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By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter 

The UK's largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200% in the 10 local authorities won by Reform at last month's local elections.

Unison figures show its membership increased by an average of 272% in the week after the results were announced, which saw Reform take control of 10 councils and pick up more than 600 councillors.

The data, shared with Sky News, shows an average of 64 people joined the union in the week beginning 5 May, following the poll in England on 1 May - compared with an average of 28 for the previous week and 21 for 2025 as a whole.

In a speech celebrating his party's gains, Mr Farage warned workers at councils now controlled by Reform - including Durham, Kent, Doncaster and Staffordshire - to seek "alternative careers" if they worked on diversity or climate change initiatives.

Mr Farage has sought to bring the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency - nicknamed DOGE - to the UK in a bid to slash the costs of the state.

He has singled out council spending and environmental policies for particular criticism.

David Lammy is set to meet with his counterparts from France, Germany and Iran - as well as the EU - in Geneva tomorrow.

The foreign secretary is hotfooting it back to Europe from the United States to discuss the unfolding situation in the Middle East.

A UK official said: "The UK has had long-standing concerns about Iran's nuclear programme for many years and the foreign secretary is ready to support talks to press for a diplomatic solution to this, reiterating need for diplomatic settlement to address nuclear issue for the long term."

We've just had the latest data for people crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Some 244 people made the journey in four boats yesterday - an average of 61 people per vessel.

If added to the previous six days of crossings, it shows that 2,066 have made the crossing since last Thursday.

The worst day for crossings was last Friday - when 919 people made the voyage in 14 boats.

Speaking to broadcasters earlier today, Sir Keir Starmer was asked about advice provided to the government by Attorney General Richard Hermer.

Sky News reported earlier that Hermer has concerns about the legality of Israel's actions against Iran.

The PM insisted - as he has before - that "the attorney's advice is never just disclosed by any government".

Sir Keir Starmer has just been speaking to broadcasters about the situation in the Middle East.

The prime minister reiterated his calls for de-escalation in the conflict, and insisted a diplomatic resolution was the way forward.

Starmer said: "All of us, the UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear program that Iran is developing."

He added that he also recognised Israel's right to self-defence.

But he added that de-escalation is needed to avoid the conflict spilling over into Gaza, and also to avoid impacts on the economy.

The PM said there have been several rounds of discussions with the United States on the topic, and that is the way forward to get a solution.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy is currently in the United States to speak with his opposite number Marco Rubio, and will then be travelling to Switzerland tomorrow to speak with Iran and European leaders.

By Ashish Joshi, health correspondent

On the eve of one of the most important votes this current cohort of MPs will likely ever cast, it was a bold, daring claim to make. 

 Asked by a reporter at a press conference convened in a hot, crowded room deep inside the parliamentary estate if tomorrow's assisted dying vote was likely to pass, Kim Leadbeater replied, confidently, yes, her controversial bill would be carried. 

It would take a sizeable shift to swing it the other way, and opponents of the bill have been trying very hard to convince wavering MPs to do just that. 

This week alone there have been significant interventions from the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and Physicians - two professions that would be at the heart of delivering this end of life care and key in making the life or death decisions. 

The setting might have been political, but the message was much less so. 

Leadbeater was flanked by supporters with the most compelling, heart-wrenching testimonies. 

Each told their own powerful story: of lonely, painful deaths, carefully planned journeys to Switzerland's Dignitas clinic kept secret from loved ones, and the life limiting deterioration in health and dreading what new misery the next few weeks or months would bring.

It was a powerful reminder to MPs that away from the parliamentary process and bill scrutiny, ultimately this is what the legislation is all about.

There was a (questionable) assurance from Lord Falconer that the House of Lords would respect the will of the people and the bill will pass through the upper chamber without difficulty. 

The timetable is tight, but it appears the country is ready for change - a historic one.

Pollsters at YouGov have just released some interesting research about the assisted dying bill.

The legislation is set to be voted on tomorrow by MPs - if passed it will go to the Lords.

It shows that most people in the UK support the principle of assisted dying - and 73% support the measures outlined in the bill being voted on tomorrow.

Some 2,003 people were asked in May how they felt on the topic.

As we mentioned, 75% supported assisted dying in principle, with 14% opposing it and the rest replying "don't know".

This is almost the exact result as in November, when the whole House of Commons voted on the bill.

YouGov also asked people if they supported the legislation in its current form.

For this, 73% said they supported it and 16% said they opposed it.

A YouGov statement said: "Kim Leadbeater's bill has clearly ameliorated the concerns of some sceptical about assisted dying in practice.

"More than seven in ten Britons support the bill as is stands, including 59% of those who say they support assisted dying in principle but oppose it in practice - and 67% who are opposed to the principle of euthanasia but are willing to back it in practice."

By Alix Culbertson, political reporter

Dame Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci are among another 100 famous names who have added their signatures to a letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to "end the UK's complicity" in Gaza.

Sky News can exclusively reveal the Bond actress, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Conclave actor are among a host of public figures who have added their names to the letter.

At the end of May, Sky News revealed about 300 actors, bands, singers, activists and sportspeople signed the letter, organised by refugee charity Choose Love, calling on Sir Keir to suspend all UK arms sales and licences to Israel.

Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker were among the celebrities to also urge the PM to use all available means to ensure full humanitarian access and broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Celebrities and activists also read out all the names of children killed in Gaza in front of parliament.

But three weeks later, they say nothing has changed.

By Adele Robinson, news correspondent

The Capture redress scheme will be delivered in Autumn 2025 鈥� but why not now, or earlier?

Time is not on the side of many victims and their relatives.

They are, after all, among the oldest victims of this Post Office scandal, with many already having passed away.

This is, however, the timeline that the Department for Business and Trade have been putting forward to victims for the last couple of months.

They now have to put in place an independent panel, entirely separate from government, and caseworkers to check eligibility.

Victims though may be frustrated that it will be over a year from when the Kroll report concluded - that it was likely Capture had caused shortfalls in accounting 鈥� before the redress scheme opens.

Nothing moves quickly in government, however, unless pushed.

Separate to that is another elephant in the room, that those who were convicted on Capture evidence are still left waiting.

While all victims of Capture have been seriously affected by the faulty software, none more so than those who were taken to court.

They will not be entitled to apply for redress until their convictions are quashed, and that doesn't appear to be anytime soon.

The government has announced details of a compensation scheme for Postmasters who suffered financial shortfalls due to the Capture software.

Capture was a faulty computer system used by postmasters in the 1990s, before the Horizon scandal. 

In a statement this morning, the government said it would "provide fair compensation" for those who suffered financial shortfalls due to the Capture software between 1992 and 2000.

The scheme is expected to open for applications in Autumn 2025.

The government said it would have an "initial phased rollout" for 150 claimants to ensure the process is "fair, proportionate and accessible before wider implementation". 

Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said: "We are committed to delivering fair and swift redress for all postmasters affected by Post Office software failures. 

"Today's announcement represents another important step in righting the wrongs of the past and rebuilding trust in the Post Office."

The government said all eligible claims will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts operating entirely separately from government. 

The panel will:

• Take a holistic view of each claim, avoiding drawn out legal processes and providing fair redress even where evidence is low.
• Use a balance of probabilities standard of proof
• Recommend appropriate payment levels
• Provide claimants the right to appeal in certain circumstances