Andy Burnham backs Starmer but urges him to be bolder and more inclusive

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Andy Burnham has publicly backed Keir Starmer while calling for him to show more boldness and be more willing to accept contributions from others within Labour.After a day of turmoil on Monday when the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called for Starmer to resign, the Greater Manchester mayor used a speech and Q&A in Westminster to call for unity while promoting his views on what the government’s platform should look like.Burnham’s intervention followed comments by the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who used a round of morning media interviews to say Starmer should use his seemingly narrow escape from a leadership challenge to reshape his prime ministership and demonstrate “much greater clarity of purpose”.Burnham echoed the sentiment, saying it was time for everyone to be “facing in the same direction and pulling in the same direction around our ambitions”, but that the government should be more ambitious, notably on housing.“I think we are at a generational moment in politics,” he said.

“I do feel that recent events really draw a heavy line under political culture that was too close to wealth and power and too distant from the lives of people that we’re talking about today.So the government, in my view, should, in this moment, lean completely into that theme.”He defended his decision to seek selection for this month’s Gorton and Denton byelection, an attempt quashed by Starmer and his allies, saying there was a need for “a stronger team again” in Westminster.Asked if he fully backed the prime minister, Burnham said: “Yes, he has my support.The government has my support, and they had my support when I put myself forward for the byelection.

“So I do feel we are at a crucial moment, and it is absolutely right that people give the government stability in this moment.”Speaking earlier to the BBC, Miliband described Starmer as “liberated”, 24 hours after the departure of Morgan McSweeney as the PM’s chief of staff.“I’m one of his closest friends in politics.I have had a frustration, that the private Keir we know hasn’t been sufficiently on display to the public,” he said.Asked if Labour should end the briefing wars, Miliband, who led Labour from 2010 to 2015, said: “Yes, of course … factionalism, sectarianism never serves the Labour party.

I think we need the widest possible set of talents across our party.”The full cabinet has rallied behind the prime minister in public, though potential leadership rivals including Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting appeared to be readying for a future contest.But after Starmer addressed the parliamentary Labour party on Monday, most MPs leaving the speech said they believed the prime minister’s determination to fight for the party had given him a fresh chance.Miliband told Sky News: “This has got to be a moment of change for the government, a moment of change where we show much greater clarity of purpose, consistency of purpose.And my experience in politics is what gets you through very difficult days is mission and values.

”Miliband hinted that he felt Starmer and the government had to show more that they were behind ordinary working people suffering because of the high cost of living.On Monday night the soft-left Tribune group, led by some close allies of Miliband, said the departure of key No 10 figures such as McSweeney should prompt a wider cabinet reshuffle and an end to factionalism.Miliband said it was not just the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador and the newly revealed extent of his links with Jeffrey Epstein that had caused this moment of crisis for the government.“We’ve made mistakes in policy which drowned out the many good things we’re doing as a government, like winter fuel, for example, wasn’t consistent with our values as a government, but we need to change.“I think what I saw from Keir last night was someone who wants to seize this moment and make it a moment of change, to reconnect with the country.

I know we have a herculean task … to move on from this episode.Lots of people in the country will be incredibly angry about what’s happened, and they’re right to be angry.”Miliband said he was “absolutely not” preparing to run for the leadership himself, saying he had been “inoculated against that” during his time as leader of the opposition.He said he still counted Sarwar as a friend but that he had made “a wrong judgment yesterday.I don’t agree with him.

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Perth festival 2026: Swan River bursts to life with a stunning trail of stories and light

From dazzling light installations to unexpected conversations on pop-up phones, Perth festival has opened with a timely celebration of culture and communityGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailAs families gather for sunset at Perth’s Kings Park, a giant golden orb glows on the horizon, shooting ribbons of light into the night sky.“It looks like an upside down jellyfish!” a child shouts gleefully, gazing up at this mysterious beacon. Others watch from park benches or drift slowly around its base, as a gentle wash of sound spills from its centre. The work is called Karla Bidi, translating to “fire trail” in Noongar: a light and sound installation that draws on the ancient practice of lighting campfires along the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), which marks the opening of this year’s Perth festival.Featuring 11 installations stretching from Mandoon (Guildford) to Walyalup (Fremantle), Karla Bidi lights a path between communities along the river – a trail of gathering places that recalls how these banks have always been a place for story and connection

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Porky Pig and Daffy Duck: ‘Jacob Elordi! That hair! Those dreamboat eyes!’

