Root eyes first Australian century with England innings on knife-edge

Ben Stokes ran himself out and Jamie Smith was bowled second ball as England lost two quick wickets in the evening session as they attempt to set an imposing target for Australia.

Stokes (19), and the unbeaten Joe Root, had recovered England from a slight stumble to reach 210-4 before the disastrous moment the captain was dismissed.

A pair of half centuries from Zak Crawley (76) and Root have led the England rebuild after the visitors fell to 5-2 early on in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.

Mitchell Starc took the early wickets of both Ben Duckett (0) and Ollie Pope (0) as Australia targeted a similarly brutal bowling display as that which saw the visitors succumb to the hosts inside two days of pulsating cricket in the first Test.

When Crawley and Harry Brook (31) were dismissed England looked in trouble but Root and Stokes guided them to dinner. Stokes’ moment of madness was then compounded as Scott Boland got the pink ball to nip back at Smith (0) whose stumps went clattering.

That brought Will Jacks to the crease with the spinner, selected ahead of Shoaib Bashir in part for his better skills with the bat, tasked with aiding Root rebuild once again.

Follow all the latest updates, scores and analysis on day one at The Gabba below:

Streeting orders review into ‘overdiagnosis’ of ADHD in welfare spending crackdown

Wes Streeting has ordered a review into the diagnosis of mental health conditions as the government seeks to tackle a significant rise in welfare spending.

The health secretary‘s decision comes amid concerns over a rise in individuals claiming sickness benefits due to diagnoses of mental illness, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Mr Streeting has reportedly tasked leading experts with investigating whether common human emotions have become “over-pathologised.”

This move is part of a broader effort to address the growing number of working-age people, now totalling 4.4 million, who are claiming sickness or incapacity benefit.

This figure represents an increase of 1.2 million since 2019.

During the same period, there has been a rapid surge in 16 to 34-year-olds unable to work due to long-term sickness linked to mental health conditions.

The review underscores the government’s wider agenda to manage the escalating national welfare bill.

It comes after ministers were forced to climb down on plans to reform disability benefits, including for those with mental health conditions, in the face of a Labour backbench rebellion.

Meanwhile, the government is also facing accusations it hiked taxes at the Budget to pay for an increase in welfare spending.

But Sir Keir Starmer on Monday signalled the government will make a fresh push on welfare reform, claiming the system is “trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work”.

Mr Streeting told the Times he knew from “personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can’t get a diagnosis or the right support”.

He added: “I also know, from speaking to clinicians, how the diagnosis of these conditions is sharply rising.

“We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding of what we know, what we don’t know, and what these patterns tell us about our mental health system, autism and ADHD services.

“That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.”

Speaking to Sky News, children’s minister Josh MacAlister said people can “get themselves stuck” in a cycle of “feeling more anxious” when they are out of work as a result of mental health conditions.

Asked about plans to review the system, he said: “In my constituency, I’ve got 500 people under the age of 25 who are out of work with mental health conditions.

“And I know from speaking to many of them and their parents that part of what they’re struggling with is the social anxiety that comes from not being work and the overlap between conditions with a diagnosis and the social interaction aspects of some of these conditions where actually you can end up retreating from the world, feeling more anxious, being more lonely and depressed.

“And that is a cycle that people can get themselves stuck in. And what we need is support for young people to get them into work.”

Sources told The Times the review will be launched on Thursday and will be led by Professor Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London specialising in child mental health, with Sir Simon Wessely, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatry, acting as vice chairman.

Professor Fonagy told the newspaper: “We will examine the evidence with care — from research, from people with lived experience, and from clinicians working at the frontline of mental health, autism and ADHD services — to understand, in a grounded way, what is driving rising demand.”

Prince Harry makes Trump joke during surprise Colbert appearance

Prince Harry joked about Donald Trump during an unexpected appearance on Stephen Colbert’s US talk show.

On Wednesday (3 December), the Duke of Sussex made a surprise cameo in a comedy sketch on The Late Show in which he played a version of himself auditioning to play a “Christmas prince” in a Hallmark movie.

In the segment, Harry, lampooning the US’s “obsession” with royalty, quipped that the country had “elected a king”, in reference to the president, which prompted a chorus of pantomime books from the audience.

The joke appeared to be a reference to the non-violent “No Kings” movement, protesting Trump’s “authoritarian” policies.

Harry then referenced The Late Show network CBS’s settlement with Trump over a lawsuit that claimed the network edited a 60 Minutes news interview with his presidential rival Kamala Harris in an attempt to “tip the scales” in her favour during the election.

Joking that he would “do anything” to get a part in the fictional Hallmark movie, Harry said: “I’ll record a self-tape, I’ll fly myself to an audition, settle a baseless lawsuit with the White House — all the things you people in TV do.”

Colbert hit back: “Hey, I didn’t do any of those things,” to which Harry replied: “Maybe that’s why you’re cancelled.”

Colbert’s show is ending in May 2025 after being cancelled in what CBS called “a financial decision”.

In the pantomime-inspired sketch, Harry ultimately won the role of the Christmas prince.

Hours before the episode aired, the pair first teased the guest spot in a video that saw them lip-sync over an Alison Hammond soundbite from The Great British Bake Off.

The post was also shared by the Duchess of Sussex, who previewed the clip on her Instagram story.

