Sir Keir Starmer could attempt a Cabinet reshuffle perhaps as soon as the days after next week’s local elections.
The party is expecting a difficult set of results and the already-beleaguered Prime Minister could use a rejig of his top team to try to shore up his diminishing authority.
Though Starmer’s aides are understood to be divided over whether he should change his Cabinet, The i Paper‘s reporting has uncovered some of the key names being tipped for demotion or a comeback.
So, who do Westminster insiders really think could be on course for a new job – or on track to be sacked?
Shorts – Quick stories
Armed forces
RAF troops shot down 100 Iranian drones
Caption: Image of the Rapid Sentry air defence system, seen here at the Air Defence Range at Manorbier, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales on the 18/03/2024.
Photographer: AS1 Jessica Eglon Copyright: UK MOD ? Crown copyright 2026
Troops used video game-like shooters to blast unmanned drones and missiles out of the sky.
The coalition base in Iraq faced 28 air attacks a day before the temporary ceasefire.
What you need to know
RAF aces used counter-drone missile systems to defend the base, reports Sky News.
The unidentified base in Iraq also houses US personnel.
The RAF is looking at making provision for expanding the UK armed forces’ counter-drone capabilities in the long-awaited defence investment plan.
Alistair Carns, the armed forces minister, said on a visit to the base: “I would argue this place would be a smouldering wreck if it wasn’t for you guys.”
Rapid fire
Troops on the base use Rapid Sentry counter-drone systems to intercept drones and missiles headed their way.
The launcher fires four laser-guided missiles against incoming threats.
Caption: Image of the Rapid Sentry air defence system, seen here at the Air Defence Range at Manorbier, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales on the 18/03/2024.
Photographer: AS1 Jessica Eglon Copyright: UK MOD ? Crown copyright 2026
NEWS
3 min read
Call of Duty pays off
It is a little bit different to the Xbox controller, but the concept is pretty much the same. If you are good at Xbox and PlayStation, then I think this is probably the one for you.
Air Specialist (Class 1) Westworth, RAF Ace
The PlayStation Showcase will be broadcast live this evening (Photo: Getty)
News
Stephen Fry sues conference for £100,000
The comedian, actor and presenter has brought a claim against the organisers of an AI conference at which he fell off the stage following his keynote address.
What you need to know
Fry, 68, fell 6ft off the stage on to concrete at London’s O2 Arena in 2023.
He broke his right leg, hip, pelvis and some ribs in the fall.
Fry told BBC Radio Two: “I didn’t realise that I was walking off the part of the stage where there was nothing – just a six-foot drop.”
The comedian is now suing CogX Festival and the event organiser, Blonstein Events, for personal injury damages.
TELEVISION
3 min read
A closer look at the detail
In court documents, his lawyers allege organisers failed to ensure “the stage and backstage area were safe, adequately lit and properly protected to prevent a fall from height”.
Fry took months off work after the incident, requiring “constant physiotherapy” for his injuries.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 22: Stephen Fry attends The Standard Theatre Awards 2025 Winners Dinner hosted by the Standard’s proprietor Lord Lebedev on March 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images) Photographer: Dave Benett Provider: Dave Benett/Getty Images Source: Dave Benett Collection Copyright: 2026 Dave Benett
BOOKS
6 min read
Prediction tool spots who needs weight-loss jabs before obesity hits
People who are overweight but not obese could be given GLP-1s if they are identified as at high risk of suffering from obesity-related complications.
Caption: TOTNES, DEVON – FEBRUARY 20: A close-up of a woman injecting a Mounjaro weight-loss jab on February 20, 2026, in Totnes, Devon. The popularity of weight-loss jabs to tackle obesity has soared in the UK in the past year with around 4 per cent of households currently using them. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) Photographer: Matthew Horwood Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe
What you need to know
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Pens for the diabetes drug Ozempic sit on a production line to be packaged at the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s site in Hillerod, Denmark, September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo Photographer: Tom Little Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS
Predicting disease risk
Obscore was created by academics from Queen Mary University of London and the Berlin Institute of Health.