Ducks typically live between five and 10 years, and pigs 10 to 20. You first appeared on screen in 1935 and 1937, which makes you 91 and 89, respectively. What’s your secret to your eternally youthful looks?Daffy Duck: Firtht of all, it’s very rude to comment on a duck’s age. Thecond of all, thank you for noticing how youthful I look. My thecret is very thimple – moisturise daily, stay hydrated and tell the artist who draws you to take out any wrinkles

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The Guide #229: How an indie movie distributed by a lone gamer broke the US box office

Two very unusual films were released last weekend. One you will have absolutely heard of: Melania, the soft-focus hagiocumentary of the US first lady, which was plonked into thousands and thousands of often entirely empty cinemas across the globe by Amazon and Jeff Bezos in what is widely perceived as a favour-currier to the White House. Melania’s $7m takings in the US were marginally better than forecasted (and far ahead of the risible numbers for the film elsewhere) but, given the documentary’s vast cost, still represents a dramatic loss (especially if the rumour that Amazon paid for the film to be in some cinemas is true). Then again, this was a rare multimillion dollar film where the primary marker of success was probably not financial.The other unusual film released last weekend you are less likely to have heard of, even though it dwarfed Melania’s takings

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My cultural awakening: Bach helped me survive sexual abuse as a child

For pianist James Rhodes, the composer’s music expressed feelings that he could not put into words – and kept helping him as his mental health suffered in adulthoodWhen I found a cassette tape of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, aged seven, it’s how I imagine a kid would feel seeing Messi play football and thinking: I have to do that with my life. By then, I had already been sexually abused by a teacher for two years, and despite showing all the signs of trauma – night terrors, twitching, wetting the bed, constant stomach aches – I obediently kept his secret. To me, the world was a war zone of pain. I was a shy, awkward, lonely kid, but alone in my bedroom with that piece of music, I found a little bit of light that was just for me. Hearing it for the first time was almost a religious experience

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From Lord of the Flies to Deftones: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne takes on the classic tale of deserted schoolboys, while the US band warm up for a pummelling summer of alt metal100 Nights of HeroOut nowMaika Monroe plays a woman shut up in a castle with her husband’s handsome and seductive best friend (Nicholas Galitzine) who has made a wager that he can tempt her to stray from her marriage. Sharp-witted maid Hero (Emma Corrin) clocks what’s going on and does her best to foil the dirtbag’s schemes, in this fairytale fantasy from Julia Jackman. Charli xcx also stars.My Father’s ShadowOut nowṢọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Slow Horses) stars in a semi-autobiographical debut from Akinola Davies Jr in which an estranged father travels through the city of Lagos in Nigeria with his two young sons during a day of violent unrest following the 1993 election crisis.HamletOut nowSomething is rotten in the state of England: Riz Ahmed plays Shakespeare’s famous Dane as a scion of a wealthy British South Asian family in Aneil Karia’s modern take on probably the most famous play of all time

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Austin Butler to play Lance Armstrong in big-screen biopic

The Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler is scheduled to take on the role of the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in a buzzy new biopic.According to Deadline, the package has caused a “frenzied” bidding war in Hollywood with the Conclave director Edward Berger at the helm and King Richard’s Zach Baylin set to write the script.Producer Scott Stuber, who recently worked on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, has been working to secure Armstrong’s life rights for a while and a deal has now finally been agreed. Armstrong will be involved in the film but will not have a producing credit.The hope is for the film to be a cross between F1 and The Wolf of Wall Street