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Keir Starmer's party lost out to Reform and the Greens, with no respite in Scotland, Wales or England. These maps show the scale of the historic results

PwC survey reports fast fall in consumer confidence with people worried about Iran war's impact on economy and personal financesBritish households are bracing for a new cost of living crisis, as the impact of the Middle East conflict dampens confidence in the economy and personal finances, a survey has suggested.Consumer confidence in the UK has dipped over the last three months at the fastest rate since June 2022, when inflation in the UK was soaring as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the spike in commodity prices. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship offers a stark reminder of how easily a deadly pathogen can hitch a ride across borders, and how fragile global preparedness remainsGood morning. This is Michael Segalov - as of today, I'll be popping up into your inboxes from time to time.There'll be no shortage of infighting, intrigue and briefing in Westminster this week, as the dust settles on the government's disastrous election results. We'll be bringing you the latest on backbench MP Catherine West's (likely futile) attempt to topple Keir Starmer, alongside the rest of the fallout.UK politics | Keir Starmer faces a fight for his political life in the next 24 hours as potential Labour leadership rivals from Wes Streeting to Angela Rayner position themselves for a contest.Iran conflict | Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian response to a US peace proposal as totally unacceptable", on a day the ceasefire showed signs of fraying as drone strikes were reported around the region and Benjamin Netanyahu warned the war was not over".UK news | Labour has accused Nigel Farage of attempting to dodge scrutiny as the Reform leader continued to face questions over the 5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire shortly before the last general election.Business | The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the king's speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.Health news | Experts have called for a four-day week in the UK as research suggests those who work longer hours are more likely to be obese. Continue reading...

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, did not apply during brief hearing

Station will be first to be given full GBR branding and will directly link city's Biomedical Campus to London, Brighton and Stansted airportThe delayed Cambridge South station will finally open in late June - and become the first station to be given full Great British Railways branding, the government has announced.The station sits beside the city's Biomedical Campus, Europe's largest medical research centre, and will connect it with direct trains to London, Brighton and Stansted airport, as well as up to nine trains an hour to the centre of Cambridge itself. Continue reading...

Members of minority communities in Birmingham and elsewhere fear results could lead to rise in hostile rhetoricConceding defeat at the election count at Birmingham's Utilita Arena on Friday, the outgoing Labour leader of the city council, John Cotton, made a plea. What I would encourage the next administration in this city to do, whatever form that administration takes, is that it ensures it champions the diversity of this city," he said.Labour's 14-year rule of the local authority had come to a crashing end, with Reform emerging as the largest party with 22 councillors so far, followed by the Greens on 19, albeit both parties a long way off the 51 needed for a majority. Continue reading...

Senior academics describe the Judge business school's proposal to provide services and training as horrifying'Cambridge University's business school is seeking to provide leadership development" and innovation management" to Saudi Arabia's defence ministry despite concerns over its government's record on human rights and climate change, the Guardian has learned.Cambridge's leadership has approved a proposal by the university's Judge business school to form a memorandum of understanding" with the ministry for services and training, after an initial introduction by the UK's Ministry of Defence. Continue reading...

Liberal frontbencher says he has no interest' in forming a coalition with Pauline Hanson's party - a day after suggesting he might be open to it

Minister defends preparedness against novel threat after officials detonate device suspected to be from UkraineAuthorities in Greece have intensified investigations into how an explosive-packed drone ended up in waters off the west of the country.An inquiry, involving specialised military teams, broadened at the weekend after bomb disposal experts detonated the unmanned device at sea. Continue reading...

Ex-Parramatta council chief executive Gail Connolly and other staff allegedly targeted people for reprisals, while some workers were surveilled

Actor and comedian speaks publicly for the first time since his 42-year-old daughter died by suicide in FebruaryMartin Short has spoken for the first time about the death of his daughter, Katherine Short, saying her death has been a nightmare for the family".Katherine died in February aged 42, at her home in the Hollywood Hills. The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office confirmed she died by suicide.In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

US president expresses ire at Tehran's reported demands, as drones strike Gulf nations and Israel warns war not over'Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian response to a US peace proposal as totally unacceptable", on a day the month-old ceasefire showed signs of fraying as drone strikes were reported around the region and Benjamin Netanyahu warned the war was not over".The Iranian counter-proposal was passed to Washington through Pakistani mediators. Continue reading...

