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With parliament roughly split into three blocs, it could take weeks for MPs in a typically conflictual system to build coalitions

With a radical manifesto and an uneasy alliance, the left and green alliance has a difficult task ahead

Scarlett Vickers, daughter of Simon Vickers and Sarah Hall, was killed by a single knife wound to the chest, court toldA mother and father have appeared in court accused of murdering their 14-year-old daughter who, the court heard, was fatally stabbed.Simon Vickers, 49, and Sarah Hall, 44, of Darlington, who have been charged with murder, appeared at Newton Aycliffe magistrates court in County Durham on Monday. Continue reading...

Former shadow attorney general says she is leaving cabinet but that nothing can detract from party's historic victory'

Downgraded hurricane strengthens, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and floodingAfter Tropical Storm Beryl broke records last week for being the earliest recorded category 5 Atlantic hurricane, the system has been barrelling towards the Texas coast where it made landfall on Monday.Beryl was downgraded to a tropical storm crossing the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico on Friday, but was forecast to restructure and intensify as it moved into favourable conditions. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Letter sent to No 10 calls for laws to be repealed, safe routes to UK and end to perma-backlog' of applicants

Danish brewer acquires owner of Robinsons, Tango and R White's as it buys Marston's stake in joint venture

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Jackie Winn tells court she warned Haigh to stay away from Robert because of alleged previous incidents at his property

Doctors deplore decision and point to country's high neonatal mortality rate as bank, which opened in June, forced to close without taking a single depositWhen he heard a hospital in Karachi was setting up a milk bank for babies, the news was a huge relief" to Mohammad Munawwar.With his wife very sick and their premature son Ayan in hospital, the 52-year-old father had had to collect milk five or six times a day from different female relatives who were breastfeeding their own babies. Continue reading...

The Guardian's political editor in 1997 recalls the optimism then and what went wrong in Labour's last transition from opposition to powerVeterans of Labour's 1997 victory party at the Royal Festival Hall - by the end, the dancefloor looked like a war zone strewn with dozing bodies - will remember the sense of disbelief and excitement as the scale of the landslide started to materialise.David Hill, the less self-publicity-prone of the hugely effective Labour press team, gave out a deep-throated what?!" as he reeled away in disbelief at the sight of a startled Stephen Twigg defeating Michael Portillo in Enfield Southgate. That night, unexpected seat after unexpected seat fell into Labour hands. Continue reading...

Online protest claimed the work mocked the Christian religion and Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun called for it to be taken down

CCTV shows Renee in Warrenheip with her cat on 30 May, and then ringing doorbell of another home on 2 June

Labour has emphasised its commitment to national security and also its historical connection with NatoKeir Starmer flies out this week to a turbulent Washington DC for a Nato summit aiming to emphasise the UK's commitment to Ukraine at a time when the forthcoming US election puts the medium-term American position in question.It is the new prime minister's first international visit, four days after the election, and Starmer can expect to be feted by fellow leaders who are facing either, in the case of Joe Biden, an uncertain future or, in the case of France's Emmanuel Macron or Germany's Olaf Scholz, unpopularity at home. Continue reading...

Campaigners for electoral reform say outcome has renewed pressure for proportional representationThe push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the most disproportionate election in history", according to campaigners and academics.Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. Continue reading...

Top places go to smaller and independent parks, with Potters Resorts taking the no. 1 spotThe long-established Pontins has been rated the worst UK holiday park brand in a survey by the consumer organisation Which?, with smaller and independent resorts taking the top honours.Top of the table was Potters Resorts, which has a base in the Essex countryside and another on the Norfolk coast. Continue reading...

Exclusive: South Cambridgeshire experiment led to fewer refuse collectors quitting and faster planning decisionsIn the largest public sector trial of the four-day week in Britain, fewer refuse collectors quit and there were faster planning decisions, more rapid benefits processing and quicker call answering, independent research has found.South Cambridgeshire district council's controversial experiment with a shorter working week resulted in improvements in performance in 11 out of 24 areas, little or no change in 11 areas and worsening of performance in two areas, according to analysis of productivity before and during the 15-month trial by academics at the universities of Cambridge and Salford.Staff turnover fell by 39%, helping save 371,500 in a year, mostly on agency staff costs.Regular household planning applications were decided about a week and a half earlier.Approximately 15% more major planning application decisions were completed within the correct timescale, compared with before.The time taken to process changes to housing benefit and council tax benefit claims fell. Continue reading...

