A year in power - BBC correspondents assess how Labour are doing

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Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government stepped into power on 5 July 2024 with a thumping majority and tall ambitions. That vision to "change" Britain - the word that has adorned many a red lectern - has on occasion come up against the harsh reality of politics in the year since. So how is the government doing? Here, BBC News correspondents assess six key areas of Labour's policy plan.

A question of growth

Dharshini David Deputy economics editor

Key pledges: The government says its number one mission is to put more money in pockets, which means growth. And for good reason: over the last 15 years, the UK has expanded at a fraction of its previous rate and some people failed to see living standards improve. Status: It was a rocky start for the government as the economy flatlined in the second half of the year and ministers watered down their aim to have the fastest growth in the G7 major economies. Perhaps this was reality hitting over the challenges at hand. A pick up at the start of 2025 meant that GDP per person was about half of 1% higher by April than it had been last summer. So we're better off – but not by much. Analysis: Rachel Reeves says the world has changed, while President Donald Trump's trade wars and greater geopolitical uncertainty make those growth ambitions tougher. But the government's own policies risk weighing down the outlook for the next year or two. The rise in minimum wage has helped millions of workers but that and other policies - such as the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions - are weighing on businesses profits and jobs. There are more than a quarter of a million fewer employees than a year ago; the biggest losses are in hospitality and retail, among the sectors most likely to have seen their wage bills increase. Analysis of job postings by the Institute of Employment Studies suggests the increased hesitancy among employers dates back to the Autumn Budget as they braced for these policies to be implemented.

Net migration levels and small boats

Mark Easton • @BBCMarkEaston Home editor

Key pledges: To "reduce net migration" and "smash the criminal boat gangs". Status: Net migration, the difference between people arriving and leaving the UK, has fallen sharply since the election. But the reduction has been driven largely by visa restrictions introduced by the previous government. Even tougher controls, including the closure of a visa scheme to fill vacancies in social care, are contained in new laws yet to be implemented. Analysis: The government wants to reduce the UK's reliance on overseas workers by linking policies on immigration with employment training. However, Home Office advisers caution that increasing the skilled workforce does not guarantee a reduction in migration. Ministers believe tighter rules on worker and student visas, together with increased enforcement on illegal working, will mean significant falls in foreign arrivals - but net migration remains substantially higher than a decade ago. Alongside policies to cut overall numbers, the government promised to restore order to the asylum system, end the use of hotels and "smash" the criminal boat gangs. However, small boat Channel crossings have increased significantly in Labour's first year and statistics suggest more migrants are receiving asylum support than at the election. The backlog of people awaiting an initial decision has decreased but this has been offset by a sharp rise in appeals. Hotel use is also slightly up, according to the latest figures. While irregular migration accounts for only a small proportion of total arrivals, this aspect of immigration has a huge impact on the government politically and economically. The Treasury's spending plans are partly reliant on the promise to save billions by ending the use of asylum hotels by 2029, and the rise of Reform UK in the polls is seen by some as a sign of public frustration at small boat crossings. The government has established a Border Security Command coordinating efforts to reduce illegal migration. Meanwhile, new legislation will treat people smuggling as a crime equivalent to terrorism. Deals with international partners and reports of an imminent returns agreement with France are seen as key to fulfilling the promise to "smash the gangs" too. Much depends, however, on factors beyond the UK's control.

Trump, Ukraine and the EU

James Landale • @BBCJLandale Diplomatic correspondent

Key pledges: Labour promised to "reconnect with allies and forge new partnerships to deliver security and prosperity at home and abroad". That included staying close to the US and resetting the UK's relationship with the European Union. It also promised "steadfast support for Ukraine". Status: Allies say Keir Starmer has managed his relationship with Donald Trump well, securing a tariff deal - and US backing for a politically controversial plan to cede sovereignty of a joint military base in the Chagos Islands. He has also protected the AUKUS security pact with Australia and the US. The UK has sustained support for Ukraine, working with European allies to keep pressure on Russia and help heal the rift between presidents Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky after their Oval Office bust-up. Starmer also led European discussions about plans for a post-war "reassurance force" in Ukraine. The UK has agreed a trade deal with India. It has also reset diplomatic relations with the EU, easing some trade regulations and agreeing a UK-EU defence pact. Analysis: Starmer has discovered that governments can become consumed by foreign affairs and his first year is no exception. The chief criticism levelled at the government is that it is too cautious. Has it put enough pressure on Russia - targeting the $300bn (£220bn) of assets frozen in European jurisdictions, or sanctioning Russian wealth in London? On the Middle East, the government has cut some arms sales to Israel. But it is under growing pressure from MPs to oppose more firmly Israel's deadly operations in Gaza and give formal recognition to a Palestinian state. Critics say changes to UK-EU relations are too modest to boost the economy significantly and should go further. The China audit has been completed but the government is refusing to publish the document, citing security concerns. Critics say ministers are fearful of losing Chinese investment by being too explicit about security concerns. On climate change, some MPs struggle to see the leadership that was promised. In opposition, Labour promised to "rebuild Britain's reputation on international development". Instead, it has slashed foreign aid to pay for defence spending, something some say has damaged relations with developing countries.

Teacher targets and VAT on fees

Hazel Shearing • @hazelshearing Education correspondent

Key pledges: A drive to recruit 6,500 new teachers in England, and to start charging VAT on private school fees to pay for it, among other things. Status: The government hasn't met its teacher target, according to the latest official headcount - though that dates from November. VAT has been introduced on private school fees across the UK - and there are concerns about private school pupils leaving the sector as a result. Analysis: Training teachers takes time. The number of new trainees rose by 6% this academic year, but remained below target. The latest figures from November show the number of secondary school teachers rose 1,400 in a year, while teachers in special schools and pupil referral units were up by 900. However, primary school and nursery teachers fell by 2,900. In May, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson specified that the aim was to recruit 6,500 expert teachers "across secondary and special schools". That prompted fury from Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien, who accused the government of "moving the goalposts" by excluding primary school numbers. Labour said it planned to fund the recruitment drive by adding 20% VAT to private school fees. The Independent Schools Council said private school fees were 22.6% higher on average in January compared with a year ago - £7,382 per term for a day school, up from £6,021. Figures out last month suggested the number of private school pupils fell by 11,000 in a year. The government said that was "within historical patterns", but private schools say more pupils are leaving than normal. There have been concerns that smaller private schools are being pushed towards closure and about the impact on students with scholarships, for example. Given the controversy, there will be close scrutiny of whether the money raised will have the desired impact. For many parents in the state sector, the need for more school staff is pressing. Government proposals to reform the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) system - which has 1.7 million pupils, up 5.6% since last year - are due this autumn and parents will want to know whether staffing will match demand.

Reforms and U-turns

Alison Holt Social affairs editor

Key pledges: Welfare reform to support more people into work and to champion the rights of disabled people, plus a National Care Service that delivers consistent, high-quality support across the country. Status: There have been significant U-turns on welfare reform and efforts to restrict the number of pensioners receiving the Winter Fuel Payment. An independent commission into reforming adult social care started work in April 2025. Analysis: When Labour came to power, many of those who work with the most vulnerable in society were hopeful. In conversations, they would tell me that even with the nation's finances tight, surely neglected services and support for older and disabled people would be prioritised? The government would argue that is exactly what it is doing, but 12 months on, the more printable judgments of the same people would be "disappointment" and "confusion." That disillusionment is rooted in three policies – all in part shaped by saving money. First, the surprise decision to limit the £300-a-year Winter Fuel Allowance to only pensioners in the greatest need, meant the universal payment was taken away from ten million older people. After pressure from Labour MP's, the government reinstated the allowance for three quarters of pensioners, but the U-turn raised questions about its authority and priorities. Second came the welfare bill. The aim was to save nearly £5bn a year by 2030 on spiralling benefits costs. It tightened the criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit - the latter is paid to both working and non-working people on low incomes. Again, pressure from MPs led to another government U-turn and plans were watered down. It has potentially wiped-out long-term Treasury savings, according to some economists, and the whole saga has left many disabled people worried. Finally, there is disappointment over what the government has not done. Reform of the overstretched, understaffed and financially squeezed adult social care system has effectively been pushed into the long grass. The Casey Commission, the latest review to look at how to fund social care in the long-term, will produce recommendations next year, but its final report is not due until 2028. There is a financial and human cost to every policy and in the last year the government has discovered how difficult it is to find the right balance.

