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Labour will continue with its controversial attacks on Rishi Sunak by turning attention to government “failures” over the cost of living crisis.

The Labour leader has described the prime minister as the “chief architect of choices prioritising the wealthiest” as both parties gear up for the local elections next month.

In a letter to his shadow cabinet, Sir Keir Starmer said voters “must know that Rishi Sunak’s fingerprints are all over their struggling household budgets”.

In the memo, seen by Sky News, the Labour leader wrote: “With 24 days left until polling day we must continue to focus relentlessly on exposing the failures of 13 years of this divided and weak Conservative government and demonstrate how we would deliver for working people across the country.”

He added: “Rishi Sunak is the chief architect of choices prioritising the wealthiest and of the government’s failure to get a grip of the economy and get growth going.”

He accused Mr Sunak of “supplying the touchpaper for another Conservative government to blow up the economy” as chancellor and then continuing in No 10 to “make choices which loaded the costs on to working people”.

Sir Keir’s intervention comes after Labour came under fire for a series of adverts which critics have branded “gutter politics”.

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The first ad, which was issued on Thursday, read: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”

Labour Party Tweet on  Rishi Sunak's record on gun crime
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Labour Party Tweet on Rishi Sunak’s record on gun crime

It cited data from the Ministry of Justice showing that 4,500 adults convicted of sex acts on children avoided a prison sentence since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

Despite the ensuing backlash that came from across the political spectrum, Labour issued a second tweet which accused Mr Sunak of being soft on gun grime and a third which suggested he didn’t think thieves should be punished.

Labour officials have been bullish over the weekend about the effectiveness of their ads, with briefings suggesting they would intensify their efforts despite the criticism.

One Labour source told Sky News: “It’s mission accomplished – we’ve dominated the news agenda and started a serious conversation about the Tories appalling record on crime.”

And in his letter to his top team, Sir Keir said the focus of their local election campaigning should move from crime to the cost of living.

Read more:
Labour takes inspiration from Australia with Sunak attack ads – but they need more to pull off a proper ousting
Labour tweets second attack ad against Rishi Sunak despite ‘gutter politics’ row

The Labour leader also reiterated directly to his colleagues that he “makes no apologies at all” for the ads despite the backlash.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Sir Keir said he “stand[s] by every word Labour has said on the subject, no matter how squeamish it might make some feel”.

Labour is hoping to reap the benefits of a depressed economy in the 4 May local elections in England, as the Tories continue to struggle in the polls.

However, a new voting intention poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies showed that Labour is on 44%, a decrease of 1% since last week, while the Conservatives are on 30%, an increase of 2%.

It marks Labour’s narrowest lead over the Tories since Mr Sunak became prime minister in October.

On Tuesday Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves will highlight the party’s pledge to help more first-time buyers on to the housing ladder on a campaign visit to Brighton.

New analysis from the party shows that first-time buyers face a nearly £500 per month hike in mortgage bills in the wake of Liz Truss’s ill-fated mini-budget and interest rate rises.

The Conservatives have been contacted for comment.

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People in Gaza are ‘walking corpses’ – with one in five children malnourished, says UN

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People in Gaza are 'walking corpses' - with one in five children malnourished, says UN

A fifth of the children in Gaza City are malnourished and more than 100 people, most of them youngsters, have reportedly died of hunger there, the UN has said.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), quoting a colleague, said on Thursday that people in Gaza, where the supply and distribution of aid is controlled by Israel, “are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses”.

Most of the youngsters the agency sees are “emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying if they don’t get the treatment they urgently need”.

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
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Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters

“This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave,” Mr Lazzirini said.

UNRWA’s frontline health workers are surviving on “one small meal a day, often just lentils, if at all. They are increasingly fainting from hunger while at work”.

“When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing.”

The warning comes as news organisations asked Israel to allow journalists to move freely in and out of Gaza amid fears that reporters there are facing the risk of starvation.

More on Gaza

BBC News, Agence France Press, Associated Press and Reuters said in a statement published on Thursday that they are “desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families”.

Palestinians gather as they seek aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah.
Pic: Reuters
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Palestinians gather as they seek aid supplies from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah. Pic: Reuters

They said: “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.

“Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in war zones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them.

“We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there.”

