Sir Keir Starmer has suggested he is already planning for a second term in power after he set out his vision for fixing the nation's problems.
The Labour leader used a speech in Manchester to unveil five new "missions", including boosting economic growth, delivering an NHS "fit for the future" and making the UK a "clean energy superpower".
Sir Keir has previously spoken of the need for a "decade of national renewal" and he was asked after his address if he believed he would need two terms in government to achieve the "missions" he set out.
He said that while he was "humble" about the party's electoral chances he was also "honest enough to say that some of these issues are not going to be fixed within five years".
He said: "I am pretty humble about this. We lost badly in 2019 and my ambition is to take the Labour Party back into power. That will be an incredible journey if we are able to do it and I am mindful that every single vote has to be earned and we have got a long, long way to go.
"But I am also honest enough to say that some of these issues are not going to be fixed within five years. They are longer term than that."
The senior police officer shot in Omagh on Wednesday evening has been named as DCI John Caldwell, as police said the primary focus of the investigation was on dissident republicans.
Caldwell is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after the attack at a sports complex in Omagh. He was shot a number of times by masked men in front of young people he had been coaching.
Caldwell is a high-profile officer who has led a number of major cases, including taking a leading role in the investigation into the killing of Natalie McNally in Lurgan in December.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is treating the attack on Caldwell as suspected attempted murder. The assistant chief constable Mark McEwan told BBC Radio Ulster: “The investigation is at an early stage, we are keeping an open mind. There are multiple strands to that investigation. The primary focus is on violent dissident republicans and within that there is a primary focus as well on New IRA.”
Irish police are working closely with their counterparts in the PSNI and have intensified patrols amid suspicions that the gunmen may have fled across the border.
The shooting has been condemned by politicians in the UK and Ireland. Rishi Sunak said he was appalled by the “disgraceful” shooting of an off-duty police officer. The Irish premier, Leo Varadkar, condemned what he called a “grotesque act of attempted murder”.
In 2019, the then home secretary Sajid Javid stripped her of her British citizenship, preventing her coming home, and leaving her detained as an IS supporter in a camp.
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission has ruled that decision, taken after ministers received national security advice about Ms Begum's threat to the UK, had been lawful - even though her lawyers had presented strong arguments she was a victim.
The Shamima Begum Story
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During the appeal hearing last November, Ms Begum's lawyers argued the decision had been unlawful because the home secretary had failed to consider whether she had been a victim of child trafficking - in effect arguing she had been groomed and tricked into joining the fighters, along with school friends Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase in February 2015.
Ms Sultana was reportedly killed in a bombing raid in 2016, but the fate of Amira Abase is unknown.
As all UK consular services are suspended in Syria, it is extremely difficult for the government to confirm the whereabouts of the British nationals.
That was the first time judges had to consider whether the state's obligations to combat trafficking and abuse of children should have any influence over national security decisions.
Mr Justice Jay revealed the complexity of the case had caused the panel of three "great concern and difficulty".
"The commission concluded that there was a credible suspicion that Ms Begum had been trafficked to Syria," he said in his summary.
"The motive for bringing her to Syria was sexual exploitation to which, as a child, she could not give a valid consent.
"The commission also concluded that there were arguable breaches of duty on the part of various state bodies in permitting Ms Begum to leave the country as she did and eventually cross the border from Turkey into Syria."
But despite those concerns, the judge said even if Ms Begum had been trafficked, that did not trump the home secretary's legal duty to make a national security decision to strip her of her British nationality.
"There is some merit in the argument that those advising the secretary of state see this as a black and white issue, when many would say that there are shades of grey," said the judge in his summary.
Previous legal failures
But despite those questions over how the case had been handled, the commission concluded the home secretary had still acted within his powers - even if there could have been a different outcome.
"If asked to evaluate all the circumstances of Ms Begum's case, reasonable people with knowledge of all the relevant evidence will differ, in particular in relation to the issue of the extent to which her travel to Syria was voluntary and the weight to be given to that factor in the context of all others," said the judge.
"Likewise, reasonable people will differ as to the threat she posed in February 2019 to the national security of the United Kingdom, and as to how that threat should be balanced against all countervailing considerations.
"However, under our constitutional settlement these sensitive issues are for the secretary of state to evaluate and not for the commission."
