Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform
Labour is braced for record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections in England, which could be decisive for Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister.In a message to voters on Thursday, Starmer said Reform’s Nigel Farage and the Greens’ Zack Polanski were “not fit to meet this moment of great global instability” and that only Labour was putting the national interest first.“Today when you put your vote in the ballot box, you face a clear choice,” he said.“Progress and a better future for the community you call home, with a Labour council working with a Labour government.Versus the anger and division offered up by Reform or empty promises from the Greens.
“In tough times, you need politicians who will always stand up for you and your family,Time and again Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have shown they are not fit to meet this moment of great global instability,Today I pledge firmly to you: whatever the pressure, Labour will always back you and your family and we will never waver from doing what is in Britain’s national interest,”MPs told the Guardian that any result in which the party lost more than 1,500 council seats would be existential,But polling experts have said significantly worse results are possible – including the University of Oxford’s Stephen Fisher who has predicted the party will lose more than 75% of its seats, or about 1,900.
Labour hopes to be able to point to early holds in London, including Westminster and Wandsworth, which were traditionally Tory councils, to set the narrative that results have not been as bad as predicted.But that message is unlikely to endure given that Reform is expected to take historically Labour councils such as Barnsley and Sunderland, while the SNP looks set for a fifth victory in the Scottish parliament elections, where Labour is also likely to lose ground, having once been on course to take power.YouGov’s final MRP model of the 2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP will fall just short of the 65 seats needed for a majority in the 129-member Scottish parliament, probably needing a coalition with the independence-backing Scottish Greens.Labour is tied for second place with Reform and the Greens in most polling and predicted to lose five of its MSPs.In elections to the Welsh Senedd, Labour is on course to lose power to Plaid Cymru and record its worst ever result.
Peril for Starmer could come if the Welsh first minister, Eluned Morgan, who may lose her seat, calls for him to quit on the back of the election, following Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar who did so in February.MPs hoping to see a change of leadership believe that regional mayors and council leaders – among them Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham and even the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – may join calls for a change of prime minister.Allies of the mayors said an immediate call for resignation was unlikely.But Starmer’s position may be safeguarded by leftwing MPs who want to see Burnham return to the Commons before a challenge.Other potential leadership contenders – Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner – are said to be unwilling to be the first to challenge Starmer.
Starmer is said to be weighing up setting out the next step in the government’s direction before the king’s speech next Wednesday.Over the coming days, MPs from across the party will hope to shape the narrative for the coming months, with some expected to call for a more radical economic vision.On Tuesday, MPs from the centrist Labour Growth Group will launch a report, An Honest Day – A New Economic Settlement for Britain, calling for stronger government action on living standards and housing, as well as proposals on regulation, investment and state capacity.Public research for the report will show that high numbers of those leaving Labour for the Greens and Reform favour a more radical approach to what they view as deeper structural problems than the government has identified.“The message tomorrow will be the same one the country has been sending for years,” a source from the group said.
“People keep working harder for less, watching the basics of a decent life slip out of reach and thinking ‘this system isn’t built for me’.The scale of the results will show how impatient voters are now.“The question afterwards is whether we are finally prepared to face up to it and confront what’s gone wrong.If we aren’t, we will lose this country to the populists for a generation.”
New Mexico proposes $3.7bn fine for Meta and sweeping changes to its social platforms
Meta has returned to court in the US this week for the second phase of a lawsuit brought by Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, following a March verdict that found the company liable for child safety failures and imposed a $375m fine. On Monday, the state petitioned for a legal sanction against the company, a monetary penalty 10 times the original amount, and a sweeping, drastic overhaul of Meta’s child safety protocols.In the second part of the landmark case, known as the remedies phase, the state is asking for Meta to be declared a public nuisance and for the judge to order the company to pay $3.7bn in an abatement plan. The money would fund programs for law enforcement, mental health services and educators
US and tech firms strike deal to review AI models for national security before public release
The US government has struck deals with Google DeepMind, Microsoft and xAI to review early versions of their new AI models before they are released to the public.The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), part of the US Department of Commerce, announced the agreements on Tuesday, saying the review process would be key to understanding the capabilities of new and powerful AI models as well as to protecting US national security. These collaborations will help the federal government “scale (its) work in the public interest at a critical moment”, the agency said in a press release.“Independent, rigorous measurement science is essential to understanding frontier AI and its national security implications,” said Chris Fall, CAISI director.CAISI is an agency meant to facilitate collaboration between the tech industry and the federal government in developing standards and assessing risks for commercial AI systems
OpenAI president’s ‘deeply personal’ diary becomes focus in Musk’s case against Altman
As Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI entered its second week, focus shifted to the company’s president, Greg Brockman. Over the course of several hours on Monday and Tuesday, Brockman faced questions about his emails, texts and one piece of evidence that has become central to the trial: his personal diary.Musk’s lawsuit revolves around his allegation that Brockman, OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, violated the founding agreement of the artificial intelligence firm by turning it into a for-profit entity. Musk argues that Altman and Brockman also unjustly enriched themselves in the process, essentially taking Musk’s money while deceiving him about their true intent for the business. He is seeking Altman and Brockman’s removal, the undoing of the for-profit restructuring and $134bn, which Musk wants distributed to OpenAI’s non-profit
Ken Eason obituary
My friend and former colleague Ken Eason, who has died aged 83, was an eminent academic. He specialised in the study of how the introduction of computer technology affects managers and employees in organisations, often with unexpected consequences.Much of his work took place at Loughborough University, where he was involved in the formation in 1970 of the university’s Human Sciences and Advanced Technology (HUSAT) Institute, which carried out some of the earliest research on human-computer interaction.He was the institute’s deputy director until succeeding its founder, Brian Shackel, as its director in 1992, holding that position until Husat was disbanded in 1996. Thereafter he was professor of cognitive ergonomics at Loughborough until his retirement in 2002
Richard Dawkins concludes AI is conscious, even if it doesn’t know it
When Richard Dawkins met Claudia it was like a whirlwind romance. Over three days last week, a conversation bounced between the evolutionary biologist and the AI bot he called Claudia. “She” wrote poems for him in the manner of Keats and Betjeman and laughed at his “delightful” jokes. Dawkins gently admonished Claudia to avoid showing off. Together, they reflected on the sadness of the AI’s possible “death”
GameStop shares fall 10% after CEO skirts questions over eBay acquisition details
GameStop’s shares fell more than 10% on Monday as questions emerged about how the company would finance its surprise $55.5bn bid for eBay.In an interview with CNBC, Ryan Cohen, GameStop’s CEO, skirted repeated inquiries about how the video games retailer could afford the deal, saying he didn’t understand the questions.A letter published on GameStop’s website outlines a half-cash, half-stock proposal to acquire eBay at $125 a share, using about $9.4bn in “cash on hand”, and a $20bn in potential debt financing from TD Securities
Oil and gas prices fall sharply, driven by hopes of strait of Hormuz reopening – as it happened
Up to 150 former WH Smith stores face closure, putting thousands of jobs at risk
Airlines among companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows
JD Wetherspoon issues third profit warning this year as costs climb
UK regulator launches review of ‘aggressive’ claims management firms amid compensation concerns
‘Our competitors are everyone’: Joybuy leads ‘China’s Amazon’ into the UK