Waiting lists and structural change

Hugh Pym, Jim Reed Health editor & health reporter

Congress passes Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' cutting taxes and spending

1 hour ago Share Save Brandon Drenon BBC News, Washington DC Reporting from Capitol Hill Share Save

Watch: First comments from Trump since his megabill passed

The US Congress has passed Donald Trump's sprawling tax and spending bill in a significant and hard-fought victory for the president and his domestic agenda. After a gruelling session on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214 on Thursday afternoon. It was approved in the Senate on Tuesday by one vote. Trump had given the Republican-controlled Congress a deadline of 4 July to send him a final version of the bill to sign into law. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to federal deficits over the next 10 years and leave millions without health coverage - a forecast that the White House disputes.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Trump said the bill would "turn this country into a rocket ship". "This is going to be a great bill for the country," he said. He is expected to sign it into law at a ceremony on the 4 July national holiday at 17:00 EDT (22:00 BST). A triumphant Republican Speaker Mike Johnson emerged from the House after the vote and told reporters "belief" was key to rallying support within his party. "I believed in the people that are standing here behind me... Some of them are more fun to deal with," he said. "I mean that with the greatest level of respect." Among those he had to convince was Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who was a firm "no" just days ago when the Senate passed its version of the bill. He called the Senate version a "travesty", but changed his mind by the time voting had begun.

Watch: Moment Trump's megabill passes final vote in the US House

"I feel like we got to a good result on key things," Roy said, although the House did not make any changes to the Senate bill. While some Republicans, like Roy, had resisted the Senate version, only two lawmakers from Trump's own party voted "nay" on Thursday: Thomas Massie and Brian Fitzpatrick. After Johnson announced that the legislation had passed the chamber by four votes, dozens of Republican lawmakers gathered on the House floor chanting "USA! USA!" The bill's passage on Thursday was delayed by Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who delivered the longest speech in the chamber's history. His "magic minute" address, which is a custom that allows party leaders to speak for as long as they like, ran for eight hours and 45 minutes. Jeffries pledged to take his "sweet time on behalf of the American people", decrying the bill's impact on poor Americans.

Watch: The moment Hakeem Jeffries ends record-breaking speech

The legislation makes savings through making cuts to food benefits and health care and rolling back tax breaks for clean energy projects. It also delivers on two of Trump's major campaign promises - making his 2017 tax cuts permanent and lifting taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security recipients - at a cost of $4.5tn over 10 years. About $150bn (£110bn) will be spent on border security, detention centres and immigration enforcement officers. Another $150bn is allocated for military expenditures, including the president's "gold dome" missile defence programme. Democrats, who had used procedural manoeuvres to stall the House vote, were roundly critical of the final bill. They portrayed it as taking health care and food subsidies away from millions of Americans while giving tax cuts to the rich.

Oasis 'sounding huge' as comeback tour launches

14 minutes ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Share Save

Getty Images Oasis's second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful records of all time

It's the gig that fans have been waiting 5,795 days for, as Oasis kick off their reunion tour at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday night. The venue has been hosting soundchecks and rehearsals all week, with passersby treated to snatches of songs such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernnova. "It's sounding huge," Noel Gallagher told talkSPORT radio. "This is it, there's no going back now." The Oasis Live '25 tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in the UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries queuing to buy tickets last summer.

Around 900,000 tickets were sold, but many fans complained when standard standing tickets advertised at £135 plus fees were re-labelled "in demand" and changed on Ticketmaster to £355 plus fees. The sale prompted an investigation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which said Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by selling "platinum" tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came with no additional benefits. The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to change the way it labels tickets and reveals prices to fans in the future. Ticketmaster said it "welcomed" the advice. Still, the debacle has done nothing to dampen the excitement in Cardiff, where fans have arrived from Spain, Peru, Japan, America and elsewhere for the opening night. "For me, Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music," says Jeff Gachini, a fan from Kenya who's making his first visit to the UK for the show. "To write simple music that relays the simple truth of life is very difficult. For me, they do that better than anyone."

Kenyan fan Jeff Gachini is among the lucky 74,000 fans who got tickets for the opening night

PA Media A mural of Liam and Noel, made entirely of bucket hats, has been unveiled in Cardiff's city centre

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher will be joined on stage by Gem Archer, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, alongside drummer Joey Waronker, who has previously recorded with Beck and REM; and toured with Liam. The band will also be augmented by a brass section, and backing singer Jess Greenfield, who is part of Noel's side project the High Flying Birds. Meanwhile, rumours about the setlist have been swirling all week, as Oasis songs echoed around the Principality Stadium. One purported running order that was leaked to Reddit suggested the band would open with Hello and finish with Champagne Supernova, with other highlights including Acquiesece, Roll With It, Live Forever and Supersonic. Noel is also expected to take lead vocals twice during the show, on short sets including songs such as Half The World Away and The Masterplan.

Britain's biggest band

Oasis were the biggest band in Britain from 1994 to 1997, selling tens of millions of copies of their first three albums Definitely Maybe, (What's The Story) Morning Glory and Be Here Now. Liam's sneering vocals and Noel's distorted guitars brought a rock and roll swagger back to the charts, revitalising British guitar music after an influx of self-serious Seattle grunge. Born and raised in Manchester, they formed the band to escape the dead-end mundanity of their working class backgrounds. "In Manchester you either became a musician, a footballer, a drugs dealer or work in a factory. And there aren't a lot of factories left, you know?" Noel Gallagher once said. "We didn't start in university or anything like this. We're not a collection of friends that kind of come together and discuss things musically. "We started the group... because we were all on the dole and we were unemployed and we rehearsed and we thought we were pretty good."

Reuters The 2025 line-up includes Gem Archer (far left) and Andy Bell (third from left), who originally joined the band in 1999 after founder members Guigsy and Bonehead left

Oasis was originally Liam's band, performing under the name The Rain. But after watching them live, Noel offered to join – on the condition that he became chief songwriter and de facto leader. That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996. Nearly five per cent of the UK population applied for tickets, with a then-record 125,000 people watching the band top a line-up that also included The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene, The Chemical Brothers, The Charlatans and a Beatles tribute. But festering tension between the Gallagher brothers often spilled over into verbal and physical violence. Backstage at a gig in Barcelona in 2000, for example, Noel attacked Liam after he questioned the legitimacy of his eldest daughter. The guitarist walked out for the rest of the European tour, leaving the band to continue with a stand-in. Although they repaired the relationship, the insults and in-fighting continued until 28 August, 2009, when Oasis split up minutes before they took the stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer," Noel wrote in a statement at the time. He would later recount a backstage argument in which his younger brother grabbed his guitar and started "wielding it like an axe", adding, "he nearly took my face off with it".

