Crime & Safety
How and when to watch Keir Starmer’s speech to the country
The Prime Minister, who has indicated he hopes to remain in power until 2034, has a major speech on Monday as he tries to shore up his position after the MP Catherine West declared her intention to launch a leadership bid.
Former minister West intends to seek nominations on Monday but has made clear her campaign is an attempt to force the Cabinet to get behind a candidate to move against Starmer rather than a credible challenge to win the keys to No 10 herself.
READ MORE: How would a Labour leadership challenge play out?
As well as Monday’s event, the King’s Speech on Wednesday setting out the Government’s priorities will form part of an attempt by Starmer to reset his leadership after Labour was hammered at the ballot box.
In a further blow, former loyalist Josh Simons called for Starmer to quit, saying he had “lost the country”.
What time is Keir Starmer’s speech on Monday?
The speech is expected to begin at 10am.
How to watch Keir Starmer’s speech on Monday
Starmer’s speech will be shown on all major broadcasters, including the BBC and Sky News.
The Prime Minister is also likely to livestream the speech via his Twitter/X or YouTube account.
What has Keir Starmer said about any possible resignation?
Despite the mounting calls for him to leave, the Prime Minister said he would not walk away from the job.
Asked if he would lead Labour at the next election, expected in 2029, and serve a full term of up to five years, he told the Sunday Mirror: “Yes I will, and I’ve always said it’s a decade of national renewal, where the legacy we inherited was an appalling legacy on all fronts, not just the economy, which was broken.”
Starmer has been hit by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK snatching councils, some of which had been Labour for generations, in northern England while Zack Polanski’s Green Party lured voters away from him in former urban strongholds, including taking control of some London authorities.
But Starmer told the Observer: “I have a strong belief that there aren’t many people who actually want Zack Polanski or Nigel Farage as prime minister.
“I think that the mainstream majority actually want to know that we, the Government, have progressive answers to the challenges that they face on a daily basis, and we need to spell out in terms and with conviction that we do have those progressive answers.”
Who could challenge Keir Starmer to be prime minister?
West said she would wait to hear Starmer’s speech on Monday before beginning the process of gathering the 81 MPs she would need to formally trigger a contest.
She told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I will hear what the Prime Minister’s got to say tomorrow and, then if I’m still dissatisfied, I will put out my email to the Parliamentary Labour Party, asking for names.
“And the reason I’m doing that is not for me.
“It’s for working people, because Labour is the only party that can beat Reform.”
READ MORE: Inside Scottish Labour as activists and officials give verdict on Holyrood election
She added: “I say to the women of the Parliamentary Labour Party, don’t just allow the men to stand.”
Former deputy leader Angela Rayner is widely viewed as a potential leadership contender, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting likely to be her main rival within the parliamentary party.
But Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham would need to fight and win a by-election to become an MP to further his own leadership ambitions, meaning his supporters are wary of a quick contest to replace Starmer.
Who has called for Keir Starmer to resign?
In the latest sign that discontent with the Prime Minister has gone beyond the usual critics on the Labour left, former minister Simons called for him to go.
The Makerfield MP wrote in the Times: “Putting the people I represent and the country I love first, I do not believe the Prime Minister can rise to this moment.
“He has lost the country.
“He should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.”
READ MORE: The cringiest and silliest moments of the 2026 Holyrood election campaign
John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn and a senior figure on the Labour left, urged Ms West to back down from potentially triggering a quick contest or coronation for Sir Keir’s successor.
“We need to discuss how we go forward,” he said.
“I worry some in shadows want to exploit her concerns and bounce us before we have a proper democratic process.”
Richard Burgon, secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs on the left, also warned against West’s plan for a “Cabinet stitch-up” to replace Starmer.
“I fear there’s a real danger that, whatever her good intentions, her move will be exploited by people on the right of the party who want a coronation and not a proper democratic contest in the party,” he said.
Trading Standards officers raided the shop on the evening of Friday, May 1 following police action at the same locations earlier in the year.
Earlier that same day, the director of one of the companies linked to the premises had been interviewed under caution.
Despite this, when officers returned, they found more illicit tobacco hidden, Oxfordshire County Council said.
READ MORE: Oxford police given extra powers after multiple arrests made
In total, 5,900 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes and 950 grams of hand rolling tobacco were confiscated.
Oxfordshire County Council said the business cannot be named while the ongoing criminal investigation is ongoing.