Countries such as US and Mexico that have longer hours also have higher obesity rates, research findsThose who work longer hours are more likely to be obese and cutting how much time you spend working could help you keep the weight off, research suggests.International research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul compared working patterns and obesity prevalence for 33 OECD countries from 1990 to 2022. The study found that countries such as the US, Mexico and Colombia, which have longer annual working hours, also had higher obesity rates, even though northern European countries consume more energy and fat on average than those in Latin America. Continue reading...

Writing by Narges Mohammadi, arrested 14 times for activism, offers a disturbing insight into treatmentIn an exclusive extract of writing smuggled from prison in Iran, the Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has described the torture" of solitary confinement, and her systematic medical neglect by the prison system.The writing from the past decade will be part of a soon to be published memoir that gives a rare and alarming insight into the treatment of Mohammadi, who is in critical condition. It details beatings, constant interrogations, deprivation of medical care and long stretches in solitary confinement during her numerous imprisonments. Continue reading...

1st Lt Kendrick Lamont Key Jr was participating in largest military exercise among US, Nato allies and African nationsA search team recovered the body of a US soldier who went missing near a cliff during a training exercise in Cap Draa, Morocco, the US Army said on Sunday.Moroccan searchers found the remains on Saturday in the water within a mile (1.6km) of where the soldier went missing on 2 May, the army said in a statement. Continue reading...

Britons among passengers and crew taken off vessel and put on flights to 10 countries as part of two-day operationDozens of passengers and crew from countries around the world have been evacuated from a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.British people were among those taken off the ship as part of a two-day operation that began on Sunday in Tenerife. They were put on chartered flights back to the UK, where they will enter hospital quarantine in Merseyside. At about 9pm on Sunday, a plane carrying 22 UK citizens landed in Manchester, it was reported. Continue reading...

Ukraine president says Russian army is not complying' with the US-mediated truce and is not even really trying to'Russia has been conducting assault operations on the Ukrainian frontline in breach of a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.The Russians are continuing assault activity in sectors key for them," Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said in his evening address. On the frontline, the Russian army is not complying with the ceasefire and is not even really trying to." Continue reading...

Peter Magyar strikes radically different tone to predecessor but questions remain about how he will lead the countryMoments after he was sworn in as Hungary's prime minister, Peter Magyar apologised to those who had been maligned by the state during Viktor Orban's time in power as questions continue to swirl over what lies ahead for the country as it launches into a new era.Magyar used his first speech as prime minister on Saturday to address the many in Hungary who had paid a personal price for speaking up about the steady erosion of rights under Orban and his Fidesz party. Continue reading...

Safety board says it is gathering information about plane evacuation after person on the runway hit in DenverThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is collecting information about the evacuation of a Frontier Airlines aircraft after the jet struck and killed a person on the runway during departure from Denver international airport.The flight, which was headed from Denver to Los Angeles international airport, reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 pm on Friday", according to a statement posted on the airport's official X account. The individual has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...

Party leader has been vocal about its gains in London and there is a feeling that its losses could have been worseBy any sane person's reckoning, the Conservative party had a night to forget in Thursday's local, mayoral and devolved elections. It lost about 500 councillors in England and ceded control of three local authorities to Nigel Farage's Reform UK - losing to the rightwing upstarts in England, Wales and Scotland. Why, then, is Kemi Badenoch hailing these results as proof that the Conservatives are coming back" - and why do many Tory MPs appear to agree with her?The Conservative leader was vocal on Friday about the eye-catching gains her party made in politically atypical London, where the Tories won back the totemic council of Westminster, took the most seats in Wandsworth council and saw off the threat from Reform in Bexley and Bromley. Continue reading...

Soldiers dropped oxygen supplies and medical aid to Britain's most remote overseas territory What is hantavirus?Paratroopers landed on a golf course covered in rocks" to supply medical personnel and oxygen to Britain's most remote overseas territory as it deals with a suspected hantavirus case, an army commander has said.The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Friday that a British national had disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius to the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where they live, with a suspected case of hantavirus. Continue reading...

Catherine West issues ultimatum for PM as ex-minister Josh Simons joins calls for prime minister to quitAt the start of her programme Laura Kuenssberg addressed Catherine West and Bridget Phillipson who were sitting waiting for the main interviews.Kuenssberg told West she wanted a cabinet minister to challenge Keir Starmer. She said she was sitting next to one of them. What was her message to her?Well, there's nothing stopping Bridget from standing. Why are all the men better than the women? We do need some senior women to step forward and to challenge for what is going to be a really difficult two and a half years between now and the general election, and also to take us into that second term.I love you dearly, Catherine, but I just disagree on this one. Continue reading...

