Tuesday briefing: The levers Labour might pull to counter a growing threat from Reform

In today’s newsletter: Can a partial U-turn on the winter fuel allowance help the party set a new agenda – and keep support for Nigel Farage at bay?

Good morning. After Reform UK’s resounding success in last week’s local elections, Keir Starmer has faced relentless questions over how Labour will change tack to deal with the problem. Now, we may have the beginning of an answer.

On the front page of today’s Guardian, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot report that Downing Street is seriously rethinking the cuts to the winter fuel payment – the policy that above all others summarised Starmer and Rachel Reeves’s shaky start to life in government. While a full reversal is not on the cards, No 10 sources say that the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance could be increased in the autumn.

Israel-Gaza war | Israel is to expand its military operations in Gaza in the coming weeks, with the aim of “conquering” and establishing a “sustained presence” in the Palestinian territory, Israeli officials have said.

Film | Donald Trump’s threat to impose 100% tariffs on movies made outside the US could wipe out the UK film industry, ministers have been warned, as they came under immediate pressure to prioritise the issue in trade talks with the White House.

Charities | Macmillan Cancer Support is to scrap its £14m-a-year specialist advice service, which helps tens of thousands of people every year, in what has been described as a betrayal of vulnerable patients. With the charity’s income falling behind its expenditure, it said that the service was no longer sustainable.

Wildfires | After the warmest start to May on record, a wildfire has destroyed about 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) of moorland on Dartmoor in Devon. Emergency services were called to the blaze at about 2.25pm on Sunday, and firefighters spent almost 24 hours at the scene before it was extinguished on Monday.

VE Day | The UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with military pomp before large crowds who had gathered in central London. The royal family and war veterans were among the attendees at a 1,300-strong military procession while street parties were held around the UK.

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Coonabarabran grandmother in mental health facility after ‘confronting’ deaths of two young boys

Grandsons aged six and seven found dead at NSW property in case police are treating as double murder

A woman whose two grandsons died in a regional town in New South Wales is in a mental health facility after what police are treating as a “confronting” alleged double murder.

The boys, aged six and seven, were found dead by police after officers forced entry to a property at Coonabarabran, in the state’s north-west, during a welfare check about 2pm on Monday.

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Hundreds of little corellas killed in suspected poisoning attack in regional Victorian city

Horsham local Glenn Coffey says he witnessed large numbers of sick birds falling out of trees and drowning in Wimmera river

Victoria’s conservation regulator has launched an investigation into the suspected fatal poisoning of 300 little corellas in Horsham, in the state’s north-west.

The incident, which began on Tuesday last week, has killed hundreds of protected birds in a popular park near the Wimmera river, just south of the city centre.

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Bondi Junction killer missed out on mental health care because police lacked resources and were ‘overwhelmed’

Queensland mental health specialist reveals she couldn’t find someone to cover her role while giving evidence at Sydney inquest this week

A Queensland police officer has told a coronial inquest that a lack of resources explains why her colleague overlooked an email requesting mental health support for Joel Cauchi a year before he stabbed six people to death in Sydney’s Bondi Junction.

The inquest on Monday heard from her colleague, Sen Const Peter McDiarmid, who was acting as the police force’s only mental health officer for a district serving 220,000 residents when he received an email from another officer asking him to follow up with the Cauchi family. But the court heard he did not make contact.

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‘Massacre of Druze in Syria is a warning sign for Israel,’ spiritual leader says – The Jerusalem Post

  1. ‘Massacre of Druze in Syria is a warning sign for Israel,’ spiritual leader says  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Israel's aggression in Syria advances a century-long plan to co-opt the Druze  Middle East Eye
  3. Israel Launches Airstrikes Near Syrian Presidential Palace  The New York Times
  4. Druze communities face harsh criticism in the Arab world after IDF strikes in Syria  Haaretz
  5. Turkish Warplanes Face Off With Israeli Fighters Over Syria - Reports  i24NEWS
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Explosions heard in Sudanese city of Port Sudan, witness says – Reuters

  1. Explosions heard in Sudanese city of Port Sudan, witness says  Reuters
  2. Sudan war: Multiple explosions rock Port Sudan as RSF target key city  BBC
  3. Sudan’s Army Says Paramilitary Forces Struck Civilian Targets  The New York Times
  4. Drone strikes hit Port Sudan airport and army base in third day of attacks  The Guardian
  5. Explosions, huge fire in Sudanese city of Port Sudan  Al Jazeera
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Britain has one of most difficult voter registration processes, report finds

UK system makes it a ‘real outlier’ among liberal democracies, according to study examining 62 countries

The UK has one of the most difficult voter registration processes among liberal democracies, according to research that examined 62 countries.

Requirements to actively register to vote, meet strict deadlines before polling day and cast a ballot at specific polling stations make the UK a “real outlier internationally”, academics at the University of Manchester found.

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UK falling behind on tackling microplastic pollution, scientists say

Researchers call for urgent action as fragments of plastic found in human brains and pollute food, water and air

The UK is falling behind on international efforts to tackle microplastics, scientists have said, as the pollutants continue to infiltrate food, ecosystems and human bodies.

The tiny fragments of plastic have been found in human testicles and brains, and they burrow into plants, inhibiting their ability to photosynthesise. The impact on human health is largely unknown, but they have been linked to strokes and heart attacks.

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Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say

Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbers

The aviation industry is “failing dramatically” in its efforts to tackle its role in the climate crisis, according to a newly formed group of aviation professionals.

They say they are torn between their passion for flying and their concern for the planet and are calling for a fundamental transition of the industry, including controlling flight numbers.

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Ukraine war: Russia closes Moscow airports after drone attack – BBC

  1. Ukraine war: Russia closes Moscow airports after drone attack  BBC
  2. Russian drones hit Kharkiv after Ukrainian attacks temporarily close Moscow airports  BBC
  3. Ukrainian drones attack Moscow, halting flights ahead of major military parade  CNN
  4. Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit  The Guardian
  5. Ukraine drones attack Moscow, disrupt Victory Day planning in Russia  ABC News
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Australia toxic mushroom trial: Sole survivor Ian Wilkinson testifies – BBC

  1. Australia toxic mushroom trial: Sole survivor Ian Wilkinson testifies  BBC
  2. Surviving guest recalls becoming deathly ill after lunch  The Age
  3. Erin Patterson was ‘very reluctant’ for fatal mushroom lunch guests to look in her pantry, court hears  The Independent
  4. The timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trial  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  5. Mushroom lunch’s sole surviving guest details deadly meal and its aftermath as trial of Erin Patterson continues  The Guardian
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The Post wins Pulitzers for Trump rally shooting stories, editorial cartoons – The Washington Post

  1. The Post wins Pulitzers for Trump rally shooting stories, editorial cartoons  The Washington Post
  2. The New York Times Wins 4 Pulitzer Prizes  The New York Times
  3. The Times’ Gustavo Arellano is Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary  Los Angeles Times
  4. New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers; ProPublica wins public service medal again  Politico
  5. The Wall Street Journal, ProPublica and Reuters Win Pulitzer Prizes  WSJ
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