‘Astonishing’: Why some Labour MPs are already questioning Starmer’s future
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This year saw the curtain come down on 14 years of Conservatives in Downing Street as Rishi Sunak’s gamble on a June election backfired spectacularly.
But, while Keir Starmer swept into No.10 on a landslide, his honeymoon has been very short.
ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston tells a special edition of Talking Politics that some Labour MPs - including some Cabinet members - are talking about Starmer not being in charge come the next election.
“There are a lot of individuals who have lost confidence in him,” says Robert. “For this to be a subject of conversation at the top of the Labour Party so few months after they won a landslide, is astonishing.”
Deputy political leader Anushka Asthana says the challenge for Labour and Starmer is that they will come up against a “populist movement” in the shape of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. “I don’t think we are as divided as the US but there are signs we have shifted in a similar direction,” she tells News at Ten host Tom Bradby.
And how Farage drives his message forward during 2025 will be pivotal to shaping British politics next year: “In terms of modern politics, his relentless focus on what voters think is, in a social media world, that is the more effective strategy,” says Robert.
So where next for Starmer? How does Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tackle Labour and counter the rise of Reform? Do the Greens or the Lib Dems have a role to play? Watch the Talking Politics special on ITVX or catch up on our podcast.
ITV News special: 20 years since the Boxing Day tsunami
The Boxing Day tsunami claimed the lives of 230,000 people when it struck in 2004.
Senior Correspondent John Irvine was on holiday with his family in Thailand when the wave swept in. He recalls the desperate dash he made to save his then five-year-old son from the surging waters...
And our now US Correspondent Dan Rivers was among the first UK journalists on the scene to report on the aftermath from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
In this ITV News special, our team reflect on their experiences of reporting on the tragedy.
ITV News uncovers evidence of mass graves in Syria
ITV News' team in Syria has discovered what appears to be a mass grave close to the capital Damascus, filled with human remains crammed into bags.
Correspondent John Ray followed a grim rumour to Adra, just a short distance from the capital, to meet Riyad Mansour and his brother.
They show John a white grain bag. It contains bones. On the first bag is written a name: Raad al Joud - a woman. Beneath her name, another detail: Prisoner 125.
You can watch John’s chilling report on ITVX.
Also from ITV News:
The shocking impact of ketamine addiction
Tom Ryde was just 15 when he initially started using the class B drug at weekends. But over time, he gradually became addicted.
"I'd be stealing things from shops, selling clothes, spending my wages on it before I've even had my wages," the 24-year-old, from Clitheroe in Lancashire, told ITV News Granada.
ITV News also spoke to the mum of a 13-year-old who’s become addicted to the dissociative anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.
You can see Tom’s story on our Instagram platform.
On the trail of festive felons
Each day, four members of staff working at Co-op stores are attacked while at work by shoppers or shoplifters.
ITV News’ Consumer Editor Chris Choi has been investigating for months the spiralling incidents of shoplifting in our ‘Shops and Robbers’ series.
The Co-op is now using AI technology as another tool to tackle thieves - watch what he learned on ITVX.
Pesticides, industrial chemicals and E.coli found in designated bathing waters
The most comprehensive river testing of bathing waters in the UK has shown they contain a cocktail of potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria, ITV News has learned.
Watershed Investigations used volunteers to test 23 rivers and lakes used for swimming, twice a day, every day for a week.
The testing found that a third of waters breached recommended thresholds for E.coli – a bacteria which can cause diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting - and a host of chemicals.
Watch Science Correspondent Martin Stew’s exclusive report on ITVX.
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‘Propa comfort food’: Hairy Biker’s solo venture
Hairy Biker Si King still misses his mate, Dave Myers, every day. As one half of the roving cooking buddies, Si was distraught following Dave’s death from cancer earlier this year.
Now, he’s channelling the best of his friend into a new venture called PROPA - a takeaway restaurant offering the sort of comfort food the pair championed, right next door to Sunderland football club.
ITV Tyne Tees met up with Si for a sneak peek of his new eaterie which combines pies and football - see how it looks on ITVX.
The unlikeliest of friends
Sometimes, nature throws up some of most curious of pairings. ITV Anglia’s cameras visited the Watatunga reserve in Watlington near King's Lynn to meet a year-old Setter called Moose who’s taken an abandoned water buffalo into his care.
Moose and month-old Winnie have become firm friends, often frolicking in the garden while owner Molly Ruder hand-rears the young calf.
Catch up with their adorable story on ITVX.
What’s coming up…
Saturday December 21: Winter solstice. The winter solstice is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight
Wednesday December 25: Christmas Day - The King and Queen will be accompanied by members of the Royal Family to attend the morning service on at Sandringham church. The King’s Speech to the nation will be broadcast at 3pm
Monday December 30: New Year Honours list to be published
And finally … Merry Christmas and a happy new year
This will be our final News Briefing of 2024 - so from all of us at ITV News, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful new year!
Thank-you so much for reading our newsletter over the past six months and we look forward to bringing you many more exclusive reports, more insight and more analysis from our correspondents in the UK and abroad in 2025.