Officials reportedly drafting legislation likely to safeguard Britain's last blast furnaces and save thousands of jobsThe full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the King's speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, came under government control last April amid fears that its owner, Jingye, was planning to shut down the site. Continue reading...

Rhun ap Iorwerth says he hopes to work with other parties and press the UK government for extra powersThe leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has vowed to form a stable minority government in the Senedd and said he would seek out mature cooperation from all opposition parties.Ap Iorwerth said his administration would press the UK government for extra powers over policy areas such as policing and justice and focus on results rather than engaging in political rows with Westminster. Continue reading...

Zsolt Hegeds's celebrations since the election of Peter Magyar have sparked joy across the countryAs Hungary's Peter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orban after 16 years in power, the daylong event on Saturday was laced with symbolism, from the return of the EU flag to parliament to the ringing out of the European anthem, Ode to Joy.But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister - and more specifically, his dance moves - that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary's new political era. Continue reading...

Conservative and Reform leaders cheered as they address crowd, while Labour's Pat McFadden met with boos and shouts of where is Starmer?'Thousands of people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday to protest an increase in antisemitic hate crimes and violence, as senior politicians and interfaith leaders called for unity.The Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism rally, backed by more than 30 Jewish groups, drew thousands of people to Whitehall, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat party leaders, alongside Labour and Reform representatives, addressed a crowd studded with Israeli and union jack flags and Where is Keir?' placards. Continue reading...

Sports Direct founder says people in his employ recorded footage of Peter Cowgill meeting another retail bossThe Sports Direct founder, Mike Ashley, has admitted to arranging surveillance footage that brought down his rival Peter Cowgill, the former JD Sports chair.Cowgill was secretly filmed in 2021 in a car talking with the Footasylum boss Barry Bown. JD Sports was in the process of acquiring the trainer retailer at the time and the two companies were not allowed to share commercially sensitive information. Continue reading...

The First Nations woman has been on the priority public housing list in WA since 2023. Despite nearly dying from sleeping rough, she still has a two year wait.

Spain has begun the evacuation of the first passengers from the MV Hondius ship which arrived in Tenerife on Sunday

Man, 45, and 52-year-old woman held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson after blaze in WhitechapelTwo people have been arrested by counter-terrorism officers investigating an arson attack at a former synagogue in east London.A 45-year-old man and a woman, 52, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and have been taken into police custody. Continue reading...

Shock and fears for future, including homelessness, after landlords rushed to issue section 21 notices before 1 MayIt was 2pm on 30 April when Carl Kansinde Middleton received a no fault" eviction from his landlord in Brighton - just 10 hours before section 21 notices were officially banned under the Renters' Right Act.As we were getting closer, I really thought I was safe," he said. It just never occurred to me that it would just come right on the last day - I truly felt blindsided. Continue reading...

William Harrison, a US soldier stationed in the region, was convicted and hanged for the murder of Patsy WylieOn the afternoon of 25 September 1944, William Harrison, a US soldier stationed in Northern Ireland, visited the cottage of the Wylie family in Killycolpy, County Tyrone, and offered to buy treats for the children.He had visited before and was, if not a friend, at least known to the family. Mary Wylie let him take her seven-year-old daughter, Patricia, better known as Patsy, across the fields to the shops. Continue reading...

Scottish Labour leader says he aims to hold SNP to account after his party tied for second with Reform in elections

Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, seeks to present issue as irrelevant in interview with Laura KuenssbergLabour has accused Nigel Farage of attempting to dodge scrutiny as the Reform leader continued to face questions over the 5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire shortly before the last general election.Asked about the gift from Christopher Harborne on Sunday, the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, sought to present it as an irrelevance to voters and said it had complied with all the rules. Continue reading...

Wes Streeting says legislation will save lives, but GPs are concerned about liability for errors introduced by other providersGPs and hospitals will be required to share patient data under legislation to be announced in the king's speech on Wednesday.Legislation to create a single patient record (SPR) for each person, which would be used across all healthcare providers, is part of a 10bn digitisation of the health service. Continue reading...

