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STORY

Sir Tony Blair has warned Labour that it would be “playing with fire” if it moved to replace Sir Keir Starmer without first agreeing a clear political and policy direction. In a major intervention during Labour’s leadership crisis, the former Prime Minister said the party needed a “fundamental reset” and argued that the Government lacked a coherent plan for office. His comments come as speculation continues around the future of Starmer and the ambitions of figures including Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.

Blair said Labour’s 2024 general election victory had been secured because the party was seen as an “acceptable alternative” to the Conservatives, rather than because voters had enthusiastically endorsed its programme. He argued that the Government needed to focus more strongly on economic growth, artificial intelligence, welfare reform, planning reform and working with the private sector. He also criticised parts of Labour’s existing agenda, including elements of its approach to net zero, workers’ rights and taxation, warning that Britain risked losing influence unless ministers adopted a more radical but practical programme.

The intervention is likely to intensify debate inside Labour over whether the party’s difficulties are rooted in leadership, policy or presentation. Blair, who led Labour to three successive general election victories, cautioned against reducing the argument to a contest between personalities and said the party needed to decide what it stood for in Government. Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson rejected the idea that Labour was trapped in an old New Labour versus Old Labour debate, while critics of Blair’s remarks argued that his prescriptions reflected an outdated political settlement. Downing Street declined to respond directly to the former Prime Minister’s comments.

STORY

Two Haringey Council by-elections will be held on 25 June after two seats became vacant shortly after this month’s local elections.

Voters in Northumberland Park and Woodside will each elect one councillor. The first vacancy followed confirmation that winning Green candidate Jayon Henriques was not eligible to take his seat, while the second came after Labour’s Hasret Bozdogan declined to take up her Woodside seat for personal reasons that arose after polling day.

The contests could be politically significant because no party has an outright majority on Haringey Council. In Woodside, Bozdogan had beaten the nearest Green candidate by just three votes, raising the possibility of another close contest.

STORY

Mid Devon District Council has formally begun work on a new Local Plan, launching a process that will shape development in the district for the next 20 years.

The council said the plan would identify how the area should accommodate new homes, jobs, infrastructure and other land uses, while protecting the natural and built environment and responding to climate change. A new timetable has been published alongside a notice formally starting the process.

A scoping consultation has opened to ask residents, businesses and stakeholders what the plan should cover, which issues it should address and how people want to be kept informed. The council said the work follows new Government requirements for councils to prepare local plans within a 30-month timeframe.

STORY

South Cambridgeshire District Council has opened its latest Zero Carbon Communities grant scheme, with £152,000 available for local projects that cut carbon, support nature recovery and bring communities together.

The maximum grant per project has been increased to £19,500, and eligibility has been widened to include projects on school sites and applications from parent and teacher associations where there is a wider community benefit. Sports and recreational groups can also apply where projects support wellbeing, mental health or stronger local connections.

The council said half of the funding would be reserved for schemes that directly reduce or lock up carbon, with the rest available for community engagement and nature-based projects. Applications are open until 24 July 2026.

STORY

Applications have opened for a chair to lead the Marsh Farm Neighbourhood Board in Luton, which will help decide how up to £20 million of Pride in Place funding is spent over the next decade.

The board will bring together residents, businesses and community organisations to gather local views and develop priorities for the area. Luton Council said it was looking for a community champion with the ability to bring people together and ensure the funding reflects what Marsh Farm residents need most.

Council leader Tahmina Saleem said Marsh Farm had a strong sense of community and that the board offered local people a significant opportunity to shape the future of their neighbourhood. Recruitment for the role is being supported by the council.

STORY

Salford City Council is to receive a further £2.1 million to support reform of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The council said the funding would be used to strengthen early intervention and build specialist capacity across education and care, as part of the national SEND Reform Programme. The allocation for 2026/27 is intended to support better local provision and improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

The decision follows Salford Cabinet approval of new grant arrangements on 26 May 2026. The council said the work would continue its focus on improving support for children and young people in a system which, across the country, remains under considerable pressure.

STORY

Nottingham City Council has launched a four-week consultation on a proposed Public Spaces Protection Order for the city centre, with residents, businesses and visitors invited to comment on measures aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour and protecting public spaces.

The proposed order would cover issues including obstructing access to buildings or highways, interfering with street cleansing, unauthorised requests for money, disruptive busking, unauthorised leaflet distribution, mobile advertising and public urination or defecation. The council said the aim was to balance a lively and welcoming city centre with powers to respond when behaviour causes nuisance, obstruction or distress.

The consultation runs until 23 June 2026, with online responses invited and paper copies available at Byron House and Nottingham Central Library. The council said responses would be reviewed before a final decision is made on whether to introduce the PSPO.

STORY

The UK has condemned Russia’s latest aerial attacks on Ukraine, warning that Moscow’s use of nuclear-capable missiles and threats against Kyiv risk a dangerous escalation.

Neil Holland, the UK’s Ambassador to the OSCE, told a meeting in Vienna that Russia had launched around 600 drones and 90 missiles against Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine overnight on 23 and 24 May. He said it was the largest attack on the Ukrainian capital in a single night since 2022 and followed another major Russian assault less than two weeks earlier, when around 1,530 drones and missiles were launched across Ukraine within 24 hours.

Holland said Russia had again used an Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile, describing it as a reckless attempt to terrorise Ukraine’s population. He said the repeated use of nuclear-capable missiles increased the risk of misperception and dangerous miscalculation, adding that Russian attacks on Kyiv over the weekend had killed at least four people and injured around 100.