Sir Keir Starmer is facing growing calls to stand down after Friday’s disastrous local and devolved election results – the worst on record for the Labour party.

The prime minister has said he will not resign following the results, and in a fightback speech on Monday vowed to “face up to the big challenges ahead”.

But at least 78 Labour MPs have now called on Sir Keir to stand down and make way for a leadership contest. The list continues to grow throughout Monday with a wave of statements issued in the evening, as the prime minister remains defiant.

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Four ministerial aides also handed in their resignation amid the chaos, including Joe Morris, a ministerial aide to Wes Streeting, widely considered a potential leadership contender.

Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds and Cabinet Office PPS Naushabah Khan also resigned while calling on Sir Keir to step down.

Both former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and health secretary Streeting are seen as potential leadership contenders, although both are yet to make a move against the prime minister.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is also seen as candidate, although he is still not an MP after Sir Keir prevented him from becoming Labour’s candidate in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.

On Sunday, Ms Rayner said that Labour’s approach “isn’t working, and it needs to change”, adding that the party should not have blocked Mr Burnham from attempting to become an MP.

Labour MP Catherine West called on cabinet members over the weekend to challenge Sir Keir by Monday, threatening to start formally gathering names to trigger a contest.

After Sir Keir’s speech on Monday morning, in which he vowed to prove doubters wrong and would not “walk away”, Ms West backed down from leadership bid, but urged Labour MPs to call on the prime minister to set out a timetable for his resignation by September.

The growing list of Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) members who have spoken out against the prime minister goes beyond the list of usually vocal opponents, echoing the 100-plus strong rebellion over welfare cuts that the cabinet faced last July.

Among them are former transport secretary Louise Haigh, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and veteran MP Barry Gardiner.

Labour was elected with 411 seats at the 2024 general election – a 174-seat majority – marking the best performance for the party since 2001. With this many sitting MPs, it technically becomes harder for a leadership challenge to be launched against the prime minister, as 20 per cent of these members would be needed to nominate a contender, which translates to 81 MPs.

However, with the figure of Labour MPs voicing their calls publicly, it will be cause for huge concern within Downing Street.

The fire at a recycling centre was first reported just before 9.00pm on Sunday

More than 80 firefighters have worked to bring a blaze in Co Down under control.

The fire at a recycling centre on Hillsborough Road in Carryduff was first reported just before 9.00pm on Sunday.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said crews worked tirelessly throughout to contain the fire and prevent further spread.

At the height of the blaze more than 80 firefighters and personnel were involved in the response, with appliances from across Northern Ireland, including from a pump from Whitla fire station and two water tankers from Warrenpoint and Pomeroy.

Two aerial appliances from Knock and Springfield fire stations were used alongside specialist rescue teams from Central fire station and a command support unit from Lisburn.

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental ignition.

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The new 5.4 kilometre ‘Whitespots Line’ is expected to open in a few weeks

A new greenway is almost ready for opening in County Down.

Officials at Ards and North Down Borough Council have briefed elected representatives that a stretch of greenway between Newtownards and Bangor is near completion, and will soon be ready for public footfall.

The new Whitespots Line of the Comber Greenway, a 5.4 kilometre active travel route linking Newtownards and Bangor, is expected to open at the end of May or the start of June this year.

READ MORE: Bangor seafront spot to be bulldozed for carpark despite thousands of objections

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In March the Stormont Department for Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmons visited the greenway and was met with a group of students from the West Winds Primary school who came along on their bikes. The PSNI joined the event, as well as councillors, council officers and the Deputy Mayor.

The Greenway contractor Charles Brand Ltd has completed sections at the Floodgates Park, Bangor Road to SERC, Green Road through Breezemount and Londonderry Park. Remaining sections still being finished are Breezemount to Drumhirk Way, Drumhirk Way to Ark Farm/The Somme/Whitespots, the rear of Belvedere, and the Floodwall over to Ballyrickard Waste Water Treatment Works.

A council officer report for the Ards North Down Environment Committee states: “Welcome signage and wayfinding signage is currently being produced and will be installed in due course. The branding follows the design of existing sections of the Comber Greenway in Comber, Dundonald and Belfast. A map is also being produced for installation at key entry points and will be added to the website also when finalised. The planting, fencing and addition of bins and benches is also being finalised.”

A new Comber to Newtownards section, planned to connect to the existing Comber Greenway, was granted approval in January 2025.

The council report refers to this plan, stating: “The discussions to connect the Greenway from the section at Ballyrickard Waste Water Treatment Works through Comber to connect with the existing Comber Greenway are ongoing. A planning application to deliver the section along the A21 is still required. Draft drawings are currently with DFI for its input prior to the submission of the planning application for that one missing section.”

A feasibility study for a proposed Green Road to Donaghadee Greenway will be forwarded later this year.

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New plans have been submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council for 20 new one and two-bedroom flats on the site of the former Empire Theatre in Loftus.

