternoon, with Reform UK and the Greens poised to gain at Labour’s expense amid wider disillusionment with the government.
China has hosted Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing, where officials have called for a full ceasefire and renewed diplomacy to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US is pausing a naval escort operation and preparing a reciprocal state visit by President Trump to China on May 14–15, where Iran, oil flows and trade will be discussed.
Local and devolved results have shown large gains for Nigel Farage's Reform UK and strong breakthroughs for the Green Party while Labour has lost hundreds of council seats and control of key authorities. The SNP and Plaid Cymru have strengthened positions in Scotland and Wales, and Keir Starmer has said he will remain in office.
IPPR modelling warns the Iran conflict could push inflation to 5.8%, raising debt costs; it calls for a temporary a32,000 energy price cap, a 10p fuel duty cut and a 20mph urban/60mph motorway speed limit plan, paired with demand-reduction measures.
The Yankees have promoted top prospect Spencer Jones, 24, to make his major league debut after Jasson Domínguez was injured. Jones is expected to contribute in the outfield and as a designated hitter during a three-game series with the Brewers.
The Home Office has confirmed that 70 people crossed the English Channel by small boats on Friday, taking the total arrivals across nine years to exceed 200,000. The government points to a new deal with France and ongoing asylum revisions as measures to deter crossings, while opposition argues the system remains broken.
Plaid Cymru has secured the most seats in the Welsh Parliament, with Rhun ap Iorwerth poised to become Wales’ first minister. Labour has lost control for the first time since devolution, while Reform UK sits in a strong second place. Plaid signals a cooperative approach, seeking cross-party support to implement its programme.