Sir Keir Starmer has told allies he believes he can win a leadership contest as his premiership teeters on the brink.
According to sources, he has seen private polling which suggests he could still win a ballot of the Labour Party membership.
However, one MP joked that he would only win if the only other candidate was Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, who has become a lightening rod for criticism after the public backlash to her plans to axe winter fuel payments and raise taxes.
Shorts – Quick stories
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Peter Frankopan
Professor of Global History at Oxford University
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Photographer: Nathan Howard Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS (Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: SAUL LOEB Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
It comes as the PM threw down the gauntlet to his rivals in this morning’s Cabinet meeting and dared them to challenge him. He told the Cabinet: “The Labour Party had a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.”
One MP said the PM was right to try to flush out his rivals: “If they’ve not got the bottle to put their names on a nomination form, then he is right to tell them to put up or shut up.”
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, who is widely seen as one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed Starmer, left Cabinet without speaking to the media, despite other ministers publicly showing their support for the PM.
Andy Burnham, another leadership frontrunner, arrived in London shortly after midday. There is widespread speculation that he might be about to announce that he has found an MP willing to step aside for him – paving the way for his return to Westminster.
Starmer ‘rebuffed’ Streeting’s attempt to speak to him at Cabinet
Despite claims last night that Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, was among a contingent of senior ministers to urge the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure, none of the Cabinet directly challenged him during morning’s meeting. One minister present told The i Paper that it was a “serious discussion” focused on the Strait of Hormuz.
A government source said: “Keir said in Cabinet that he won’t discuss the elections or his leadership, and that he will only speak to cabinet ministers about that individually. Then after the meeting he refused to see Cabinet ministers individually.”
Streeting was one of a number of Cabinet ministers who tried to speak to the PM after the Cabinet meeting but the PM refused to speak to them, The i Paper understands.
Today’s resignations ‘the tip of the iceberg’
As pressure continues to mount on the PM, Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister, became the second minister to resign in the wake of the disastrous local election results.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Phillips called on Starmer to step down, saying she could not “keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress”.
She added: “Over a year ago I presented solutions, long worked on by brilliant civil servants that would end the ability for children in the UK to take naked images of themselves. 91 per cent of online child sex abuse is self-generated by children groomed, tricked and exploited in to abuse. The technology exists to stop children being able to take naked images of themselves. We could make this possible on every phone and device in the country. We could stop this abuse. It has taken me a year to get you to agree to even threaten to legislate in this space. Not legislate, just threaten. This is the definition of incremental change. Nothing bold about it. The announcement was meant to be in March, I’m still on a promise this will happen in June, I’ve given up believing it. How many children were left without a safety net in the time we dilly dallied and worried about tech bosses?”
Earlier on Tuesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh resigned as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities. In a letter she told the PM “to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition” as the public had lost trust in him because of issues such as the scrapping of the winter fuel payment.
‘What the f*ck are their policies?’
A Government source told this newspaper that these resignations were just the “tip of the iceberg” – suggesting that more ministers will quit in the coming hours.
However, there are signs that Starmer’s allies are trying to launch a rearguard action against the ongoing coup, which has so far seen 85 MPs call on the PM to stand aside.
A Government source said Starmer loyalists were vowing “no surrender” to the leadership plotters, adding of contenders for PM: “What the f*ck are their policies?”
A Labour source said: “I’m hearing there is a groundswell of backbenchers mobilising against those who have come forward in the last two days. I understand that Cabinet was largely supportive of the PM, with many comments highlighting the economic and political impact of a leadership challenge. I also understand that the vast majority of junior ministers are frustrated by the actions of Miatta — an individual who continues to believe that Ed Miliband would make a good PM, despite the public having already rejected him.”
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Baroness Jenny Chapman said she was not surprised there was no direct challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
“I didn’t think they would be challenging the Prime Minister at Cabinet,” she said.
“We have got a job to do. It’s a really serious task. The Prime Minister is leading us in that task and everybody around that table is completely focused on delivering for this country.”
Starmer’s handling of the UK response to the war in Iran was praised by several Cabinet ministers during their meeting this morning, The i Paper was told. A number of ministers made positive references to Starmer’s leadership, particularly in the context of the UK government’s response to the Middle East. Besides the PM’s opening remarks about a contest, this was the main focus of discussion in the context of Starmer’s premiership.
In a show of support, several ministers took the unusual step of speaking to the gathered press outside No10 after the Cabinet meeting, including Business Secretary Peter Kyle, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and Housing Secretary Steve Reed.
