top of page
970x250-05052026.jpg
Template for national news
No Writer
May 12
PM 'weighs up options' ahead of crucial cabinet meeting this morning

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among those telling Sir Keir Starmer he should announce a timeline, Sky's political editor Beth Rigby reports. Politics Hub: Updates from our Westminster team "Some cabinet members… (are) telling him that the game is up," according to Rigby. But other cabinet ministers – Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden – have said the prime minister should fight on, she said. Both are key allies of Sir Keir. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defence Secretary John Healey went into Number 10 to speak to the PM on Monday night, Rigby understands. It's understood Ms Cooper did not join Ms Mahmood in calling for him to set a timetable for his departure. Rigby added that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Reynolds have been by the PM's side, weighing up the options about what he should do. It comes after four junior members of the government quit on Monday – with the tally of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir's resignation now at 73. 'PM on the edge': Starmer dominates Tuesday's papers The calls for his departure come after last week's election disaster for Labour, where the party lost almost 1,500 English council seats and Reform made massive gains for the second year running. In Wales, Plaid Cymru held off Reform to become the largest party in the Senedd for the first time. The SNP lost votes in Scotland but remain the largest party. Both parties will need to work with others to hold a majority, however. On Monday, Joe Morris, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urged the prime minister to set out a timetable for his departure as they quit. Cabinet Office aide Naushabah Khan and Melanie Ward, a PPS to Mr Lammy, also called for new leadership as they announced their resignations. Downing Street replaced the four as part of a sweep of six ministerial aide appointments on Monday night. Starmer speech fails to convince doubters In a speech on Monday morning, Sir Keir promised to prove his "doubters" wrong and would not "walk away", but it failed to quell demands he quit or set out a timetable for his exit from No 10. Scores of MPs have signed a letter from former Foreign Office minister Catherine West urging Sir Keir to do just that. Ms West had previously said she would challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership as early as Monday afternoon, in a bid to force the cabinet to come up with a replacement as prime minister. But she has now said she would canvass support within Labour for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his resignation by September. In his news conference, the prime minister announced measures including legislation to nationalise British Steel, a ban on "far-right agitators" coming to the UK for a planned march on Saturday and a plan to put the country "at the heart of Europe". He said there was a "battle for the soul" of the UK, warning that if Labour failed, the nation would head down "a very dark path". Afterwards, some backbenchers expressed support for the PM, with Macclesfield MP Tim Roca and Gedling's Michael Payne saying Sir Keir had shown he understood "the scale of the challenge" facing the country. However, others from across the party – not just his usual critics on the left – demanded his resignation. Any rival who wanted to contest the leadership would need to be nominated by at least 20% of Labour MPs, meaning the current magic number to hit would be 80. Is Burnham the answer? Some have suggested Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as a replacement PM, saying he should be allowed to return to parliament. But Sir Keir would not be drawn on whether he would support Mr Burnham's return to Westminster, saying it was a matter for Labour's national executive committee (NEC). The committee, which is dominated by Sir Keir's backers, blocked Mr Burnham from contesting the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year, and the formerly safe Labour seat was won by the Green Party. Read more:Who is 'King of the North' and would-be PM Burnham? Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner – who is also viewed as a potential leadership contender – told the Communication Workers Union that the decision to block Mr Burnham should be "put right". Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed Labour's "pretenders jostling for his job", saying: "They are busy arguing over who should drive the car, but the truth is they are all heading in the wrong direction. They have no vision for the future."

Template for national news
No Writer
May 11
Dua Lipa suing Samsung for $15m for 'using her image without permission'

The 30-year-old has accused the tech giant of using her image without permission to market its TV sets. The lawsuit alleges that Samsung featured a copyrighted ​image of the pop artist on the front of cardboard boxes containing ​televisions for retail sale. This enabled the company to benefit from what seemed ⁠like her endorsement of the product, the lawsuit alleges. The image alleged to have been used ​on the TV boxes is titled Dua Lipa - Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024, and Lipa is the owner of all rights, title and interest in the image, according to the lawsuit. The suit was filed on Friday in the California federal court. Read more from Sky News:Adolescence dominates BAFTA TV ceremonyRemains of US soldier who fell off cliff found She has also accused Samsung Electronics of breaching publicity rights. Her lawyers have attached screenshots of social media postings and comments in the filing, claiming the singer's image on the front of the boxes drove potential customers to buy the ​product. One of ​the screenshots shows ⁠a fan saying they would get the TV "just because Dua is on it". The Grammy-winning artist became aware of Samsung's alleged ​infringement in June last year and demanded the tech company stop using ​her ⁠image, but it repeatedly refused to do so, her lawyers said. Samsung's alleged unauthorised use of Lipa's image has "caused and continues to cause dilution" of her "brand identity ⁠and ​commercial goodwill by falsely conveying to the consuming ​public that she approves of and endorses" the products in question, they said. A spokesperson for Samsung Electronics declined ​to comment to Reuters, saying it was unable to comment on pending litigation, while ​Lipa's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

