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Badenoch’s statement came after the Conservatives won back Westminster and Wandsworth councils in LondonElections 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKemi Badenoch has claimed that the Conservatives are “coming back” after winning back Westminster and Wandsworth councils from Labour in London, despite her party suffering significant losses throughout England in Thursday’s elections.The party also saw off a threat from Reform in Bexley. But the Tories suffered a series of losses in Essex, where Badenoch herself is an MP, losing 13 seats while Reform gained 52. It held on to Harlow, securing all 11 district council seats available. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Green party made substantial gains. So is the era of two-party politics over? And can the prime minister survive?Lucy Hough speaks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping Continue reading...

It has been a crushing set of local and devolved elections for Labour, with Reform UK making huge gains across the country and the Greens winning in London. Keir Starmer is under pressure to announce a timeline for his departure – yet he insists he will not walk away Continue reading...

Leader defiant in face of calls from some of his MPs to quit but admits ‘results are tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it’Election 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKeir Starmer has vowed to fight on as prime minister despite early results in local elections that show his party suffering heavy losses, many at the hands of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Starmer struck a defiant note on Friday morning in the face of calls from some of his MPs to quit, insisting he remained as determined as ever to deliver the promises on which he was elected less than two years ago. Continue reading...

Reform runaway winners in north-east, likely pushing Labour into opposition in Hartlepool, with other losses for Starmer in Chorley, Wigan, Redditch and TamworthElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesThe scale of the electoral challenge facing Labour was laid bare overnight as the party haemorrhaged councillors at the local elections and Reform made significant gains.Keir Starmer’s party went into Thursday’s local elections expected to lose up to 1,850 councillors, with senior figures describing the contest as “tough”. Continue reading...

From devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales to councils and mayoralties in England, find out what happened in your area. The first results are expected at around midnightLatest reporting and analysis Continue reading...

Albanese government announces east coast gas reservation policy, which will require producers to set aside 20% of export volumesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGas companies will be forced to set aside 20% of exports for domestic use under a reservation scheme designed to shore up supplies and bring down prices for households and businesses on the east coast.The federal government announced the design of the reservation scheme on Thursday as part of a wider overhaul of the mechanisms regulating the gas sector. Continue reading...

• Young investors in Singapore are increasingly allocating funds to domestic stocks as a safe haven during volatile global markets. • The trend reflects a search for stability amid uncertainties in international equities and broader economic pressures. • Local market resilience draws this demographic, potentially boosting Singapore's exchange volumes and liquidity.

Deputy leader plays down leadership talk and says party must focus on long-term challenges rather than personnelLabour’s deputy leader has warned there will be “no magic bullet” to solve Labour’s problems – or major challenges facing the country – as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout out from the local elections.Lucy Powell told the Guardian she understood there was “huge anger and despondency” from Labour MPs in the aftermath of the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal, but said the prime minister would not make a similar mistake again. Continue reading...

• A federal appeals court has overturned a lower‑court injunction that had ordered the Trump administration to restore the flow of federal grants to several local governments, reopening billions of dollars in funding that had been withheld. • The decision follows a dispute over how the administration interprets the conditions attached to federal grants, with cities arguing that the withholding amounted to political retaliation. • The ruling could influence how future administrations may or may not condition aid on policy compliance, and it has implications for federalism and local autonomy.

With voter loyalty a distant memory, the Lib Dems’ cost of living policies and criticism of Trump could gain them ground It has been an election buildup dominated by the rise of Reform UK and the Greens, and the contrasting woes of Labour and the Tories. But there is a chance that on 8 May the Liberal Democrats, largely ignored in recent weeks, could wake up as the biggest party in English local government.This is just one of several paradoxes for the party’s leader, Ed Davey, and his team. They are fifth in many national polls, with a rating barely changed from 2024. But Lib Dem bosses are sanguine, convinced that UK politics is now so different, so atomised, to make headline polling almost irrelevant. Continue reading...

Robert Hayward predicts Reform will be big winner, taking seats from both Labour and the ConservativesGood morning. We are now into the final week of campaigning for the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections. Keir Starmer had been planning a big speech today, but he, and other political leaders, are today focusing on their response to the Golders Green stabbing and the antisemitism threat facing Britain’s Jewish community – described as a “national security emergency” by Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terror legislation. Here is our overnight story. And here is our live blog by Taz Ali.Taz will be covering most of the political reaction to that story, and so that won’t be something I will be covering here. (And because criminal proceedings are active, comments relating to the attack won’t be allowed below the line, I’m afraid.) Continue reading...