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told Sky News that food shortages have “been engineered by Hamas”, and that there “is no famine in Gaza”.

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Sky News challenges Israel on Gaza starvation claims

Speaking on Wednesday’s News Hour with Mark Austin, Mr Mencer said aid is “flowing” into the territory but Hamas “loots the trucks [and] deliberately endangers its own people”. The fighters deny stealing food.

More than 4,400 aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza since Israel lifted its blockade in May, roughly 70 trucks a day, which is the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500-600 trucks a day the UN says is needed.

“The problem is not Israel,” he said. “The problem is Hamas.”

Read more:
Gaza situation ‘worst ever’ – charity
Hundreds of thousands ‘food insecure’

‘Scarred’ by Trump max security prison

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The UK and several other countries have condemned the current aid delivery model, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the Israeli and American governments.

It has reportedly resulted in Israeli troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions.

More than 800 people have reportedly been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near distribution centres.

More than 2.1 million people live in Gaza, according to the UN.

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Eleven civilians killed as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire in escalating border dispute

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Eleven civilians killed as Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire in escalating border dispute

Eleven Thai civilians and a soldier have been killed in clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, officials have said, as long-standing tensions in disputed border areas boils over.

Among those killed was an eight-year-old boy, the army said in a statement.

It said most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a fuel station.

Another 14 people have been injured in three Thai border provinces.

Thailand’s health minister Somsak Thepsuthin confirmed the fatalities to reporters, adding Cambodia’s actions, including an attack on a hospital, should be considered war crimes.

Both countries accuse one another of starting the military clashes and have downgraded their diplomatic relations in the rapidly escalating dispute. Thailand has also sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia.

Early on Thursday, a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, according to Thailand’s army.

More on Cambodia

“We have used air power against military targets as planned,” Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said.

Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai jets had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, saying it “strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression of the Kingdom of Thailand against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia”.

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province. Pic: AP
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Thai people who fled clashes take shelter in Surin province. Pic: AP

Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, the Thai defence ministry said.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said Cambodian troops fired “heavy artillery” on a Thai military base on Thursday morning and also targeted civilian areas, including a hospital.

“The Royal Thai Government is prepared to intensify our self-defence measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty,” the ministry said in a statement.

A livestream video from Thailand’s side showed people, including children and the elderly, running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker as explosions sounded.

The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.

Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP
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Thai people who fled clashes in Surin province, northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP

Earlier on Thursday, Cambodia downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelled the Thai ambassador and recalled all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.

The day before, its neighbour withdrew its ambassador and expelled the top Cambodian diplomat in protest after five Thai soldiers were wounded in a land mine blast, one of whom lost part of a leg.

A week earlier, a land mine in a different contested area exploded and wounded three Thai soldiers, including one who lost a foot.

Relations between the southeast Asian neighbours have collapsed after a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in a disputed border area in May.

Read more on Sky News:
UK’s ‘tough choices’
‘Man-made starvation’ in Gaza
Man ‘scarred’ by Trump max security prison

Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation, and Thailand’s prime minister was suspended earlier this month as an investigation was opened into possible ethics violations over her handling of the border dispute.

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Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area.

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Gaza faces ‘man-made’ mass starvation due to Israeli aid blockade, World Health Organization says

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Gaza faces 'man-made' mass starvation due to Israeli aid blockade, World Health Organization says

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said Gaza is suffering “man-made mass starvation” because of an Israeli blockade on aid to the enclave.

Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference that the population of Gaza is “facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets – starvation”.

The WHO said a “deadly surge” in malnutrition has caused the deaths of at least 21 children in 2025, but stressed this figure is likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

Centres for treating malnutrition are full of patients but do not have sufficient supplies for emergency feeding, it added.

In July alone, 5,100 children have so far been admitted to malnutrition programmes, said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territories. Some 800 of those children were severely emaciated, he said.

Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq faces life-threatening malnutrition.
Pic: Anadolu /Getty Images
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A child faces life-threatening malnutrition in Gaza. Pic: Anadolu/Getty Images

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City.
Pic: Reuters
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Crowds struggle for food at a charity kitchen in Gaza. Pic: Reuters

Mr Ghebreyesus said: “I don’t know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it’s man-made, and that’s very clear.”