Template for national news
No Writer
May 12
PM 'weighs up options' ahead of crucial cabinet meeting this morning

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among those telling Sir Keir Starmer he should announce a timeline, Sky's political editor Beth Rigby reports. Politics Hub: Updates from our Westminster team "Some cabinet members… (are) telling him that the game is up," according to Rigby. But other cabinet ministers – Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden – have said the prime minister should fight on, she said. Both are key allies of Sir Keir. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defence Secretary John Healey went into Number 10 to speak to the PM on Monday night, Rigby understands. It's understood Ms Cooper did not join Ms Mahmood in calling for him to set a timetable for his departure. Rigby added that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Reynolds have been by the PM's side, weighing up the options about what he should do. It comes after four junior members of the government quit on Monday – with the tally of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir's resignation now at 73. 'PM on the edge': Starmer dominates Tuesday's papers The calls for his departure come after last week's election disaster for Labour, where the party lost almost 1,500 English council seats and Reform made massive gains for the second year running. In Wales, Plaid Cymru held off Reform to become the largest party in the Senedd for the first time. The SNP lost votes in Scotland but remain the largest party. Both parties will need to work with others to hold a majority, however. On Monday, Joe Morris, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urged the prime minister to set out a timetable for his departure as they quit. Cabinet Office aide Naushabah Khan and Melanie Ward, a PPS to Mr Lammy, also called for new leadership as they announced their resignations. Downing Street replaced the four as part of a sweep of six ministerial aide appointments on Monday night. Starmer speech fails to convince doubters In a speech on Monday morning, Sir Keir promised to prove his "doubters" wrong and would not "walk away", but it failed to quell demands he quit or set out a timetable for his exit from No 10. Scores of MPs have signed a letter from former Foreign Office minister Catherine West urging Sir Keir to do just that. Ms West had previously said she would challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership as early as Monday afternoon, in a bid to force the cabinet to come up with a replacement as prime minister. But she has now said she would canvass support within Labour for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his resignation by September. In his news conference, the prime minister announced measures including legislation to nationalise British Steel, a ban on "far-right agitators" coming to the UK for a planned march on Saturday and a plan to put the country "at the heart of Europe". He said there was a "battle for the soul" of the UK, warning that if Labour failed, the nation would head down "a very dark path". Afterwards, some backbenchers expressed support for the PM, with Macclesfield MP Tim Roca and Gedling's Michael Payne saying Sir Keir had shown he understood "the scale of the challenge" facing the country. However, others from across the party – not just his usual critics on the left – demanded his resignation. Any rival who wanted to contest the leadership would need to be nominated by at least 20% of Labour MPs, meaning the current magic number to hit would be 80. Is Burnham the answer? Some have suggested Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as a replacement PM, saying he should be allowed to return to parliament. But Sir Keir would not be drawn on whether he would support Mr Burnham's return to Westminster, saying it was a matter for Labour's national executive committee (NEC). The committee, which is dominated by Sir Keir's backers, blocked Mr Burnham from contesting the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year, and the formerly safe Labour seat was won by the Green Party. Read more:Who is 'King of the North' and would-be PM Burnham? Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner – who is also viewed as a potential leadership contender – told the Communication Workers Union that the decision to block Mr Burnham should be "put right". Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed Labour's "pretenders jostling for his job", saying: "They are busy arguing over who should drive the car, but the truth is they are all heading in the wrong direction. They have no vision for the future."