New offences, laws and reforms across policing and justice system will be among plans outlined in king's speech

Andrea Robin Skinner says her stepfather sexually assaulted her when she was nine, but her mother said she loved him too much' to leave himThe daughter of Nobel prize winner Alice Munro, Andrea Robin Skinner, has alleged that her stepfather sexually abused her as a child, and that her mother stayed with him even after he admitted to the abuse.Skinner revealed the allegations in an essay and a news article in Canada's Toronto Star on the weekend, writing about how her stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, began sexually assaulting her in 1976 when she was nine years old and he was in his 50s. Continue reading...

Contribution adds to $16m previously reported that was given to Live Nation or companies it owns by state and federal governments

Airport's chief executive Lorie Argus says it will adopt the state government's preferred above-ground station

This blog has now closed but you can read our full report on the French election results hereHello from Paris.I spent time this afternoon outside a polling station in the city's 16th district. Continue reading...

Napoleon said to have tried to use the guns after defeat of French campaign, but grand squire removed the gunpowder, so French ruler tried poison insteadTwo pistols that Napoleon Bonaparte once intended to use to kill himself were sold in France on Sunday for 1.69m (US$1.8m), the auction house said, with the government banning their export so that they stay in the country as national treasures.The identity of the buyer at the auction in Fontainebleau south of Paris of the finely adorned objects was not made public but the final sale price, with fees, was above the estimates of 1.2-1.5m. Continue reading...

Mossad chief gave mediators list of new demands and it was not clear whether Hamas would accede to them, reports sayThe Israeli government has been accused of attempting to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal, according to Israeli media, by introducing new demands despite previously accepting the plan.Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza had risen in recent days following reports that Hamas had given initial approval for a new proposal for a phased deal, after ninth months of war since the attack on 7 October. Continue reading...

Early election predictions of far-right majority were proved wrong but questions remain over futureA nervous energy rippled through the crowd gathered at Lyon's Place de la Republique. As the final polls closed in the most momentous election in recent memory, hundreds of people milled about, waiting to find out what would lie in store for France.Just after 8pm, Florent Martins came running through the plaza, mobile phone in hand. We won," the 23-year-old yelled out, his voice shaking with disbelief as those around him exploded into cheers and hearty applause. The left won!" Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel and Kemi Badenoch, who have all ruled out deal with Reform, seen as more viable candidatesConservatives have suggested that the former home secretary Suella Braverman is losing support as a potential party leader, as some who lost votes across southern England privately urged colleagues to resist a lurch to the right.A number of MPs now see Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel and Kemi Badenoch, all of whom have ruled out a deal with the hard-right Reform leader Nigel Farage, as more viable candidates. Continue reading...

Marine Le Pen's National Rally falls into third place despite strong showing in first round of voting

John Healey announces fresh package as he visits southern port city of OdesaReynolds says he is not supposed to pre-empt what will be in the king's speech, but he says it is no secret that the government is going to prioritise its employment rights reforms.Jonathan Reynolds is being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg now.I do want things in exchange for money we'll co-invest with the private sector around jobs and technology.I think that's a reasonable way to make sure public money is being well spent and I believe there are things, capacities, the steel industry needs in future that could be part of that conversation and that's what I'll be having in the next few days ... Continue reading...

Labour's landslide victory gave hope to progressives worldwide but may be as much practical as ideologicalLabour's landslide victory was hailed as a beacon of hope for progressives worldwide after a surge in support for far-right parties in Europe, and with Donald Trump currently slight favourite to become the US president in January.But Britain's bulwark against the populist, extremist tide sweeping through European capitals may be as much practical as ideological. Nigel Farage's rightwing Reform party got a 14% share of votes nationwide, not far behind the 16% claimed by Germany's far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) in recent elections for the EU parliament. Continue reading...

Thousands of people gather to celebrate achievements of Leeds Rhinos star and MND campaignerChildren in full rugby kits play cheerfully in front of the Featherstone Lions rugby club in Pontefract as adults sporting bright jerseys drink, eat and chat joyfully. The atmosphere is more like a festival than a day of mourning. Then a hush falls over them as Rob Burrow's hearse appears in the distance, carrying the rugby legend on his final journey home. As the cortege nears, rapturous applause breaks out for a local man who was an inspiration for so many.Burrow, who died aged 41 in June after battling motor neurone disease (MND) for five years, was a rugby league hero. At the entrance to Mill Pond stadium, where he began his career, a sign reads: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Foreign secretary says deal would allow UK work more closely with bloc on issues such as defence and energyLabour is seeking an unprecedented joint declaration with the EU to usher in a wide-ranging security pact covering defence, energy, the climate crisis, pandemics and even illegal migration, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, has said.As part of the new government's plan to reset its relations with the EU and bring an end to the Brexit era", Lammy told the Guardian that a broadly defined security deal would not undermine Labour's commitment to remain outside the EU's single market and customs union. Continue reading...

