Starmer latest: Starmer latest: Outgoing leader receives gift from ministers at last cabinet meeting ahead of final PMQs

With Andy Burnham’s premiership now looking inevitable, all eyes are on what his top team will look like; But the competition over who will be the next chancellor is heating up.

Darren Jones has backed off his threat to oppose Mr Burnham but in the hope that he will become chancellor rather than one of the other frontrunners, according to some Labor sources. They included former health secretary Wes Streeting, energy minister Ed Miliband and home secretary Shabana Mahmood.

The former Greater Manchester mayor, who was sworn in as an MP on Monday, will face demands from within and outside the Labor Party to bring about real change if he gets into Number 10.

The Prime Minister received a bespoke car watch from Cabinet ministers as a farewell gift.

The leaving gift was arranged by David Lammy and was decorated with an engraved message from the Cabinet.

According to The Times, the gift was prepared especially for the outgoing Prime Minister by Dent London, the watchmakers who furnished the Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben.

This is Keir Starmer last week at the office. He became Prime Minister 739 days ago, after the Conservative Party was rejected and the Labor Party suffered a huge loss of votes.

Today we journey back to the summer of 2024 and the start of Keir Starmer’s difficult first 100 days and ask: can Andy Burnham learn from Keir Starmer’s mistakes?

Reform leader organizes private security detail and says government offer is inadequate, writes Sean O’Grady:

Does Reform UK leader Nigel Farage need more protection from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch? Do the police have to protect the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh parliaments, as well as members of parliament at Westminster? What about council members? What about retired MPs? Or are they important public figures who have not yet been elected? Their families?

Starmer’s first 100 days in power reveal much about what led to his downfall. More reason for Andy Burnham to learn from them, former Whitehall staff say Helen MacNamara And Cleo Watson.

Reported by: Maja Anushka:

The former human rights lawyer had a net approval rating of -3 when he arrived at Downing Street in June 2024. One hundred days later it sat at -26. The Prime Minister never managed to reverse this trend, making history with his lowest net approval rating of -66 in June 2025. recorded by Ipsos For any prime minister going back to 1977.

Meanwhile, as Mr Starmer clears his desk, Andy Burnham prepares to stand up. Current polling shows public opinion divided or undecided. On June 24, YouGov reported Mr. Burnham’s net approval rating at -4; 29% of Britons are still unsure how they feel about the incoming leader. Will his first 100 days lead to a repeat of frustration and disappointment?

Plans announced today see 16 and 17-year-olds blocked from accessing social media sites by default between midnight and 6am.

New guidance on the safe use of artificial intelligence for children, parents and guardians will be published, and media literacy teaching in schools will be strengthened from September.

England’s children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, welcomed Wednesday’s announcements as a “positive step” that responds to young people’s calls for greater protection online.

He said: “Young people tell me they are trying to reduce their use of social media but are finding it difficult, so restrictions on endless scrolling are welcome.

“I want to know more about how policies such as curfews will be implemented and will be monitoring them closely to make sure they are effective; I will also push Ofcom to take full advantage of its powers to make the online world safer for children.”

political reporter Millie Cooke reports:

Britain is now the “safest place for young people’s online experiences”, a minister has said, after the government proposed introducing a social media curfew for young people.

Speaking to Times Radio, Kanishka Narayan said: “The most important thing I would say is that this is part of an overall package, which means Britain is now the safest place for young people’s online experiences.

“As the first country in the world to ban romantic and suggestive content on youth chatbots, we banned those under the age of 16.

“We have now become the first country in the world to limit harmful features in the game by also giving mandatory breaks for artificial intelligence chatbots. And today, yes, there is support for 16 and 17 year olds too.

“So this is just one part of the overall package, which means the UK is now firmly on the side of regulating families and parents, not tech platforms.”

political reporter Millie Cooke reports:

It would be “evil” to suggest 16 and 17-year-olds turn off the optional social media curfew, the online safety minister has said.

Kanishka Narayan told Sky News the government wanted to “empower” 16 and 17-year-olds, saying: “I wouldn’t discount it because when we see evidence of these things. In October, for example, some platforms introduced such defaults – over 90 per cent of young people told us they were keeping them.”

“And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear, and I’m not going to be mean to young people by telling them they’re all going to turn it off.”

Ministers arrived for Sir Keir Starmer’s final Cabinet meeting before he officially resigns on Monday.