Template for national news
No Writer
May 12
Roberto De Zerbi says match officials were 'not calm' during Tottenham's draw against Leeds as late penalty claim waved away

Spurs squandered the chance to go four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham after Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty cancelled out Mathys Tel's stunning opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Leeds were awarded the penalty after VAR advised Gillett to look at the monitor to review Tel's high boot while attempting to clear the ball with an overhead kick, which caught Ethan Ampadu in the head. Tottenham 1-1 Leeds - Match report & highlightsAs it happened | Teams | StatsLive Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlightsGot Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺 Following a lengthy on-field check, Gillett overturned his initial decision and awarded a penalty to Leeds. Spurs then had a penalty appeal of their own in the 103rd minute when James Maddison went down inside the area after feeling contact from Lukas Nmecha, but VAR checked and cleared the incident, sticking with Gillett's on-field decision of no penalty. The controversy surrounding match officiating comes just over 24 hours after West Ham had their late equaliser disallowed against Arsenal for a foul on David Raya by striker Pablo inside the area. When asked about the decision-making from match officials during the game, De Zerbi said: "I think they were not calm today, maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday's Arsenal game. "For sure we suffered the pressure today. We didn't play with passion with the ball, too frenetic but also the referee was not calm today. "I can't understand the polemic about yesterday's VAR because it was 200 per cent a foul, not 100 per cent, 200 per cent." Carra: De Zerbi will be furious with Tel - but must keep him onside Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher felt De Zerbi would have to park any annoyance with his young forward because of the attacking ability he had already shown the new head coach - which could prove crucial in their survival fight. Tel was at the heart of much of Spurs' good play in the first half against Leeds, before scoring a stunning opener after half-time, prior to his penalty nightmare. On the penalty, Carragher said: "It's just a crazy decision from Tel. What you think sometimes is we've been there as players where you don't see the opposition player coming in. "But he's about to make his decision and he sees him, he looks. So he's made his decision but as soon as he knows there's someone there, it has to change. "He still has time, he's got to change his mind. I thought he hadn't seen him initially, but he has. It's a really, really poor decision. "We're talking about a young attacking player, making two ridiculous decisions in this game. "De Zerbi will be furious - but he's got to remember he's a young attacking player who has actually made a massive difference to Spurs right now. "He came off the bench at Wolves, got the corner and the winning goal. He set up the second goal at Villa, and he scored the goal tonight. "He needs him, because they haven't got players with injuries but there's a player there. We've seen that in the last couple of games. "You'd be going nuts, but the good at the other end - everything we showed that was good from Spurs in the first half, and then he scored the goal in the second half. "That's the art of management, and De Zerbi knows that a lot better than me."

Template for national news
No Writer
May 11
Ian Watkins' alleged murderer was 'smug' and 'smirking' after jail cell attack, court hears

Rico Gedel, 25, is on trial, accused of killing Watkins, who was stabbed to death last October in his cell at the high-security HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Watkins, who was jailed in December 2013, had been serving a 29-year sentence with another six years on licence after admitting a string of sex offences - including the attempted rape of a fan's baby. Leeds Crown Court was shown bodycam footage of Gedel allegedly saying "I hope he sleeps" to officers who were searching his own cell after the incident. Gedel was laughing as he entered the room and when asked where the weapon was, he responded "I used my hands", said Patrick Wilson, who was part of the prison's dedicated search team (DST). Other footage appeared to capture Gedel wishing Watkins "a good night's sleep, Watkins lad". The court heard Gedel was "unhappy" about having to move wings the day before the fatal attack on 11 October and had threatened to "do something to get moved to segregation". Prison officer Adam Laycock said in a statement he had been involved in transferring Gedel from A wing to B wing. He said: "(Gedel) didn't want to move wings. He had mentioned a number of times that if he was moved he would do something." "I knew Gedel would rather go to segregation than be moved to somewhere he didn't want to be." Mr Laycock said he made his way to B wing on the day of Watkins' death after hearing a "code red" called, and saw Gedel being escorted by officers. "I noticed Gedel was looking somewhat smug, and seemed to have a smirk on his face," according to his statement that was read by prosecutor Chris Rose. Another prison officer from A wing, Justin Barrett, said he saw Gedel being restrained after the "code red". Mr Barrett said: "He had not been happy about the move from A to B wing. I heard him say he would do something to get moved to segregation." Read more from Sky News:Teaching assistant who spat at pupils is jailedMan pleads not guilty to trying to assassinate Trump An officer from the segregation wing at HMP Long Lartin, where Gedel was taken after Watkins' death, said Gedel seemed "proud of what had happened" and said he "felt like a celebrity". The makeshift weapon was made of a Stanley knife stuck to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape, jurors were told. It was found in the prison bins, where it was disposed of by Samuel Dodsworth, the trial was told. Gedel passed the knife to Dodsworth, 44, after leaving Watkins' cell, the court heard. Gedel and Dodsworth both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison. The trial continues.

