Sir Keir Starmer will host the first meeting of his new-look cabinet today, as the race to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader gets under way.

Left-wing MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has become the first to throw her hat into the ring, after former transport secretary Louise Haigh – who resigned last November – ruled herself out.

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Ms Haigh said she would prefer to stay on the backbenches where she can “speak plainly and campaign boldly”.

Ms Ribeiro-Addy has the backing of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG), which met in Westminster on Monday night to coalesce around one candidate following criticism of the contest’s rules.

Hopefuls wishing to enter the race only have until Thursday to secure the backing of 80 of their colleagues, which some backbenchers perceived as a “stitch-up” to prevent MPs on the left from standing.

In a post on X last night, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said she looked forward to explaining her candidacy “over the three short and undemocratic days we have to do so”.

The Clapham and Brixton Hill MP has been backed by former Corbynite Richard Burgon, who said she “would ensure Labour members’ voices are heard at the top of our party – and not sidelined by yet more stitch-ups”.

Brian Leisham, the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, echoed that praise, writing on X: “The party needs a strong voice from the left as deputy leader. Someone who will represent the politics and opinions of the rank and file grassroots members who want to see us govern by real Labour values.”

Ms Ribeiro-Addy was sacked as trade envoy for rebelling against the government over welfare cuts in July.

MPs keen for non-London candidates

Many Labour MPs have said they want a woman to take over from Ms Rayner, who resigned last week after admitting to underpaying stamp duty on a new flat.

However, they have also said they want someone from outside London to counteract the number of MPs from the capital in government – including Sir Keir’s new deputy prime minister, David Lammy.

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This might also make things tricky for Dame Emily Thornberry, a fellow London MP who has been approaching colleagues about standing.

In a WhatsApp message seen by Sky News, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said the government has made “too many mistakes” on issues like welfare reform and Gaza, and Number 10 “aren’t listening” to the concerns of backbenchers.

But Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport in Merseyside, told Sky News he would like a deputy leader who is “geographically closer to home”.

Lewis Atkinson, the MP for Sunderland Central, said on X that, given the geographical distribution of the current cabinet, he will also be looking to support “a non-London woman”.

Backbench MPs Callum Anderson and Connor Naismith have expressed a similar view, as have the likes of Labour peer Harriet Harman and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

‘We need strong voices pushing for renewal’

Northern female MPs being encouraged to stand include the former transport secretary Ms Haigh as well as former Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, who was sacked in the cabinet reshuffle last week.

Ms Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, is understood to be “taking soundings” after being approached by colleagues.

Ms Haigh, who was forced to resign after it emerged she pleaded guilty to a criminal offence, said she was “deeply grateful” for the encouragement she had received from colleagues but would not stand.

In a statement to Sky News, she said: “Labour was elected in 2024 to rebuild Britain – not simply to steady the ship, but to remake it completely.

“We need strong voices pushing for that renewal: on the economy, on workers’ rights, and on climate change. For me, that means remaining on the backbenches for now, where I can speak plainly and campaign boldly.”

Could top ministers enter race?

The deputy leader of Labour is an elected position voted on by members.

Ms Rayner quit the role, along with her government positions as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, after she was found to have breached the ministerial code for failing to get correct tax advice.

It is not clear if a Starmer loyalist will put themselves forward.

Many cabinet ministers have ruled themselves out, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Sky News understands Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, from Sunderland, is on the brink of entering the race.

Housing minister Alison McGovern, who represents Birkenhead near Liverpool, has also not ruled herself out.

Either of these could end up being Downing Street’s preferred choice and would also be popular among MPs who not only want a northern woman, but someone who will work constructively with government rather than oppose it.

However, if a minister enters the race and loses, that would be a huge blow to Sir Keir’s authority, as the result would widely be seen as a referendum on his leadership and policies.

As one backbench MP put it: “The question is who is willing to be humiliated on behalf of Keir Starmer, so far nobody.”

The NHS has for the first time published league tables ranking every trust in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said each trust will be ranked quarterly on the standards of its services, from urgent and emergency care to elective operations and mental health support.

The tables see trusts categorised in four segments, with the first reflecting the best performers and the fourth showing the worst.