Complements BMI
The model offers a more accurate way to spot people at higher risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
A nurse gives a patient a diabetes test (Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Diabetologist doctor waiting for result from glucose testing in diabetes clinic. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Catch issues in advance
The project identified 20 commonly collected readings which can be used to predict 18 different complications.
Tool could stop at-risk patients falling through the net
Dr Kamil Demircan, from Queen Mary University, said: “We actually observed that a considerable proportion of individuals were living with overweight rather than obesity.
“These constitute a population of individuals who may be overlooked if we only look at BMI and not other risk factors.”
Caption: A medicine distributor stores Mounjaro (tirzepatide) self-injecting GLP-1 prefilled pens and vials in a fridge at his office in Thane on March 20, 2026. A deluge of weight-loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low-cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
SCIENCE
4 min read
Caption: Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing S5,Thames,4,Paul Whitehouse, Ted the dog, Bob Mortimer,River Thames,Owl TV,Owl TV Photographer: Owl TV Provider: BBC/Owl TV Copyright: WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures’ Digital Picture Service (BBC Pictures) as set out at www.bbcpictures.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/. In particular, this image may only be published by a registered User of BBC Pictures for editorial use for the purpose of publicising the relevant BBC programme, personnel or activity during the Publicity Period which ends three review weeks following the date of transmission and provided the BBC and the copyright holder in the caption are credited. For any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising and commercial, prior written approval from the copyright holder will be required.
entertainment
Bob Mortimer ‘very, very sad’ after death of Gone Fishing dog Ted
Comedian Bob Mortimer has said he is “very, very sad” after the death of Ted, the dog who starred in Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.
What you need to know
Ted first appeared in the show during its third series in 2020 and quickly became popular with fans, being given a lifetime achievement award during the show’s 2025 Christmas special, as he appeared alongside Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.
Caption: WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 24/08/2021 – Programme Name: Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing S4 – TX: n/a – Episode: Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing S4 – iconic (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: Burghley House, Stamford Paul Whitehouse, Bob Mortimer – (C) Owl Power – Photographer: Marianne Wie
TV Still
BBC Photographer: Marianne Wie Provider: BBC/Owl Power/Marianne Wie
Caption: TX DATE:26-10-2025,TX WEEK:43,EMBARGOED UNTIL:21-10-2025 00:00:00,DESCRIPTION:,COPYRIGHT:Owl Power,CREDIT LINE:BBC/Owl Power/Marianne Wie Photographer: Marianne Wie Provider: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Owl Power/Marianne Wie Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Mortimer said: “So very, very sad. Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much… and away boss.”
The last we’ve seen of him?
Whitehouse added: “Bye bye Ted old friend. He wasn’t a dog, he was a species all of his own. He’s gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky. We will really miss you mate.”
Ted is set to make his final appearance in the show during its upcoming ninth series.
Caption: Ted, the Patterdale Terrier mix, who found fame on BBC?s Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing alongside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse has died.
(Images: Lisa Clark/Gone Fishing/Guy Levy)
TELEVISION
3 min read
Caption: A statue of a man holding a flag which covers their face, and signed ‘Banksy’, has appeared in Waterloo Place in London. Picture date: Wednesday April 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Photographer: Stefan Rousseau Provider: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Source: PA Copyright: PA Wire
ART
New Banksy statue pops up in London
A new plinth and statue have appeared in the centre of London, bearing the signature of secretive street artist Banksy.
The work appeared in the early hours of Wednesday, with Banksy taking credit a day later.
What are the details?
The statue depicts a man marching forward off the plinth, brandishing a flag which has blown back to cover his face.
It was first spotted on Waterloo Place yesterday.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: A new satirical statue attributed to Banksy appears in Waterloo Place on April 29, 2026 in London, England. The sculpture depicts a person in a suit marching forward off a plinth while their face is completely covered by a large, billowing flag. It is located near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial. (Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images) Photographer: Martin Pope Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: A new statue and plinth in Waterloo Lace, signed by the artist Banksy, on April 29, 2026 in London, England. A new satirical statue attributed to Banksy appeared in Waterloo Place, Central London today. The sculpture depicts a person in a suit marching forward off a plinth while their face is completely smothered by a large, billowing flag. It is located near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial. (Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images) Photographer: Martin Pope Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Copyright: 2026 Martin Pope
The background
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: A new satirical statue attributed to Banksy appears in Waterloo Place on April 29, 2026 in London, England. The sculpture depicts a person in a suit marching forward off a plinth while their face is completely covered by a large, billowing flag. It is located near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial. (Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images) Photographer: Martin Pope Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe
Banksy has built an international reputation for his thought-provoking, politically charged art.
