Based on largest poll of supporters, these charts and maps show five distinct groups that could hand Reform a majority

In messages released by House Democrats, Epstein wrote Trump ‘spent hours at my house’ in the company of one of his sex-trafficked victims * US politics live – latest updates Damning new emails that suggest Donald Trump knew about the conduct of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released Wednesday, in which Epstein said “of course [Trump] knew about the girls” and which are likely to add pressure on the White House to release the so-called Epstein files. In one of several messages released by Democrats on the House oversight committee and not publicly seen before, Epstein wrote to a contact in 2011 that Trump “spent hours at my house” in the company of one of the disgraced financier’s sex-trafficked victims. Continue reading...

Exclusive: No 10 said to be in ‘full bunker mode’ over fears of challenge after this month’s budget or May local elections * Thin majorities and chaotic strategy push Labour MPs toward regime change Downing Street has launched an extraordinary operation to protect Keir Starmer amid fears among the prime minister’s closest allies that he is vulnerable to a leadership challenge in the wake of the budget. Starmer’s most senior political aides warned that any attempt to oust the prime minister over tanking poll ratings would be a “reckless” and “dangerous” move that could destabilise the markets, international relationships and the Labour party. Continue reading...

Special report: Uniserve was paid £1.4bn for Covid contracts that included supply of £178.5m in never-used equipment When Mrs Justice Cockerill handed down her judgment in the high court against PPE Medpro, the company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone, for supplying unsafe personal protective equipment during the pandemic, her findings were a landmark in a five-year saga that cast the opaque world of government deal making into stark light. PPE Medpro was ordered to refund the full £122m that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) paid for unusable gowns in the summer of 2020, as Boris Johnson’s government scrambled to refill the UK’s depleted stocks. Continue reading...

Footage shows commotion inside vehicle in Massachusetts as desperate woman in passenger seat tries to awaken man US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing fierce questions after a video that appeared to show a man falling unconscious during an arrest while clutching a small child went viral, and officials accused the man of faking a medical emergency to stop the arrest of his wife. The footage, obtained by the Boston Globe, shows a frantic commotion inside a vehicle in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on Thursday. A desperate woman in the passenger seat tries to awaken the man in the driver’s seat, with a crying child in the middle. People can be heard shouting: “He’s having a seizure.” An officer can be seen trying to pull the passengers from the vehicle, while a Fitchburg police officer orders the crowd to “back up” repeatedly. Continue reading...

King’s brother will surrender lease and become known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Buckingham Palace says Prince Andrew is to leave his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor after he was served with a formal notice to surrender the lease, Buckingham Palace has said. King Charles has initiated a “formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew”, who will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the palace said. Continue reading...

Party’s Doge chief says he would cut civil service and close six government offices – most of which are already closing * UK politics live – latest updates Reform UK would allow ministers to ignore international law and give them the ability to fire civil servants in a Donald Trump-style overhaul of government powers, the party’s new efficiency tsar has said. Danny Kruger, who defected to Reform from the Conservatives last month, set out the party’s plans to change the way the government and civil service operate, handing more power to the cabinet. Continue reading...