All eyes are on Downing St as a leadership crisis once again grips Westminster, with the Labour party currently split and the prime minister potentially not lasting the week. Keir Starmer insists he is not leaving, boosted by last night's lifeline when Wes Streeting's challenge failed to materialise. However, his authority with Labour MPs remains weak, and each new resignation attempts to undermine his position.
Five big stories
- UK politics | Keir Starmer will attempt to regain the political initiative today as his government announces a package of 35 bills for the next parliamentary session, covering everything from housing to immigration.
- World news | Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.
- UK news | Nine in 10 UK millionaires are proud to live in Britain and three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax to ensure public assets get the funding they need, according to research.
- Middle East | The risk of some Gulf states becoming embroiled in a direct war with Iran has risen after it was reported the United Arab Emirates had secretly launched a major attack on Iran during the conflict.
- Health | After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that affects one in eight women – has been renamed.
In depth: ‘Nobody is quite in control of events, including the prime minister’
To the naked eye, Tuesday was a quiet day in Westminster. Union jacks were hung from buildings in preparation for today’s state opening of parliament, where King Charles will set out the government’s priorities for the year ahead. But the calm scene belied the political hurricane blowing through government. Keir Starmer is fighting for his political life as the crescendo of calls for him to step down grows louder. Despite the noisy opposition, it remains unclear exactly how many MPs want Starmer to go. More than 100 signed a letter yesterday opposing a leadership contest, which appears to exceed the number of Labour MPs calling for him to quit.
The ‘king in the north’?
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is the most popular candidate among Labour MPs and the country. His supporters argue only he could unite different wings of the party and take on the charisma of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. But Burnham is not a member of parliament and any return to Westminster would prove an uphill battle. His team are scouring the Greater Manchester and Liverpool areas for an MP who would stand down and allow him to run in a byelection. On Tuesday, Marie Rimmer, the MP for St Helens South and Whiston, said she would not stand down, while backing Starmer. Even if an MP does eventually stand aside, there is no guarantee that Burnham would even be permitted to stand by the Labour party as a candidate. For Burnham’s backers, timing is everything: if Starmer said September’s party conference will be his last as leader, that would work for Burnham.
The man in a hurry
Wes Streeting’s priority is speed. The health secretary is a skilled communicator but not popular with Labour party members who will pick the next prime minister. On Tuesday, some of Streeting’s supporters with ministerial positions resigned, calling for Starmer’s exit. Downing Street insiders said last night that Streeting did not yet have the required support from 81 MPs to formally launch a leadership bid, but Streeting and Starmer are set for talks today. If Streeting’s challenge does materialise, it will probably come soon. He faces a narrow road to power with a wafer thin majority in his constituency, lack of popular support from parliamentary colleagues and members, and his relationship with Peter Mandelson. However, many of Labour’s most leftwing members may have left to join the surging Greens, which could work in Streeting’s favour, but polling of Labour loyalists still shows him to be unpopular.
The best of the rest
The rest of the pack have similarly bumpy potential routes to victory. Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has long been rumoured to want to stand, but with a tax investigation by HMRC still ongoing, reports indicate she has decided against any move, instead supporting Burnham. If a leadership election is called, others might enter the fight, such as Ed Miliband, who remains popular with party members, or junior defence minister Al Carns. When MPs return to Westminster today, they will do so once again in political chaos – in a country that has grown tired of drama. But predicting what is going to happen next is a fool’s game, says Kiran Stacey: “The one thing that everyone knows at the moment is that nobody is quite in control of events, including the prime minister.”
What else we’ve been reading
- Eddy Frankel looks back at 20 years of Bold Tendencies, which saw art placed in a multi-storey car park in Peckham and changed the way people viewed the potential of those spaces.
- Our series on the 100 best novels, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide, continues with 100 to 61 published today.
- David Smith catches up with Debbie Allen, one of the stars of the TV show Fame.
- Sammy Gecsoyler has written a shocking feature on the rise of road rage incidents against lollipop people.
- Judd Legum lays out the anatomy of a grift – the gold ‘Trump’ phones that have cost people $100 deposits but have yet to ship any units.
Sport
- Football | Southampton reach the Championship playoff final after a freak winner settles Middlesbrough grudge match.
- Golf | Rory McIlroy has revealed he heard rumblings of impending trouble for LIV Golf weeks before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed it would withdraw funding.
- Football | Chelsea have held encouraging discussions over a move for Xabi Alonso but are keeping their options open and closely monitoring Andoni Iraola’s situation.
The front pages
The Guardian leads with “Starmer sees off threat for now as Streeting challenge fails to emerge”. The Times says “Starmer and Streeting set for No10 showdown” while the Telegraph’s headline is “Streeting to confront Starmer”. The Mirror simply writes “Stand-off”. The FT leads with “Starmer throws down gauntlet to rivals as turmoil rattles gilts market”, and the i Paper says “Put up or shut up, Starmer tells his Cabinet rebels”. The Daily Mail splashes “Paralysed by Labour chaos”, while the Sun says “Crisis? What crisis?” The Metro calls it “Number 10 Doubting St”.
Today in Focus: Is Big Brother watching you shop?
From supermarkets to corner shops, live facial recognition could be coming to retailers near you. Jessica Murray tells Annie Kelly about the AI systems increasingly used by the police and stores.
Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron
Ella Baron on Starmer in peril.
The Upside: A bit of good news
The Cockrow ‘Green’ Bridge in Surrey is reconnecting habitats split by the A3, which cuts in half the protected Wisley and Ockham commons, a rare lowland heath. James Herd, the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s director of reserves management, says “This isn’t just about big, charismatic species – it’s about reconnecting entire communities of insects that underpin the heathland.” The bridge itself is a floating patch of nature reserve; its contents were excavated and transplanted from the heathland on either side. By building a link, “we’ve removed a barrier”, says Herd.
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