“Keir Starmer is no longer really in charge of this government,” said Michael Gove in The Spectator. Instead, the strings are increasingly being pulled by his energy secretary. Ed Miliband might have “messed it up” as Labour leader a decade ago, said Will Lloyd in The New Statesman, but he now has “real power and popularity” within the cabinet, the unions and the wider party membership.

‘Ventriloquist’s dummy’
Miliband’s “beliefs have deepened, not changed” over time, said Lloyd, and they have “influenced his colleagues, too, perhaps without them realising”. If Andy Burnham or Angela Rayner were to become Labour leader, they wouldn’t “deviate from the script Miliband has written”.

I have news for anyone who fears such a development, said Gove in The Spectator: this is already Miliband’s administration. Starmer’s foreign policy, economic policy, “political positioning” and “very quest for meaning” are “All. Ed. Miliband.” He has his hand up Starmer’s back “where a spine should be, controlling the ventriloquist’s dummy”.

Starmer “dare not even ask” Miliband about his role in “deciding whether to exploit new oil and gas fields in the North Sea”, said Tom Harris in The Telegraph. Doesn’t he know his job is to lead the government, not to wait for Miliband to tell him what to do?

‘Soft left’
Miliband’s tenure as Labour leader “entrenched” the party’s “worst habits of self-loathing and internal schism”, lost them a general election and “set the stage for even worse”, said Sarah Ditum in The i Paper. Yet in appointing him to the cabinet, Starmer has “treated Miliband as an elder statesman, rather than the clown prince of the soft left”. Handing the energy brief “to a man whose history as leader is a catalogue of incompetence” may well ensure a “catastrophic swing back to fossil fuels under a Reform government”.

The departures of New Labourites Peter Mandelson and Morgan McSweeney have put Miliband’s soft left on the ascendent, said Daniel Finkelstein in The Times. Starmer is “still quite likely to fall”, and any subsequent leadership battle “can only be held or won from the Ed Miliband position”. Miliband will be Labour’s “most important political force, whatever his formal job”.

Household energy bills are about to fall but the respite is likely to be temporary. Wholesale energy prices are starting to “shoot up again”, said MoneySavingExpert, as the effects of the Iran conflict are felt worldwide.

How will energy bills change in 2026?
Ofgem’s energy price cap will drop by 7% in April, reducing typical gas and electricity bills for households on a standard variable tariff from £1,758 to £1,641 a year. That yearly saving of around £117 will relieve some of the pressure on cash-strapped consumers, but it is “probably going to be short-lived”, said MoneyWeek.

The price cap is calculated every quarter by Ofgem based on a range of factors including wholesale and network costs. Next month’s price cap reduction “reflects the relatively low wholesale prices” between last December and February, said Forbes. Oil and gas prices have since “increased dramatically”, as a result of the Iran war, which has drastically curtailed oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Forecasts from energy consultancy Cornwall Insight suggest the price cap could increase by £322 in July to £1,963.

What support is available?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the government will offer “targeted rather than universal support”, said The Independent. Consumers in receipt of pension credit or other benefits may already qualify for the Warm Home Discount, worth £150, or the Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300.

Energy suppliers may offer payment holidays or hardship grants, such as Octopus Energy’s Octo Assist and funding from the British Gas Energy Trust. Help may also be available from charities such as Citizens Advice “if you’re struggling to pay for energy or think you may get into difficulty”, said Ofgem.

Fans hold up lit phones at a Paris concert in memory of rapper Werenoi, who died of a heart attack last year at the age of 31. Werenoi – real name Jérémy Bana Owona – was considered one of the most influential French artists of his generation.

Julien de Rosa / AFP / Getty Images

Reading is often a cherished solo activity but attending a literary festival can be a great way to connect with other bookworms, meet your favourite authors and discover new books. 

Cambridge Literary Festival
This five-day festival includes an eclectic mix of talks. Among the highlights this year are Frances Wilson on the enigma of Muriel Spark; Alan Hollinghurst on the books that have inspired his work; and Zadie Smith discussing her exhilarating new essay collection. On the final day, The Observer is hosting an event showcasing “rising stars” of fiction.

Bath Literature Festival
This year promises another stand-out line-up of speakers in the historic city of Bath. Listen out for talks by former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams on her tell-all memoir, and bestselling novelist Anthony Horowitz chatting about his latest gripping thriller. The festival is also hosting a series of guided walking tours, including, of course, a Jane Austen-themed trail.

Hay Festival
This year’s star-studded line-up features Gisèle Pelicot, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Emma Thompson, among others. The programme is bursting with talks and insights from the likes of Ali Smith, Bernardine Evaristo and Val McDermid, and Emerald Fennell will be discussing her cinematic take on “Wuthering Heights”.

Bradford Literature Festival 
Bradford was named last year’s UK City of Culture thanks in part to this stand-out literary festival. While the 2026 programme is yet to be announced, the festival hosted more than 700 events in 2025, with talks from big names including Lemn Sissay, Grace Dent, Ash Sarkar and Celia Imrie.

Donald Trump is deluded, but so are we
Alys Denby in City A.M.
Even if they “bear only a tenuous connection to reality”, Donald Trump’s words “can move markets”, writes Alys Denby. British governments have long been operating in a “no less deceptive way”, particularly with claims about our public finances: “the architecture of forecasts, audits and fiscal rules enables Chancellors to show that their spreadsheets add up”, even when spending is “completely unsustainable”. We won’t overcome the economic challenges facing us “until we snap out of our delusion”.

Call for Andrew to give evidence must not be ignored – no one is beyond scrutiny
The Mirror’s editorial board
“The pressure on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is intensifying,” says The Mirror. “One of the most powerful voices in US politics”, Jamie Raskin, has called for him to testify about his links to Jeffrey Epstein before the House Judiciary Committee. Raskin, the committee’s top democrat, “is right” that “it should be seen as a ‘service’” to “survivors who have waited long enough for answers”. The disgraced royal “has always denied wrongdoing. But denial is not accountability.”

Kids don’t belong in pubs
Cathy Adams in The Times
Once, “the pub was the ultimate adult sanctuary – a place of sweat, smoke and sauvignon blanc”, writes Cathy Adams. Now, “the under-tens outnumber the under-18s”. I love my child but “I don’t particularly want my wine to come with a side of whine”. I will “begrudgingly admit I would rather pubs accepted children than went bust”, but, parents, “pick your moment”: take them for a “relaxed Sunday afternoon roast rather than a post-work livener on Friday”.