STORY
Pat McFadden, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has left a Cabinet meeting this morning and confirmed that no members of the Cabinet have resigned or said that they wish to stand against Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister has said that he intends to carry on governing as a growing number of Labour MPs are issuing support for Keir Starmer to remain.
![PRESS RELEASE : Innovative walking, wheeling and cycling projects win share of £1 million [May 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/transportlogo-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 12 May 2026.
The 12 winning projects will provide more people with healthier and sustainable active travel options across England.
Communities across England will benefit from a diverse range of innovative walking, wheeling and cycling projects, after Active Travel England (ATE) awarded grants through its £1 million Innovation Fund.
The 12 successful projects, ranging from e-cargo bike share schemes and community behaviour change programmes, to ‘gamified’ walking campaigns and accessible wheeling apps, will each receive grants of up to £100,000, following a competitive bid process.
The Active Travel Innovation Fund was launched in October last year to enable small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) and non‑governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop new ideas or expand successful initiatives that are already making a difference.
Funded projects will provide more people with healthier and sustainable active travel options, especially those from under-represented groups, supporting the government’s missions to improve public health, create safer streets and cut carbon emissions.
Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:
These projects are about testing fresh ideas in the real world and finding out what works. By backing smaller, innovative organisations across the country, we are tapping into more imaginations, reaching people in the heart of the community and building a strong evidence base that will further improve everyday journeys for people who walk, wheel and cycle now and in the future.
The lessons we learn will help councils, businesses and communities invest in approaches that are inclusive, practical and deliver tangible benefits. It’s about making it easier for more people to choose active travel for everyday trips, whatever their age, ability or background.
Local Transport Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said:
We’re backing bold, community‑led ideas that get more people walking, wheeling and cycling.
These projects show how innovation and entrepreneurship can deliver healthier journeys, safer streets and real benefits for communities across the country.
On top of this, the government is investing £626 million for local authorities up to 2030 to deliver vital walking and cycling schemes, which is enough for 500 miles of new walking and cycling routes and 170,000 more active trips per day. This will also help boost local businesses, grow local economies and ease pressure on the NHS.
The winning projects include Walk Ride Greater Manchester, which will support the set‑up, coordination and scaling of walking and bike buses, helping hundreds of primary school children travel to school in a fun and active way.
Go Jauntly is an award‑winning UK walking app that will use the funding to run a gamified city‑versus‑city campaign to increase walking and wheeling among women and families in Birmingham and Liverpool.
PedalUK will set up, deliver and evaluate a 5‑cycle ‘Our Bike’ community‑led e‑cargo bike‑sharing pilot in Brighton and Hove.
Other funded projects include Mobility Mapper, a Bristol‑based intervention that will develop a digital mapping platform, accessed via an app, aimed at enabling wheelers to travel more safely and confidently.
General Manager at PedalUK/OurBike, Emma Hughes, said:
This funding enables OurBike to launch and test our London e-cargo bike share scheme outside the capital in Brighton and Hove. Building on research from the University of Brighton and working with Brighton and Hove City Council and local partners, we are addressing the real barriers to e-cargo bike use by embedding bikes in communities and making everyday cycling more accessible and affordable for families and businesses carrying children, goods or equipment.
CEO at Go Jauntly, Hana Sutch, said:
At Go Jauntly, we believe walking and wheeling should feel accessible, safe and joyful for everyone, especially women and families who are often overlooked.
Thanks to Active Travel England funding, we are expanding our behaviour change programmes to meet people in their own neighbourhoods, making everyday movement fun, easier and more inclusive.
Director of Walk Ride Greater Manchester, Harry Gray, said:
We’re delighted to have received funding from Active Travel England’s Innovation Fund to deliver a Walking and Cycling Bus Pilot across Manchester and Trafford.
This funding enables us to provide a full-time project coordinator to grow and sustain walking and cycling buses at scale. Every child across Greater Manchester should have access to a safe, active travel route to school – walking and cycling buses are where that journey begins.
Founder of Mobility Mapper, Sonya Ridden, said:
Active Travel England innovation funding is essential in helping Mobility Mapper begin mapping the routes wheelers can actually use. By creating a wheelable network built from real journeys, we will help people plan ahead with confidence, avoid unsuitable routes, make everyday wheeling easier and safer, and make active travel more inclusive.
