The Tories are still on life support – so why is Badenoch in celebratory mood? 10. May 2026 (19:38) Party leader has been vocal about its gains in London and there is a feeling that its losses could have been worseBy any sane person’s reckoning, the Conservative party had a night to forget in Thursday’s local, mayoral and devolved elections. It lost about 500 councillors in England and ceded control of three local authorities to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK – losing to the rightwing upstarts in England, Wales and Scotland. Why, then, is Kemi Badenoch hailing these results as proof that “the Conservatives are coming back” – and why do many Tory MPs appear to agree with her?The Conservative leader was vocal on Friday about the eye-catching gains her party made in politically atypical London, where the Tories won back the totemic council of Westminster, took the most seats in Wandsworth council and saw off the threat from Reform in Bexley and Bromley. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British paratroopers land on Tristan da Cunha for suspected hantavirus case 10. May 2026 (19:26) Soldiers dropped oxygen supplies and medical aid to Britain’s most remote overseas territory• What is hantavirus?Paratroopers landed on a “golf course covered in rocks” to supply medical personnel and oxygen to Britain’s most remote overseas territory as it deals with a suspected hantavirus case, an army commander has said.The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Friday that a British national had disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius to the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where they live, with a suspected case of hantavirus. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Full nationalisation of British Steel expected in King’s speech 10. May 2026 (18:45) Officials reportedly drafting legislation likely to safeguard Britain’s last blast furnaces and save thousands of jobs The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the King’s speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner.The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, came under government control last April amid fears that its owner, Jingye, was planning to shut down the site. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plaid Cymru leader plans minority Welsh government built on cooperation 10. May 2026 (18:45) Rhun ap Iorwerth says he hopes to work with other parties and press the UK government for extra powersThe leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has vowed to form a stable minority government in the Senedd and said he would seek out mature cooperation from all opposition parties.Ap Iorwerth said his administration would press the UK government for extra powers over policy areas such as policing and justice and focus on results rather than engaging in political rows with Westminster. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rhythm nation: politician’s viral dance moves mark new, optimistic era for Hungary 10. May 2026 (18:42) Zsolt Hegedűs’s celebrations since the election of Péter Magyar have sparked joy across the countryAs Hungary’s Péter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, the daylong event on Saturday was laced with symbolism, from the return of the EU flag to parliament to the ringing out of the European anthem, Ode to Joy.But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister – and more specifically, his dance moves – that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary’s new political era. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Americans onboard hantavirus cruise ship to be repatriated to US 10. May 2026 (18:20) The 17 passengers are set to be transferred to a special quarantine center in Nebraska to ‘assess them for risk’The 17 Americans onboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship M/V Hondius were being repatriated to the United States on Sunday after the vessel docked in Tenerife and all the passengers were evacuated.Upon their arrival in Spain, medical teams from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were waiting and interviewed the passengers, whose identities have not been publicly disclosed and who have not tested positive for the virus, about their exposure on the cruise. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rayner warns Starmer to change direction as Streeting preparing leadership bid 10. May 2026 (17:59) Chances of Starmer remaining in No 10 appear to be diminishing as about 40 Labour MPs call for him to quitUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer is facing a perilous 24 hours as allies of Wes Streeting said he was prepared to bid for the leadership if the prime minister’s premiership falls apart and Angela Rayner warned that a change of direction was needed.Starmer was hoping to save his job with a speech that sets out his vision for turning the country around on Monday, after a disastrous set of local election results in which the party lost support to Reform UK and the Greens. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands attend rally against antisemitism outside Downing Street 10. May 2026 (17:09) Conservative and Reform leaders cheered as they address crowd, while Labour’s Pat McFadden met with boos and shouts of ‘where is Starmer?’Thousands of people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday to protest an increase in antisemitic hate crimes and violence, as senior politicians and interfaith leaders called for unity.The Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism rally, backed by more than 30 Jewish groups, drew thousands of people to Whitehall, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat party leaders, alongside Labour and Reform representatives, addressed a crowd studded with Israeli and union jack flags and ‘Where is Keir?’ placards. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mike Ashley admits he was behind video that brought down JD Sports chair 10. May 2026 (17:09) Sports Direct founder says people in his employ recorded footage of Peter Cowgill meeting another retail bossThe Sports Direct founder, Mike Ashley, has admitted to arranging surveillance footage that brought down his rival Peter Cowgill, the former JD Sports chair.Cowgill was secretly filmed in 2021 in a car talking with the Footasylum boss Barry Bown. JD Sports was in the process of acquiring the trainer retailer at the time and the two companies were not allowed to share commercially sensitive information. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Doctors warned Andrea could die without safe housing, then discharged her to sleep on the streets 10. May 2026 (17:00) The First Nations woman has been on the priority public housing list in WA since 2023. Despite nearly dying from sleeping rough, she still has a two year wait.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe family of a homeless First Nations woman who is sick with septicemia fear she will die without a safe home, but advocates warn it could be years before she reaches the top of the public housing waiting list.Andrea Woodley has been in and out of hospital for weeks with sepsis, triggered by infected blisters on her feet after sleeping rough in inner city Perth. The Noongar, Budimaya and Nyikina woman and her loved ones fear that without a home she is at risk of death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