PA Media The band's biggest hits include Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Live Forever

Since then, they've pursued successful solo careers, while constantly fielding questions about an Oasis reunion. Liam called the idea "inevitable" in 2020, and said the band should reform to support NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he said his brother had spurned the idea, despite a lucrative offer from promoters. "There was a lot of money knocking about," he told ITV's Jonathan Ross Show. "It was £100 million to do a tour. "But [Noel] isn't into it. He's after a knighthood, isn't he?" The reconciliation took another five years and, with neither of the Gallaghers consenting to an interview, it's hard to know what informed their decision to get back together. Tabloid newspapers suggested that Noel's divorce from Sara McDonald in 2022 led to a thaw in relations. Others have suggested the brothers simply wanted the Oasis story to have a more satisfactory conclusion than a dressing room bust-up. "I've heard everything is honky dory and they're getting on great," says Tim Abbott, former managing director of Oasis's record label, Creation. "I've worked with bands in the past that had separate limos, separate walkways onto the stage. I don't think they'll get to that. They're grown men."

Getty Images According to analysis by Birmingham City University, the Oasis tour could bring in £400 million in tickets sales and merchandise.

Weekly quiz: Who threw a star-studded wedding party in Venice?

This week saw the UK and Europe swelter in the grip of a heatwave, Sir Keir Starmer's government encounter a major rebellion over its plans for welfare reform, and Beyoncé suffer car trouble during a concert.

But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz collated by Ben Fell.

Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians

2 hours ago Share Save Lucy Williamson BBC Middle East correspondent Reporting from Jerusalem Share Save

Watch footage shared with BBC from inside Gaza aid operation

A former security contractor for Gaza's controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat, including with machine guns. On one occasion, he said, a guard had opened fire from a watchtower with a machine gun because a group of women, children and elderly people was moving too slowly away from the site. When asked to respond the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said the allegations were categorically false. They referred us to a statement saying that no civilians ever came under fire at the GHF distribution sites.

The GHF began its operations in Gaza at the end of May, distributing limited aid from several sites in southern and central Gaza. That followed an 11-week total blockade of Gaza by Israel during which no food entered the territory. The system has been widely criticised for forcing vast numbers of people to walk through active combat zones to a handful of sites. Since the GHF started up, Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians trying to retrieve food aid from its sites, the UN and local doctors say. Israel says the new distribution system stops aid going to Hamas.

Continuing his description of the incident at one of the GHF sites - in which he said guards fired on a group of Palestinians - the former contractor said: "As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd. "A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, 'damn, I think you got one'. And then they laughed about it." The contractor, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said GHF managers had brushed off his report as a coincidence, suggesting that the Palestinian man could have "tripped" or been "tired and passed out". The GHF claimed the man who made these allegations is a "disgruntled former contractor" who they had terminated for misconduct, which he denies. He showed us payslips suggesting that he continued to be paid for two weeks after leaving the post.

SUPPLIED Supplied footage showed long queues of aid seekers in a fenced corridor

The man we spoke to, who said he had worked at all four of the GHF distribution sites, described a culture of impunity with few rules or controls. He said contractors were given no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and were told by one team leader: "if you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later". The culture in the company, he said, felt like "we're going into Gaza so it's no rules. Do what you want." "If a Palestinian is walking away from the site and not demonstrating any hostile intent, and we're shooting warning shots at them regardless, we are wrong, we are criminally negligent," he told me. He told us that each site had CCTV monitoring the activity in the area, and GHF insistence that no one there had been hurt or shot at was "an absolute bare-faced lie". GHF said that gunfire heard in footage shared with the BBC was coming from Israeli forces. Team leaders referred to Gazans as "zombie hordes", the former contractor said, "insinuating that these people have no value." The man also said Palestinians were coming to harm in other ways at GHF sites, for example by being hit by debris from stun grenades, being sprayed with mace or being pushed by the crowds into razor wire. He said he had witnessed several occasions in which Palestinians appeared to have been seriously hurt, including one man who had a full can of pepper spray in his face, and a woman who he said was hit with the metal part of a stun grenade, improperly fired into a crowd. "This metal piece hit her directly in the head and she dropped to the ground, not moving," he said. "I don't know if she was dead. I know for a fact she was unconscious and completely limp."

Reuters The GHF operation has been criticised for forcing people to walk through active combat zones

Liverpool led the tributes to Jota, saying the club was "devastated" by such an "unimaginable loss".

He scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title last season.

The club put out further statements later on Thursday, with boss Slot paying tribute to a player who had become "a loved one to all" at the club.

The Dutchman added: "Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family."

Slot said he last spoke to Jota to congratulate him on Portugal winning the Nations League and wish him luck for his wedding.

"In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this," he added.

Slot said Liverpool and their supporters are "all with" Jota's family and the "the same can be said of the wider family of football".

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk said it was a "privilege" to have played alongside Jota and been his friend off the pitch.

"We will miss you beyond words and never forget you," added the Dutchman. "Your legacy will live on, we will make sure of it."

Left-back Andy Robertson said Jota was "the most British foreign player" he had met.

In an Instagram post, the Scotland international added: "The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life - his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family."

A statement from the club's owners and leadership group, Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon, said they have been left "numb with grief" as they offered condolences to Jota's family.

They added: "Beyond the player that we all knew was a wonderfully humble human being, he was sincere, intelligent, funny, tough and created connections with people everywhere he went. He had a zest for life that was utterly contagious."

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group chief executive of football Michael Edwards said in a statement: "This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool football club."

They added the club will look to honour Jota with the "respect and affection" he deserves in the coming days, but for now "express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain" after losing someone "truly irreplaceable".

Watch some of Diogo Jota's best career moments.

The Liverpool forward has died at the age of just 28 in a car crash in Spain. Read the latest tributes on our live page.

I had a tough day, says Rachel Reeves after Commons tears

Watch: Rachel Reeves addresses her tears at PMQs

Government borrowing costs rose following Reeves' tearful appearance at Prime Minister's Questions, when Sir Keir initially failed to guarantee that the chancellor would keep her job.

The chancellor was speaking after making a surprise appearance alongside Sir Keir Starmer to unveil the government's 10-year plan for the NHS.

She did not go into details behind the incident saying she had been dealing with "a personal issue" adding: "Today's a new day and I'm just cracking on with the job."

Rachel Reeves has said she had had "a tough day" and had been "clearly upset", as she gave her first interview since crying in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Will Walker Arnott, head of private clients at the bank Charles Stanley, told the BBC's Today programme: "It looks to me like this is a rare example of financial markets actually enhancing the career prospects of a politician."

One analyst told the BBC the initial rise reflected concern in the financial markets that if Reeves left her job then control over the government's finances would weaken.

The rise was partially reversed after Sir Keir insisted he was "in lockstep" with his chancellor, who he said would be in her job "for a very long time to come".

In a bid to put on a united front, the chancellor unexpectedly joined Sir Keir and Health Secretary Wes Streeting at a hospital in East London to set out details of new neighbourhood health centres.

As she addressed staff, Reeves was smiling broadly and later shared a hug with the prime minister.

Speaking to broadcasters after the event, Reeves was asked about her tears in Parliament. She said: "My job as chancellor at 12 o'clock on a Wednesday is to be at PMQs next to the prime minister, supporting the government and that's what I tried to do."

"I think all your viewers have had tough days, for personal reasons, for whatever reasons. I happened to be on the camera when I had a tough day."

She said she was "totally" up for the job of chancellor and asked if she was surprised the prime minister had not unequivocally backed her in Parliament replied: "People can see that Keir and me are a team."

"We fought the election together, we changed the Labour Party together so that we could be in the position to return to power and over the past year we've worked in lockstep together."

During the event, Sir Keir praised his chancellor telling the audience: "I think it's just fantastic that she is here."

He said decisions made by Reeves had allowed the government to "invest record amounts in the NHS".

Asked if he had been aware that his chancellor had been crying next to him in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said he "hadn't appreciated what was happening" as he was "literally up and down" answering questions.

"No prime minister ever has had side conversations in PMQs. It does happen in other debates when there is a bit more time, but in PMQs it is bang, bang, bang, bang.

