Labour lead plummets to lowest level since June

Good evening. Labour’s lead over the Tories has fallen to its lowest level since last June as Sir Keir Starmer faces one of the most difficult periods of his leadership.

Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak has condemned an “aggressive mob” who targeted the home of a Conservative MP over the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Labour lead drops to lowest level since last June in new poll

The Savanta survey, conducted in the days after Sir Keir Starmer radically downgraded his flagship green spending pledge, put Labour on 41 per cent of the vote, down five points on two weeks before. Meanwhile, a third Labour politician who attended the meeting at the heart of an anti-Semitism row has been “spoken to” by party officials as they investigate what happened.

Sunak condemns ‘aggressive mob’ who targeted Tobias Ellwood’s home

Dozens of activists stood outside Tobias Ellwood’s family home in Dorset on Monday night brandishing flags, placards and a megaphone. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Sunak said: “Democracy is built on free debate – but increasingly MPs have been targeted by aggressive mobs for exercising those freedoms”. Watch footage of the protest here.

Rachel Reeves accepted donation from climate sceptic days before dropping £28bn pledge

Rachel Reeves accepted £10,100 from a climate sceptic just days before Labour abandoned its flagship £28bn green energy spending pledge. Bernard Donoughue, a Labour peer who previously told Parliament that the climate change debate suffers from “scaremongering” and “exaggeration”, donated to the shadow chancellor’s office late last month.

Evening Briefing: Today’s essential headlines

Steve Wright | The radio presenter was found dead after paramedics were called to an “incident” at his central London flat. Police have said the “unexpected” death is not being treated as suspicious.

Comment and analysis

Madeline Grant | Britain used to be a polite and decent country. No more

Nigel Farage | Our debilitated Armed Forces need money, not diversity

Matthew Lynn | Supersized heat pumps look set to invade England’s suburbs

Richard Kemp | David Cameron’s patronising advice would doom Israel to defeat

Allison Pearson | Greedy universities don’t seem to care about white middle-class British kids

World news: Russia advances along entire front line

Ukraine has moved to a defensive posture, its newly-appointed army chief has said, as Russia advances along the entire front line. Read more here.

Feature of the day

The holiday that helped me grieve after my father took his own life

Our writer’s father loved art, so she set out on an Italian adventure to honour him – and heal herself.

Business news: BP oil deal deepens ties to Middle East

BP has struck a deal with the UAE’s state-owned oil company as the British energy giant deepens ties to the Middle East. BP is to form a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company focused on production from two massive Egyptian gas fields.

Live markets news: Tyre maker Continental to cut 7,150 jobs as it switches to electric vehicles