This isn't the first time a legal challenge by Ms Begum's lawyers has failed. In February 2020 the same commission rejected her team's argument that she had been made "de facto stateless" when her citizenship was removed.
In February 2021, the Supreme Court said she could not return to the UK to fight her case on security grounds.
Unlike the UK, other western countries like France, Germany and Australia have allowed an increasing number of former IS supporters back.
All US citizens who travelled to Syria to join the self-styled Islamic State group have been allowed to return to the country, barrister Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told the BBC.
He said the pace of repatriations "seems to be increasing", with Germany allowing 100 citizens back, France allowing more than 100, and Sweden also allowing citizens to return in double figures.
He told BBC News: "Little by little, countries are beginning to change their posture from [a] strategic distance to try and manage their return.
"There is a bit of a risk that the UK could become a bit of an outlier."
'Troubling findings'
In a statement, Ms Begum's lawyers Gareth Pierce and Daniel Furner called on Suella Braverman, the current home secretary, to look at the case again "in light of the commission's troubling findings".
They said the decision removes protections for British child trafficking victims in cases where national security is involved and leaves their client "in unlawful, arbitrary and indefinite detention without trial in a Syrian camp".
Her legal team said "every possible avenue to challenge this decision will be urgently pursued" without providing further details of any potential appeal.
A spokesman for the Home Office said it was "pleased" with the outcome, adding: "The government's priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so."
Mr Javid also welcomed the ruling. Ministers must have the "power to prevent anyone entering our country who is assessed to pose a threat to it", he said.
Human rights groups and campaigners have criticised the ruling and the government's position, maintaining that Ms Begum was a child exploitation victim.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK's refugee and migrant rights director, said: "The home secretary shouldn't be in the business of exiling British citizens."
Conservative MP David Davis, who has repeatedly challenged the government on civil liberties issues, described the situation as a "shameful abdication of responsibility and must be remedied".
Lancashire Constabulary’s handling of the disappearance of Nicola Bulley is to be scrutinised by three separate inquiries.
Andrew Snowden, Lancashire’s police and crime commissioner, has requested the College of Policing to conduct a “full independent review” into the force’s handling of the case, saying there are lessons to be learned.
The college, which sets national standards for policing, will look at how the force conducted the search for Ms Bulley, how they dealt with the media and why personal information about her was released.
On Wednesday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced that it was conducting an investigation into a welfare visit to the family home made by an officer less than two weeks before the 45-year-old disappeared.
A third organisation, the Information Commissioner’s Office, will examine the publication of personal details about the mother of two by the force.
People attach flowers to a footbridge over the River Wyre in tribute to Nicola Bulley
Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Commissioner Snowden said the unanswered questions surrounding the case, alongside unprecedented media and public interest, warranted a full independent review into Lancashire Constabulary’s conduct.
He said: “The public understandably feel that there remain questions about the handling of elements of the police investigation, how it was communicated, and the decision to release personal information, which need to be answered and explained.
“I have therefore taken the decision to commission a full independent review into the handling of this case, with clearly defined terms of reference, to ensure lessons can be learned, not just for Lancashire but for all forces. This includes how such cases can be best investigated and communicated under such spotlight and scrutiny.
“Given the amount of misinformation on social media, poorly-informed opinions given national airtime, the attacks on senior leaders’ personal appearance and family lives, along with the intrusion into the privacy of Nicola’s family, it is important that a professional, thorough, and informed review is undertaken by a national independent body with the right skills and resources, understanding of the current standards and access to the investigation information.”
Detective Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly, the deputy chief of the College of Policing Deputy, said: “The College of Policing has been asked by the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner to carry out an independent review into how the force handled the investigation into the disappearance of Nicola Bulley. The work to commence the review will start immediately.”
Lancashire Constabulary has said it “welcomes the independent review that the police and crime commissioner has asked the College of Policing to conduct” into its handling of the Bulley case.
The announcements came as Ms Bulley’s inquest opened at Lancashire Coroner’s Court, with the senior coroner confirming that she had been identified through her dental records.
Opening the inquest on Wednesday, Dr James Adeley, the senior coroner, said he had contacted Ian Edwards, a consultant maxillofacial surgeon, to ask him to compare dental records obtained by police from the Great Eccleston dental surgery.
