PM hit by three-pronged attack from ex-defence secretary, former defence minister and chief of defence staff

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Keir Starmer is leaving British troops underfunded and unable to carry out the operations he expects from them, according to scathing remarks delivered in parliament on Tuesday by three senior defence figures.

The prime minister came under fire in separate interventions from his former defence secretary John Healey, the former defence minister Al Carns and the country’s current senior military officer, Rich Knighton.

Labour MP warns of voices fanning hatred on eve of 10th anniversary of the murder of her sister, the MP Jo Cox

Political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum, when Jo Cox was murdered, says Kim Leadbeater, Cox’s sister who is now also a Labour MP.

Speaking to the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast Leadbeater, who was elected to the same Yorkshire seat held by Cox in a 2021 byelection, said everyone in public life had a responsibility to try and ease tensions.

Exclusive: Commons motion calls for code of practice to be blocked amid concerns over impact on transgender people

A number of Labour MPs are increasingly doubtful that the guidance on how organisations should implement the supreme court ruling on sex as it applies in the Equality Act is workable in the real world, with some predicting it will unleash a wave of competing legal claims.

A total of 135 MPs, 69 of them from Labour, have signed a Commons motion calling for the code of practice drafted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, approved last month, to be blocked, primarily because of worries about its impact on transgender people.

UK prime minister says move will bring ‘real change for our children’ amid growing concerns over harmful online content

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Access to social media will be banned in the UK for users under 16, Keir Starmer has announced, in what he described as “real change for our children and our future”.

“Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” he said, setting out plans briefed over the weekend, which will go further than a pioneering ban in Australia.

Exclusive: Former minister calls for urgent action against companies such as X that allow incitement to violence

Wes Streeting has called for Keir Starmer to take urgent action against X and other online platforms that have helped whip up social tensions, suggesting they should be forced to contribute to rebuilding costs after the riots in Belfast.

The intervention by the former health secretary, who is seen as a likely challenger to Keir Starmer in any leadership contest, comes after Downing Street said any response would be left to Ofcom, the media regulator, meaning no action is likely for at least two months.

Prime minister promises to fight any leadership challenge as he faces escalating row over military spending

Keir Starmer has admitted that he has to “turn things around” after the resignation of the defence secretary, John Healey, in an escalating row over military spending that has prompted recriminations across Whitehall and concern from the US.

Downing Street and the Treasury traded blows with allies of Healey on Friday. No 10 expressed dismay that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had wanted £18bn to plug funding gaps in major projects, while those close to the former defence secretary accused Starmer of failing to acknowledge the deterioration in global security.