A total of 70 Labour MPs have now explicitly called for Keir Starmer to resign or set a timetable for his resignation as prime minister. This number is steadily rising.

While Keir Starmer is facing increasing calls to resign, we've also heard from Labour MPs speaking out in defence of the prime minister.

Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven MP Chris Ward says "this is not the time to divide the party or ignore the national interest".

He says last week's elections results were "bitterly disappointing" but the "very worst response would be to plunge the party into a divisive leadership contest".

Twenty Britons are beginning 45 days of self-isolation in the UK after being evacuated from a cruise ship hit by hantavirus.

They are isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, after their chartered flight from Tenerife landed at Manchester Airport on Sunday. They will stay there for 72 hours, before being asked to self-isolate for a further 42 days at home.

Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told the BBC that all of the evacuees are "healthy and asymptomatic".

Three people have died following the outbreak on the MV Hondius, including two whom the World Health Organization has confirmed had hantavirus.

Two British nationals, who are being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa, also have confirmed cases.

A British-US dual national is currently in quarantine in Nebraska, according to Matthew Ferreira of the US Health and Human Services department.

Meanwhile, an American and French national who returned to their home countries after leaving the ship have also tested positive for the virus, according to local authorities.

On Monday evening the final six passengers who had been still onboard disembarked from the ship, alongside some members of the crew.

The vessel then left Tenerife for the Netherlands where the last 26 crew will leave and the boat will be disinfected.

Most strains of hantavirus, a group of viruses carried by rodents, do not pass from person to person, but the Andes strain identified in a number of people who had been on the Dutch cruise ship does.

SOURCE: BBC News

Speculation is mounting over the future of Prime Minister Keir Starmer after reports emerged claiming he could announce his resignation within days following disastrous local election results for Labour.

According to early reports, a senior cabinet minister allegedly told GB News that Starmer is now considering stepping down rather than attempting to survive a growing internal revolt inside the Labour Party.

The pressure comes after Labour suffered heavy losses in the recent local elections, with Reform UK reportedly gaining more than 1,000 council seats across England. The scale of the defeat has triggered panic among Labour MPs, with more than 40 MPs said to be demanding urgent change at the top of the party.

Labour backbencher Catherine West is believed to have warned that she could launch a leadership challenge by Monday unless a senior figure steps forward to replace Starmer.

Only days ago, Starmer publicly insisted he would not resign. However, sources close to Westminster now claim the political backlash and growing unrest among Labour MPs may have forced the Prime Minister to reconsider his position.

If Starmer does resign, Labour would likely move quickly into a leadership contest to avoid prolonged instability ahead of the next general election.

At the time of writing, Downing Street has not officially confirmed any resignation plans.

Footwear retailer Schuh is quitting The Potteries Centre - in a fresh blow for the venue. Bosses at the national trainer and shoe store say the axe is falling on 'underperforming' branches - including Hanley.

Keir Starmer is desperately fighting to subdue a Labour revolt tonight after a local elections bloodbath saw the party routed on English councils, and destroyed in Wales and Scotland.

Loyalist ministers and MPs have been deployed in a frantic bid to prop up the PM, after a series of backbenchers broke cover to demand his resignation.

So far no Cabinet ministers have publicly joined the mutiny - a moment that many believe would be the final nail in Sir Keir's coffin.

Rachel Reeves and David Lammy were among those backing Sir Keir - but there has been an ominous lack of vocal support from Wes Streeting, Yvette Cooper, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood. London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a statement saying the results in the capital were 'bitterly disappointing' and the threat to the party is 'existential' - without mentioning the PM.

The civil war reignited this evening after Labour's Welsh leader, Baroness Morgan, humiliatingly lost her own seat as the party's tally of the 96 Senedd members was slashed to just nine. In a jibe at the PM, she said the Government nationally must 'change course'.

Until yesterday Labour held nearly half the seats at the Welsh Parliament, and has never failed to top an election in the country - regarded as its birthplace.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also conceded defeat at Holyrood, saying they had 'lost the argument' and pointing the finger at Sir Keir.

Meanwhile, the Greens have dealt a hammer blow by taking the mayoralty in deep-red bastion Hackney, as well as Lewisham - signposting more misery to come in London. The Labour leader in Camden - Sir Keir's own council - has been defeated by Zack Polanski's candidate.

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Two fire engines responded to a 'small' blaze at a popular city centre chippy. Firefighters had been spotted at Venus Fish Bar off Lichfield Street this morning.

Aston Villa produced a stunning comeback to beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League semi-final second leg, overturning a 1-0 aggregate deficit in dramatic fashion. Ollie Watkins struck first to level the tie on aggregate before Emiliano Buendía calmly converted a penalty to put Villa 2-1 ahead overall. Captain John McGinn then took over, scoring twice to seal a memorable night at Villa Park and send Aston Villa through to the Europa League final in Istanbul.

An outbreak of hantavirus on board a cruise ship is not the start of a pandemic, the UN health agency has said.

Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO), told a news briefing that it was not the same situation as six years ago with Covid-19, because hantavirus spreads through "close, intimate contact".

Health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.

On Thursday, the WHO said that overall, five of eight suspected cases of hantavirus had been confirmed. Three people have died, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman, who had the virus.

Her Dutch husband and a German woman also died, and their cases are being investigated.

Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.

The luxury cruise, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on 1 April in Ushuaia, Argentina, and is expected to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands on 10 May.

About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries are reported to have initially been aboard the vessel, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April.
Source: BBC News

Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the Champions League final against Arsenal after a dramatic 6–5 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich. Ousmane Dembélé set the tone early by scoring in the first half, giving PSG a crucial edge in a tense second leg. Despite late pressure from Bayern, including a last-minute goal from Harry Kane, it proved too little, too late as PSG held on to secure their spot in the final.

The Stoke-on-Trent club will be replacing its current playing surface at Vale Park with a hybrid turf, which is a mixture of natural and artificial grass, ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Bosses said it would help to improve the site's durability and performance, while "meeting the demands of modern football".

But they confirmed memorials – including scattering or burying ashes – would not be able to take place within the pitch area due to the material of the new surface.