Keir Starmer’s statement to cabinet this morning (see 9.48am) was carefully worded.At the weekend Starmer gave an interview to the Observer that resulted in the paper reporting that he wanted 10 more years in No 10.That was subsequently viewed as a mistake, reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher saying she would “go on and on” and Boris Johnson saying he was planning for his third term in office.These were moments of hubris that alarmed even the leaders’ supporters.

In his statement Starmer does not say he definitely intends to stay on until the next election,He refers to the argument he made in his speech yesterday about instability being bad for the country and he refers to the fact that no one has triggered a leadership contest,But he does not even say how he would respond to such a challenge, and so – although he indicates that he is staying on – he leaves open the possibility that, if there is a challenge, he might announce plans to resign,What Starmer is doing, though, is throwing down a challenge, and it is aimed at one minister in particular; he’s telling Wes Streeting: “Have a go if you’re hard enough,”Streeting may be the the only person in cabinet capable of getting the 81 names needed to launch a leadership challenge.

Until now, he has said that he won’t challenge Starmer, but he has been acting as if he has been expecting others to make that contest happen.Now, it seems, if Streeting wants a contest, he is going to have to trigger it himself.Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, has resigned, Sky News is reporting.She says she can no longer support Keir Starmer as PM.Phillips is an ally of Wes Streeting’s.

Allies of Andy Burnham have warned against a “coronation” for Wes Streeting as the next prime minister and called on Labour’s ruling body to allow the mayor to stand for the leadership, Josh Halliday reports.This is from my colleague Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, on today’s cabinet.double quotation markMore from cabinet- as Keir Starmer’s ministers begin to rally round embattled PM.- Starmer did not give cabinet critics time to respond, moving conversation on to Middle East, and none called directly on him to resign during meeting.- PM did not have any one-on-one meetings with ministers before or after cabinet, apart from with close ally Richard Hermer.

- there’s anger within cabinet ranks over what they regard as Wes Streeting’s attempts to destabilise PM,“Wes has got a brass neck,He came into the room as though nothing had happened and acted entirely normally,Clearly some colleagues are absolutely furious with him,There were evil looks in his direction”.

And here is our story on this,Keir Starmer refused to have a meeting with Wes Streeting after cabinet, Sam Coates from Sky News reports,double quotation markWes Streeting tried to see Keir Starmer after cabinet,But Starmer said in Cabinet that he won’t discuss the elections or his leadership, and that he will only speak to cabinet ministers about that individually,Then after the meeting he refused to see Streeting one on one.

One of the prominent Labour MPs yesterday calling for Keir Starmer’s resignation was Chris Curtis.He is chair of the Labour Growth Group and today it has published a major report with proposals for a Labour government.The full document is here and this is what the Labour Growth Group says are its six main ideas.double quotation mark1.Tax gains fairly, cut National Insurance on work.

Reform Capital Gains Tax so gains built in Britain are taxed more fairly, while genuine investment and risk-taking are protected,Close death and exit loopholes …2,Make Clean Power reach the meter,Cut bills with radical energy market reform,Redefine the central mission of Clean Power 2030 from “clean capacity announced” to clean power delivered to British homes and businesses at the lowest total system cost …3.

A ‘Build Britain Act’: decide once, then build.For nationally significant infrastructure including the grid, reservoirs, transport, energy, defence production and strategic compute, Parliament should decide the national interest up front …4.The most radical English devolution settlement in modern times.Abolish the regeneration ‘begging bowl’ of competitive funding pots.Replace them with long-term settlements for Strategic Authorities.

Give mayors and capable local leaders real powers over transport, housing, skills, land assembly, local infrastructure and business support …5,End fake-market capitalism in essentials,If Thames Water cannot stand on its own obligations, it should enter special administration,Creditors take losses …6,Build a real Department of the Prime Minister.

Break open the Cabinet Office.Build a command centre at the heart of government with authority over delivery stocktakes, programme-critical appointments, Treasury dispute resolution and data tracking …This report coincides with the publication of a separate report from the Tribune group of Labour MPs, which represents people on the soft-left of the party.Richard Partington has a story about this report here.As Richard says, these MPs are calling for higher taxes on wealth, action on the cost of living and more borrowing to fund investment – including a redrawing of the government’s fiscal rules.There is some overlap between the two groups, and the two policy documents.

But, as Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot report, the Labour Growth Group is seen as aligned to Wes Streeting, whereas Tribune is seen as aligned to Andy Burnham.Rebecca Long-Bailey was runner up to Keir Starmer in the 2020 leadership contest and was one of the first shadow cabinet ministers to be sacked by him.She has now joined those calling for Starmer’s resignation.She has posted this on social media.Long-Bailey is calling for a “reasonable” timetable for a contest, and a “full range of candidates” being allowed to stand – both demands being made by Labour MPs who want Andy Burnham on the ballot.