"I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber."

He said the incident was due to "a personal issue and I am certainly not going to say anything more about that".

Speculation about Reeves' future had been growing after Labour rebels forced the government to give up some of its benefits changes and in so doing put a £5bn hole in the chancellor's spending plans.

In order to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules, she is now likely to have to consider cutting public spending or raising taxes at the Budget in autumn.

Asked if taxes would be going up, Reeves said she would not "speculate" but added: "Of course there is a cost to the welfare changes that Parliament voted through this week and that will be reflected in the Budget."

In a sign that she would not be changing her own restrictions on borrowing, the chancellor said "the stability that we've been able to return to the economy... is only possible because of the fiscal discipline which is underpinned by the fiscal rules".

Reeves's two main rules are not to borrow to fund day-to-day public spending; and to get debt falling as a share of the UK economic output by 2029/30.

In her speech, she also said the boost to NHS spending would not "have been possible" without the measures she took in last year's Budget.

The sale of illegal cigarettes signals a deeper problem with UK high streets

44 minutes ago Share Save Ed Thomas • @EdThomasNews UK Editor Patrick Clahane and Rebecca Wearn BBC News Share Save

BBC

It's pitch black and we're crawling along a secret underground tunnel beneath a high street in Hull. We pass rotting beams propped up precariously by stacked breeze blocks. A rusty car jack is helping prevent the shop floor above from falling in. Through the rubble, we follow a Trading Standards Officer, his torch swinging back and forth in the darkness until it rests on a hidden stash of thousands of illegal cigarettes. This is just one such surreal experience while investigating the sale of illegal cigarettes in Hull. In one week we repeatedly witnessed counterfeit and smuggled tobacco being sold in high street mini marts - and were threatened by shop workers who grabbed our cameras when we tried to film them. This is now a familiar story being repeated across Britain. In April, the National Crime Agency (NCA) raided hundreds of high street businesses, many suspected of being supplied by international crime gangs. Trading Standards teams have also found a thriving trade in illicit tobacco.

BBC/Phillip Edwards Beneath the floor of a shop in Hull, a secret tunnel hides illegal cigarettes

One leading criminology expert called the networks behind the supply of illegal cigarettes the "golden thread for understanding serious organised crime", because of its links to people trafficking and, in some cases, illegal immigration. So, in some ways, these high street shop fronts connect the various domestic problems facing Britain today. Political researchers claim it's also damaging trust in police and the government - and turning our high streets into symbols of national decline.

'We're losing the war'

Alan, a former detective and now a Trading Standards officer, searches for counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes sold under the counter in mini marts, barber shops and takeaways around Hull, which he says have spread across the city at an alarming rate. Under the floorboards of a mini mart called Ezee Shop, a network of these secret tunnels hide contraband stock. As battered suitcases and black sacks stuffed full of cigarettes are heaved up through the makeshift trap door, a man who we're told helps out in the shop watches on laughing. "It's not something dangerous, it's only cigarettes," he says. "Everywhere has it; barber shops, takeaways." Some shops, he adds, are selling drugs including crack cocaine. Alan estimates that there are about £20,000 worth of illegal cigarettes in this haul, a tiny proportion of a crime that HMRC says costs the country at least £2.2 billion in lost revenue. Today's raid won't change what's happening on Hull's high streets, he says. He has been to some shops at least 20 times and he estimates that there are some 80 shops selling illegal cigarettes in the city. "We're losing the war," he says.

Watch: BBC join police on illegal cigarette raid

He has been with Trading Standards for many years but didn't want to be fully identified because he's worried about the organised crime gangs often supplying these shops. It's not long before someone claiming to be Ezee Shop's owner turns up. Alan says he is a Kurd from Iran. He is furious with us filming his illicit stock being taken away.

Dead flies and asbestos in cigarettes

Some of the illegal cigarettes sold across Britain are made in this country. Others are produced cheaply in countries like Poland or Belgium. Some are designed to imitate established brands. Illegal cigarettes are sold without the necessary taxes and duties, and many do not conform to safety standards. Previously the Local Government Association warned that some black market cigarettes contained "human excrement, dead flies and asbestos". We went undercover, visiting 12 shops in Hull, some multiple times, to try and buy these cheap cigarettes, and secretly filmed the responses. The windows of many of these shops are covered with large pictures of fizzy drinks, sweets and vapes, obscuring what's going on inside. Nine sold us illegal cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. Two told us where we could buy cheap packs. We were openly offered a selection of brands with packets costing between £3 and £7 - instead of the average UK price of about £16.

BBC/Phillip Edwards The cigarettes packets often look real - some of them imitate real brands

None of the businesses we bought illegal cigarettes from in Hull responded to our request for a comment. But this is not only a Hull problem. Data shared with the BBC from investigators working for an international tobacco company say that last year they identified more than 600 shops selling illegal packets, with several cities including Bradford, Coventry and Nottingham flagged as hotspots. The BBC is unable to verify these figures. In Bradford alone, they say they found 49 stores selling fake products in just two days. In the end, they had to stop the test purchases because they didn't have enough test bags to put the items in.

Are fines and penalties too low?

All of this is a growing problem - but it is also one with specific causes: profits, a lack of resources to enforce the law, a complex criminal supply network and in some cases organised immigration crime. Professor Georgios Antonopoulos, criminologist at Northumbria University Newcastle, believes money is at the heart of it. "Legal tobacco products in the UK are subject to some of the highest excise taxes in the world," he says. Illegal cigarettes are sometimes sold for as little as £3 to £5 per pack - compelling for some customers during a cost of living crisis.

BBC/Phillip Edwards The BBC visited 12 shops in Hull. Here, correspondent Ed Thomas speaks to a shop assistant

In some cases, the financial penalties issued to criminals may be much lower than the profits they can make. In the case of Ezee Shop in Hull, the shop owner had been convicted for selling illegal cigarettes in the past and was fined £80, plus costs and a £34 victim surcharge. Tougher rules introduced in 2023 mean those convicted now can face higher fines of up to £10,000 - but this may still be lower than the value of the stash. After the raid, we went back to the shop, covertly. Within a few hours it had reopened, restocked - and was selling illegal cigarettes once again.

Struggles with law enforcement

Leading criminologists tell the BBC that UK authorities are struggling to deal with the problem. Prof Antonopoulos says teams are "chronically underfunded". He claims that police prioritise violent crimes and drug trafficking - "which is understandable," he adds. Some Trading Standards officers are frustrated with the powers available to them. "The general public don't understand why they can't be closed down," Alan says. They can use anti-social behaviour legislation to close shops for up to three months - but it can require statements from other businesses and members of the public. We were told that after some shops shut down, the criminals simply reopen nearby. Alan wants a 'three strikes and you're out' policy to permanently close law-breaking businesses.

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Last year, the government pledged £100 million over five years to help HMRC and Border Force crack down on the illegal trade

Last year, the previous government provided £100 million across five years to support HMRC and Border Force to tackle the illicit tobacco trade. But since then, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that some broader forms of organised crime - including scammers and rogue traders - could effectively become decriminalised, due to a lack of funding. As for the suppliers, HMRC says there are so many organised crime groups operating across borders that it is hard to limit the flow of goods into the UK. In May, Hungarian authorities raided a factory where they found warehouses full of fake cigarettes. And there's even production in Ukraine, according to legitimate tobacco firms, with authorities there stretched because of the war.

