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".
It's goodnight from the Politics Hub
We're bringing the Politics Hub to a close for the evening.
If you're looking for a catch-up on the main things you need to know, scroll back to our 5pm bulletin.
We'll be back tomorrow morning - stay cool out there!
UK, US, France, Germany and Italy release joint statement on Middle East crisis
We've just had a statement from the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy about the situation in the Middle East.
It comes after leaders of the five countries held talks today ahead of a possible attack on Israel by Iran (see previous post).
The statement says the allies "expressed our full support to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza".
Talks brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt are due on Thursday.
The leaders say urgent aid is needed in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since October.
Israeli hostages held by Hamas must also be released.
On the threat of an Iranian attack (an expected retaliation for the assassination of a Hamas commander in Tehran last month), the statement reiterated "support for the defence of Israel".
"We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place," it added.
Starmer holds talks with Biden amid fears of Iranian attack on Israel
Joe Biden has held talks with Sir Keir Starmer about the crisis in the Middle East amid fears of an Iranian attack on Israel.
The White House said the president had spoken with the prime minister and the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy to discuss the situation, which has been threatening to escalate since Israel's killing of a senior Hamas commander in Iran last month.
The US believes an Iranian attack could come as soon as this week, though has deployed a military submarine to the area in a bid to deter it.
When Tehran launched missiles and drones at Israel back in April, the UK and France helped provide military support in intercepting them.
Ceasefire talks still to come
It follows 10 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The White House said Mr Biden spoke with the UK and European leaders about hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since October.
A number of Israeli hostages are also still being held by Hamas.
Further talks on a possible deal - brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt - are due to take place on Thursday.
Earlier, a joint statement from Sir Keir, France's Emmanuel Macron, and Germany's Olaf Scholz warned an Iranian attack on Israel would risk escalating the conflict.
Prisons under pressure as rioters head to jail
By Mollie Malone, news correspondent
The prison service is beginning to feel the impact of the UK riots amid the capacity crisis in jails across England and Wales, Sky News understands.
It's understood in the last 24 hours, police put around 400 people on court lists, with many being remanded.
The service has less than 700 free spaces available in the male estate. It considers itself in "operational trouble" if they have any fewer than 300.
The government has promised more than 500 new cells to accommodate those being sentenced following rioting in recent weeks.
Police chiefs said more than 975 arrests have been made, and 546 charges brought, since 29 July.
Impact of riots 'may take weeks to peak'
The Prison Governors Association has written a letter to its members, shared with Sky News, condemning the violence but expressing concern over the impact on an already crippling criminal justice system.
"The impact of this surge may take days or weeks to peak," they said.
Sky News has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
'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.
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