He said: “He examined the body that was located in the River Wyre near Rawcliffe Road in St Michael’s on Wyre at 2.15pm on Feb 20.”
Dr Adeley said the surgeon found that restorative work carried out was identical, adding: “I’m satisfied on the balance of probabilities and more that positive identification has been made of Nicola Bulley, and I am satisfied that that is who I will be dealing with throughout.
“The family have been informed of the date, time and place of the opening of the inquest and have chosen not to attend, for reasons I can quite understand.”
He said the remaining evidence gathered by the police and the post-mortem examination required “further evaluation”.
A full inquest is likely to be held once the availability of a Home Office pathologist has been checked to “allow time to collate the facts of the case and allow the experts involved to finalise the findings from investigations that still need to be undertaken”.
Rishi Sunak’s plan to get a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol over the line this week has suffered a setback as further talks with Brussels failed to reach agreement and frustration among his Conservative allies with hardline Brexiters bubbled over.
Despite a concerted effort to get the deal done, senior government sources now believe it is unlikely to be struck until next week at the earliest, amid concerns that a loss of momentum could increase the chance of it unravelling altogether.
Some Conservative MPs, including close allies of Sunak, are anxious that he has missed his best opportunity to reach an agreement, since Friday has been ruled out because it clashes with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to dominate the weekend.
The prime minister held overnight talks on Tuesday with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, fuelling fresh speculation that the UK is nearing agreement with the EU over the protocol.
It was the second time in five days that Sunak and Von der Leyen had spoken. However, there are no ministerial discussions planned for Thursday, and the Brussels chief is supposed to be in Italy, suggesting it is unlikely she will travel to London.
Government sources have said Sunak is preparing to defy his Tory MP critics in the European Research Group (ERG) and press ahead with the deal if he can secure one within the coming days. He is coming under growing pressure from moderate Conservatives to ignore the hardline Brexiter wing of the party.
One Whitehall source said Downing Street had “priced in the reaction from the ERG and the Democratic Unionist party [DUP]”, and that the recent backlash did not weaken their resolve to get a deal.
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, was quizzed about the possible deal at a pre-arranged meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, which drew a sparse gathering of fewer than 20 MPs. As they left, attenders said he gave no new details.
One senior backbencher, Gloucester MP Richard Graham, called on more hardline colleagues to not obsess about “every individual comma or sub-clause” in a possible deal with the EU, and instead focus on what was best for people in Northern Ireland, including a functioning devolved assembly.
“Colleagues here will naturally tend to worry about the detail and the purity of the arrangements being made, because we don’t know what the detail is,” he said. “I understand the concerns, but we have to bear in mind what the ultimate goal is, and the fact there are a lot of hazards still in the way.”
Another senior Conservative said: “Rishi will get the deal done but he needs to crack on and ignore the ERG.” A third MP added: “He can’t afford for it to slip too far into the long grass and lose momentum.”
Despite some critics drawing comparisons to Theresa May’s handling of Brexit, Sunak is said to be determined to get a deal over the line to help restore relations with the EU, show he has a grip on his party, and help neutralise Brexit as an issue at the next election – the Tories having won the last one by promising to get it done.
However, some ministers are concerned that the longer he takes to confirm that a deal is in the bag, the more likely the details are to be selectively leaked by those intent on causing mischief.
Downing Street has said that a final deal has not yet been agreed, but some believe the substance is there and the main outstanding issue in talks between Cleverly and Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission’s vice-president, is the language that should be used to describe it.
Sunak told MPs the deal would meet the demands of the DUP – which wants radical changes to ensure that the region has a role in making the EU rules that apply to trade as part of the Brexit arrangements – but refused to say if it would involve reopening the wider withdrawal agreement.
The DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, had told the prime minister that tinkering around the edges of the protocol would not amount to a fresh start on Brexit.
“Will he agree with me that it is unacceptable that EU laws are imposed on Northern Ireland with no democratic scrutiny or consent?” he asked. “Will he assure me that he will address these fundamental constitutional issues and do so not just by tweaking the protocol, but by rewriting the legally binding treaty text?”
Sunak also declined to confirm whether MPs would have a vote on any deal, during prime minister’s questions. “Of course parliament will express a view,” he told Keir Starmer, when asked by the Labour leader, who then said he would take that as a confirmation.
