Keir Starmer has attempted to rebuild trust with Whitehall by sending civil servants in an email the night before polling stations opened.

The prime minister admitted “the events of the last recent weeks have felt unsettling”, alluding to his controversial decision to sack the top civil servant in the Foreign Office.

Starmer blamed Olly Robbins for giving Peter Mandelson security clearance so he could become ambassador to the US, even after the disgraced Labour peer failed vetting.

The PM claimed he was not aware security officials had advised against giving Mandelson a clean bill of health and blamed Robbins for keeping it secret.

But, in a box-office appearance before MPs, Robbins insisted the vetting process is independent of ministers and the details are not typically shared.

Clearly trying to extend an olive branch in the letter, Starmer told Whitehall officials their work is the “backbone of this country”, and that “we are one team”.

But, while writing to the half a million civil servants in the UK, the PM called on them to offer “total transparency” to ministers.

He said: “I value the ‘speaking truth to power’ that is the hallmark of our system.

“I want a culture where information flows freely, where risks are flagged early, and where we work together to solve problems before they become crises.

“The relationship between a minister and their officials relies on a bedrock of total transparency.

“Without that trust, the partnership that sits at the heart of our constitution cannot function. We are fixing the processes that have failed, but we are not changing the fundamental value we place on your role.”

His email went out hours before polls opened on Thursday.

More than 100 local councils are up for election in England, while voters in Scotland and Wales will also go to the polls for elections to Holyrood and the Senedd.

Labour are expected to fare particularly badly, as pollsters agree the central government will likely be punished for a gruelling 22 months in office.

Starmer has had a rocky relationship with Whitehall since winning the 2024 general election.

He previously shocked officials by accusing them of being “comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline”.

He later claimed he meant that the problem was not with officials themselves but that they faced “too many obstacles”.

Starmer’s pick as cabinet secretary – Chris Wormald – was also forced out as head of the civil service earlier this year and replaced by Antonia Romeo who is expected to reform the entire system.

Sydney Sweeney is lifting the lid on shooting one of Euphoria season three’s most memorable sequences.

In the most recent episode of the divisive drama, Sydney’s character Cassie was seen embracing a different sort of lifestyle afforded to her by her new OnlyFans career, including a lavish influencer party.

While this party eventually descended into more of the extreme scenes that has seen Euphoria’s third iteration prove divisive among viewers, the Emmy nominee has made it clear that she had a blast filming the episode.

“Maddy transforms Cassie back into Cassie’s most glorious self, and she takes it from there,” she explained in a behind-the-scenes video posted on HBO’s YouTube page.

“There is nothing like a Euphoria party. Every season, Sam [Levinson, Euphoria’s creator] always writes in one.”

Admitting that she uses these scenes to live vicariously through her character, Sydney continued: “I don’t really go to parties, so this is my time where I get to have fun through Cassie. And she lets loose! This girl knows how to party, she’s having the time of her life.”

Interspersed with shots of Sydney and hundreds of extras partying, she added: “I was like, ‘are we ever going to call cut?’. I didn’t know what to do! I don’t know how to dance. I thought my wig was going to fly off, I’m whipping my hair all over the place. It was crazy.”

Over the last few weeks, Cassie’s Euphoria storyline has continued to raise eyebrows, with many critics describing some of Sydney’s scenes as “degrading”, “horrible” and comparable to a “humiliation ritual” for the actor.

Sam Levinson said earlier this week: “What’s interesting is if you push it a little bit, [Sydney] becomes brilliant. You just do a few more takes, and she can reach these levels that are very honest emotionally, but also deeply funny.”

He added: “She’s able to anchor the scene with this kind of madness and chaos going on around her.”

Euphoria airs weekly on Sky and Now in the UK.

Jane Fonda has shared her thoughts on her “complicated” marriage to media mogul Ted Turner in an exceptionally earnest tribute following the news of his death at the age of 87.

Offering her “immediate thoughts about Ted” in a Wednesday afternoon Instagram post, the Hollywood veteran and lifelong activist looked back on their relationship as “challenging”, while adding that she had “always been up for a challenge, and with Ted it was almost always worth it”.

“He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” she said of Turner, who was her husband from 1991 until their divorce in 2001.

Explaining how it felt for the multifaceted billionaire to need her love, Fonda wrote: “No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn’t your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America’s Cup as the world’s greatest sailor.

“He had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humour.”

She also acknowledged his ability to care for her, writing: “To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative.”

“Ted Turner helped me believe in myself. He gave me confidence. I think I did the same for him, but that’s what women are raised to do,” the Oscar winner went on to say, calling Turner’s ability to be vulnerable one of his “greatest strengths”.

