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(Sharecast News) - Andy Burnham signalled his intention to return to Westminster on Saturday, announcing plans to seek Labour's nomination for the Gorton & Denton byelection, according to the Sunday Times.
The move was widely interpreted as a challenge to Keir Starmer's authority, given Burnham's current role as mayor of Greater Manchester. In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, chair of Labour's National Executive Committee, Burnham said he had taken the "difficult decision" to stand in order to help the party counter the rise of Reform UK at a "national level", the paper reported. While praising the government's record, he said he wanted to "use my experience to help it go further and faster, as well as communicate the difference it is making".
Supporters of Wes Streeting believe he would still command backing from as many as 200 Labour MPs in any future leadership contest, even if Andy Burnham wins the Gorton & Denton byelection, the Sunday Times reported.
According to the paper, a number of MPs expect Burnham to position himself as a potential challenger to Keir Starmer should Labour suffer significant losses in the local elections on 7 May. Under party rules, 20% of Labour's 404 MPs - around 80 or 81 - would need to nominate a challenger to trigger a contest for the leadership.
Labour has acknowledged that its proposed agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius could unravel if Donald Trump refuses to amend a decadesold treaty, according to the Independent. Legislation underpinning the deal, due for debate in the House of Lords on Monday, has been delayed amid concerns it may conflict with a 60yearold UKUS agreement asserting British control over the archipelago.
The Independent reported that Trump shocked Downing Street this week by attacking the plan, despite previously signalling support during talks in Washington earlier in the year. While ministers secured US backing for the arrangement in 2025, the president reversed course in a social media post, describing the proposal as "an act of great stupidity", prompting renewed uncertainty over the future of the UKUS Diego Garcia military base.
Donald Trump has warned that he would impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States if Ottawa proceeds with a new trade agreement with China, the Independent reported. Trump criticised the partnership announced by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, which aims to expand bilateral investment and cooperation across sectors including agriculture, energy and finance.
According to the Independent, Trump said Canada risked becoming a "Drop Off Port" for Chinese products and claimed such a deal would "immediately" trigger sweeping tariffs, warning of severe economic consequences for Canadian industry and society.
China sought to strengthen ties with Ireland during a visit to Beijing by taoiseach Michel Martin earlier this month, according to the Guardian.
The Guardian reported that Beijing's outreach comes as China steps up its charm offensive with Western governments, a shift made easier by what the paper described as increasingly unpredictable moves by Donald Trump on the global stage. Although European leaders welcomed Trump's recent decision to drop threats of military action in Greenland and abandon tariff plans linked to Arctic policy, the US was still viewed as a less reliable partner.
An editorial in China's staterun Global Times, cited by the Guardian, urged Europe to consider building a "ChinaEU community with a shared future", warning that the world risked "returning to the law of the jungle" without deeper cooperation. While few countries can afford to antagonise China, the paper noted that some US allies were now looking to Beijing for stability despite longstanding strategic ties with Washington.
Two witnesses have disputed official accounts of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, telling federal courts that the 37yearold nurse was unarmed when he approached federal agents, the Guardian reported. Their sworn affidavits contradict claims by Trump administration officials that the killing was an act of selfdefence.
According to the Guardian, the statements were filed late on Saturday as part of an ACLU lawsuit on behalf of Minneapolis protesters against Kristi Noem and other homeland security officials overseeing the city's immigration crackdown. One witness is a woman who recorded what the paper described as the clearest video of the incident, while the other is a nearby physician who said federal officers initially prevented them from providing medical assistance to Pretti.