Those doing the best will be rewarded with greater freedoms and investment, while those underperforming will receive targeted support.

To allow for fair comparisons, the trusts ware grouped into acute, non-acute and ambulance trusts.

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This will help end the postcode lottery, says Streeting

The move is part of the government’s 10-year plan to reform the health service.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We must be honest about the state of the NHS to fix it.

“Patients know when local services aren’t up to scratch, and they want to see an end to the postcode lottery – that’s what this government is doing.

“We’re combining the extra £26bn investment each year with tough reforms to get value for money, with every pound helping to cut waiting times for patients.”

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From next year, the NHS will introduce a new wave of Foundation Trusts, giving the best performers more freedom to shape services around local needs, and those in the middle will be encouraged to learn from the top trusts.

Meanwhile, those with lower scores will receive enhanced support – and senior leaders will be held accountable with performance-linked pay.

Where trusts are persistently failing, senior managers could see their pay docked, the DHSC has said.

The best NHS leaders will be offered higher pay to taken on the toughest jobs at challenged services, it added.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “Letting patients and the public access more data will help to drive improvement even faster by supporting them to identify where they should demand even better from their NHS.”

It will also put “more power in their hands to make informed decisions on their choice of provider”, he said.

By summer 2026, the tables will expand to cover integrated care boards, which are the NHS organisations responsible for planning health services for locals.

Parents in England will receive redesigned Ofsted report cards from November as part of wide-ranging changes to the way schools are inspected.

The reforms were initiated following a difficult period for Ofsted, after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry last year.

Ms Perry took her own life after her Reading primary school was downgraded from “outstanding” to “inadequate”, prompting criticism of the inspection system. But some – including Ms Perry’s sister – have criticised the new system.

The new reports will use a colour-coded, five-point grading scale, giving families more detail on areas such as attendance, behaviour, and inclusion.

Ofsted says the system will provide “greater nuance” than its previous one-word judgments. The grades will range from “urgent improvement” and “needs attention” up to “expected standard”, “strong standard”, and the top mark of “exceptional”.

Additional monitoring inspections will be carried out in schools and colleges that fall below the expected standard, with Ofsted insisting this will ensure action is taken quickly to raise performance.

In early years settings, inspections will take place every four years instead of every six, with a sharper focus on the quality of education and care.

Inspectors will also assess how well schools support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and those known to social care, with inclusion given its own grade.

Contextual factors will also contribute to the judgements that are made, including the number of children who are eligible for free school meals, and any other socio-economic factors which influence the outcomes for children.

To ease pressure on staff, an extra inspector will be added to school inspection teams.

His Majesty’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said the changes were designed to “reset relationships” with teachers while maintaining public confidence.

“Children deserve the best possible education; their parents deserve the best possible information, and education professionals deserve to have their work fairly assessed,” he said.

“Our new report cards will give parents a clearer understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement at the places where their children learn.

“We will work with professionals in schools, early years and further education to help them showcase the best of what they do and help them identify where they can improve.”

New system ‘makes things much worse’, says critic

But the new inspection framework has been criticised by some.

A coalition made up of school leaders, former inspectors, trade unions and Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, is calling for the government to delay the changes.

In an open letter, they said: “Today’s announcement is deeply disappointing and extremely worrying, as it is clear Ofsted have failed to learn the lessons from the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

“The proven life-threatening risks associated with a grades-based schools accountability system, based on public shaming and the fear of high stakes consequences, have not changed.”

They are calling for the roll-out to be halted because of “continuing concerns about the reliability, accuracy, and consistency of inspection results” and “the dangerous, negative impact of a punitive, grades-based inspection system on the welfare of the workforce”.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Sir Martyn Oliver has failed. He was asked to bring in a system that reduced pressure.

“Removing the single word judgement was meant to be a powerful revolution, but this makes things much worse. More of the same. More pressure. More ranking and competition. More labels.”

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However, a YouGov survey commissioned by Ofsted found nearly seven in 10 parents preferred the new format to the current reports, while nine in 10 said they were easier to understand.

Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, the UK’s largest parent charity, said: “For the first time, parental engagement is given clear priority: no school will be able to achieve top marks unless it demonstrates that it has got this right. This is a significant step forward.”