Chinese triads have a 'vast business'

There is also a "significant production" of illicit tobacco here in the UK, says Prof Antonopoulos. A Trading Standards team in south Wales told us that counterfeit hand-rolling tobacco is often sold cheaply. They claimed that some of it was made using forced labour, controlled by Chinese gangs. Dave McKelvey, managing director of TM Eye private investigators, which works with tobacco firms to gather evidence on the illicit trade, claims that Fujian-based Chinese triads operate a "vast business" here in the UK. And trying to track down the people in charge of these criminal enterprises is a challenge. Trading Standards told the BBC that those named as the company director often have no real involvement in the company. Instead, they may be paid a small sum each month to be listed as the director on official documents. Later this year, Companies House will receive new powers to better identify business owners.

Employing illegal workers

Authorities are trying to clean up British high streets. Just this year, we joined dozens of raids led by the NCA in barber shops and mini marts, in a month-long operation. But the former senior detectives who worked with the BBC's undercover team said they need more time to fully expose the organised crime supplying some of the shop fronts. Throughout our time with Trading Standards in Hull and in the dozens of raids we've been on with police in Shrewsbury and across Greater Manchester, officers claimed that tobacco operations are often staffed by Kurds from Iran and Iraq. Some may not have had the right to work.

PA Media People care deeply about the quality of their local high street, political scientists say

In Hull, Alan believes that some people working in the shops he visits may be recruited from asylum seeker hotels. "They're expendable, if they get caught they just replace them with another. Rochdale Trading Standards has made similar observations. Criminology professor Emmeline Taylor argues that these criminal supply chains behind the supply of illegal tobacco are linked to other forms of crime - and the damage can't be underestimated. "They're not just dealing in tobacco," she says. "It's firearms, it's drugs, it's people trafficking, it's illegal immigration." The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, told us it is a "total disgrace" that "criminal gangs are trying to abuse our high streets by using shops as a front for organised crime". She also accused gangs of "undermining our border and immigration systems by employing illegal workers".

Pockets of criminality on high streets

Of course, there have long been pockets of criminality on the UK high street. But now experts tell us that this illicit trade is harming people's trust in authority - and, at a basic level, their sense of fairness. "If you're a law abiding business following the rules, you're jeopardising your own livelihood and the viability of your own business," argues Prof Taylor. "And to me that's not fair that someone can succeed by not playing by the rules." Josh Nicholson, a researcher at the Centre for Social Justice, believes that perceptions of crime are worse than ever. "From research we have done there is a feeling of powerlessness, a lack of respect for authority like the police," he says. "Are the police... seen to be tackling low level offences? When they don't see it tackled, people's perception is that things are getting a lot worse." And people tend to trust the government less when they think access to good shops has declined in their area, says Will Jennings, a political science professor at the University of Southampton, based on studies he has done.

Nick Plumb, a director at the Power to Change charity, says his research shows that declining high streets boosts support for parties that were once considered outside of the political mainstream. "Reform UK, for example, is doing better in places with declining high streets when compared to the rest of England," he says. "There's a sense that … mainstream politics, local authorities have all tried to tackle this issue, and [residents] haven't seen any change. It's that sense of 'the status quo hasn't solved these things, and therefore we want to try something new'." Ultimately, what people see in the places they call home matters. "People find a sense of local identity in the quality of the streets where they've grown up," adds Mr Nicholson. "When the quality ... dramatically declines, and they feel they can't even go there - what that does to a sense of community is unquantifiable." Additional reporting by Phillip Edwards. Top Image credit: Javier Zayas Photography/ Getty Images

Zarah Sultana says she is quitting Labour to start party with Corbyn

22 minutes ago Share Save Sam Francis Political reporter Share Save

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Ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced she is resigning from the party, saying she will be founding a new party with her former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Sultana, the Coventry South MP stripped of the Labour whip last year for backing a move to scrap the two-child benefit cap, said the new party would be formed with other independent MPs and activists, aiming to challenge a "broken" Westminster system. Corbyn has been contacted but has not confirmed his involvement to the BBC. However last night, he had hinted he may form a new party, telling ITV's Peston "there is a thirst for an alternative" and that a "grouping will come together".

In a social media post, Sultana said the government is "an active participant in genocide" in Gaza - and highlighted growing poverty, the government's position on welfare, and the cost of living as reasons for establishing her new party. "Labour has completely failed to improve people's lives. And across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists. "But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it." Israel has strenuously denied accusations it is committing genocide or genocidal acts in Gaza. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the situation in Gaza as "appalling and intolerable" and repeatedly called for a ceasefire, as well as the release of hostages. But some MPs want him to go further and describe the situation in Gaza as a genocide, claims currently being examined by the International Court of Justice.

Sultana also referenced the government's welfare bill that passed this week, adding: "The government wants to make disabled people suffer; they just can't decide how much." "We're not an island of strangers," she says, referencing a speech given by the prime minister in May about immigration, which he has since said he regrets. And she says at the next election, "the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism". Asked for a response to her resignation and comments, a Labour Party spokesperson said: "In just 12 months, this Labour government has boosted wages, delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, opened 750 free breakfast clubs, secured three trade deals and four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions. "Only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain." Sultana was elected as a Labour MP at the 2024 general election but was suspended not long after, and has since sat in the Commons as an independent. She was suspended with seven other Labour MPs, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, for defying the government over its two-child benefit cap. Four have of the rebels have since returned to Labour, but Sultana and McDonnell remain independents. Despite her suspension, she had remained a member of the Labour Party. Responding to Sultana's announcement, McDonnell posted on social media: "I am dreadfully sorry to lose Zarah from the Labour Party. "The people running Labour at the moment need to ask themselves why a young, articulate, talented, extremely dedicated socialist feels she now has no home in the Labour Party and has to leave."

Last year, Corbyn united with four other MPs elected as independents to establish an alliance in the House of Commons. All five of the group beat Labour candidates in July's election with their pro-Palestinian stance in constituencies with large Muslim populations. Speaking to ITV's Peston programme, he said he and fellow pro-Gaza independents would "come together" and "there will be an alternative". He said it would be based on "peace rather than war". His alliance includes MPs Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, and Iqbal Mohamed.

Trump gets major win - but debate over his mega-bill is just beginning

3 hours ago Share Save Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent Share Save

Anthony Zurcher: Passage of megabill is big win for Trump

Donald Trump has his first major legislative victory of his second presidential term. The "big, beautiful bill", as he calls it, is a sprawling package that includes many key pieces of his agenda – delivering on promises he made on the campaign trail. It also, however, contains the seeds of political peril for the president and his party. That Trump and his team were able to shepherd the legislation through Congress despite narrow majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is no small achievement. His success required him and his allies to win over budget hawks within his Republican Party who were intent on slashing government spending, as well as centrists who were wary of cuts to social programmes. When this congressional session started in January, there were doubts about whether House Republicans could even agree to return Congressman Mike Johnson to the speaker's chair, let alone agree on major pieces of legislation. Agree they did, however – as did Republicans in the Senate, a notoriously unwieldy chamber.

Reuters

The spending package approved by lawmakers directs about $150bn (£110bn) in new spending for border security, detention centres and immigration enforcement officers. Another $150bn is allocated for military expenditures, including the president's "gold dome" missile defence programme. The really big numbers, however, are in the tax cuts in this legislation. They amount to more than $4.5tn over 10 years. Some of these are cuts that were first enacted in Trump's first term, and were set to expire before the bill makes them permanent. Others, like ending taxes on tips and overtime, where 2024 campaign promises that are implemented by will end in 2028. All this adds up to massive new debt for the US. The White House contends that the tax cuts will spur economic growth that will generate sufficient new revenue, when taken alongside tariff collections. But outside projections suggest that this legislation will add more than $3tn in new US debt.