![PRESS RELEASE : Government steps up action to strengthen cyber defences as UK cyber industry continues to grow [May 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/science-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 12 May 2026.
UK businesses are being urged to strengthen their cyber defences against fast-evolving AI-enabled threats.
Businesses across the UK are being urged to strengthen their cyber defences, as the government takes action to protect the economy and essential services people rely on every day from fast-evolving cyber threats.
As part of a wider push to shore up the UK’s cyber defences, ministers are urging organisations across the economy to boost their resilience by signing up to a Cyber Resilience Pledge.
The pledge, launching later this year, sets out 3 concrete actions organisations can take to improve their cyber security:
Together, these steps help businesses reduce risk, protect customers and build confidence across the wider economy.
Ministers have written directly to some of the UK’s leading companies inviting them to sign up to the Cyber Resilience Pledge, and organisations are now encouraged to review the requirements and commit. The government is backing this shift with £90 million towards improving cyber resilience across the economy.
The push comes as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will continue its passage through Parliament following the King’s Speech, demonstrating the government’s long-term commitment to protect critical national infrastructure, support economic growth and reduce the risk of disruption to essential services such as energy, water, healthcare and data centres.
New figures published today also show the strength of the UK’s cyber security sector, which grew 11% last year to £14.7 billion, with the number of firms rising by 20% to 2,603 – underlining the UK’s position as a global cyber security leader and a fast‑growing engine of the economy.
The sector created 2,300 jobs in the past year alone, reflecting rising demand for British cyber expertise as businesses and public services invest in stronger protection against increasingly sophisticated threats, including those enabled by AI.
Ministers have warned that the threats businesses face in cyber space are changing, and the way they respond must change with it. A new generation of AI models is lowering the barrier for cyber criminals, enabling them to find vulnerabilities and carry out attacks at a speed and scale that would have been impossible even a year ago. Recent figures show 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year, underlining the urgency of action.
The importance of taking action has been highlighted by recent research by the AI Security Institute, looking at frontier models like Mythos and GPT 5.5. Ministers are warning that traditional cyber protections alone are no longer enough. As AI accelerates the pace and scale of cyber attacks, organisations must now invest in smarter, more resilient systems that can limit the impact of breaches and keep ahead of attackers – rather than constantly reacting after the damage is done.
The UK is not standing still in response to this threat. We have built the AI Security Institute, the most advanced capability of any government in the world for understanding frontier AI systems. This ensures that your government can have an independently verified, robust assessment of current capabilities.
More broadly, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, is world-leading in defending the UK online, and continues to publish practical guidance every business can use.
Cyber Security Minister Baroness Lloyd said:
Cyber security is now fundamental to economic growth, job creation and the resilience of the services people rely on every day.
The UK has a world‑class cyber sector that is creating skilled jobs and protecting our economy – and government is doing more by investing in its own defences, legislating to require more of essential services and setting clear national standards.
As threats evolve, businesses of all sizes need to step up and take practical action now. The Cyber Resilience Pledge is a clear call for companies to strengthen their defences, protect their customers and play their part in keeping the UK secure and competitive.
CEOs are urged to harness the expertise and innovation of UK cyber startups, building partnerships that drive the development and adoption of advanced solutions, such as memory-safe systems that are significantly less vulnerable, to keep our economy ahead of adversaries.
Cyber security for AI is itself also an emerging growth area, with the number of UK firms offering cyber security products or services for AI up 68% in 2025 compared to the previous year – reinforcing the UK’s position as both a leader in innovation and a responder to new threats.
STORY
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has apologised after admitting he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in east London. The issue emerged after questions were raised about whether the boat was his main residence. Government guidance says council tax may be payable on a boat if it is someone’s sole or main home. A Green Party spokesperson said Polanski had lived on the boat “until relatively recently” and had “immediately taken steps” to pay any council tax he may be found to owe.
The admission followed earlier claims that Polanski only stayed on the boat occasionally while renting a room elsewhere, where council tax was included in the rent. That explanation came under scrutiny after reports that his partner had described the boat as their home in a sales advert, and after questions were raised about his voter registration near the marina.
Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, of Tax Policy Associates, said that if the boat had been Polanski’s sole or main residence, council tax should have been paid. He also argued that if the boat was not his main home, separate questions could arise over electoral registration.
