WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning

 
today's POLITICS story

Starmer concedes to rebels over welfare cuts

What happened
The government has confirmed a "massive climbdown" on its welfare bill after more than 120 Labour MPs were poised to vote against planned changes to benefits, according to the BBC.

Writing to MPs, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said people already claiming the Personal Independence Payment and the sickness-related element of universal credit would continue to receive the amounts they were currently on, with the planned cuts now only hitting future claimants.

Who said what
Keir Starmer has "listened to MPs who support the principle of reform", but are "worried about the pace of change for those already supported by the system", said a spokesperson for No. 10.

But it's a "humiliating" U-turn for Starmer, according to the Daily Mail, and The Telegraph said it was more than "just a personal defeat" – it leaves "Starmerism" itself "on the brink of collapse".

What next?
The Commons will vote on the bill next Tuesday and the changes have "won over key rebels", which should be enough to save the prime minister from a "damaging" defeat, said The Guardian. Dame Meg Hillier, a leading rebel, said she would now support the bill because there's been a "good step forward".

But the changes mean "fresh tax raids" this autumn are "almost inevitable", experts told the Daily Mail, because the reforms, projected to save £5 billion, would now save much less. The pressure now mounts on the chancellor, with one Labour figure telling Sky News that the "growing drumbeat in the party is that Rachel Reeves must go".

 
 
today's HEALTH story

Study to examine side effects of weight-loss jabs

What happened
Weight-loss jabs including Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic may carry a serious side effect: inflammation of the pancreas. According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, hundreds of people taking the GLP-1 drugs have suffered from pancreatitis, including a small number of fatal cases. There is no evidence that the injections directly caused the deaths, and no restrictions have been put in place.

Who said what
For people with Type 2 diabetes or obesity, there are "clear benefits" to using these jabs, said Sky News. But for those who are trying to "lose a few pounds ahead of their summer holiday, the health benefits are far less clear". This is a "wake-up call" that these are "powerful medications".

Professor Matt Brown, chief scientific officer of Genomics England, told The Independent that, like all medicines, "there can be a risk of serious side effects".

What next?
The regulatory agency has launched a study into the alleged link, inviting anyone who has been admitted to hospital with acute pancreatitis while on weight-loss drugs to get in touch through its Yellow Card scheme.

 
 
Today's MEDIA story

BBC to offer paid subscription to US users

What happened
The BBC will start charging US-based users for unlimited access to its news content and rolling televised coverage. In a milestone moment, the broadcaster has announced plans to offer a subscription of $49.99 a year, or $8.99 a month.

Who said what
Senior BBC figures believe there could be "an appetite" to pay for its "brand of journalism", said The Guardian, particularly because of the "politically partisan reputation" of some television networks across the pond.

This is the first time that the BBC has charged a direct subscription for its journalism, said the Financial Times, and it's a "significant step" towards "boosting overseas revenues" for the corporation.

What next?
According to the FT, the US subscription move demonstrates the broadcaster's "willingness to explore new revenue streams" as it navigates its wider future. The BBC is in negotiations with the government over its current royal charter, which sets out its terms and funding model, before it expires in 2027.

 
 

It's not all bad

Train travel might become a little less frustrating after rail bosses vowed to eliminate mobile phone blackspots on several major lines and tunnels by 2028. Starting next year, Neos Networks will install 621 miles of ultra-fast fibre optic cable along parts of the East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line and Chiltern Main Line. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the rollout would be a "game-changer for passengers up and down the country".

 
 
under the radar

The armed clan allied with Israel in Gaza

An armed group within a Bedouin tribe has emerged as a powerful – and highly controversial – supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas and its aid blockade on Gaza.

Israeli officials admitted that they were supporting a clan, led by the tribesman Yasser Abu Shabab, that calls itself the "Popular Forces" (formerly the "Anti-Terrorism Unit").

Clans and tribes have a "strong influence in Gaza" and some have "long been armed to protect their group's interests", said The Washington Post. Others have "morphed into gangs involved in smuggling drugs or running protection rackets". Hamas "clamped down" on such groups after taking control of the Strip. But Israel's bombardment has weakened Hamas and the gangs have "regained freedom to act". Shabab's "self-styled militia" went public last month, claiming it was "guarding" new food distribution centres in Gaza. 

But international humanitarian groups and Palestinian sources have accused the group of "looting aid trucks in the war-torn territory", said France24 – and Israel of allowing it to do so.

Shabab, "reportedly a well-connected figure in Rafah", is linked to the "powerful" Bedouin Hamashah clan, said The New Arab. His militia is said to have "evolved from a loosely organised criminal group into a Salafi-jihadist group" inspired by Islamic State. Palestinians have accused it of "spreading lawlessness under the guise of fighting Hamas". Some tribal alliances have "expelled" the group for "collaborating" with the Israeli army.

Hamas has strongly condemned the group, saying there was evidence of coordination between the "looting gangs" and the "enemy army". But the Popular Forces wrote on Facebook that it had "never been, and will never be, a tool of the occupation".

 
 
on this day

27 June 1977

Djibouti declared its independence from France. The East African nation has recently been embroiled in an international scandal; a group of men removed from the US became stranded there in a converted shipping container after their deportation flight to South Sudan was stopped by an American court.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Keir Starmer "caves in to rebels on benefits" is The Telegraph and the Daily Mail's assessment following the prime minister's U-turn. MPs tell The Guardian that there have been "massive concessions" from Starmer and, according to The Mirror, there's "new hope on PIPs" after "serious progress" was made in crisis talks with No. 10 over the cuts that would impact hundreds of thousands of disabled people. Elsewhere, "Killer back stalking Cheryl" is The Sun's splash after Daniel Bannister turned up at the singer's house, "flouting a restraining order" that was imposed after he left her feeling "violated, terrified and unsafe in her home".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Teenage boss

An 18-year-old has been left in charge of Warwickshire County Council after its recently elected leader resigned. Blaming health problems, Reform UK councillor Rob Howard said he was stepping down with "much regret". His teenage deputy George Finch will serve as interim chief, in charge of millions of pounds of public spending, while a leadership election is held. Finch once wrote that his political beliefs could be summed up as "Brexit, sovereignty and a strong and united family unit".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Jamie Timson, Chas Newkey-Burden, Harriet Marsden and Hollie Clemence, with illustrations from Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Ben Stansall / WPA Pool / Getty Images; Carolina Rudah / Getty Images; VV Shots / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.