Simon Vickers and Sarah Hall to appear at magistrates court on MondayA man and a woman have been charged with murder after the death of a 14-year-old girl in Darlington, police have said.Police and paramedics responded to a call at an address shortly after 11pm on Friday. A girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Let down by broken Tory promises of levelling up, some in Newton Aycliffe and across north-east turned to ReformHe kept on saying, My dad was a toolmaker and we were on the breadline,'" says Alan Webb, a retired toolmaker, laughing. I mean, come on. I was a toolmaker and I wasn't on the breadline." Webb, 75, is having fun at the expense of Keir Starmer, who told voters about growing up in a pebbledash semi, the family having its phone cut off and, surely a few too many times, that my dad was a toolmaker and my mum was a nurse".He kept on saying it as if he was poor," Webb says. I was a toolmaker and I actually earned some good money up here." Continue reading...

James Roddis, formerly a highly decorated major general, will appear at Bulford military court centre on 17 JulyA former senior officer will appear before military court later this month charged with sexual assault, an army spokesperson has said.Ex-Maj Gen James Roddis is scheduled to attend Bulford military court centre on 17 July charged under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Continue reading...

Climate Council analysis finds 7 million people living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide face huge barriers to public transport

Policy demands three days' notice for demonstrations and approval for use of megaphones or putting up posters

The sect's OneSchool Global network has received generous support from Australian taxpayers while tightly controlling students and discouraging tertiary study

All four capitalised on dissatisfaction over Labour's stance on the Gaza war but said they had other priorities too

Artistic director of Birmingham production of The Flying Dutchman says he hopes to inspire people to get involvedOpera in this country is definitely not accessible," says Byron Jackson, an international baritone and the artistic director of what is thought to be the first black- and Asian-led production of Wagner in the UK.Opening in Birmingham on Sunday, this rendition of the German-language opera The Flying Dutchman will feature a cast from across the Commonwealth, and a number of community performers from Handsworth, Balsall Heath and farther afield in the West Midlands. Continue reading...

World No 2 calls for creation of foundation to protect tennis at base level' amid rise in popularity of padel and pickleballNovak Djokovic has warned that club tennis is endangered" amid the growing popularity of alternatives such as padel and pickleball.The seven-time Wimbledon champion said we are still doing a very poor job" of maintaining tennis at the base level" and that its future was under threat. Continue reading...

Three more freight flights to go this month as parent company's CEO Martin Seidenberg pursues transformationThe boss of Royal Mail's parent company has said it will push on with a transformation of the group despite its 3.57bn takeover, as Royal Mail prepares this month to cut more daily freight flights.Martin Seidenberg, the chief executive of International Distribution Services, plans the biggest network change in 20 years" to revamp Royal Mail's deliveries despite uncertainty created by the Czech energy tycoon Daniel Kretinsky's takeover, which has been backed by the board. Continue reading...

Of 36 encampments at end of May, around a dozen are still active, as protesters fight to stayThe student encampments that sprung up at UK campuses, in protest at the war in Gaza, are fading over the summer in the face of hostile university administrators and the waning of numbers and enthusiasm.Of the 36 encampments in England, Wales and Scotland at the end of May, around a dozen are still active. At many of the remaining sites the protesters are fighting legal battles to stay, including Bristol, London and Birmingham. Continue reading...

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul tells of vitriol from Reform supporters and says he was concerned for safety of those around him

Ministry of foreign affairs forced to say sorry to Canada, Gabon and Burkina Faso embassies after incidentBrazil's ministry of foreign affairs has been forced to apologise to the embassies of Canada, Gabon and Burkina Faso after three diplomats' teenage children - all of whom are Black - were searched at gunpoint by police officers.The incident emerged when the mother of a Brazilian boy in the group posted a security camera video online, prompting outrage - but also a weary recognition that such experiences are all too typical for Black youths in Rio de Janeiro. Continue reading...