This sculpture is his first public work since December.
CULTURE
3 min read
The drunken monkey theory could explain humans’ drinking habit (Photo: Olga Pankova/Getty)
HEALTH
How even moderate drinking can damage your liver
MetALD is a type of liver disease which arises when there is a combination of moderate levels of drinking along with being overweight or having other “metabolic conditions” that often accompany weight problems.
What you need to know
Caption: 3D Illustration Concept of Human Internal Digestive Organ Liver Anatomy Photographer: magicmine Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto
MetALD is thought to affect up to one in 10 people.
Being overweight can interact with drinking because fat is a key part of how alcohol affects the liver.
Ultrasound scanning of intestines, abdominal cavity, right lobe, liver, bile ducts, gallbladder – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Brian Lawless/PA).
If excessive drinking continues, the liver develops scarring which can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.
What do experts say?
Even a moderate amount of alcohol can lead to liver scarring if combined with being overweight or other metabolic problems. Most people don’t realise how easy it is to damage your liver
Dr Naina Shah, liver specialist at King’s College London
What are the risk factors?
The condition was only named three years ago and public awareness is low.
MetALD is usually seen in people who are overweight and are drinking more than 17.5 units a week for women, or 26 units for men.
Having high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes also increases the risk.
NEWS
3 min read
How to stop liver scarring
In most cases, scarring of the liver can be reversed by stopping alcohol consumption and weight loss. Weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy may also help people lower their alcohol intake.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
UK news
Everything you need to know about Golders Green terror attack
Caption: Screen grab from body worn camera issued by Metropolitan Police of police officers confronting and arresting a 45-year-old man who remains in custody, they have said, following two people being stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London. Issue date: Wednesday April 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Photographer: Metropolitan Police Provider: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Source: PA
The stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London, yesterday was declared a terrorist incident. Police arrested a Somalia-born British national on suspicion of attempted murder.
What you need to know
Iran-linked Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI) took credit for the attack on Telegram.
The victims – Shilome Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76 – were taken to hospital after being stabbed shortly after 11am. They are in a stable condition.
Sir Keir Starmer said he would visit the community “as soon as possible”.
Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mervis, called for the “silent majority in the UK to raise their voices” against antisemitism.
Developments since the attack
Caption: Members of the community watch as forensic officers search the area after two people were stabbed in the Golders Green neighbourhood, that has a large Jewish community, in London, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Photographer: Kin Cheung Provider: AP Source: AP Copyright: Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
The Home Secretary has condemned the “spate of attacks” on the Jewish community.
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley and local MP Sarah Sackman were both heckled at the scene.
Caption: Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley speaks to the media at the scene in Golders Green, north-west London, after two men – one aged in his 70s and another in his 30s – were stabbed on Wednesday morning. The Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody. Picture date: Wednesday April 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Lucy North/PA Wire Photographer: Lucy North Provider: Lucy North/PA Wire Source: PA
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Police officers look on as people participate in an ‘Anti-Zionism = Terrorism’ protest, organised by the pressure group Stop the Hate in Golders Green following the stabbing of two people earlier today on April 29, 2026 in the Golders Green area of London, England. According to Shomrim, the Jewish community security organisation, a man with a knife was seen running down the high street attempting to stab Jewish people in the area. Shomrim said they responded immediately and detained a suspect before police arrived and deployed a taser. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Photographer: Carl Court Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe
The Government has announced a further £25m for increased security for Jewish communities.
Who is the suspected attacker
The suspect is a 45-year-old British national who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child in the 1990s.
Body-worn footage shows the moment he was Tasered and pinned to the ground by police while holding a knife.
