Starmer's 'Last Chance' Speech: The Political Equivalent of Saying 'This Is My Final Offer' to a Room Full of Negotiators
Keir Starmer's 'last chance' speech fails to convince 70+ Labour MPs, while a Reform UK councillor resigns for celebrating rape and white supremacy, Trump threatens Iran with battleships, and art is proven to keep you from aging like milk.
Good morning. Yesterday, Keir Starmer gave a speech he hoped would draw a line under any potential moves within Labour to replace him, after the nation resoundingly punished his party at the ballot box. Apparently, the line was drawn in disappearing ink, because his words were not enough to quell disquiet. Pressure on the prime minister is growing, with more than 70 Labour MPs publicly calling for him to stand down, and two senior cabinet ministers believed to be among those telling him he should oversee an orderly transition of power - which is political code for 'please leave quietly before we make a scene.'
Elsewhere, in UK politics, a newly elected Reform UK councillor has resigned after he allegedly celebrated on social media the rape of a Sikh woman in the Midlands, declared white people the 'master race,' and called Muslim people 'rats.' One might say he took the 'reform' part a bit too literally, but in the wrong direction entirely.
In international news, Donald Trump has said the ceasefire with Iran is on 'life support' and that he is considering restarting US navy military escorts of ships through the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to end the Iranian blockade. Because nothing says 'diplomacy' like sending battleships to a negotiation.
Meanwhile, households cut back on their spending in April at the fastest pace in 18 months, as the conflict in the Middle East provoked fears of another cost of living crisis, according to a report from one of the UK's biggest banks. The report suggests that when people are worried about war and inflation, they tend to buy fewer avocado toasts and more canned beans.
In health news, a French woman who tested positive for hantavirus after she was evacuated from a cruise ship reported symptoms to doctors onboard but was told it was probably just anxiety, the Spanish health minister has said. So the moral of the story: if you're on a cruise and feel sick, insist on a second opinion - preferably not from the ship's magician.
And finally, singing, painting, or visiting a gallery or museum helps people age more slowly, according to the latest study to link taking an active interest in art and culture with improved health. So go ahead, join that community choir or take up watercolors - science says it might just keep you from looking like a raisin.
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