14 h. ago Cabinet minister insists Starmer will lead Labour into next election after fresh questions over his future

Exclusive: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said goverments had ‘ups and downs’ as Labour embroiled in welfare reform row

Politics

14 h. ago Trust in UN’s nuclear watchdog is broken, Iranian president says

European nations defend IAEA chief as Tehran accuses him of failing to condemn Israeli and US attacks on nuclear sitesTrust in the UN nuclear inspectorate is broken inside Iran, the country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has told Emmanuel Macron, as European nations issued a statement in defence of its head.The two men spoke as Iranian officials said the total number of Iranian deaths during the 12-day air war with Israel and the US had risen to 935 people, including 38 children and 132 women. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Keir Starmer refuses to weigh in over Britain's declining birth rate as No10 says PM 'won't tell people how to live their lives'

A No10 spokesman insisted the PM would not 'tell people how to live their lives' despite one of his Cabinet ministers urging more young British women to have babies.

Politics

19 h. ago Police find 383 corpses of women, men and minors ‘thrown indiscriminately’ on floor

Over 380 corpses including men women and children have been discovered 'thrown indiscriminately' across a crematorium floor – prosecutors say the incident could be illicit in fraud

Events

20 h. ago How are you being affected by the heatwave in southern Europe?

We want to hear from people in the south of Europe who are experiencing high temperaturesA range of health and environmental alerts have been issued across Europe, particularly its southern part, as large parts of the continent continue to be gripped by a heatwave – with temperatures in mid to high 30s and low 40s Celsius.Extreme heat can pose serious health risks, especially for babies, children, pregnant women and elderly people. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Cabinet minister's alarm at Britain's 'worrying' baby bust as she urges women to have more children

Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, warned of 'worrying repercussions for society in the future' posed by a decline in birth rates.

Politics

29 h. ago Start having MORE children and start families sooner, minister for women and equality says

Bridget Phillipson (left) said too many young people have been put off from having families because of soaring costs for things like housing and childcare.

Politics

36 h. ago Wes Streeting tells Israel to get its own house in order amid Glastonbury ‘death chant’ row

Labour cabinet minister’s message to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government the strongest since the war in Gaza began

Politics

45 h. ago Wes Streeting hits out at Glastonbury and BBC over ‘death to the IDF’ chants

Labour cabinet minister tells Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government to get its ‘own house in order’ and take violence against Palestinians more seriously

Events

48 h. ago ‘Too arrogant to listen’: how welfare bill soured Starmer’s relations with rebel MPs

MPs describe receiving veiled deselection threats as No 10 sought to quash revolt before finally backing down The Conservative shadow cabinet minister looked more cheerful than at any point in the 12 months since the general election. “How did they get into such a mess?” they asked. “What are they going to do?”The answer was revealed a couple of days later when Keir Starmer and his ministers made a series of emergency concessions on their flagship welfare programme, to prevent the otherwise far-greater ignominy of the programme being voted down in the House of Commons. Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Another tragic fact about this disastrous welfare bill: it proves Labour hasn’t learned and doesn’t listen | Polly Toynbee

From cabinet members to the British public, there is an outcry about these benefits cuts. Why is the government always so poor at reading the room?This disaster bill won’t pass on Tuesday. The dangerous obduracy of the prime minister and chancellor confirms precisely what Labour MPs say: they haven’t listened, they aren’t listening and the fear is they won’t learn to listen. Even if the bill squeezed through with some softening, it will be a pyrrhic victory. Why take such a risk for so little? U-turns are better than crashes, but best not left to the last nanosecond.Senior ministers, some of whom have already spoken up in cabinet, will put their feet down firmly to insist on radical alteration, or better still that it’s withdrawn and rethought to avoid what they call “this catastrophe”. If niceties of parliamentary practice escape some, understand how extraordinary this rebellion is. Read their “reasoned amendment” with its crushing reasons why.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist ...

Events

4 d. ago Another tragic fact about this disastrous welfare bill: it proves Labour hasn’t learned and doesn’t truly listen | Polly Toynbee

From cabinet members to the British public, there is an outcry about these benefits cuts. Why is the government always so poor at reading the room?This disaster bill won’t pass on Tuesday. The dangerous obduracy of the prime minister and chancellor confirms precisely what Labour MPs say: they haven’t listened, they aren’t listening and the fear is they won’t learn to listen. Even if the bill squeezed through with some softening, it will be a pyrrhic victory. Why take such a risk for so little? U-turns are better than crashes, but best not left to the last nanosecond.Senior ministers, some of whom have already spoken up in cabinet, will put their feet down firmly to insist on radical alteration, or better still that it’s withdrawn and rethought to avoid what they call “this catastrophe”. If niceties of parliamentary practice escape some, understand how extraordinary this rebellion is. Read their “reasoned amendment” with its crushing reasons why.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist ...

Events

4 d. ago ‘They attack us without provocation’: West Bank town mourns its dead after settler raid

Sense of helplessness pervades Kafr Malik where IDF killed three Palestinians after locals resisted masked maraudersThe men from Fatah arrived on Thursday morning, hours after the attack on Kafr Malik, to put out more flags along the main streets, adding bright primary colours to a mournful scene, but they did nothing to relieve the all-encompassing sense of helplessness.Three men from this central West Bank town, one a teenager, lay dead and several others were still in hospital after an attack by about 100 Israeli settlers on Wednesday evening. The men of Kafr Malik had run to its south-western edge to form a screen against the settlers and rescue women and children trapped in a house set alight by the masked attackers. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Kicking restoration of Parliament down the road risks disaster, authorities told

A Labour former cabinet minister highlighted ‘a real danger of a Notre Dame-type inferno or something worse’ unless action is taken.

Events

5 d. ago Labour MPs accuse No 10 of being ‘in denial’ about scale of rebellion over welfare cuts

Ministers said to be considering further concessions with more than 120 MPs poised to rebel against governmentLabour MPs have accused No 10 of being in denial about the scale of the rebellion over the government’s flagship welfare cuts, amid division at the top of government over whether to pull the controversial bill. Ministers are understood to be considering further concessions to be offered to MPs by the weekend – with more than 120 MPs poised to rebel against the government.A number of cabinet ministers are now said to believe the bill has no chance of passing in its current form, though some are still being deployed to speak to angry MPs in an attempt to win them over. Keir Starmer fuelled further anger within the party after he appeared to shrug off mounting Labour unrest over the proposed reforms, dismissing the backlash as “noises off” and insisting his party remains “pretty united” behind the need for change. The prime minister is facing the biggest revolt of his premiersh...

Politics

5 d. ago Nuclear attack risks to UK are rising, chilling warning from Defence Secretary John Healey at Nato summit

The Cabinet minister also told how Britain has to strengthen its homeland defences against the threat of war

Events

5 d. ago Nuclear attack risks to UK are rising, warns Defence Secretary John Healey at Nato summit

The Cabinet minister also told how Britain has to strengthen its homeland defences against the threat of war

Events

6 d. ago EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Kate's old pal who runs sex firm 'bullied' over PTA role

They're both happily married women with three young children, who both attended £58,290-a-year Downe House before bonding in early adulthood.

Politics

6 d. ago Britain ‘must prepare for wartime scenario on home soil’, security review warns

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden says whole country must be ‘clear-eyed and hard-edged’ about threats faced major powers like China

Events

6 d. ago Britain ‘must prepare for wartime scenario on home soil’, security report warns

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden says whole country must be ‘clear-eyed and hard-edged’ about threats faced major powers like China

Events