Fonda said she learned more from Turner than “more than any other person or school classes” could teach before remarking how he was the “most competitive person” she had ever met – besides storied actor Katharine Hepburn – and how “fascinating” that was “to witness”.

“Whether it was who’d made the most ski runs at the end of the day, to acres of land owned (stewarded is the more fitting word for his relationship to land), who had the most billions, how many countries he’d made love to his prior lover in and could I match that, it was challenging,” she said.

Continuing her lengthy homage in the comments, the Barbarella star said: “I loved Ted with all my heart.”

“I see him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction,” Fonda went on. “

The black footed ferrets, the prairie dogs, Big Horned sheep, Mexican Gray Wolf, the Yellowstone wolf pack, bison, the red cockaded woodpecker and so many more, they’re all gathered at the pearly gates applauding and thanking him for saving their species.”

Addressing the five offspring that now survive Turner, she called them, “five talented, complex kids who I had the privilege of becoming stepmother to”.

“I love them to this day,” she went on. “If it was complicated to be married to him, think how complicated it was being his child. And they are all doing fine.”

“Rest in Peace, dearest Ted,” her message ended. “You are loved and you will be remembered.”

Though the couple split in 2001, they remained friends after.

Less than a week before his death, Fonda had called the television trailblazer her “favourite ex-husband” during the opening of this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, adding that founding the festival’s namesake network, Turner Classic Movies, is just one of the “great things that he did”.

Turner will also be remembered as the creator of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, as well as WTBS and TNT.

Graham Norton’s reality show The Neighbourhood has been pulled from its primetime TV slot just weeks after its big launch.

According to this week’s ITV schedule, The Neighbourhood has been bumped from its regular 9pm slot on Thursdays and Fridays back to 10.45 pm, in a huge blow for the struggling series.

The competition show sees real-life friends and families move into a community to compete against each other for a life-changing amount of money.

In Thursday’s schedule, it’s been replaced by an old episode of Davina McCall‘s Long Lost Family, which originally aired two years ago.

On Friday, meanwhile, the 9pm slot is now occupied by an episode of Beat The Chasers, which was first shown in 2021.

An ITV rep told The Sun: “The full box set of The Neighbourhood is now available to stream on ITVX. Additionally, the show will continue to air in an evening slot on ITV.”

Despite its starry presenter, a huge promotional push by ITV and prime-time slot, The Neighbour was met with poor reviews when it premiered towards the end of April, and had reportedly only pulled in 500k viewers by its third episode.

This follows a trend of poor ratings for recent ITV shows they hoped would rival the success of The Traitors, with Genius Game and The Fortune Hotel also suffering from disappointing viewing figures, and both having since been cancelled by the channel.

Despite its poor performance, Graham had previously spoken enthusiastically about The Neighbourhood, insisting: “It leans into our curiosity about what’s behind closed doors and there’s something really compelling and addictive about seeing the way the existing households interact with each other.

“I thought, ‘I’d watch that’ – and I’d never want to work on something I wouldn’t watch. I thought, ‘this show would hook me!’.”

The Neighbourhood continues at 10.45pm on Thursday and Friday on ITV1, with the full series available to stream on ITVX now.

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out – a fact comes along that changes everything for you. It blows your mind completely.

First, came the news that in most cases, it doesn’t matter too much whether you choose white or brown rice. And now, in another bit of chromatic trivia, it turns out that tennis balls used to be black or white until the ’70s (and Wimbledon held out until 1986).

Their colour was dictated by the colour of the court (a light ball for a dark court and vice versa, so spectators can see it).

’Twas ever thus ― until a certain David Attenborough came along.

The Planet Earth presenter started working at the BBC in 1952 (having only watched one TV show).

In an article with RadioTimes, David revealed that he was responsible for bringing colour to BBC2 for the first time in 1968. And he decided to focus on Wimbledon for the crowning episode of the transformation.

“We had been asking the government over and over again and they wouldn’t allow us, until suddenly they said, ‘Yes, OK, you can have [the colour TV technology], and what’s more you’re going to have it in nine months’ time,’ or whatever it was,” he told RadioTimes.

He added that he wanted to beat West Germany to full-colour broadcast ― the US and Japan had already done it by that time.

But, according to the book 2,024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks, at some point, David Attenborough noticed that the tennis balls weren’t vibrant and visible enough on screen.

So, in 1972, the International Tennis Federation made optic yellow tennis balls ― side note, they’re officially optic yellow and not green (though in my mind, they’re definitely lime).

Who knew a simple ball could have so much lore?

The Kremlin has been forced to respond to leaked European intelligence that Vladimir Putin has starting hiding in an underground property for weeks at a time out of fears for his safety.