As critics like Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky have pointed out, the legislation raises the amount of new debt the federal government can issue by $5tn – a step that would not be necessary if the White House truly believed their budget projections. Paul and others like tech multibillionaire Elon Musk have warned that this massive amount of debt will be growing burden on the federal government, as interest payments crowd out other spending and drive up interest rates. A fiscal reckoning is coming, they warn. Another senator who voted against the legislation, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, had a different warning for Trump and his party. In a fiery speech on the floor of the chamber, he accused the president of breaking a promise to those who supported him - citing the bill's cuts worth approximately $1tn to Medicaid, a government-run health insurance programme for low-income Americans. "Republicans are about to make a mistake on healthcare and betray a promise," he said, declaring that more than 660,000 people in North Carolina would be "pushed off" Medicaid.

Watch: Trump reacts to the Senate narrowly passing his "big, beautiful" bill

Reeves bounces back after tears but challenges remain

6 hours ago Share Save Henry Zeffman Chief political correspondent Share Save

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It might be uncomfortable territory, but it's worth reflecting on just how unprecedented Wednesday's events in the House of Commons were. The images blared across the media of Rachel Reeves in tears as Sir Keir Starmer answered questions from the dispatch box were devastating for a chancellor who has made having an iron core central to her public image. Some believe it is unfair for the media to note that the chancellor was visibly distraught on live television for half an hour. Yet the markets, which quickly responded unfavourably, did not wait for media coverage to decide to trade against Britain. Perhaps counter-intuitively, those market movements point the way through this for Reeves. At least in the interpretation of many, the markets were responding to the possibility that Reeves might soon be replaced as chancellor, and that her replacement would be less committed than her to limiting government borrowing for day-to-day spending. That may be why the markets then bounced back when Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC's Nick Robinson that Reeves would remain chancellor for many years to come.

Reeves's brief interview this afternoon was also geared at reassurance, attributing her tears to a "personal issue" and a "tough day". She insisted she was "totally" up for the job of chancellor - and that she and the prime minister would continue to work in "lockstep together". It came after she made an unscheduled appearance at an East London hospital for the launch of the government's 10-year NHS plan. She made no mention of her tearful episode in the short speech she made about the health service and the economy. But there were smiles all around and a hug from the prime minister, who said it was "just fantastic that she is here". That's probably enough to draw a line under this excruciating episode.

British number one Jack Draper says he was not "good enough" in a shock Wimbledon second-round exit, insisting a below-par performance was not because he felt increased pressure at this year's tournament.

Draper was seeded fourth at the All England Club, but lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to 36-year-old Marin Cilic.

The 23-year-old was the highest seeded home player since Andy Murray defended the men's title in 2017.

In 2013, Murray, who retired last year, was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years and added his second title three years later.

"It makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did - winning here twice - [was] just unbelievable," Draper said.

"It's not the pressure. I wasn't going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. You [journalists] mention it all the time.

"I just didn't play good enough. I lost to a better player. That's the main reason. I just was not able to find the level I wanted. I came up short."

American Ben Shelton was furious when play in his second-round encounter with Rinky Hijikata at Wimbledon was suspended because of bad light as he was about to serve for the match.

After winning the first two sets 6-2 7-5, 10th seed Shelton was leading 5-4 in the third and potentially on course to wrap up his progress within a matter of minutes.

But with the time approaching 21:30 and the sunlight having faded, the umpire on court two announced that there would be no more play that evening, much to Shelton's frustration.

The two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, 22, angrily questioned officials about the decision, which means he has to return on Friday to play what could prove to be just one game, denying him a full day off.

Adding to Shelton's annoyance was the fact he had lost three match points on Hijikata's serve just before, and had also asked if play could be suspended before the start of the third set.

MI5 false evidence was a serious failing, Cooper says

3 hours ago Share Save Daniel De Simone Investigations correspondent Share Save

Reuters

The home secretary has said MI5 giving false evidence to multiple courts was a "serious failing", as she accepted a further investigation should take place. Yvette Cooper, who is responsible for the Security Service, made a written statement to Parliament a day after the High Court ruled MI5's explanations for its false evidence were deficient and unreliable. She said the government accepted the High Court's conclusion that a "further, robust and independent investigation" should take place. A panel of three senior judges, including the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, on Wednesday rejected two official inquiries into the false evidence.

One inquiry was commissioned by Cooper and the other was carried out internally by MI5. The two reviews took place after the BBC revealed MI5 had lied to three courts in a case concerning a neo-Nazi state agent who abused women. The flawed reviews cleared MI5 of deliberate wrongdoing. Wednesday's High Court judgement said the new investigation should be carried out under the auspices of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson, who has oversight of MI5's surveillance activities. His office, IPCO, was also provided with false evidence by MI5 in the case. The Home Office has refused to answer questions about the position of MI5's third-in-command, the director general of strategy, whose witness evidence was found by the High Court to have been neither fair or accurate and to have omitted critical information, which had to be forced out of MI5 by the court. Cooper did not mention the senior spy in her statement. She said she remained "deeply concerned" about what happened, and that "internal processes at MI5 must improve, starting with the implementation of all recommendations made so far in relation to this case". She added that she has asked the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, to conduct an internal review of how "evidence from MI5 should be prepared and presented in future". "I have asked my officials to review the wider issues raised by this case," she added.

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Ryanair increases size limits for free cabin bags

One of the current Ryanair bag measurers at Rome's Ciampino airport

This will mean that Ryanair accepts free bags one third bigger than the new EU minimum size limit.

The new size represents a 20% increase in volume from the current maximum dimensions.

Passengers will be allowed to take an item such as a handbag or laptop bag measuring up to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm in the cabin without paying an extra fee. It should weigh less than 10kg, and fit "under the seat in front you."

Budget airline Ryanair is planning to increase its "personal bag" size by 20% as the EU brings in a new standard.

Ryanair said the new free bag size would come into effect in the coming weeks as its bag size measuring devices were adjusted to the new standard.

Its current maximum bag size is 40cm x 25cm x 20cm, which already has a greater volume than the new European standard of 40cm x 30cm x 15cm.

Ryanair declined to say why it was giving passengers a larger carry-on bag allowance.

The size is still less generous than rival budget airline Easyjet, which allows a free underseat bag of 45cm x 36cm x 20cm (including wheels and handles) weighing up to 10kg.

Wizz Air allows one cabin bag as big as Ryanair's new limits – 40cm x 30cm x 20cm, with the same weight limit of 10kg.

BA has a slightly smaller limit for an under-seat laptop bag or handbag of 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, but passengers are allowed to take a larger cabin bag as well free of charge, subject to a maximum weight of 23kg.

The EU has been working with airlines to agree a minimum free bag size, so that frequent travellers can purchase one piece of luggage and be confident it would be accepted by multiple airlines.

The rule applies to airlines based in the EU – which includes Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizz Air – but airlines are of course free to accept larger bags if they choose.

Confusion about the different minimum sizes has caused problems for passengers, who have sometimes been faced with unexpected extra fees when airlines said their bags didn't match the specified dimensions.

Last month the transport committee of the European parliament voted to give passengers the right to an extra piece of free hand luggage weighing up to 7kg. The proposed rule would still have to be passed by the wider European parliament.

Passengers should confirm baggage rules with their airlines directly.

Seven ways Starmer's plan could change the NHS

6 hours ago Share Save Jim Reed Health Reporter Share Save

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Sir Keir Starmer has set out his 10-year-plan to reform the NHS in England, based on a shift from hospitals to neighbourhood health hubs, a new focus on prevention and better use of technology. He said the government's 162-page blueprint might be the last chance to put the health service "back on its feet". Here is what the plan could mean in practice.

Care on the doorstep

The government is promising to set up around 50 new neighbourhood health centres by the end of this parliament and up to 300 by 2035. The idea is to shift work out of overcrowded hospitals and into local hubs staffed by a mix of GPs, nurses, pharmacists, mental health specialists and other medics. After an operation, for example, you might be sent to a local health centre for a check-up rather than back to hospital for an outpatient's appointment. The new centres should eventually be open 12 hours a day, six days a week, the government has said. This is not a new idea. It's been talked about for years as a way of relieving pressure on the NHS and cutting waiting lists. There are still questions about the funding of the new network, where the staff will come from, and how long it will take to roll out.

