A third of Britons believe they have changed social class, survey finds 16. May 2026 (11:00) ‘Polyclass’ of 6 million people consider themselves to belong to more than one social category, researchers sayMore than a third of Britons say they have changed social class, with upper-middle and upper-class people most likely to identify as belonging to more than one class, according to a survey.Working-class people were the least likely to say they had changed class or identified with more than one, with 70% saying they were in the same social category they were born into, the study by research firm Attest found. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Why are we even doing this?’ The week that left Britain’s PM looking like an interim leader 16. May 2026 (09:00) Week of leadership jostling has left Keir Starmer looking vulnerable and short of time – even though no challenger has officially come forwardIt was a minute or so into his BBC interview on Friday morning, after being asked about “moves” to remove Keir Starmer, that Steve Reed ran out of patience. “There is no contest,” he interrupted. “‘Moves’ mean nothing. People need 81 nominations to stand against the prime minister.”The housing secretary, a close ally of Starmer and a founding member of the Labour Together thinktank that catapulted him to power, was right, of course: no one has formally challenged the prime minister, let alone ousted him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teenager Isla Bell’s body was found in a Melbourne tip 18 months ago. Today friends and family demanded ‘justice’ 16. May 2026 (08:08) Supporters at the Victorian state library protested against prosecutors dropping a manslaughter charge against the man accused of killing herGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIsla Bell, the 19-year-old whose body was found in a Melbourne tip 18 months ago, has been remembered as a loving, courageous and open-hearted young woman with a green thumb and an “exquisitely beautiful soul”.Friends, family and supporters gathered outside the Victorian state library on Saturday to honour the teenager and protest against prosecutors dropping a manslaughter charge against the man who had been accused of killing her. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘An hour of abuse’: Jeremy Corbyn on Labour coups, and whether he feels sorry for Starmer 16. May 2026 (08:00) As Keir Starmer endures a slow ousting as PM, former Labour leader Corbyn recalls his own expulsion and looks at the runners and riders“Yeah, I do feel [sorry for him],” said Jeremy Corbyn, with only a little hesitation. “On a personal level it must be devastating. It is a horrible feeling. You suddenly realise that this person doesn’t trust you at all and really doesn’t wish you well at all, and you suddenly realise that any trust that was there actually disappears.”There are few in politics who have had the experience of being the subject of a Labour party-style coup, the British equivalent of being dragged from your office to be put up against a wall. Letters of resignations from so-called political friends, condemnatory statements on social media, all dripped out for maximum effect with the end goal of pushing the target, once the subject of standing ovations and gushing plaudits, out on their tail. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK drivers struggle to get insurance for Chinese EVs such as Jaecoo 16. May 2026 (08:00) Firms do not offer cover for some models, or charge more than for equivalent petrol cars, research findsUK insurers are more hesitant to cover some hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) from China than cars from other countries, research suggests.While some drivers can save money by buying cars made in China, they may have more limited options to get insurance than those buying electric, hybrid and petrol cars from Europe, the US and South Korea. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Record numbers of UK renters crowdfunding to cover bills 16. May 2026 (08:00) Rent donations on GoFundMe up 60% since 2022, with 100,000 donors helping people keep a roof over their headsA record number of people in the UK are turning to crowdfunding to cover rent and household bills, with GoFundMe reporting more rent-related fundraisers were created in April than in any month on record.The platform said donations towards rent support had risen by 60% since 2022, with more than 100,000 people a month contributing to help others meet their housing costs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British Palestinians feel ‘gaslit’ and unable to speak out, says leading activist 16. May 2026 (07:00) Ahead of Nakba march, Sara Husseini says many feel they are being treated as suspects rather than victims of mass sufferingBritish Palestinians feel unable to speak openly about Israel’s war on Gaza, the director of the British Palestinian Committee has said, amid what campaigners believe is a growing climate of hostility around Palestinian identity and activism in the UK.Some were afraid to wear Palestinian symbols at work or display Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public, Sara Husseini said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Down and then out in Paris and London? Why Starmer isn’t the only one with a popularity problem 16. May 2026 (07:00) As continent faces tough headwinds, leaders are bearing brunt of delivering bad news to frustrated electorates“People hate you,” the adviser informed his leader. A think-piece in a daily newspaper noted that “almost everyone agrees on one thing: they don’t like him”.The recent disastrous set of local election results in the UK built on Keir Starmer’s longstanding reputational problem: only 11% of Britons believe he has been a good or great prime minister, and nearly 60% believe he has been poor or terrible, according to polling by YouGov. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says Islamic State ‘second in command’ killed by US and Nigerian forces 16. May 2026 (06:56) US president calls Abu-Bilal al-Minuki ‘most active terrorist in the world’ and says he was eliminated in ‘very complex mission’Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces killed the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State.“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Stafford byelection tipped to swing towards LNP as danger looms for Steven Miles’ leadership of Queensland Labor 16. May 2026 (06:09) Voters in northern Brisbane electorate go to polls after sudden death of former independent MP Jimmy SullivanGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA byelection in the Brisbane seat of Stafford is expected to swing towards the sitting LNP Queensland government in a result experts say would likely be fatal to former premier Steven Miles’ leadership of the Labor party.Voters in the northern Brisbane electorate of Stafford have gone to the polls after the sudden death of former independent MP Jimmy Sullivan in April. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
