Key points
- PM not going on holiday amid 'high alert' for more unrest
- 'Shameful' pundits tried to 'undermine police', says home secretary
- No 10 admits 'challenging time' after 703 Channel crossings in a day
- Badenoch leads Tory leadership contenders in poll of party members
In depth
- Listen:How well has the PM handled riots?
- Explained:What does 'two-tier policing' mean - and does it exist?
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".
'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."
'Challenging time' for Channel crossings, Downing Street admits
Earlier we reported on a record day for small boats crossing the Channel since the new government came to power.
Some 703 migrants made the journey on Sunday (see 14.00 post).
Sir Keir Starmer's administration is still putting its plans in place after scrapping the Rwanda scheme, with the Home Office yet to hire a leader for its proposed "border security command".
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly has said the approach has "encouraged people smugglers" - and Downing Street has admitted crossings will likely be more common for the rest of summer.
"We know the summer is a challenging time, and we expect to see increases before we see improvements," said a spokesperson.
The fine weather means criminal gangs are willing to use "ever more dangerous tactics and approaches", they added.
The 703 migrants who crossed yesterday did so in just 11 boats, and two people died trying to make the journey.
What does 'two-tier' policing mean - and does it exist?
By Faye Brown, political reporter
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has today hit back at criticism of the police following the recent riots.
She accused "some senior politicians and pundits" of seeking to "undermine the legitimacy and authority" of officers with their commentary - which included repeated claims of "two-tier policing".
It comes after Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley dismissed the accusation as "complete nonsense".
What are the origins of 'two-tier' policing?
The term has been used to suggest police are more heavy-handed with people on the right of the political spectrum than the left.
Even before the current rioting in the UK, the idea was propagated by the likes of English Defence League founderTommy Robinson, actor-turned political activist Laurence Fox, and former ex-minister Robert Jenrick.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage summed up the sentiment when he claimed that "ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread".
'Difference between riot and protest'
However, critics of those who have used the term say there is a clear difference between legal protests and the riots, which has seen mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers attacked, police officers hospitalised, and shops smashed and looted.
One of the strongest rebukes came from Dame Priti Patel, who was home secretary during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
She told Times Radio: "What we saw during the pandemic, we saw protest. We believe in free speech. We saw protests being policed."
Recent riots, however, were "thuggery and disorder" - and she said there was "complete distinction" between the two.
What is the law on protests in the UK?
Protest is legal in the UK and the right to freedom of expression is also protected under the European Convention of Human Rights.
However, this only applies to peaceful protest and does not extend to any violence inflicted or damage caused during a protest.
As pointed out by Chris Hobbs, a former Special Branch officer writing for thePolice Oracle website, arrests have been made at pro-Palestinian protests when there has been suspected criminal offences, as has been the case during climate protests and BLM demonstrations.