According to Sky’s Beth Rigby, the mood at cabinet was not quite as supportive towards Keir Starmer as Jenny Chapman implied,(See 11,39am,) Rigby says:double quotation markThis coming from a government source,A less supportive assessment of cabinet meeting“Keir said in Cabinet that he wouldn’t discuss the elections or his leadership, and that he will only speak to cabinet ministers about that individually.

Then after the meeting he refused to see Cabinet ministers individually”Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor and potential Labour leadership candidate, has arrived at Euston in London today, the Telegraph is reporting.It is not known yet why he is in the capital.Rory Carroll is the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent.Whatever the outcome of Labour’s leadership crisis, nationalists in Northern Ireland say the prospect of a Nigel Farage-led government should galvanise preparations for a referendum on Irish unification.“The fact that it is hard to predict how Farage would act in office is its own argument for proper planning for all scenarios,” Matthew O’Toole, the Stormont leader of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), wrote in an Irish Times op-ed today.

The Reform leader’s radically different approach to British-Irish relations should focus minds on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, which voted against Brexit, said O’Toole.double quotation markAt what point are citizens in the north entitled to say they do not want to live in a country run by Farage? That question goes far beyond the constituency traditionally defined as nationalist, and includes many people – and many in my constituency from unionist backgrounds – who are horrified at the prospect of a UK run by and for the coterie of charlatans and spivs that surround Farage.O’Toole urged the Irish government to prepare for a border poll.“It is its own form of irresponsibility to act as if we can forever delay practical preparation.”Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill, has hailed the victory of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in Scotland and Wales – completing a hat trick of nationalist first ministers - as seismic.

“The core of that change is about independence for our people, free from the limitations of Westminster,”Here is a Guardian video with extracts from some of those post-cabinet interviews,John Healey, the defence secretary, posted these on social media after cabinet,double quotation markPeople are worried about current conflicts and looming global crises,They expect their government to lead the country through, as the PM is doing.

More instability is not in Britain’s interest,Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic & security challenges,double quotation markToday, I will co-chair a meeting of 40 Defence ministers, to build support for the UK-led mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz - and announce UK military contributions,We must get on with the job, restoring economic security for families here at home,And earlier Steve Reed, the housing secretary, posted this.

double quotation markThis is not a game.This instability has consequences for people’s lives.The people who will be hurt most will be those that elected us less than two years ago.We must unite behind the Prime Minister.Jenny Chapman, the development minister, gave a reasonably long interview to reporters after cabinet.

She is one of Keir Starmer’s closest allies in cabinet (she was one of those who helped him develop a plan to become Labour leader even before the 2019 general election),Here are the main points from what she said,Chapman said she did not accept that Starmer had lost authority,When it was put to her that Starmer’s authority had been destroyed, she replied:double quotation markNo, I don’t believe so,It’s not what I have just seen around the cabinet table.

I saw a whole cabinet united and focussed on dealing with the issues that are confronting the British people.When it was put to her that having more than 70 MPs call for Starmer’s resignation, she did not accept that.She said she was not surprised that no one challenged Starmer’s leadership at cabinet.She said that Starmer was in a “good” state, “focused” and “resilient”.When asked to say, as a close friend, how Starmer was coping with this crisis, she replied:double quotation markHe’s great, he’s good, he’s focused, he’s resilient, he’s determined.

I’ve heard some people say that he is obstinately … or being defiant,That is not at all his vibe,He is in there really, really determined to do the job for the people of the country, the one that he was tasked with doing only two years ago,And he’ll see that through,She said the whole cabinet supported Starmer at cabinet this morning.

Everyone who spoke “was focused on the issues that we’re facing”.And she said “everybody acknowledged the strength of leadership that the prime minister has shown”.She said this included Wes Streeting, the health secretary; he spoke at cabinet, about the NHS and the impact of Iran war, she said.She said she did not think there would be a leadership challenge.And, if there was a challenge, she said she thought Starmer should fight it.

But she said a leadership challenge would be “the worst thing” the party could do.She said:double quotation markI think the worst thing that we could do to embark on a kind of process that leads to instability in the leadership of this country.It would be bad for our economy, but bad for our politics more generally as well.She said she thought the “majority of Labour MPs” did not want a leadership challenge.She went on:double quotation markThey don’t want the chaos.

So I hope that we can take a breath, settle and come up with a way forward, which is which is about putting the people in this country first,Several other ministers spoke to journalists as they left No 10 after cabinet this morning,Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said:double quotation markWe had a very purposeful cabinet meeting talking about the big issues facing our economy and society,Nothing has been triggered,I’m about to go off to Brussels to continue working with Brussels to deepen the relationship, to benefit Britain