“This is because of [the] blockade,” he continued, adding that 95% of households in Gaza are also facing severe water shortages.

He said the UN and its humanitarian partners were unable to deliver any food for nearly 80 days between March and May, while an aid blockade was in place, and that the resumption of deliveries has been insufficient.

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‘Gaza’s doctors treating influx of malnutrition’

There is no famine in Gaza, says Israel

An Israeli government spokesperson told Sky News the food shortages have “been engineered by Hamas”, before stating: “There is no famine in Gaza.”

Speaking on the News Hour with Mark Austin, David Mencer continued: “There is a famine of the truth and Israel will not stop telling it.”

He said aid is “flowing” into the enclave but Hamas “loots the trucks [and] deliberately endangers its own people”. The fighters deny stealing food.

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Sky News challenges Israel on Gaza starvation claims

Mr Mencer said Israel has allowed more than 4,400 aid trucks to enter Gaza since it lifted the blockade in May, adding that more than 700 are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the United Nations.

That is an average of around 70 trucks a day, which is the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500-600 trucks a day the UN says is needed.

“The problem is not Israel,” he said. “The problem is Hamas.”

Supplies in Gaza ‘totally depleted’

The comments came after more than 100 aid and rights groups warned of mass starvation in Gaza on Wednesday morning – saying supplies have become “totally depleted”.

Large amounts of food, clean water and medical supplies are sitting untouched just outside Gaza, but the groups blamed Israel for its “restrictions”, which they say is creating “chaos, starvation, and death”.

The situation has become so bad, aid agencies warned they were seeing even their own colleagues “waste away before their eyes”.

Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, has denied it is responsible for shortages of food and other supplies.

Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City.
Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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Pic: Reuters

In a statement signed by 111 organisations, the groups said: “As the Israeli government’s siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families.

“With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.

“The government of Israel’s restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.”

The groups called for governments to demand the lifting of all restrictions and for the restoration of a “principled, UN-led humanitarian response”.

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Gaza: ‘My colleagues are getting thin’

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which backed the statement and is one of the largest independent aid organisations in Gaza, said it has no more supplies to distribute and some of its staff are starving – and accused Israel of paralysing its work.

“Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,” Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told the Reuters news agency.

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Gaza is a ‘horror show’, says UN’s Secretary-General

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said “starvation is knocking on every door” in the Palestinian territory, describing the situation as a “horror show”.

Officials in the Hamas-run strip said at least 101 people are known to have died of malnutrition during the conflict in Gaza, including 80 children, most of them in recent weeks.

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Israel wants to ‘finish off’ Gaza

Some food stocks in Gaza have run out since Israel cut off all supplies in March and then lifted the blockade in May with new measures it said were needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has accused the organisations of “echoing Hamas propaganda”.

Read more:
Gaza food situation ‘worst it’s ever been’, says charity
Hundreds of thousands ‘catastrophically food insecure’

The UK and several other countries have condemned the current aid delivery model, which is backed by the Israeli and American governments.

Gaza deteriorating by the day – but what will be done?

Analysis by Lisa Holland, in Jerusalem

The urgency of the call for action by aid and human rights groups screams out from the words in the letter.

It feels like the situation is deteriorating by the day – the letter comes hours after the United Nations secretary-general described aid distribution and food shortages in Gaza as a “horror show”.

There is certainly momentum in the demands for a ceasefire and for aid supplies backed up in neighbouring countries to be allowed into Gaza.

But will it have any impact?

Israel acknowledges there has been a significant drop in the amount of aid reaching Gaza.

But the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – now in charge of almost all aid distribution in Gaza – has fiercely hit back about its handling of the situation.

However, Israel has given no public sign that it plans to do anything to alleviate the plight of hungry Gazans any time soon – instead shifting blame to the door of the UN.

The UN used to run most aid distribution, but Israel stopped that in May claiming aid was falling into the hands of the militant group Hamas.

So if there’s – as yet – no sign of the aid chain being unblocked, what of the calls in the letter for a ceasefire?

People say watch for movement by Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.

He is currently in Europe and if he goes on to Doha, where indirect talks are taking place between Hamas and Israel, that could signal some sort of progress towards a ceasefire.

It has reportedly resulted in Israeli troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions.

More than 800 people have reportedly been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near distribution centres.

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