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The Public Accounts Committee has warned that national museums and galleries are being left vulnerable to cyber-attack and other security risks. The committee said the Government’s approach to protecting collections and institutions was too reactive and lacked a clear strategic basis.

MPs said the risks faced by museums and galleries include cyber security, physical security and the protection of nationally important collections. The warning follows growing concern across the public sector about the resilience of cultural institutions and the ability of departments to manage digital threats.

The committee’s findings place further pressure on ministers to set out how cultural bodies will be supported against security risks. It said the Government needed a more proactive approach to protecting institutions that hold public collections and deliver national cultural services.

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The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy has said the Government must answer outstanding questions about its national security plans, including defence spending, policy towards China and sovereign technology. The committee said ministers had not fully addressed concerns raised in earlier scrutiny of the Government’s strategy.

The committee chair has asked ministers to give details of the resilience and security projects expected to be funded within the 1.5% of GDP the Government plans to spend on resilience by 2035. The committee has also asked the Government to confirm that the overseas aid budget will not be cut further to fund defence commitments.

The intervention comes as national security policy remains a major issue in Westminster following recent changes in defence personnel and wider debate over defence funding. The committee said clarity was needed on how the Government intends to protect national resilience and maintain technological capability.

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The Climate Change Committee has warned that the slow pace of electrification is putting the UK’s climate targets at risk. Its 2026 progress report to Parliament said the UK had made substantial long-term progress on emissions but needed faster action on electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification.

The committee said around 93% of UK emissions are now outside the electricity supply sector, meaning that further progress depends increasingly on transport, buildings, industry, land use and other sectors. It said making electricity cheaper would help households and businesses move away from direct fossil fuel use.

The report said UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.8% in 2025 and are now about 50% below 1990 levels. It also warned that the Government’s current delivery pathway falls short of the UK’s 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution and relies on areas of policy which carry delivery risks.

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The Department for Work and Pensions has brought new powers into force allowing stronger action against people who refuse to repay benefit debts after leaving the benefits system. The measures include the possible use of driving bans and direct deductions from bank accounts where debts remain unpaid.

The Government said updated letters would begin going out to debtors from today, warning them to contact the department and arrange repayment. Ministers said the powers are part of wider work to recover money lost through fraud, error and debt.

The DWP has said the measures form part of a programme intended to deliver £14.6 billion in savings over five years from fraud, error and debt activity. The department has presented the powers as a way to pursue people who can pay but refuse to do so, rather than those unable to meet repayment demands.

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Nigel Farage is facing renewed questions over a £5 million gift from a Reform UK backer after a series of broadcast interviews in which he declined to give detailed answers about how the money had been used. The Reform UK leader has said the payment was an unconditional private gift and has rejected suggestions that he is required to explain his spending.

The matter is being examined by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, with questions focused on whether the gift should have been declared under the rules applying to MPs. Farage has offered different explanations for the payment, including that it was linked to personal security and that it recognised his work on Brexit.

Labour has also asked the police and the National Cyber Security Centre to examine Farage’s claim that information about the gift became public because of a Russian-linked hack. Farage has not reported the matter himself and has accused critics of intruding into a private financial arrangement.

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Andy Burnham’s economic plans are facing scrutiny from investors and economists as he moves closer to the Labour leadership. Bond market figures have warned that a new prime minister would inherit constrained public finances and would face pressure if he appeared to be preparing a major increase in borrowing.

Burnham has previously spoken about the need for a different approach to economic policy, including greater investment in infrastructure and support for public ownership in some sectors. During his Makerfield campaign he also committed to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules and Labour’s manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance.

The choice of chancellor is expected to be one of the first signals of the direction of a Burnham Government. Names being discussed include Wes Streeting and Ed Miliband, with observers watching whether the new administration would prioritise reassurance to markets, public investment or a wider change in economic strategy.

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Keir Starmer has authorised civil service access talks for prospective Labour leadership candidates as Andy Burnham prepares for the possibility of entering Downing Street. Starmer and Burnham held an hour-long off-site meeting, their first since Burnham won the Makerfield by-election and returned to the House of Commons.

The talks are intended to allow Burnham, and any other qualifying candidate, to receive briefings on the work of Government before the leadership process is complete. Starmer told ministers that he wanted an orderly transition and that he would try to make the handover as smooth as possible.

Burnham is now the front-runner to replace Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister. If no rival emerges with sufficient parliamentary support, he could take office before Parliament rises for the summer, although the formal leadership process still needs to run through its scheduled stages.

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Darren Jones has ruled out standing for the Labour leadership and has endorsed Andy Burnham, leaving the former Greater Manchester mayor with a clearer route to becoming prime minister. Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, had been discussed as a possible candidate who could force a contest over Burnham’s policy platform.

Jones said he had been reassured after speaking to Burnham about economic policy. He told broadcasters that Burnham was likely to be the next prime minister and that he would win a contest of Labour members if one were held. His decision follows the withdrawal of other possible contenders and strengthens expectations that the leadership contest may be resolved quickly.

Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down after pressure from within Labour and poor polling for the party. Under Labour’s timetable, nominations are due to open in July and Burnham could enter Downing Street in mid July if he remains the only candidate with enough support from Labour MPs.