Experts warn of soft target' vulnerabilities and intelligence gaps as federal agencies prepare to secure 78 matches across 11 citiesFifa World Cup matches set to be held across the United States face heightened terrorism risks, with experts warning that vulnerabilities are being amplified by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and a depletion of counter-terrorism expertise within federal law enforcement.The biggest threat stems from homegrown violent extremists, often lone actors that may have become radicalized online by extreme political views or jihadists such as the Islamic State (Isis), said four counter-terror experts interviewed. Continue reading...

SS and Glass Lewis back shareholder resolution amid fears over power wielded by Jamie Dimon, who holds both rolesInvestors in JP Morgan have been urged to vote in favour of splitting the role of chief executive and chair at America's largest bank, amid concerns over the power wielded by its billionaire boss Jamie Dimon.ISS and Glass Lewis, which issue advice to some of the world's biggest fund managers on how to vote at annual investor meetings, have thrown their weight behind a shareholder resolution that would ensure two separate people hold the office of chair and chief executive as soon as possible". Investors are due to vote on the resolution at the bank's annual general meeting on 19 May. Continue reading...

Vitoria Regia imagines rightwing Bolsonaro plot succeeded with US help - and highlights threats facing Indigenous peoplesThe year is 2025 and far-right coup plotters have annihilated Brazil's democracy, assassinating the president, closing the national congress and surrendering the Amazon rainforest and its untold riches to the United States.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Amazon of America," a thick-accented North American soldier tells a group of journalists being taken on a propaganda tour of an oil refinery in the newly annexed jungle realm. Nearby, a replica of the Statue of Liberty has been carved out of the wilderness to celebrate Washington's tutelage over more than half of Brazil. Continue reading...

Replacing a leader is difficult, as Jeremy Corbyn proved - but MPs can apply pressure, publicly or privatelyMany Labour MPs believe Keir Starmer will not survive as Labour leader for long enough to fight the next election. What they cannot agree on, however - even after a disastrous set of results in this week's elections - is how his departure might come about.The Labour rulebook makes it notoriously difficult to unseat a party leader: none has been formally ejected in the postwar period, though some, including Tony Blair, have resigned under pressure from their own MPs. Continue reading...

Education secretary says voters feel let down but do not want Labour to spend more time talking amongst ourselves'

Focus group sceptical that replacing Keir Starmer would improve party's fortunes, with some drawn to Reform or the Greens

Open letter criticising invitation to Nigel Farage warns of association with racism and inflammatory rhetoric'Political leaders have been invited to a rally opposing antisemitism on Sunday, with British Jews hoping the silent majority" will join them for a million mensch march" across central London.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, is considering attending the Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism rally, which is backed by more than 30 Jewish groups, while the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to speak. Continue reading...

NSW police called to incident in Maroubra amid reports of offensive comments made at under-12s game

Ceremony organisers taking event procedures extremely seriously' after broadcast of racial slur in FebruaryUsually the most scrutiny at the glittering Bafta TV Awards is reserved for the stars' outfits on the red carpet and the winners' acceptance speeches.But this Sunday those behind the show will be watching with bated breath and taking the event extremely seriously" after changes were made to how TV coverage of Bafta's awards ceremonies is handled after the broadcast of racially offensive words during February's Bafta film awards. Continue reading...

Fraudsters exploit confusion or anxiety over new IHT rules by offering a safe haven' for savings potsThe caller pitches a great deal. Shift the moneysaved in your pension and reinvest it in a scheme overseas where you can avoid it being caught under next year's changes to the UK's inheritance tax (IHT) system.From April next year, any money left in a defined contribution pension after your death, which is most workplace and all private pensions, will be pulled into the IHT net. Continue reading...

Revolutionary Guards issue warning as Trump awaits Iran's response to Washington's latest proposal for peace dealIran's Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target US sites in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported on Saturday, as Washington was left waiting for Tehran's response to its latest negotiating position.Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships," the force said, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: Queensland MP says I think everybody should be thinking about their political future' after devastating result for Coalition

US leader enters talks with superpower rival from vulnerable position, but will be hoping for economic wins amid turbulent backdropIf all goes to plan over the next few days - and that is a big if - Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for a highly anticipated summit with Xi Jinping, China's leader.The trip will mark the first time a US president has visited China in nearly a decade. The last visit was also made by Trump, during his first term, in 2017. Continue reading...