Obesity 'moonshot'

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The plans include what the government is calling an "ambitious moonshot", aiming to "end the obesity epidemic". There will be "digital NHS points" for people who improve their diet or meet exercise goals. It's modelled on a Singapore scheme where citizens who walk more, buy healthier foods or go to health screenings can earn points to exchange for e-vouchers to use in supermarkets and restaurants. Athletics elder statesman, Sir Brendan Foster, will spearhead a campaign to get millions walking or running regularly. Access to NHS weight loss services and treatments, including medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, will be expanded. But planned legislation to ban some supermarket promotions of unhealthy food, including buy-one-get-one-free offers, might be dropped in favour of "smarter regulation, focused on outcomes".

New alcohol warnings

Expect to see new mandatory warning labels on cans and bottles of alcohol before the next election. The government says this has worked in countries like South Korea to "help consumers make more informed, healthier choices". There will also be a consultation on rule changes to allow very low alcohol drinks, up to 0.5% ABV, to be sold as "alcohol free". At the same time it will "explore options" to ban the sale of zero alcohol products to children. This hasn't impressed the Institute of Alcohol Studies which describes the plan as "frankly embarrassing". It is calling for a minimum price for alcohol to be imposed in England, as is already the case in Scotland and Wales.

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Dental deserts

There's a fresh push to increase access to dental care, a subject always near the top of public concern about the NHS. Dental therapists, who tend to carry out some of the more straightforward work of dentists, will be asked to perform more check-ups, treatments and referrals. And newly-qualified dentists may soon have to work in the health service for three years before they can move into private practice. That has angered the British Dental Association which said the "overwhelming majority" of young dentists do this anyway, and the policy "won't stop a single experienced dentist walking out from the NHS in despair". Longer term, the government promises the NHS dentists' contract, blamed for an acute shortage of staff in many areas, will be reformed.

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Mental health A&E

An extra £120m over five years is promised to develop dedicated mental health A&E departments. In total, 85 will be set up across England providing walk-in access or help for people brought in by ambulance or the police. People with mild or moderate needs may be able to access online virtual therapists. There is a promise to fund more mental health support in schools and to recruit another 8,500 mental health workers over the next decade. The plan was welcomed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists although it warned it comes after years of underinvestment.

A 'doctor in your pocket'

More use will be made of the NHS app to book appointments, order prescriptions and refer patients to local charities and businesses that can offer health support. Starmer said it would be like having a "doctor in your pocket providing advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week". Your full health record should be available on the app, along with the "red book", which contains a child's health data, including any vaccines they have been given. It should mean doctors can quickly look up a patient's history online rather than having to start from scratch with a new consultation, or ask for records to be emailed to them. There are concerns people who might not have access to the app or a smartphone, such as the elderly, could be excluded.

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What about social care?

Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen dies aged 67

Madsen was a prolific actor, best known for his roles in the Quentin Tarantino movies Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

He is believed to have died of cardiac arrest, according to a representative.

He was found unresponsive by authorities responding to a 911 call at his Malibu home and pronounced dead at 08:25 local time (15:25 GMT), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Hollywood actor Michael Madsen died in his California home on Thursday morning, US media reported. He was 67.

In Reservoir Dogs, one of the seminal movies of the 1990s, he played the thief Mr Blonde, described by fellow characters as "psycho", and shocked audiences in a scene where he cut off a policeman's ear.

During a career spanning four decades, Madsen also took on a number of tv roles.

In both tv and film, he often portrayed the law enforcers like sheriffs and detectives, as well as the law breakers, such as a washed-out hitman in the Kill Bill franchise.

In recent years, he lent his voices to video games, including Grand Theft Auto III and the Dishonored series.

Michael Madsen was born in Chicago in September 1957. His father was a Navy veteran of World War Two who later became a firefighter, and his mother was a filmmaker.

He was the brother of Virginia Madsen, who is known for several movies including Sideways, for which she was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe.

He was married three times, and is survived by four children, including actor Christian Madsen.

Madsen divorced his wife of 28 years, DeAnna, in 2024, over the death of their son Hudson, according to People magazine.

"My brother Michael has left the stage," his sister Virginia wrote in a statement to Variety.

"He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother - etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark."

"It's not about where we come from, but where we're going to."

The sentence can be found at the entrance of the Gondomar SC academy followed by a picture of its illustrious son Diogo Jota wearing the colours of the club he played for between the ages of nine and 17.

Right next to it, there's another one of him with the Portugal national team shirt too.

That's how far Jota went.

Since 2022, it has been renamed as the Diogo Jota academy.

Those words, said by the forward himself after scoring twice in a 3-0 win against Sweden in the Nations League in 2020, illustrate exactly who he was.

The 28-year-old, who died along with his brother Andre Silva on Thursday following a car accident in Spain, spent almost all his formative years in his hometown with a third-tier team, paying around 20 euros each month to play for them while being overlooked by the big sides because of his size.

Despite the odds, he never gave up.

Watch seven of Diogo Jota's best goals in the Premier League for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool.

Available to UK users only.

Diogo Jota, who died at the age of 28 on Thursday, will be remembered as a clinical finisher who scored goals in important moments for Liverpool and Wolves.

In five seasons at Anfield, the Portuguese forward delivered 65 goals in 182 appearances, collecting each of English football's major trophies, including one FA Cup and two League Cups, as well as Liverpool's 20th league title last season.

He signed for Liverpool for £41m from Wolves in 2020, having scored 44 goals in 131 appearances across three seasons after moving from Atletico Madrid.

At international level, he was a member of Portugal squads that won the Nations League twice - in 2019 and 2025.

We have chosen a selection of his finest moments on the pitch, including an 11-minute hat-trick against Besiktas in 2019, the goal that sent Wolves to Wembley in that same year, a stunning solo effort against Arsenal in 2021, and an important final derby winner.

Law enforcement is struggling to stop the growing sale of illegal tobacco in mini marts across British high streets, a BBC investigation has revealed.

Trading Standards teams say they don't have the resources to tackle the organised crime gangs suspected of supplying some of the shops and said the profits being made are on a par with selling heroin and cocaine.

Trading standards has described the issue as a war, and that asylum seekers with no right to work in the UK have been found inside some of the shops.

HMRC says it costs the country at least £2.2 billion in lost revenue.

In response to our report, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was a disgrace that criminal gangs are trying to abuse our high streets and said the government has increased raids and arrests for illegal working by 50% since the election.

UK editor, Ed Thomas, was confronted by angry shop workers outside mini marts where illegal cigarettes were discovered inside secret tunnels inside the shop.

UK Senior Producer, Rebecca Wearn.

Investigations Senior Producer, Patrick Clahane.

Camera, Phillip Edwards.

Angélique Kidjo first black African to get Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Singer Miley Cyrus, actor Timothée Chalamet, actress Demi Moore and former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal are also among those set to be honoured with a star on Los Angeles' famous walk.

The 64-year-old was hailed as Africa's "premier diva" during a press conference announcing the list on Wednesday.

Kidjo, who comes from the West African country of Benin and has won five Grammy awards, was among the 35 names announced as part of the Walk of Fame's class of 2026 list.

Musical icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first black African performer to be selected for a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kidjo receives the honour after making music for more than four decades and releasing 16 albums.

The songstress has won fans across the world with her commanding voice and ability to fuse West African styles with the likes of funk, jazz and R&B.

Her long list of collaborators includes forces such as Burna Boy, Philip Glass, Sting and Alicia Keys.

Kidjo joins Charlize Theron, a white South African actress, in representing Africa on the Walk of Fame, which comprises more than 2,700 stars.

