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Keir Starmer is under pressure and the sharks are circling. There are several key figures hopeful of replacing him. Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner are the big three. Yesterday, in the space of just one day, Streeting resigned from Starmer’s cabinet, Rayner was cleared of intentional wrongdoing over her tax affairs and Burnham found a parliamentary seat to contest. After all this, which of the three is in the strongest position? Charles Lees assesses the pros and
cons.
Scientists in South Korea have been wondering whether contact lenses could one day be used treat depression. The team tested the concept on mice fitted with tiny lenses that deliver electrical frequencies to the brain. While the study was limited, it’s an interesting way of thinking about how we might treat depression in future.
And as Donald Trump returns home from China, we look at what Vladimir Putin will have made of his talks with Xi Jinping.
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Sarah Reid
Politics + Society Editor
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Starmer’s speech a few days after disastrous election results for Labour was billed as his last chance to save his premiership.
James Manning/PA Images/Alamy
Charles Lees, City St George's, University of London
Streeting accused Starmer of creating a ‘vacuum’ in the Labour party where vision is needed.
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New Africa/Shutterstock.com
Barbara Pierscionek, Anglia Ruskin University
Contact lenses that treat depression? The idea is tantalising, but the science is still in its earliest stages.
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The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 12.
Mikhail Metzel / Kremlin Pool / EPA
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham
Vladimir Putin will see his relevance and leverage diminished by more stable US-China relations.
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World
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Nicholas John Wheeler, University of Birmingham; BASIC; Marcus Holmes, William & Mary
Taiwan looms as an area for possible misunderstanding and potential conflict.
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Emilie Rutledge, The Open University
The Iran war has hurt Gulf economies, but the effects have differed across the region.
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Politics + Society
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Stephen Cushion, Cardiff University; Keighley Perkins, Cardiff University; Swansea University; Maxwell Modell, Cardiff University
Polls and projections increasingly framed the Senedd election as a contest between two parties.
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Brian Thornton, University of Winchester
Victims have had to pay thousands of pounds for transcriptions of their court cases.
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Anwen Elias, Aberystwyth University; Elin Royles, Aberystwyth University
Plaid Cymru ’s historic victory opens a new chapter in Welsh politics, and a potential constitutional test for Westminster.
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Arts + Culture
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Clare Carolin, King's College London
‘This biennale seems cursed’, texted my friend. Despite feeling hypocritical about the environmental burden, I booked a flight to Venice.
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Kenny Monrose, University of Cambridge
This impressive installation is a showcase of the roots and routes within the development of Black British music and is a must-see for all lovers of music.
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Business + Economy
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Emilie Rutledge, The Open University
The Iran war has hurt Gulf economies, but the effects have differed across the region.
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Jasper Verschuur, Delft University of Technology; Paul Behrens, University of Oxford
The world is too dependent on the Gulf states for energy and fertiliser.
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Environment
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Shiv Yucel, University of Oxford
Governments need to open cool buildings in heatwaves, as part of a wider set of additional responses, research shows.
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Aliyu Ibrahim Nagidi, University of Hull; Ben Kolosz, University of Hull; Martin Taylor, University of Hull
The Humber’s high output of clean energy could power direct air capture units and provide fossil-free CO₂.
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Jasper Verschuur, Delft University of Technology; Paul Behrens, University of Oxford
The world is too dependent on the Gulf states for energy and fertiliser.
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Health
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Netalie Shloim, University of Leeds; Chagit Peles, Bar-Ilan University
The second trimester may be a useful time to plan simple meals, snacks and food routines for early parenthood.
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Science + Technology
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Shiv Yucel, University of Oxford
Governments need to open cool buildings in heatwaves, as part of a wider set of additional responses, research shows.
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Robin Hankin, University of Stirling
In 2022, six jury scores from the second semi-final were nullified on grounds of collusion.
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2 March - 30 September 2026
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3 March - 15 May 2026
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Glasgow
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21 April - 19 May 2026
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Wivenhoe Park, Colchester
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