Located at the corner of Deepdale Road and Cowscote Crescent, the long-derelict building would be demolished to make way for the new homes, which would include parking.

The scheme includes a single three-storey apartment building, designed to take advantage of the sloping site by partially setting the lower ground floor into the ground.

This approach ensures that the development does not appear overly dominant within the street scene.

The site has a long history dating back to 1911 when it first opened as the Empire Palace of Varieties, hosting variety shows and early cinema screenings.

Rebuilt and expanded in 1937, it became known as the Empire Theatre and later operated as the Regent Bingo Club.

In 1977, it briefly returned to life as a cinema before closing in 1983.

The building has since been used for storage, but has remained derelict for many years.

A statement from Origin Planning Services, on behalf of applicant Peter Hall, said: “The proposed layout has been carefully developed in response to the site’s prominent corner position and sloping topography.

“Adequate separation distances are achieved between the proposed development and adjacent properties, ensuring that privacy, outlook and residential amenity are preserved.”

Vehicle access would be from Deepdale Road, with 21 parking spaces provided.

The plans describe a “contemporary architectural approach” that aims to create a “high-quality and cohesive appearance” through the use of varied materials and façade detailing.

The flats would be located a short distance from Loftus Leisure Centre and other neighbourhood amenities.

Outline planning permission for residential development on the site was granted in 2023.

The reserved matters application now seeks approval for detailed design, layout, and access arrangements, bringing the long-anticipated redevelopment of the site a step closer.

The northern lights may be visible across the UK, including Manchester, later this week after a powerful solar flare erupted

A powerful solar flare could potentially trigger northern lights displays later this week.

This follows a coronal mass ejection (CME) on May 10 — a vast expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona. These events can eject billions of tons of coronal material and carry an intense magnetic field.

The eruption broke out at 1.13pm on Sunday and is now rotating into Earth’s “strike zone” on the Sun’s northeastern edge. Any significant solar flares or CMEs will have a greater likelihood of being directed towards Earth as this region comes into view over the coming days, reports the Express.

The Met Office says part of the expanding plume of solar material could brush past Earth around May 13 – in just two days’ time. This could set off minor geomagnetic storm conditions, boosting the northern lights across the UK and northern US.

The northern lights are visible in the UK on multiple occasions throughout the year, particularly during periods of heightened solar activity, with 2026 being a peak year.

While best observed in Scotland and high-latitude areas every few months, powerful solar storms can occasionally make them visible across the whole of the UK, including the south, between September and March.

They were last spotted in the UK during intense displays on 23-24 March 2026, with notable sightings reported further south across the country earlier in the year.

The breathtaking displays are produced by solar activity, whereby charged particles from the Sun’s atmosphere travel through space as solar wind and collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. These impacts energise oxygen and nitrogen atoms, which then emit energy in the form of vivid, luminous colours.

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She has been struck off The Nursing and Midwifery Council register

A nurse who was found to have administered medication “incorrectly” to a patient has been ordered to be struck off the nursing register. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said Natalie Smith’s fitness to practise as a nurse was impaired by reason of “lack of competence”.

An NMC panel upheld several charges against the nurse who worked at North West Anglia NHS Trust at a hearing on May 1. The panel heard that in December 2018, Miss Smith administered inhaler medication “incorrectly” in that she “did not count at least 8 seconds per puff.” On February 8, 2019, it was determined that Ms Smith did not administer medication as prescribed to a patient.

The panel also found Ms Smith inserted a nasal bridle and cannulated a patient without the required training to safely do so in two separate incidents.

It was also determined that Ms Smith “failed to demonstrate the standards of knowledge, skill and judgment in patient care required to practise without supervision as a registered nurse” by not completing vital signs for a patient when it “would have been clinically appropriate to do so” on January 4, 2019.

She also failed to sign a drug chart for a patient, didn’t sign a patient’s prescription chart to confirm IV medication had been administered and signed to indicate she had administered ibuprofen to a patient when she had not done so between December 2018 and November 2019.

The report said: “The panel considered that Miss Smith’s actions in relation to the charges found proved, namely not monitoring a patient post-procedure who had been sedated, not replacing tracheostomy tube packs, and poor record keeping related to medications administration, put patients at real risk of harm. The panel therefore decided that a finding of continuing impairment is necessary on the ground of public protection.”

The report added: “The panel also considered that Miss Smith has not practised for a considerable period of time, which is likely to have had a detrimental impact on her clinical skills.

“There is no evidence before the panel of any efforts to maintain or develop her competence during this period. The continued lack of engagement and absence of material demonstrating insight or remediation indicate that no progress has been made towards safe practice.”

The striking off order is due to come into effect upon the expiry of the current suspension order, at the end of June 28, 2026.

A spokesperson for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust said Ms Smith had been suspended from work pending the decision from the NMC Fitness to Practice Committee.