This live blog is closedIt is coming up to 2.30pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. We will be closing this blog soon, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian's Israel-Gaza war coverage here and on the Middle East here.Here is a recap of the latest developments:Protests aimed at pressuring the Israeli government to reach a hostage deal with Hamas began across Israel on Sunday, with demonstrators blocking roads and picketing at the homes of government ministers. The demonstrators took to the streets, blocking rush hour traffic at major intersections across the country. They briefly set fire to tires on the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway before police cleared the way. Another Palestinian official, with knowledge of the ongoing ceasefire deliberations, said Israel was in talks with the Qataris. They have discussed with them Hamas' response and they promised to give them Israel's response within days," the official told Reuters on Sunday. Israel's government made no immediate comment on the timing of its deliberations.In Gaza, Palestinian health officials said at least 15 people were killed in separate Israeli military strikes on Sunday. An Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Zawayda, in central Gaza, killed at least six people and wounded several others, while six others were killed in an airstrike on a house in western Gaza, the health officials said. Tanks deepened their raids in central and northern areas of Rafah on the southern border with Egypt. Health officials there said they had recovered three bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the eastern part of the city.Hamas is waiting for a response from Israel on its ceasefire proposal, two officials from the Palestinian group said on Sunday. This comes five days after it accepted a key part of a U.S. plan aimed at ending the nine-month war in Gaza. We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation's response," one of the two Hamas officials told Reuters, asking not to be named.Lebanon's Hezbollah movement fired another 20 rockets at northern Israel, leaving one person injured there, the latest cross-border attacks launched in solidarity with Gaza's Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hezbollah said that in response to the attack and assassination that the Israeli enemy carried out", it had targeted one of the main bases" in northern Israel, west of Tiberias, with dozens of Katyusha rockets".At least 38,153 Palestinians have been killed and 87,828 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday.Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran's runoff presidential election, beating hardliner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the west and ease enforcement on the country's mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.The British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond was returning to Portsmouth on Saturday after six months in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden helping to protect shipping from attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The warship shot down nine drones and a Houthi missile, sailing nearly 44,000 miles (71,000km) and spending 151 days at sea, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Continue reading...

Sharon Graham says new chancellor has not got time to wait for growth' and needs to borrow to invest

The party's landslide victory on only 34% of the vote was a masterpiece of electoral Jenga. But the taller the tower, the weaker the baseThe asteroid hit at dawn. The seats of four Tory former prime ministers - Cameron, May, Truss, Johnson - fell in an hour at around 6am on Friday, capping a historically unprecedented collapse for the Conservative party. The defeat of Truss provided this election's biggest Portillo moment", as the political career of the country's shortest-serving PM ended with her defeat by the largest swing to Labour ever recorded.The loss of those four seats epitomised the message sent by voters - an emphatic rejection of the party these PMs had led over the past 14 years. The 2024 election saw the Conservatives fall to their lowest ever vote share and lose 252 seats - more than any government has ever lost before. In seat after seat, across every region of the UK, Tory MPs were swept away. An even greater catastrophe was only narrowly averted - more than half of the remaining 121 Conservative MPs clung on with majorities of 8% or less. Continue reading...

The new house has a record number of women and ethnic minority members, but finding seats could be hard during busy debatesIt will be rather like freshers' week," said a senior official in the House of Commons when asked about the daunting prospect of 334 new MPs arriving from all parts of the UK to take their seats in parliament this week. It is going to be huge. Most of them won't know their way around at all or know what to do. It is a massive logistical challenge for parliament."Labour's landslide victory will mean the most dramatic transformation in the make-up of the 650-seat lower house in decades, with Keir Starmer's parliamentary party having almost doubled in size, and added 211 more members to its benches. Continue reading...

Emergency services were called to a home in Lalor Park at 1am on Sunday

The party's co-leader, now MP for Bristol Central, says she will pressure Starmer on climate, housing and servicesOn Bristol's harbourside on Friday morning, Carla Denyer was still on the go. The Green party co-leader, newly elected as MP for Bristol Central, had not slept since the count but was happy to pose for selfies with well-wishers and chat to her new constituents. I'm elated," she said, as people waved at her.Denyer is still taking in the scale of the Green party's achievements. Labour's Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow culture minister who had been expected to take up a seat in the Labour cabinet, had a majority of more than 28,000 in Bristol West in 2019, but lost the new Bristol Central seat to Denyer by nearly 10,000 votes. Three more Green MPs were elected across the UK. This is an historic breakthrough," Denyer said. We have quadrupled our representation in the House of Commons overnight. We have got a historic vote share across the country, a historic number of second places, and I expect a historic number of deposits saved as well." Continue reading...