Template for national news
No Writer
May 11
Ian Watkins' alleged murderer was 'smug' and 'smirking' after jail cell attack, court hears

Rico Gedel, 25, is on trial, accused of killing Watkins, who was stabbed to death last October in his cell at the high-security HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Watkins, who was jailed in December 2013, had been serving a 29-year sentence with another six years on licence after admitting a string of sex offences - including the attempted rape of a fan's baby. Leeds Crown Court was shown bodycam footage of Gedel allegedly saying "I hope he sleeps" to officers who were searching his own cell after the incident. Gedel was laughing as he entered the room and when asked where the weapon was, he responded "I used my hands", said Patrick Wilson, who was part of the prison's dedicated search team (DST). Other footage appeared to capture Gedel wishing Watkins "a good night's sleep, Watkins lad". The court heard Gedel was "unhappy" about having to move wings the day before the fatal attack on 11 October and had threatened to "do something to get moved to segregation". Prison officer Adam Laycock said in a statement he had been involved in transferring Gedel from A wing to B wing. He said: "(Gedel) didn't want to move wings. He had mentioned a number of times that if he was moved he would do something." "I knew Gedel would rather go to segregation than be moved to somewhere he didn't want to be." Mr Laycock said he made his way to B wing on the day of Watkins' death after hearing a "code red" called, and saw Gedel being escorted by officers. "I noticed Gedel was looking somewhat smug, and seemed to have a smirk on his face," according to his statement that was read by prosecutor Chris Rose. Another prison officer from A wing, Justin Barrett, said he saw Gedel being restrained after the "code red". Mr Barrett said: "He had not been happy about the move from A to B wing. I heard him say he would do something to get moved to segregation." Read more from Sky News:Teaching assistant who spat at pupils is jailedMan pleads not guilty to trying to assassinate Trump An officer from the segregation wing at HMP Long Lartin, where Gedel was taken after Watkins' death, said Gedel seemed "proud of what had happened" and said he "felt like a celebrity". The makeshift weapon was made of a Stanley knife stuck to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape, jurors were told. It was found in the prison bins, where it was disposed of by Samuel Dodsworth, the trial was told. Gedel passed the knife to Dodsworth, 44, after leaving Watkins' cell, the court heard. Gedel and Dodsworth both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison. The trial continues.

Template for national news
Jon Craig, chief political correspondent
May 11
Who is 'King of the North' and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham?