However, his press secretary then told reporters: “We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves, talks are ongoing, we don’t yet have a deal. There is nothing to vote on yet, we don’t have a deal.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Sunak held a meeting with business leaders in Northern Ireland who reported an impressive command of the detail of their asks on customs, VAT, state aid, tariff reimbursement and consumer parcels.
“It was very clear that the prime minister was not only fully engaged but had an intimate understanding of the issues and the need to strike the balance between protecting consumers and the market access our exporters depend upon,” said one who was on the call.
They said solutions on trade friction had moved quickly. “In the last 24 hours, it appears many issues we have flagged could be resolved including ensuring goods available to consumers in Southampton are available in Strabane.”
By Nick Triggle, Health correspondent & Hugh Pym, Health editor
BBC News
Health Secretary Stephen Barclay is to meet Royal College of Nursing bosses for pay talks later, after the union suspended next week's planned strike.
In a joint statement, after months of bitter dispute, the two sides said they would begin "intensive talks" on "pay, terms and conditions" and "reforms to enhance productivity".
The RCN had originally asked for a pay rise of 5% above inflation.
It has since said it would be willing to meet the government half-way.
Other health unions said they were disappointed not to have been invited to the discussions.
Next week's walkout in England, from 1 to 3 March, was set to be the biggest strike of this winter's pay dispute, with half of frontline services affected.
The action would have included nursing staff from intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempted.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: "We will put our plans on the table, they can put their plans on the table - but I'm confident that we will come out with a fair pay settlement for our nursing staff."
She added they would make sure no stone was left unturned and a fair pay deal was reached as quickly as possible so they could end the strikes.
Ministers had for months refused to discuss adding to the 2022-23 pay award of 4.75% on average for nurses and other staff.
The RCN for its part had made that a line in the sand - and it is fair to assume that the union head, Pat Cullen, would not have entered into the new talks if there had not been a softening of the government's stance.
It told the NHS pay review body it was willing to give a rise of 3.5%. But it does not rule out going higher than this.
Nobody is confirming the precise scope of Wednesday's discussions but it seems likely that some sort of payment to add to the existing award this year will be on the table.
One source close to the negotiations said the door had been opened for next year's pay award to be backdated.
The joint statement said: "The government and RCN have agreed to enter a process of intensive talks.
"Both sides are committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement that recognises the vital role that nurses and nursing play in the NHS and the wider economic pressures facing the UK and the prime minister's priority to halve inflation.
"The health secretary will meet with the RCN on Wednesday to begin talks. The RCN will pause strike action during these talks."
"The past weeks have seen a worrying escalation of industrial action, which has hit patients hard. This is the glimmer of hope we all needed," he said.
But a spokesperson for one health union, Unison, said the government's decision to meet just the Royal College of Nursing alone - and not them as well - would do "nothing to solve the NHS pay dispute".
The NHS faces further industrial action from unions representing ambulance drivers and junior doctors, and more dates could yet be announced.
Junior doctors in England have voted to strike, possibly as early as mid-March. Sources at the British Medical Association (BMA) have said the 26% pay demand - what they estimate their drop in earnings has been once inflation is taken into account since 2008 - does not necessarily need to be paid in one go, but until the government agree to restoring pay, industrial action would go ahead. The union has yet to decide whether to strike elsewhere in the UK.
Ambulance staff in the Unite union in Wales and north-west England are out on strike on Wednesday. Further strikes are scheduled in England and Wales during March.
Meanwhile, teachers in parts of England are going ahead with planned strikes next week. The National Education Union has rejected the government's invitation to formal pay talks in return for pausing the industrial action, but its joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney said the national executive, which meets on Saturday, could change that decision.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers which represents health managers, said 140,000 appointments have been disrupted because of recent strikes.
He welcomed the RCN development but warned the "spirit of negotiation" would need to continue in talks between the government and other unions representing NHS staff in order to clear Covid-19 backlogs.
The Scottish government has offered NHS staff - including nurses - a new pay offer for the coming year which includes a one-off payment and an average salary rise of 6.5% from April.
In Wales, nurses are currently being balloted over a new pay deal from the Welsh government and the RCN has put some planned walkouts for February on hold.
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