News 11/05/26

Sir Keir Starmer has not included a second attempt to reform welfare in Wednesday’s King’s Speech.

His first major effort to change the system, including tightening eligibility for some health related benefits, triggered a major revolt by Labour MPs and a government climbdown in June 2025. Since then ministers have launched reviews and introduced limited measures aimed at encouraging more people into work. It is understood the government is not yet ready to bring forward a new welfare bill, meaning it will not feature in Wednesday’s plans.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among cabinet ministers urging the prime minister to set a timetable for resignation.

However, it is understood there are divisions within the cabinet, with Mahmood in the minority. A total of 71 Labour MPs have now called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign or set out a timetable. There are 403 Labour MPs in total.

US President Donald Trump says the month long ceasefire between the United States and Iran is on massive life support.

Speaking at the White House, he said it remained in place but was “unbelievably weak”. Iran has submitted demands in a counter proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump rejected as totally unacceptable. Iran’s foreign ministry says its proposals were responsible and generous.

European Union foreign ministers have agreed new sanctions against Israeli settlers over rising violence in the occupied West Bank.

The UN says attacks have increased since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was time to move from deadlock to delivery, warning extremism and violence carry consequences.

Consumer groups have urged Ovo customers not to panic after E.On announced plans to buy the company.

Which? said existing tariffs would be honoured and services unaffected. The deal would create one of Britain’s largest energy suppliers, competing with Octopus.

The man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump and members of his administration at the White House correspondents’ dinner has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Cole Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer during the event on twenty fifth April. Donald Trump, Melania Trump and senior officials were evacuated after gunshots were heard outside the Washington Hilton ballroom, where around two thousand five hundred people attended.

The World Health Organisation says there have now been nine reported cases and seven confirmed cases of hantavirus linked to the outbreak.

The latest confirmed case is from France, where a woman is being treated in hospital after returning from Tenerife and testing positive for the virus.

 

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says Sir Keir Starmer’s speech was sad to watch, but says his potential challengers do not have the answers either.

She says Labour politicians are arguing over who should drive the car while heading in the wrong direction, and claims they have no vision for the future. Badenoch says she takes no pleasure in watching the prime minister flounder, but argues Britain needs leadership rather than another speech from a man who knows something has gone badly wrong.

A man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after pedestrians were struck by a car in Arnold in Nottinghamshire.

Police say one man suffered life threatening injuries and remains critically ill in hospital after a Vauxhall Astra hit people in Market Place early on Saturday morning. Four other men suffered minor injuries. Woodthorpe Park Rangers says two players and a manager were hit. Duane Anthony, of Marton Road in Bulwell, is due before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court later.

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina, has been dealing with questions over whether it could be linked to the hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.

The city is known as a gateway to Antarctica and Patagonia, but attention has focused on the cruise ship after it sailed from Ushuaia on the first of April. The vessel is now anchored in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where passengers are being evacuated and flown home.

Sir Keir Starmer says he has proved doubters wrong before and will do so again.

Asked about Labour MPs calling for him to step down after election losses, the prime minister said he would not shy away from criticism within his own party. He said there were doubts when he took over Labour and doubts again before the general election, but insisted he had already proved critics wrong.

Football fans are being warned to watch out for fraud ahead of the World Cup, with victims of ticket scams losing around £215 on average.

Lloyds research shows ticket scams rose by thirty six percent during the current Premier League season. The analysis covers October twenty twenty five to March twenty twenty six compared with the previous year. Fraudsters often target supporters of major clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as high demand fixtures.

Iran has rejected the latest United States plan, according to Iranian media.

State broadcaster Press TV said the proposal would have meant Tehran submitting to Donald Trump’s excessive demands. The US president said he had read Iran’s response and described it as totally unacceptable in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Tea lovers are being warned that climate change could threaten the flavour of the drink.

Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea taste more bitter with less consistent flavours. Christian Aid says small farmers and producers are being affected alongside rising fertiliser and fuel prices linked to the Iran war.

Slough has been named the hardest working area in the UK according to new research.

The study by Re-flow Field Management used Office for National Statistics figures to rank areas by average weekly working hours 2025. Slough topped the list with an average of 35.9 hours each week.