Lisa Nandy said Andy Burnham should have been allowed to stand in the Gorton & Denton by-election after Labour’s NEC blocked his bid.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips read the names of 110 women killed, or suspected to have been killed, by men during an International Women’s Day debate in the Commons, the 11th year she has done so. The Home Office said the total rose from 107 to 110 before the debate closed, with women aged 17 to 93, including some unnamed. Ministers announced a new system to act on Domestic Homicide Review recommendations and £1 million more to expand Project Vigilant deployments.
Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said anti-migrant rhetoric and reported racist abuse are discouraging overseas doctors and nurses from working in the NHS. She cited regulator workforce data indicating fewer overseas staff are arriving and more are leaving, and said the service relies heavily on internationally qualified clinicians. The Department of Health and Social Care said it will support overseas staff and that the NHS has zero tolerance for racism.
New campaigning data and modelling, reported by GB News, suggest Labour could be left controlling as few as two of London’s 32 borough councils after the 7 May elections. Tony Travers of the LSE said the capital could be heading for a “political earthquake,” with the Greens targeting inner-London seats and Reform UK seeking gains in outer boroughs. The article also cites Labour’s third-place finish in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
UK defence officials said British air-defence personnel at the Erbil coalition air base shot down two drones during an overnight attack, while other UAVs struck the site. They said several US service members suffered minor injuries and no British personnel were hurt. Officials described the drones as “Iranian-linked” and said it was unclear whether Iran or aligned militia groups carried out the operation.