Caption: Screen grab from body worn camera issued by Metropolitan Police of police officers confronting and arresting a 45-year-old man who remains in custody, they have said, following two people being stabbed in Golders Green, north-west London. Issue date: Wednesday April 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Photographer: Metropolitan Police Provider: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Source: PA
NEWS
4 min read
New technique could transform endometriosis diagnosis
Waiting times for a diagnosis could be slashed after scientists developed a new imaging tool to spot the condition.
Endometriosis can be a debilitating condition for women which often takes years to diagnose.
The new imaging technique uses a molecular tracer which is injected into the patient and binds to a specific protein.
A scan then reveals inflamed areas or lesions.
HEALTH
4 min read
The story in numbers
9 years
Currently, the average time from first seeing a doctor to getting an official endometriosis diagnosis in the UK is about nine years and four months.
84%
Nineteen patients completed the study, which found that the new imaging technique was able to detect the presence or absence of endometriosis in 16 women.
This means it had a hit rate of 84 per cent of participants.
Diagnosis times slashed
If these results are confirmed in larger phase three studies, imaging with maraciclatide could transform clinical research and practice and potentially empower the development of treatments for women across the globe
Professor Krina Zondervan, co-director of the Endometriosis CaRe Centre
Labour said delays to treatment starts were also worsening even before the pandemic. (Photo: Getty Images)
The return of Angela Rayner
Starmer has, for some time, been considering how and when Angela Rayner – one of his key leadership rivals – could be brought back into the fold after she resigned from Cabinet following the stamp duty scandal.
The former housing secretary is currently being investigated by HMRC after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on an £800,000 property in the well-heeled area of Hove in East Sussex.
The PM is understood to want to try and find a way to bring her back into his top team in an attempt to ensure her loyalty, for now.
Sources insist that no formal offer has been made to the former deputy prime minister, despite reports to the contrary, but there is speculation as to what role she might consider accepting.
Since her departure from Cabinet, she has repeatedly spoken out about issues relating to her former role of housing secretary and Labour sources speculate that she would want to return to this job – currently held by Steve Reed.
There are questions around whether she would really want a new Cabinet role under Starmer given the direction of the current Government and what demands she, or her followers, would make in return for her support.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, centre, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, right, are among Starmer’s biggest possible leadership rivals (Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP)
Deputy Labour leader – and other Rayner allies
With the return of Rayner could come the promotion of those who are known to be supportive of her.
Lucy Powell replaced her as deputy Labour leader but does not currently have a Cabinet role. She is someone considered to be on the hook for a promotion if Starmer has to reshape his top team.
Louise Haigh, a former minister who resigned early on in the Government after a historic guilty plea for fraud was unearthed, is another name being batted around.
Former disabilities minister Vicky Foxcroft has also been talked up.
Haigh and Foxcroft are allies of Rayner and may be in the frame for a promotion if the former deputy prime minister is brought back into the fold.
Could Liz Kendall face demotion?
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has been mentioned as someone at risk of demotion with several Westminster sources saying there are rumours she could be moved.
Kendall was previously work and pensions secretary during the Government’s failure to push through welfare cuts central to its public spending plan. It was eventually forced into an embarrassing and damaging U-turn by its own MPs.
There are some in the party who believe she has demonstrated similar poor management when it comes to the proposed social media ban for children.
Peter Kyle ‘in a vulnerable position’
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle has been a long-time supporter of Starmer but has been privately criticised by some in the party for not having been an effective Cabinet minister.
Crucially Kyle – like Kendall – is considered to be in a vulnerable position because they are part of the right wing of the Labour Party. This is not expected to be the cohort Starmer would have to win over to maintain power, and therefore the PM would not receive the same backlash for demoting them as he would for other ministers.
Is replacing Shabana Mahmood on the cards?
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has become a controversial figure among the Labour left, in particular due to her very tough proposals for changing the immigration rules to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
While she is an effective communicator, and an asset to a Government facing a threat from right-wing parties such as Reform UK, Mahmood is problematic for Labour MPs who have a high number of immigrants in their constituencies – such as around London.
She has been out to bat for her policies very forcefully and is so personally linked to them that, should the PM decide to backtrack, he may be forced to replace her at the same time.