A leaked report from an unnamed agency – shared by CNN this week – claimed the Russian president has spent significant periods hiding in upgraded bunkers hours away from Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The report suggested how Putin had stopped using his home in Moscow or his summer property in Valdai town after unsubstantiated claims Ukraine was trying to target the president at his personal residence.

The report also noted that Putin has not visited a military facility this year so far despite making regular trips throughout 2025.

Personal security has been increased and surveillance systems have been installed in his homes.

Bodyguards, cooks and photographers have to be screened twice before gaining access to the autocrat, too, according to the leaked intel.

The employees can only use phones without internet access and are not allowed to travel on public transport.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, also said it had seen “corroborating evidence of enhanced security measures for Putin and high-ranking Russian officials”.

But the Kremlin dismissed any suggestions that extra security has been installed around Putin out of fears of a coup or assassination attempt.

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “What ‘European intelligence agency’ are you referring to? I am not aware that such an agency exists. Unfortunately, I don’t know what it is.”

According to Russian state news agency TASS, he added: “I don’t read such material.”

But, the spokesperson did admit extra security has been installed for Putin in case of a Ukrainian attack on May 9 celebrations, the date when Russia celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Peskov added: “You know that on the eve of major holidays, and, of course, perhaps most importantly, Victory Day in our country, additional security measures are always taken by the relevant special services.”

Russia tried to declare a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine for May 8-9, dates which coincide with the Victory Day parade.

However, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the suggestion, claiming it was a move to protect the celebration – not a step towards peace.

Zelenskyy had already suggested a ceasefire starting from May 6 which would last until after the parade.

But that proposal was ignored by Russia as Moscow continued to target areas across Ukraine.

“We have repeatedly offered the Russian leadership the option of moving toward peace. In response, we have received only new Russian strikes,” the Ukraiian president said in a post on X on Thursday.

“That is exactly why Ukraine’s long-range sanctions are extending to distant locations in Russia linked to its military-industrial complex, war infrastructure, and the financing of its aggression.

“Every day, Russia can make a choice and end its war.

“And not for a few hours in order to receive our permission to hold a parade in Moscow, but in a way that protects human lives.”

He added that Russia had failed to respond to his longstanding calls for a ceasefire, saying: “human life is incomparably more valuable than the ‘celebration’ of any anniversary”.

Moscow also sent a note to foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations warning that it would launch a “retaliatory” strike on Kyiv – including against “decision-making centre” – if Ukraine disturbed the Victory Day celebrations.

The message called for a “timely evacuation of personnel from diplomatic and other missions, as well as citizens from the city of Kyiv”.

Zelenskyy hit back: “If the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war is interested only in a parade and nothing else, that is another matter.

“Russia has fought to the point where even their main parade now depends on us.”

Moscow also declared last week that for security reasons May 8 would be a slimmed-down format, and weaponry like tanks and missiles will not be on display, unlike usual.

It comes after a high-rise building was hit by a drone on Monday. Russia also claimed its air defences had destroyed 32 drones heading to the capital on Thursday.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Alan Cumming has made it clear we shouldn’t expect to see him back at the helm of the Baftas next year.

Exacerbating the furore even further was the fact that the incident made it into the BBC’s coverage of the event, uncensored, despite it airing on a two-hour delay.

“It was an international scandal,” the Scottish actor and presenter told The Times in an interview published on Thursday.

“Then poor John gave this interview saying, ‘I’m not a racist. I called Alan Cumming a paedophile too’. Oh great! He’s equal opportunities and my name and ‘paedophile’ were in the same sentences all over the world.”

Alan went on to criticise Baftas organisers for their part in the incident, lamenting: “It was bad, bad, bad, bad leadership. Bad people who weren’t doing their jobs properly, who really had not prepared and let people down.”

The Traitors US host claimed that because of the earpiece he had to wear on stage, he couldn’t “hear very specifically” what went on during the ceremony, casting doubt on whether the Sinners stars would have “heard the actual slur” in the moment, either.

Later on in the ceremony, he apologised on behalf of Bafta, without understanding exactly what it was he was addressing.

He claimed: “I watched myself back. I was very smiley, I didn’t do it with the gravitas and tone I would have used had I known. That pissed me off.”

Alan added: “You could say they didn’t know [what might happen], but they clearly did, because apparently John had said the n-word at a party the day before.”

Ending the interview, Alan ruled out the possibility of hosting the Baftas for a second year, claiming that before the event had even begun, he’d asked his agent to “remind me, I never want to do this again”, as the job itself had already proved to be so “tough”.

The week after the Baftas, Alan addressed the controversy for the first time, writing on Instagram: “What should have been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma-triggering shitshow.”

He continued: “I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world.

“I’m so sorry the Tourette’s community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.”