He's a former special adviser parachuted into a safe seat in 2001 who declared when he stood for leader in 2010: "No more special advisers parachuted into safe seats." He's the Liverpool-born Everton supporter who was booed at the Hillsborough disaster 20th anniversary memorial at Liverpool's Anfield football ground. Politics latest: First members of government resign in call for Starmer to quit And he's the Greater Manchester mayor who, when re-elected in 2024, insisted: "I'm here for a full third term. I'm not planning to head back to Westminster any time soon." Yet this self-styled "King of the North", Andy Burnham, is seen by many Labour MPs and activists as their salvation and the party's best hope - if he's allowed to run for leader. He's certainly popular. Opinion polls consistently put him well ahead of Sir Keir Starmer and other Labour leadership rivals. He's the only major Labour politician viewed favourably by voters. For example, a YouGov poll suggested 36% of voters view him positively and 27% unfavourably. Wes Streeting's rating was minus 20, Angela Rayner's minus 31 and the PM's minus 45. Another YouGov poll suggested 27% believe he would do a good job as PM compared with 22% a poor job. Among Labour voters it was 48%, compared with 60% who think Sir Keir is doing a poor job. Born in Aintree in 1970, Mr Burnham is a Cambridge graduate who became a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell and then special adviser to Chris Smith, who was culture secretary in Tony Blair's first term. He became MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, with a majority more than 16,000, after the retirement of former Labour whip Lawrence Cunliffe and within two years was parliamentary aide to David Blunkett. He was on his way. After Labour's 2005 election victory, he became a junior minister, then middle-ranking minister at the Home Office before a sideways move to the Department of Health. When Gordon Brown became PM in 2007, he joined the cabinet as Treasury chief secretary, and then became culture secretary a year later and health secretary in 2009. After being heckled at Anfield as culture secretary in 2009, he became a champion of the Hillsborough bereaved, and eventually won a second inquiry, winning him cheers at the 25th anniversary. As health secretary, he was criticised for rejecting calls for a public inquiry into an unusually high rate of deaths at Stafford Hospital after concerns about its standards of care. After Labour's 2010 election defeat, he stood for the leadership, but came fourth behind the winner Ed Miliband, his brother David and Ed Balls, but ahead of left-winger Diane Abbott. He served as shadow education secretary, and then health, and stood for the leadership again after Miliband's defeat in 2015, and this time came second to Jeremy Corbyn. He was shadow home secretary under Corbyn, but a year later announced he was running for Greater Manchester mayor. He was elected in 2017 with 63% of the vote, in 2021 with 67% and in 2024 with 63% again. When he was first elected, Corbyn travelled to Manchester to celebrate his triumph, but Burnham chose to celebrate with his supporters instead. First challenge to Starmer thwarted As mayor, he has been a high-profile voice for northwest England, and promoted what he calls "Manchester-ism", with moves such as taking the city's buses back under public control. Tackling homelessness, he initially pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020, but by late 2019 he was forced to admit he would miss his target. He earned plaudits when he clashed with Boris Johnson over COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic, a high-profile rearguard action that earned him the title the "King of the North" for the first time. He ordered reviews into sex abuse allegations and grooming gangs in Rochdale, Manchester and Oldham, and backed calls for a national public inquiry. Despite pledging to serve a full term as mayor, as Starmer's woes deepened last autumn Burnham claimed on the eve of Labour's conference last year that he was being urged to stand for the Labour leadership. But that backfired, and Starmer saw off the challenge for a few months. Then, in early 2026, Burnham made his next move, a bid to stand as Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election. He was thwarted when a sub-committee of Labour's national executive voted 8-1 - with deputy leader Lucy Powell his sole backer - to block him. Labour lost the by-election, and Burnham allies claimed he would have won. Now he's back again, this time with powerful allies, including Powell, Angela Rayner and Lisa Nandy, calling for him to be allowed to stand in a by-election this time. But time is not on Burnham's side. A swift contest, if it's triggered by Labour MP Catherine West's rallying call to mutineers, there almost certainly wouldn't be time for him to enter the race. His best hope is a contest delayed until later in the year. And even then, with Labour support at rock bottom in last week's elections, there's no guarantee he could win a by-election. But Burnham has proved before that he's a resilient politician and a fighter. That's what those MPs calling for Sir Keir to set a timetable for quitting claim Labour needs right now. And despite the obstacles potentially standing in his way - Labour's national executive and a volatile electorate in a by-election - he's ready to answer the call.

Template for national news
No Writer
May 11
Caroline Dubois: Promoter says Katie Taylor fight would be the perfect 'swansong event' for Irish boxer

The Irish boxing legend is yet to confirm her last opponent for her farewell fight, which is expected to be staged Dublin's Croke Park this summer. Dubois has reiterated her desire to face Taylor after defeating Terri Harper last month and her promotional team believes it is the 'right swansong event' for one of Ireland's sporting greats. Fabio Wardley can enforce rematch after world title loss to Daniel DuboisWardley's trainer explains decision not to throw in towel in Dubois lossGet Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOWDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more Speaking to Sky Sports News, Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said: "We would love for that to happen. I think it makes all the sense in the world "When I spoke about it a few weeks back in our debut show, I was speaking to the UK audience. I think the UK and Ireland would salivate over such a matchup. "I believe it is a global fight, but definitely for the UK, for that opportunity for the passing of the torch. "Tough fight for Caroline, Katie is a tremendous fighter, but I think it is the right swansong event for Taylor at Croke Park against Caroline Dubois." Dubois floored Harper in a unanimous points win as the unbeaten 25-year-old added the WBO belt to her WBC lightweight title. Bidarian is now plotting the career path for Dubois, which could lead her on a collision course with American rival Alycia Baumgardner. "We are actively discussing for her to come back in August," said Bidarian. "There are multiple routes she can take. "She's been very clear about her desire to fight Alycia Baumgardner. We hope that happens at some point. There are other belts in the division for her to unify. "She's obviously very young, and she's continuing to improve, and we think she will definitely be one of the main faces of the entire sport over the next few years, and that's why we've partnered with Sky."

bottom of page