Labour calls on Nigel Farage to sack candidates and says his party’s checks ‘clearly not fit for purpose’Reform UK’s checks on candidates are “clearly not fit for purpose”, Labour has said after two more candidates in May’s local elections were accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts.Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, the party set up by the MP Rupert Lowe after he left Reform, appeared to have accepted a donation from someone who has called publicly on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power. Continue reading...

Some fear a fragmented field of hopefuls from Labour, the Conservatives, Greens, Reform and Independents could leave city ungovernablePaul Tilsley was 23 when he was first elected for the Liberal party in Birmingham’s 1968 council elections. At the time, the UK had an unpopular Labour government facing an economic crisis, tensions around immigration and US pressure to back military action abroad.Such a backdrop may seem familiar, but this May, the all-out local elections in Birmingham could not be more different. Tilsley, now a Lib Dem, faces a fragmented field with candidates from Labour, the Conservatives, Greens, Reform and Independents all competing for his seat and no party expected to win an overall majority at the council. Continue reading...

• Venezuela's opposition coalition announced victory in April 10 municipal elections, claiming to have won majorities in 200+ municipalities, though the National Electoral Council has delayed official results release. • International election observers from the Carter Center and UN raised concerns about transparency and irregularities in voting procedures, with some polling stations reporting technical malfunctions. • The disputed results threaten to deepen political crisis in the oil-rich nation already facing severe economic collapse and humanitarian crisis, with potential for renewed street protests and international diplomatic intervention.

Exclusive: Health secretary warns of dangers of protest vote as he pitches NHS as key battleground in May electionsVoters in May’s local and devolved elections risk putting the NHS in jeopardy if they vote for populist parties, Wes Streeting has said, as he sought to make the health service a key battleground.“The founding principles of the NHS are at greater threat than at any time since the NHS was founded in 1948,” the health secretary said. Continue reading...

Animals were used legally as fishing bait, sheriff’s office confirms after incident shook locals in Guemes IslandA Washington state sheriff’s office says it has solved the mystery of nearly two dozen dead canines who washed ashore recently.The animals were foxes being used legally as bait for fishing operations, the Skagit county sheriff’s office said on Friday. Continue reading...

Conservatives disowned Derek Bullock in 2023 after he allegedly used racial slur to call for people of Pakistani heritage to be shotA Reform UK candidate for next month’s council elections was twice disciplined by the Conservatives over allegedly offensive or racist comments, while another shared conspiracy theories about Covid, it has emerged, as the full slate of candidates was confirmed.More than 5,000 council places in England are being contested on 7 May, along with several mayoralties, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, in a significant test for all the major parties. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Capital’s mayor warns people not to use next month’s elections as a referendum on Labour’s progressUK politics live – latest updatesSadiq Khan has said he can understand why some former Labour voters are “flirting” with other parties in the run-up to May’s elections, but said that they may regret seeing a Green or Reform-led council in their areas.Speaking to the Guardian at a youth centre, where he was announcing new funding for facilities for young people, the London mayor also cautioned Labour MPs against considering a challenge to Keir Starmer, saying such “navel gazing” would be punished by the electorate. Continue reading...

Guardian journalist among those to get surprise request, though Farage denies party are ‘begging’ people to standUK politics live – latest updatesReform UK has been cold calling people asking them to become “paper” candidates for the party at the local elections, as parties dash to sign up enough names before Thursday’s deadline.Nigel Farage’s party has been ringing members of the public asking them to stand despite apparently knowing very little about them except that they have signed up for Reform’s email updates. Continue reading...

Datacentres ‘directly competing’ with possible residential builds near public transport, one council tells NSW inquiry, amid growing concernsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDatacentre developments are crowding out opportunities for housing and job-rich industries across Sydney, a New South Wales inquiry has heard, with one local council reporting a rise in blackouts linked to the industry’s expansion.Several Sydney councils, all facing an influx of datacentre developments, have raised concerns about the health, environmental and amenity impacts on their local communities in submissions to the state’s datacentre inquiry. Continue reading...