Theron received her star in 2005.

The date on which Kidjo will see her star unveiled on the Walk of Fame has not yet been announced.

After recipients have been selected for a star, they have two years to schedule induction ceremonies.

Kidjo grew up in Benin, but left for Paris in 1983, citing oppression from the country's then communist government.

"From the moment the communist regime arrived in Benin, I became aware that the freedom we enjoy can be snatched away in a second," she told the BBC in 2023.

She said she has been driven by curiosity since childhood, adding: "my nickname was 'when, why, how?'. I want to understand things, to understand my place in this world."

Kidjo worked as a backing singer in France before striking out as a solo artist in 1990, with the album Parakou.

She is a Unicef and Oxfam goodwill ambassador, and has her own charity, Batonga, which is dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa.

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies bombardment, rescuers say

2 hours ago Share Save David Gritten BBC News Reporting from Jerusalem Share Save

Reuters Women and children were said to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza

At least 69 people have been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza on Thursday, rescuers say, as Israel intensified its bombardment of the Palestinian territory. One air strike killed 15 people at a school-turned-shelter for displaced families in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. The Israeli military said it targeted a "key" Hamas operative based there. The Civil Defence also reported that 38 people were killed while queueing for aid, or on their way to pick it up. The military said such reports of extensive casualties were "lies". It comes as pressure mounts on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal being pushed by US President Donald Trump.

Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. However, there are still obstacles that could prevent a quick agreement. Hamas has said it is studying the proposals - the details of which have still not been made public - but that it still wants an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will travel to Washington on Monday, has meanwhile insisted that the Palestinian armed group must be eliminated.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft had struck around 150 "terror targets" across Gaza over the previous 24 hours, including fighters, tunnels and weapons. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 118 people had been killed during the same period. Fifteen people, most of them women and children, were killed when a school housing displaced families in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck before dawn on Thursday, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medics said. Witness Wafaa al-Arqan told Reuters news agency: "Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning... What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?" The IDF said it struck a "key Hamas terrorist" who was operating in a "command-and-control centre" in Gaza City, without mentioning the school. The IDF added that it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and accused Hamas of using human shields - an allegation the group has repeatedly denied. At least another five displaced people were reportedly killed when a tent was struck overnight in the southern al-Mawasi area, where the IDF has told residents of areas affected by its evacuation orders to head for their own safety. Ashraf Abu Shaba, who lived in a neighbouring tent, said he saw the bodies of children and women wrapped in blankets afterwards. "The occupation [Israel] claims there are safe zones, but there are no safe zones. Every place is a target... The situation is unbearable," he added. Later, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP news agency that another 38 people were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid. He said 25 were killed near the Israeli military's Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. Six died at another location nearby, while seven were killed in the southern Rafah area, he added. Medics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis separately told Reuters that at least 20 people were killed while making their way to an aid distribution centre. There was no direct response to the reports from the IDF.

Reuters Nasser hospital treated Palestinians men reportedly shot by Israeli forces while seeking aid

British number one Jack Draper's wait for a breakout Wimbledon run continues after a shock second-round defeat by 36-year-old Marin Cilic.

Fourth seed Draper lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Croatia's Cilic, who reached the SW19 final in 2017 but is now ranked 83rd in the world.

It means the 23-year-old Englishman has still not reached the third round in any of his four appearances at the All England Club.

Draper was widely considered as the fourth favourite for the men's title - behind Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

But, in the first Championships of the post-Andy Murray era, Draper has suffered another frustrating early exit.

"Obviously, [I feel] really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel," an emotional Draper told a news conference.

"I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. [He] didn't let up. He deserved the win."

The US Open semi-finalist was pushed back behind the baseline from the start against Cilic, who dominated the opening two sets with his huge serve and deep returns.

Draper was now in a position which he had never been in before - needing to win a professional match from two sets down.

A drop in Cilic's pace enabled the home favourite to take control of the third set, but Draper still did not look completely comfortable in the fourth as his wily opponent recovered to edge a tense contest.

Heavily puffing his cheeks out as he left Court One was a sign of the difficulties he had endured on a testing evening from which he will hope to learn.

Labour plans further Right to Buy restrictions

6 hours ago Share Save Paul Seddon Political reporter Share Save

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Newly-built social housing in England will be exempt from Right to Buy for 35 years, under government plans to further scale back the policy. Social tenants will also have to live in their properties for much longer before qualifying for the scheme, which allows them to buy at a discount. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said it would help local authorities "protect much-needed social housing stock" and build new homes at scale. But the Conservatives branded the latest plans an "attack on aspiration".

Introduced in 1980, Right to Buy became a signature policy of the Thatcher government and was initially credited with increasing rates of home ownership. But in recent years the policy has been blamed for depleting council housing stock, after successive governments failed to replace properties sold under the scheme, often at a significant discount. It was abolished in Scotland in 2014, with Wales following in 2018. Since coming to power last year, Labour has stopped short of doing the same in England, but has significantly pared back the policy as part of broader plans to boost affordable housing. In November's Budget, it slashed the maximum discounts available to tenants to between £16,000-£38,000, down from £102,400 to £136,400.

Discount rates

Now it has confirmed new social homes will be exempt from the scheme for 35 years - longer than the 10 to 30 years suggested in a policy paper ahead of a two-month consultation earlier this year. The government said the longer period would ensure councils do not lose homes before they can recover costs from building them - noting the "payback period" on most new developments is at least 30 years. It has also announced new discount rates to sit alongside the cash caps announced at the Budget. Under the plans, discounts will start at 5% of a property's value, down from 35% for houses and 50% for flats currently. As now, social tenants will still be able to increase this discount by 1% for every year they live in their property, but only up to a new maximum of 15% of the home's value or the new cash cap, whichever is lower. Tenants will also have to have lived in their properties for at least ten years before qualifying, up from three years currently. The government says the changes will require changes to legislation, to be delivered "when parliamentary time allows".

'Unsustainable'

The government has also confirmed it will not be extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants - an idea previously suggested by Boris Johnson shortly before he was ousted by his own MPs in 2022. The move was welcomed by the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, which added that losses in local authority stock had been "unsustainable". The moves to further restrict Right to Buy are likely to be welcomed by the Local Government Association, which has previously warned that replacing sold-off homes was becoming "increasingly impossible" for councils it represents. It had been pushing for a longer 15-year qualifying period, and more flexibility for councils to set their own minimum discounts, including the option of not offering any initial discount to new tenants. However, Conservative shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused Labour of "turning its back on the very families who work hard and want a stake in their future". "For decades, Right to Buy has helped millions take their first step onto the housing ladder. Now, this government is making it harder than ever to own a home," he added.

England's top order was blown away after Shubman Gill's mammoth 269 for India to leave the hosts requiring their most unlikely turnaround yet under captain Ben Stokes after two days of the second Test at Edgbaston.

Gill's epic helped India pile up 587 and, after five sessions in the field, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley all fell to leave England 77-3 at the close.

Duckett and Pope, England's centurions from their comeback win in the first Test, were caught in the slips off consecutive deliveries in seamer Akash Deep's second over.

Crawley wafted at Mohammed Siraj to offer another edge on 19 as India, who faced huge questions coming into this Test, took total control.

Harry Brook was skittish in making 30 not out - he finished alongside Joe Root who has 18 - and could easily have deepened England's woes.

Gill had earlier effortlessly compiled the highest score by an India batter in England and the highest score by an Indian skipper anywhere in the world.

After resuming on 114, Gill extended his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to 203 to steer India away from early danger and when Jadeja fell for 89, he put on 144 with Washington Sundar to drive home the advantage.

India were guilty of letting a winning position slip in Leeds but now hold all of the cards as they bid to level the series.