Quits

The defence secretary has resigned over the government’s military spending plans, in another major blow for Keir Starmer. In a scathing letter to the prime minister, John Healey said the long-awaited defence investment plan ‘falls well short of what is required for defence’ and that he would have to take decisions that ‘could make Britain less safe’. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to policy editor Kiran Stacey Continue reading...

• KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji and who serves as a judge on Britain's Got Talent, has announced his departure from the YouTube collective Sidemen. • Olatunji has been a core member of the group since its inception in 2013, contributing to its growth into one of the most influential digital collectives. • This move marks a significant shift for the creator as he balances his music career, boxing, and television commitments.

Yates says we have let ourselves down’ when dealing with allegations of client information being misusedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKPMG’s Australian chief Andrew Yates will step down immediately, after taking responsibility for the consultancy firm’s failure to properly respond to whistleblower allegations around the misuse of client information.The firm’s chief executive made the announcement on Friday morning, saying in a statement that “I have been committed to a speak-up culture in our firm”. Continue reading...

• Former civil servant Ashish Joshi has officially withdrawn his support for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), citing concerns over the movement's integrity. • Joshi claims the initiative is "not genuinely independent," describing it as a "covert political project" rather than a grassroots effort. • The controversy is heightened by the involvement of Dipke, a former Aam Aadmi Party strategist who worked on social media and campaigning from 2020 to 2023.

Andy Burnham expected to address supporters in the morning as he officially launches campaign to be Labour candidate for MakerfieldGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.Andy Burnham is set to officially launch his campaign as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection this morning, as he seeks a return to parliament after nine years. Continue reading...

Party apologises for posts by Chris Kennedy about attack on Jewish ambulances and says he has withdrawn for personal reasonsThe Green party’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection has withdrawn from the ballot less than 12 hours after being announced.Chris Kennedy was announced to be running in the seat for the Greens on Thursday morning, but nine hours later the party said he had dropped out, citing “personal and family reasons”. Continue reading...

Streeting, who is on the party’s right, had long been rumoured to be gathering support for tilt at leadershipUK politics live – latest updatesWes Streeting has quit as health secretary and called on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister, saying it would have been “dishonourable” to remain in post and that there should now be a contest for the Labour leadership.But Streeting, who is on the party’s right, will not immediately launch a challenge and said he wanted to see a leadership contest with a broad range of candidates – a suggestion that the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, could fight in the contest. Continue reading...