Category: News Story

STORY

Rhun ap Iorwerth has been elected First Minister of Wales, becoming the first Plaid Cymru politician to hold the post and ending Labour’s 27-year dominance of devolved Welsh government.

The Plaid Cymru leader was chosen by Members of the Senedd after his party’s historic victory in last week’s Senedd election. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in the expanded 96-member parliament, short of an outright majority but enough to form a minority government with support from the two Green MSs.

Ap Iorwerth succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the election and later resigned as Welsh Labour leader after a severe defeat for the party. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and others abstained in the vote to nominate the new First Minister, while Reform UK nominated its leader, Dan Thomas, but did not have enough support to block Plaid Cymru’s candidate.

STORY

Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed has resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, becoming the fourth junior minister to quit in a day as pressure intensifies on the Prime Minister to stand down.

Ahmed, the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said he had resigned “after reflection” and added that “Country first. Always.” In his resignation letter, he said Starmer’s position was now “wholly untenable” and argued that individual achievements in Government had been “dwarfed and undermined by a lack of values-driven leadership at the centre”.

The timing of the resignation will inevitably attract scrutiny. Ahmed served in the Department of Health and Social Care under Wes Streeting, who is widely seen as a possible contender if Starmer is forced into a leadership contest. Several reports described Ahmed as an ally of Streeting, and his resignation came on the same day as other ministerial departures, including Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh.

STORY

The UK has warned that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future must not be held back by divisive politics, as it raised concerns about threats to democracy, the rule of law and the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, Ambassador James Kariuki, the UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, said the UK remained “deeply concerned” by the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said some political actors were continuing to obstruct legislative activity, abuse constitutional safeguards and stall progress on Euro-Atlantic integration.

The UK also raised concerns about recent elections in Republika Srpska, which it said had been marked by significant electoral fraud. Kariuki said international support remained vital while democracy and the rule of law were under attack, and backed the rollout of election technology as a way to reduce fraud and rebuild public confidence.

Kariuki said the UK continued to support a fully empowered High Representative as the cornerstone of civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. He thanked High Representative Christian Schmidt for his work and said the Peace Implementation Council would now take forward the selection of a successor.

The UK statement also criticised rhetoric that stokes ethnic and religious tension, including calls for secession or the creation of a third entity. Kariuki said such rhetoric was anti-Dayton and risked peace and stability, urging politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina to respect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order.

STORY

More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a statement backing Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, in an attempt to halt the growing internal rebellion over his leadership after Labour’s poor local election results.

The statement, organised by backbenchers, says now is “no time for a leadership contest” and argues that the Government should focus on delivery rather than a damaging internal fight. Supporters of Starmer said the number of signatures showed that he still had majority support among Labour MPs, despite dozens of colleagues publicly calling for him to resign.

The show of support came after a difficult 24 hours for the Prime Minister, with ministerial resignations and open criticism from MPs who say Labour has lost touch with voters.

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Four Palestine Action activists convicted over damage caused at an Elbit Systems UK site near Bristol could face sentencing consequences normally associated with terrorism cases, despite not being convicted of terrorism offences.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were found guilty of criminal damage after a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK facility at Aztec West, near Bristol. Prosecutors said the action caused around £1 million of damage to drones and other equipment. Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm after a police officer was violently assaulted during the incident.

The Guardian reported that a judge had previously ruled the case had a possible “terrorist connection”, a decision that was not put before the jury during the trial or retrial. The four defendants were not convicted of terrorism charges, but the ruling could still have a major effect when they are sentenced.

If the court treats the offending as terror-connected, the activists could face tougher sentencing conditions, including having to serve a larger proportion of any prison sentence and being subject to long-term notification requirements after release.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

STORY

Jordan Goody has been jailed for six years after a collision in Plymouth which left 80-year-old war veteran Dilwyn Durham with fatal injuries.

Goody, 26, of Higher Efford Road, Plymouth, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday 8 May after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. Devon and Cornwall Police said he had been pulling wheelies on a KTM motorbike moments before the collision with Mr Durham on Beacon Park Road on Monday 5 February 2024.

Emergency services attended the scene after reports that a motorbike had collided with a pedestrian and that the rider had left the area. Mr Durham, who was described as a local man and war veteran, was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition but died of his injuries three days later.

Police launched an investigation through the Roads Policing Team and Serious Collisions Unit. Officers identified Goody as the rider, arrested him and later recovered the motorcycle from where it had been hidden. Witnesses told investigators that Goody had been pulling wheelies and overtaking cars shortly before the crash.

Goody denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury on 10 April 2026. As well as the six-year prison sentence, he was banned from driving for six years, extended to nine years, with an extended driving test requirement once he is released.

Detective Sergeant Sam Pullen, from the Serious Collisions Investigation Unit, said no sentence could make up for Goody’s actions. He said Goody had been riding an off-road bike which was uninsured, unlicensed and had no number plate, and had left the scene while Mr Durham lay dying in the road.