The latest seizure follows raids in March, when officers found more than 13,000 illicit cigarettes, almost nine kilograms of illegal tobacco products, nicotine pouches and single use vapes at seven locations across Cowley and Headington.
The two premises in question were revisited after evidence suggested the illegal activity was continuing.
Investigations are ongoing. The businesses could face criminal prosecution, financial penalties and licence reviews.
Davina Walkin, Trading Standards operations manager, said: “Despite previous enforcement action and clear warnings, some businesses are still willing to take the risk.
“These latest seizures show we are even more determined to act whenever and wherever necessary, including late at night and over bank holiday weekends, to protect our communities.”
Jenny Hannaby, cabinet member for community safety, added: “We hear people’s concerns about the changing face of their high streets and the rise of shops used as fronts for crime.
“Our message is simple: stop funding organised crime.
“Every time someone buys counterfeit cigarettes, the money helps criminal activity take hold in our communities.”
Under the new rules, only learners can book and manage practical driving tests.
The change, which came into force today (Tuesday, May 12), is intended to stop commercial operators from using automated bots to snap up appointments and resell them at inflated prices.
New DVSA driving test booking rules come into force
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said: “Learner drivers continue to face unacceptable delays in accessing driving tests.
“The data clearly shows more needs to be done to really get a handle on the situation and start to push waiting times back.”
A BBC investigation in December found that driving test touts were offering instructors up to £250 a month for access to their booking accounts.
The National Audit Office later revealed that some learners were paying as much as £500 through the black market for a test slot, with standard fees just £62.
As of April 6, the average wait time to book a driving test had risen to 22.4 weeks, up from 20.8 weeks in January.
In February 2020, before the pandemic, the average wait was just five weeks.
From June 12, learners will only be able to move a booking to one of the three closest test centres to their original choice.
This is to prevent people from blocking slots at distant locations with the intention of swapping to a preferred centre later.
Such practices make it difficult for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to plan capacity at individual test centres.
Other recent changes include reducing the number of booking changes allowed, from six to two.
Ms Bush said the ban on instructor bookings is “unlikely to be the silver bullet which turns the tide on long waiting times,” but welcomed it as a step toward an improved system.
She said: “It is only part of the solution, though.
“To really improve waiting times over a prolonged period, there needs to be unrelenting focus from the DVSA on retaining and recruiting driving test examiners.”
The latest restrictions also make it illegal to book a driving test on behalf of someone else.
New theory test questions for 2026
As well as the changes to practical test bookings, the DVSA has also made changes to the theory test.
From 2026, new questions will come in focusing on CPR techniques, including hand placement, compression rates, and depth.
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There will also be questions covering how to identify and operate an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in a roadside emergency.
The questions, designed with the Resuscitation Council UK, aim to prepare drivers for real-life emergencies rather than just testing theoretical knowledge.
How many attempts do you think it should take to pass a theory and practical driving test? Let us know in the comments.
Contractors have been working at The White Horse on the corner of Spring Road and Ock Street, and the pub reopened on Thursday.
The Greene King pub shut on April 4 so that work could get under way.
READ MORE: Convenience store given one-star food hygiene rating
Sean and Kitty Devey, the new managers and their staff team, were rushed off their feet at the weekend.
With the sun coming out on Saturday afternoon, the pub was packed in the garden and busy inside with drinkers watching rugby and football on the big screens.
Kitty said: “It’s been really busy since we opened and we’re glad to see so many customers.
“People have told us they like the pub’s new look.”
New seating and a fresh new blue and yellow colour scheme have been added inside.
Other improvements include a ‘face-lift’ for the toilets, a new darts and bar area, and a redesign for the beer garden – including a new TV screen to show sports.
Greene King had been advertising for a new team to take over the management of the pub.
It said in an advert at the end of last year: “Pub managers of Oxfordshire, looking to run your own show?
“The White Horse, Abingdon is becoming a Hive franchise pub.
“We’re looking for someone to front the business, who is community minded, passionate about great hospitality and who can keep the guests coming back for more.
“A Hive Pub franchise offers you: the chance to be your own boss, and lower operational costs than a tenancy model.
“As a franchisee, Greene King will offer you: a comprehensive induction programme, a fully refurbished pub, that’s ready to trade, we’ll even cover most of the operational costs.”
The White Horse is believed to date back to 1845.
In 1999, Greene King became the new owners and extended the Grade II listed building to provide dining areas.
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