The party, whose parliamentary leader is Jeremy Corbyn, will back 250 candidates, focusing on urban areasYour Party is to focus its local election efforts on a number of urban areas with large Muslim populations where Labour support has weakened, throwing its support behind supporting independent candidates and community groups.Party insiders have intentionally narrowed their focus to key targets including the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, where locally rooted independent campaigns are already braced to challenge Labour. Continue reading...

• The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) drew strong attendance figures in Detroit during recent competition, demonstrating robust local fan interest. • Detroit-area fans have publicly expressed enthusiasm for bringing an expansion PWHL franchise to the market, signaling demand for professional women's hockey in the region. • The strong performance metrics reflect growing momentum for women's professional hockey leagues and indicate expansion opportunities in major U.S. markets.

In today’s newsletter: From breakthroughs to breakdowns, what we can expect to see – and what the consequences of the vote could beGood morning. On 7 May, voters in England will go to the polls for a series of local elections, on the same day that Scotland and Wales vote for new governments. It promises to be a torrid time for Keir Starmer and his governing Labour party, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, Zack Polanski’s Green party and Rhun ap Iorwerth’s Plaid Cymru expected to make breakthroughs.Recent polling, though, suggests that the overall balance between those on the right and those on the left has barely shifted – rather, previously loyal Conservative voters are moving towards Farage’s party, while Labour voters are deserting to other progressive options.Middle East crisis | Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power stations and fresh water plants if Tehran does not agree to peace terms “shortly”.Israel | Israel’s parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, a measure sharply criticised as discriminatory by European countries and rights groups.BBC | The BBC has sacked the Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills after allegations about his personal conduct. The corporation said that “while we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC”.Politics | Zack Polanski has kicked off a charm offensive designed to convince trade unions to stop funding Labour and throw their weight behind the Green party, as he delivered the first in a series of speeches to union conferences.Travelodge | A woman who was sexually assaulted by an employee at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case. Continue reading...

As the war in Iran continues, ministers debate several options for extending support to households Middle East crisis – live updatesFamilies hardest hit by the looming energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East could be given funds dispensed by local councils, under plans being considered by UK ministers keen to keep a lid on costs.As concerns increase about the impact of rising fuel and energy costs in response to a drawn-out war in Iran, a government official said several options for extending support were being debated inside Whitehall. Continue reading...

UK PM to chair meeting in Downing Street on how government responds to economic consequences of Iran war later on MondayGood morning. Keir Starmer will today chair a meeting in Downing Street on how the government responds to the economic consequences of the Iran war, which has the potential to upend much of what the government is trying to do to improve living standards. And so he is probably not too happy about the fact that this morning he has to attend an event in the West Midlands launching Labour’s English local elections campaign.It is a relatively low-key launch. “The Westminster press pack wasn’t invited for a full Q&A,” Politico reports. Starmer will be back in London later for his Iran war meeting.We’re going to fight to earn every vote. Fight for our values. And fight for the country we are building together, a Britain built for all.Because, in the context of everything that is happening in the world. Those values – that fairness we stand for – it’s never been more important.We will protect our forces, our people, our allies in the region. But I made the decision that it is not in our national interest to commit British forces to a war, without a clear legal basis and a clear plan – and I stand by that.It’s a question of judgement. Do not forget that the Tories and Reform would have rushed us into this. With no thought of the consequences, including for the cost of living. Utterly reckless. Continue reading...

PM will also cite Iran war as reason to stick with Labour, as party adopts new slogan: ‘Pride in Britain’ Keir Starmer will say that a vote for Reform UK will put at risk progress Labour is making on the cost of living, arguing that Britain’s values are being tested in a volatile world.Launching the party’s local elections campaign with a new slogan: “Pride in Britain”, Starmer will urge voters to stay the course with Labour. A dire set of results are predicted for the party in Wales, Scotland and English councils, especially in the north-east of England and London. Continue reading...

Fossil-fuel burning at Ohio facility could burn longer, leaving Middletown residents to face environmental risksSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxIt was just a few months after moving from Louisville to Middletown, Ohio, four years ago that Vivian Adams’s six-year-old daughter’s asthma problem worsened.“My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues,” she says, “[but] it’s gotten worse. She stays sick and coughing and can’t breathe. She’s had to go on everyday medication for her asthma, plus she has a rescue inhaler.” Continue reading...