After Delroy Lindo publicly voiced his disappointment over how Bafta had handled the incident, the awards body issued a public apology, and accepted “full responsibility” for what transpired.

If you’re a fan of a British drama, you’re definitely going to want to check out Netflix’s latest true crime adaptation.

On Thursday morning, the streaming giant unveiled Legends, a star-studded drama telling the story of the undercover customs investigators who took part in an elaborate operation to take down a gang of illegal drug traffickers.

An official synopsis for the show teases: “In the early 1990s, Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise was losing its battle with illegal drug smuggling across Britain’s borders. The solution was extraordinary. In a top-secret operation, a small team of Customs employees were sent undercover. Their task – to infiltrate Britain’s most dangerous drug gangs.

“But these were not trained spies. They were normal men and women, plucked from ordinary lives around the UK, put through a basic training regime and tasked with building new identities in the criminal underworld. These identities were called Legends.”

So far, critics have been heaping praise on the “gripping” series, praising performances by cast members Steve Coogan and Tom Burke, and indicating that it’s perfect for binge-viewing.

Here’s a selection of what the reviews have been saying…

“Together with directors Brady Hood and Julian Holmes as well as a uniformly strong cast, led by a gravel-voiced [Steve Coogan] and Tom Burke as Don’s star pupil, Forsyth makes Legends a gripping tale of found potential and assumed identity.”

“While everyone in this strong ensemble cast delivers, the standout performance comes from Burke […] This is glossy, big-budget drama filled with adrenaline — and a mighty fine early Nineties soundtrack — but it’s not without moments of comic relief, giving it a British feel that will undoubtedly please fans of Forsyth’s previous work on the BBC.”

“Forsyth’s skill for paring a narrative down to just the fun parts makes this irresistible. Steve Coogan is in his element […] Don’s lone-wolf eccentricities, boosted by Coogan’s gift for the little tics and gestures that say a character has formed their own unique view of the world, give Legends a running seam of humour.”

“Neil Forsyth has turned this little-known episode in British history into a sure-footed six-part thriller. You will never stop marvelling throughout at the fact that it really happened.”

“There are too many names and too many side players running at once, and somewhere between Liverpool and Green Lanes, you start wishing someone had taken a red pen to the cast sheet. None of that ruins it, though. If anything, the messiness is part of why the show feels so alive.”

“Perhaps because Legends tells a less well-known story, Forsyth’s dialogue works overtime to remind us of the stakes involved. Within the space of a few minutes, we’re told that the operatives are trying to ‘pull off the biggest result in customs history’ while the smugglers are plotting the ‘biggest heroin importation the country has ever seen’.

“Thankfully, there’s enough intrigue to keep you persevering through some protracted moments.”

“In its competence, Legends feels like it was born to be on BBC One but has somehow ended up on Netflix. How the series will play to international audiences remains to be seen, but it lacks the pizzazz of Peaky Blinders or the relentless rug pulls of Line of Duty.

“What’s left is Forsyth’s trademark brand of period drama: engaging but not gripping, authentic but not original, well-crafted but not striking. Legends, is, in short, what a lot of British telly is: an exercise in risk-free repetition.”

“The energy spent keeping things serious prevents the series catching fire. But it remains a brilliant story, here well told.”

All six episodes of Legends are now streaming on Netflix.

We’ve written before about how everything from a paintbrush to a pot full of water can help you look after your garden.

And now, it seems a cup of chamomile tea may help those with seedlings and young plants.

It can save them from “damping off”, a wilting process which involves fungal pathogens like Pythium and Rhizoctonia. These can sometimes take out an entire tray of young plants in a matter of hours.

Chamomile oil has been found to have properties that could help to ward off unwanted fungi. And another paper found that the plant’s tea is antifungal too.

Per Gardening Know How, those benefits may help to keep damping off at bay.

That’s because, they explain, the drink is high in tannins and compounds like apigenin and chamazulene.

These contribute to the beverage’s potential fungus-fighting power. And they mimic the same fungicidal process sulphur achieves in plants, but more gently, and in a way that’s delivered straight to the plant’s roots.

Additionally, the tannins could provide a slightly more stressful environment than usual for new spores without affecting your seedling’s growth.

A word of caution, though. The strongest evidence-based results have come from chamomile oil, and not its weaker, harder-to-titrate tea counterpart.

Gardening company Vego Garden shared in a TikTok video that you should take the following steps:

1. Brew some chamomile tea and let it cool,
2. Pour it into a spray bottle, and
3. Spray the mixture over your seedlings to help protect them.

If you like, you can add some cinnamon to the mix, which may be helpful because it contains cinnamaldehyde.

This is another natural antifungal agent, though it might not be as suitable for very young plants, as it’s a little stronger than chamomile.