STORY
Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, has reportedly told Cabinet that he has no intentions of resigning, nor of setting a timescale for his departure. The Prime Minister will be hoping that his show of strength will give him time to set out his agenda for Government and unite the party.
The comments made by James Cleverly, the Conservative MP for Braintree, on 12 May 2026.
Starmer cannot survive this, and doesn’t deserve to. He did not have a plan for government. He had no mandate for winter fuel payment cuts, working tax increases, business tas increases, huge benefits increases, family farm tax etc. His political and personal judgement is shockingly poor. He thinks the rules don’t apply to him, he blames everyone else but takes no responsibility himself. Hence the list of people that he appointed and then fired, Mandelson being just the highest profile. The chaos within the Government, the Labour Party, and the country are his fault. Whether he stands down today, or clings on for a while longer, it is clear he won’t lead Labour into the next General Election. Whoever takes over needs to put the country before party and sort this Starmer created mess out.
STORY
John McDonnell has accused Wes Streeting of launching a “coup” against Sir Keir Starmer as Labour’s internal crisis deepened following the party’s poor local election results.
The former shadow chancellor said Streeting was moving against the Prime Minister because he feared a full democratic leadership process that could allow other candidates, including Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, to enter the contest. In a post on X, McDonnell said he had called for “time for serious discussion, no precipitous coup” and a fully democratic process if there was to be a leadership election.
McDonnell said Streeting had instead “launched” a coup while other possible candidates were blocked from standing. He also described the Health Secretary as “Mandelson’s protege” and warned that handing him the leadership would be a “gift to Reform”. Streeting’s allies strongly rejected the accusation, with the Evening Standard reporting that they pointed to the Labour left having moved first against Starmer.
The intervention came ahead of a critical Cabinet meeting, with Starmer fighting to remain in office after more than 70 Labour MPs called for him to resign or set out a timetable for departure. Sky News reported that ministers were meeting as the Prime Minister faced pressure from inside his own Government, while Miatta Fahnbulleh became the first minister to resign and publicly urge him to go.
The comments made by John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, on 12 May 2026.
I called for time for serious discussion, no precipitous coup & fully democratic process if leadership election.Instead Wes Streeting has launched coup for fear of a democratic process & whilst candidates are blocked. Handing leadership to Mandelson’s protege is gift to Reform.
The comments made by Paul Foster, the Labour MP for South Ribble, on 12 May 2026.
I want to see Keir Starmer succeed, because if he succeeds, then the country succeeds too.
Under his leadership, we have seen real successes. He brought stability after a turbulent period in British politics and has been a steady pair of hands during challenging economic and international times. For that, and for his service to both the party and the country, he deserves genuine thanks and respect.
But last week’s heartbreaking election results sent a clear message from the public that we cannot ignore.
Politics is ultimately about listening to the people we serve, even when the message is difficult to hear. The results showed that too many voters feel disconnected from my party and its values, and they are unconvinced that we fully understand their frustrations and concerns.
Unfortunately, after much reflection, the Prime Minister’s speech yesterday did little to reassure me that he has the vision needed to reconnect with the country and rebuild public confidence under his leadership.
We need a leader with the vision to take us into the next chapter; someone who can rebuild trust, reconnect with communities across the country and provide the sense of optimism and hope that people are crying out for, while delivering the change we promised in our manifesto.
It pains me to say this because I am a loyal person by nature, and I do not come to this conclusion lightly. But it is with great regret that I believe the party now needs a change of direction and, ultimately, a new leader.
The comments made by Miatta Fahnbulleh, the Labour MP for Peckham, on 12 May 2026.
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to tender my resignation as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities.
I am proud of the work that I have done in this Government. First as the Minister for Energy Consumers where I secured energy bill discounts for 6 million families and kick started our Warm Homes Plan; and in my current role where I have rolled out our transformational Pride in Place Programme, delivered a generational shift in power through our English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, and led our critical work on tackling the rising tide of hate and division in our communities. It has been a privilege to play my part in a government that is working hard at every level to deliver the change that our country needs.
Whilst progress has been made, we have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as a Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions. Mistakes such as the winter fuel payment and cuts to the support provided to disabled people have left too many of my constituents doubting our mission. And the message on the doorstep was clear: you, Prime Minister, have lost the trust and confidence of the public.
Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires. The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I. Therefore, I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country.
Yours sincerely,
Miatta Fahnbulleh, MP for Peckham