Over a year into power, Starmer’s government is floundering – but it still has time on its side. In the first of a two-part series, our panelists recommend ways it can save itself

• Our second group of panelists – including Rory Stewart and Shaista Aziz – will have their say tomorrow

She was the first female president of the supreme court, causing a ruckus when she ruled against Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament. Now she has written an insider’s take on the UK’s underfunded, overwhelmed justice system

When a supreme court judge is a household name, it’s either because they’re very outspoken on a hot topic, or because you’re living in choppy times, and there are so few grownups left among the legislators that the law has to put its hoof down. Brenda Hale, the right honourable Baroness Hale of Richmond (she doesn’t stand on ceremony, but she’d be annoyed if you got it wrong, preferring things to be right) emphatically doesn’t fall into the first camp, but was thrown into the spotlight in 2019. This was when she found Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament – which meant his government could evade scrutiny in the run-up to Britain’s exit from the EU – unlawful.

Now retired, she was then head of the supreme court and boy could she accessorise. She handed down that ruling wearing a spider brooch with a body as big as a plum, and one headline that week ran: “Spider woman takes down Hulk: viewers transfixed by judge’s brooch as ruling crushes PM.” Johnson, of course, was not crushed, but got his miserable deal through and survived to make a complete, self-serving hash of the next crisis. “I’m not going to make any comment about Brexit,” she says, slightly incredulous that I would ask. I can’t help it, unfortunately. It’s like a tic.

Channel 4’s use of facts to correct almost everything the US president has said since taking office in January is a monumental flex. Sadly three hours of him speaking is deadeningly boring

If nothing else, you have to applaud their commitment to the bit. Broadly speaking, the British media responded to Donald Trump’s state visit with a series of cautious little inserts nestled within scheduled news programming. Then along came Channel 4, which decided to go big, junking off a full night’s schedule to deliver an unbroken almost three-hour, fact-based, point-by-point repudiation of almost every single thing that Trump has said since he retook office in January.

This sprawling extravaganza, entitled Trump v the Truth, formed the backbone of what effectively became Channel 4’s Trump Day on Wednesday. Preceding it was episode two of The Donald Trump Show, a weird hour that overlaid an arch Come Dine With Me narration over old Trump clips. And throughout the day, continuity announcers were replaced with a Trump impersonator who whined about the channel’s output. During Frasier at 10:40am, for instance, he complained about his intense dislike of tossed salads.

Still, Trump v the Truth was always the real pull; a monumental flex that few other broadcasters would have dared to attempt. Starting at 10pm and rolling on into the small hours, the show was billed as a rigorously sourced factcheck of more than 100 untruths that Trump has told during his second term so far, in speeches, interviews, statements and social media posts.

From radars to rear-view sunglasses, here’s the safety kit cyclists swear by

• The best bike lights to see and be seen when cycling in the dark

How many cyclists does it take to change a lightbulb? Three. One to climb the ladder, two to stand at the bottom arguing about whether or not they should be wearing a helmet.

I joke, of course. But there’s no denying cycling safety is a complex and divisive topic. Personally? I enjoy my rides more when I feel visible and protected. Thanks to a disappointing absence of thoughtfully executed cycling infrastructure in much of the UK, this often means leaning on gadgets and gizmos to offer something resembling peace of mind.

Raquel doesn’t believe ADHD excuses Gina’s bad habits. You decide who needs to brush up on their etiquette

• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

I can hear her swishing and spitting from my room. I have a visceral reaction to it

Living with ADHD is difficult, and anyway, the kitchen is not some sacred food-only zone

In the 1970s, the radical leftwing German terrorist organisation may have spread fear through public acts of violence – but its inner workings were characterised by vanity and incompetence

In the summer of 1970, a group of aspirant revolutionaries arrived in Jordan from West Germany. They sought military training though they had barely handled weapons before. They sought a guerrilla war in the streets of Europe, but had never done anything more than light a fire in a deserted department store. They sought the spurious glamour that spending time with a Palestinian armed group could confer. Above all, they sought a safe place where they could hide and plan.

Some of the group had flown to Beirut on a direct flight from communist-run East Berlin. The better known members – Ulrike Meinhof, a prominent leftwing journalist, and two convicted arsonists called Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader – had faced a more complicated journey. First, they’d had to cross into East Germany, then they took a train to Prague, where they boarded a plane to Lebanon. From Beirut, a taxi took them east across the mountains into Syria. Finally, they drove south from Damascus into Jordan.

US president is holding talks with Starmer before attending a business event and then appearing at a joint news conference with PM

President Trump is now leaving Windsor Castle. He will be flying to Chequers by helicopter.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has thanked King Charles for what he said at the state banquet last night strongly supporting the Ukrainian cause.

I extend my deepest thanks to His Majesty King Charles III @RoyalFamily for his steadfast support. Ukraine greatly values the United Kingdom’s unwavering and principled stance.

When tyranny threatens Europe once again, we must all hold firm, and Britain continues to lead in defending freedom on many fronts. Together, we have achieved a lot, and with the support of freedom-loving nations—the UK, our European partners, and the US—we continue to defend values and protect lives. We are united in our efforts to make diplomacy work and secure lasting peace for the European continent.

Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known. In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny.

Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace. And our Aukus submarine partnership, with Australia, sets the benchmark for innovative and vital collaboration.

Agreement reached with France allows for removal of asylum seekers who arrive on small boats

• UK politics live – latest updates

The UK has returned the first asylum seeker to France under a “one in, one out” agreement to remove people who arrive on small boats, the Home Office has confirmed.

Keir Starmer and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, agreed the pilot scheme, under which Britain will deport to France undocumented people who arrived in small boats in return for accepting an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.

Two men and woman arrested in Grays have been bailed while investigation continues, say Metropolitan police

Two men and a woman have been arrested in Essex on suspicion of assisting Russian state intelligence, the Metropolitan police have said.

The Met said the two men, aged 41 and 46, and 35-year-old woman were arrested at two separate addresses in Grays on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service and taken to a police station in London.

Policymakers vote as expected for pause, with rate of annual price rises running at nearly double 2% target

Bank of England policymakers have left interest rates on hold at 4% amid concerns about persistent above-target inflation.

The central bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 7-2 to leave borrowing costs unchanged, after five cuts since summer 2024, including a reduction last month.