PM not going on holiday as government remains on ‘high alert’ for more unrest
Sir Keir Starmer didn’t go on a planned family holiday to lead the government’s response to the riots – and it’s not being rearranged.
Asked if the prime minister would be taking time off now the unrest seems to have subsided, his spokesperson said the holiday had been “cancelled, not postponed”.
He will continue working from both Number 10 and the Chequers country retreat.
“The job is not done until people feel safe,” his spokesperson said.
“The PM is not alone in this. Many people have had leave cancelled to make sure they can respond to the disorder.”
While the government welcomes the “de-escalation” of the violence, which Sir Keir has credited to the swift sentencing of rioters, they added ministers were “not complacent” and “remain on high alert”.
Starmer holds talks with Biden amid fears of Iranian attack on Israel
Joe Biden has held talks with Sir Keir Starmer about the crisis in the Middle East amid fears of an Iranian attack on Israel.
The White House said the president had spoken with the prime minister and the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy to discuss the situation, which has been threatening to escalate since Israel’s killing of a senior Hamas commander in Iran last month.
The US believes an Iranian attack could come as soon as this week.
Ceasefire talks still to come
It follows 10 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The White House said Mr Biden spoke with the UK and European leaders about hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since October.
Further talks on a possible deal are due to take place on Thursday.
Earlier, a joint statement from Sir Keir, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Germany’s Olaf Scholz warned an Iranian attack on Israel would risk escalating the conflict.
Prisons under pressure as rioters head to jail
By Mollie Malone, news correspondent
The prison service is beginning to feel the impact of the UK riots amid the capacity crisis in jails across England and Wales, Sky News understands.
It’s understood in the last 24 hours, police put around 400 people on court lists, with many being remanded.
The service has less than 700 free spaces available in the male estate. It considers itself in “operational trouble” if they have any fewer than 300.
The government has promised more than 500 new cells to accommodate those being sentenced following rioting in recent weeks.
Police chiefs said more than 975 arrests have been made, and 546 charges brought, since 29 July.
Impact of riots ‘may take weeks to peak’
The Prison Governors Association has written a letter to its members, shared with Sky News, condemning the violence but expressing concern over the impact on an already crippling criminal justice system.
“The impact of this surge may take days or weeks to peak,” they said.
Sky News has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
‘An incredible Olympian’: PM pays tribute to retiring Daley
Team GB returned from the Paris Olympics today – and Tom Daley announced his retirement.
He won his fifth Olympic medal in France (silver) – having won bronzes in London and Rio de Janeiro, plus a gold and a bronze in Tokyo, making him Britain’s most decorated diver ever.
The prime minister has now honoured that legacy.
“An incredible athlete and Olympian,” said Sir Keir Starmer, offering his congratulations “for inspiring so many people”.
Conservative councillor’s wife in court over riots
As mentioned in our 5pm bulletin, more people have appeared in court today over the recent rioting across the UK.
One of them is Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Tory party councillor.
She stands accused of stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers on social media, specifically via a post on Elon Musk’s X.
Her appearance at Northampton Crown Court lasted 11 minutes, and she was not required to enter a plea.
The 41-year-old childminder’s husband, West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, watched from the public gallery as the judge remanded her in custody.
She will appear at the same court again on 2 September.
Tories left railways in ‘state of neglect’ as extent of signal failure delays revealed
Train passengers have lost nearly one million minutes to delays caused by signal failures in the past five years.
A total of 988,419 minutes of delays across England, Scotland, and Wales since the 2018-19 financial year have been due to signal failures, Network Rail data shows.
The data was published after the Liberal Democrats submitted a Freedom of Information request to the company.
The party is calling for a freeze on rail fares due to poor service, and accused the Tories of having left Britain’s railways in a “state of neglect”.
Labour have pledged to return rail into public ownership as contracts expire over the coming years.
Read more on this story from our political reporter Alix Culbertson:
Here’s your teatime bulletin from the Politics Hub.
It’s been hot, hot, hot here in Westminster, but it’s been a day when nothing has really set the political agenda ablaze.
- The weather may call for a staycation, but the prime minister won’t be taking any summer holidays as he remains on “high alert” after the riots;
- Sir Keir Starmer had intended to go on a family trip but worked last week to deal with the unrest, and Number 10 said earlier his break has been “cancelled, not postponed”;
- More rioters have appeared in court today, and there have been additional charges too, while the home secretary has criticised “senior politicians and pundits who sought to undermine” the police during the disorder.
- To one of the things that appeared to motivate some rioters, and we’ve had the highest number of Channel crossings in a day since Labour won power;
- Home Office data shows 703 people crossed on Sunday, and the PM’s spokesperson admitted summer was a “challenging time”;
- Shadow home secretary James Cleverly criticised the government’s approach, including scrapping the Tories’ Rwanda scheme, saying it had “encouraged people smugglers”.
- And on foreign affairs, Downing Street has said its support for Ukraine “remains unchanged” after Kyiv’s forces made incursions into Russia;
- The PM has also issued a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany about the crisis in the Middle East, warning against “escalation” amid fears of an Iranian attack on Israel.
That’s all for now – stick with us for whatever political news comes our way before the sun starts to set.
Khan welcomes Team GB home from Olympics
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was among the well-wishers to greet Team GB as they got off the golden Eurostar train from Paris earlier.
Here he is posing with some athletes and fans…
Team GB won 65 medals in Paris, beating their tally from the last Olympics in Tokyo.
You can catch up on the team’s grand return below:
Starmer’s first big test: How well did the PM handle riots?
The prime minister has cancelled his holiday as he remains on “high alert” for more potential unrest after the recent riots.
But the disorder does appear to have petered out, as perpetrators are sentenced across the country and after counter-protesters turned out in large numbers last week.
On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Tawhid Islam, trustee at Liverpool Region Mosque Network, after the protests his community feared were overshadowed.
Plus, our people and communities correspondent Nick Martin on how swift justice may have deterred protesters and delivered a political victory for the new government.
👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Starmer joins Macron and Scholz in warning of ‘further escalation’ in Middle East
The US has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East amid growing fears Iran will retaliate against Israel over last month’s killing of a senior Hamas member.
The tensions have also prompted a response from the UK government, along with France and Germany.
A joint statement by Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Olaf Scholz called for “de-escalation”, and warned against anything that would “jeopardise the opportunity” for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East,” the three leaders said.
‘Aid for Gaza needed urgently’
They added the fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has been running since the latter’s 7 October attack, “must end now”.
Hostages still held by Hamas must be released, they said, while people in Gaza urgently need “delivery and distribution of aid”.
The Palestinian death toll is thought to be approaching 40,000.
UK’s support for Ukraine ‘unchanged’ after incursion into Russia
The top story on the Sky News website and app today is Ukraine’s expanding incursion into Russian territory.
It’s a striking moment in the war, which until now has seen Kyiv focus on defending its own territory rather than taking Moscow’s.
Despite the dramatic change of strategy, Downing Street has said its support for Ukraine “remains unchanged”.
A spokesperson would not be drawn on the incursion itself, but said: “The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“We are steadfast in our commitment to continue to supply military assistance.”