Colbert’s other guests were Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon and Irish actor and singer Jessie Buckley, who can next be seen opposite Paul Mescal in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet.

Wednesday’s visit was the duke’s second Late Show appearance, having last appeared in January 2023 to promote his memoir Spare.

Harry’s first appearance on the show set a two-year viewership record and made international headlines.

Harry and Meghan have been raising their children in Montecito, California, after announcing they were stepping back as working members of the royal family in January 2020.

Additional reporting by Agencies

Harry Kane’s surgeon awarded £37,000 in battle over stolen Bentley

A distinguished surgeon, renowned for treating England captain Harry Kane’s hamstring injury, has been awarded £37,000 in damages from the UK’s oldest Bentley dealership following the theft of his new luxury car.

Professor Fares Haddad, a world-acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine, successfully sued Mayfair-based Jack Barclay Ltd.

The claim centred on the dealership’s alleged negligence in failing to arrange an electronic tracker service for his vehicle.

Prof Haddad’s Bentley Continental GTW12 was stolen from his driveway in January 2023. But when he attempted to claim on his insurance, the payout was refused because the car’s tracker system was not properly activated.

While staff at Jack Barclay, known for its prestigious Mayfair showroom and reputation as “gentlemen car dealers”, had installed cutting-edge tracker software, a crucial subscription service remained inactive.

Mr Haddad, 58, said that he had assumed Jack Barclay’s staff would establish a continuous tracker subscription via Vodafone.

This understanding stemmed from conversations and email exchanges with a showroom executive in 2019, when he was considering the Bentley purchase.

He claimed a total of £78,643 from Jack Barclay Ltd, trading as Jack Barclay Bentley, suing for the return of money paid out under his HP agreement, which his insurers refused to cover after the theft – plus £4,000 for the cost of a replacement hire car.

And following a trial at Central London County Court, Judge Andrew Holmes ruled in favour of the surgeon, finding the dealership at fault in failing to fire off an email to Vodafone which would have kick-started the tracker.

“But for the failure to send the form to Vodafone, Prof Haddad’s losses would not have occurred – had the tracker subscription been incepted Prof Haddad would have taken the steps necessary to continue it,” the judge told the court.

But he went on to decide that the professor himself bore some blame for failing to notice there was no subscription in place until after his prized Bentley was plucked from his driveway by thieves in April 2023.

The judge slashed the award of £82,643 by 60 percent to £33,057 to reflect Prof Haddad’s “contributory negligence”, although with accumulated interest his total award will come to just over £37,000.

Prof Haddad is the clinical director of the institute of Sport, Exercise and Health with a special expertise in hip joint, knee reconstruction and major ligament injuries.

It was Prof Haddad who ended up saving the latter phase of then Tottenham forward Harry Kane’s 2020 season after the star striker – now at Bayern Munich – crocked his hamstring.

Kane underwent surgery for a ruptured tendon, and although he missed much of the Premier League season he was back in training by May 2020 and competing in the latter part of the specially extended Covid Premier League.

The year before, in 2019, Mr Haddad had bought his Bentley Continental from Jack Barclay in part exchange for his former car, an Aston Martin, on the basis of a hire-purchase credit agreement, the court heard.

The then brand-new model of the GTW12 featured a 6-litre engine and 8-speed gearbox, a top speed of 207mph and retailed for up to £200,000.

The car was stolen in 2023 and Mr Haddad went on to put in an insurance claim only to be refused due to the tracker not being operational, as per the conditions of his policy.

The surgeon’s barrister, Bradley Say, told Judge Holmes that he was assured when he bought his Bentley that “a tracker is standard on the car and I will set that up for you”.

“Mr Haddad made a particular point of asking him about the tracker when he picked up the vehicle because of the previous problems he had with the tracker on his Aston Martin,” explained Mr Say.

Later enquiries revealed that the tracker had been fitted and commissioned by a Jack Barclay engineer but was never registered due to a lack of customer details being supplied to set up a subscription, the court heard.

From the witness box, Mr Haddad said he never received a contract from Vodafone to set up a subscription for the tracker, but had understood that everything would be arranged by Jack Barclay.

“I assumed they were setting it up for me and that it would be activated and functioning, and that if I needed to do anything I would be told what to do,” he said.

“Because the Bentley was a high-end car and the after-sales support had been comprehensive, I believed that if anything needed to be done to the car, including in relation to the tracker, Bentley would contact me.”

Mr Haddad claimed that, had the tracker been activated and had he received reminders from Vodafone to renew, he would have done so in the same way as with his motor insurance.

Although he was aware that the tracker subscription would have to be renewed after 12 months, he assumed it was done automatically via a direct debit.

However, defence barrister, Sajid Suleman, disputed there was any promise to activate the tracker by Jack Barclay staff, also arguing that the responsibility to activate the device “fell on Mr Haddad”, who was entirely to blame.

Giving his ruling, Judge Holmes found that the Jack Barclay sales executive who dealt with Prof Haddad had “agreed to set up the tracker”, which was an “assumption of responsibility” on his part.

Having undertaken to arrange things for the customer, the executive then probably “failed to send off the form”.

He said Prof Haddad, who he labelled a “patently honest witness”, admitted he was aware that the tracker was based on an annual subscription, but assumed that a direct debit had been set up when he bought the Bentley.

Prof Haddad had explained in court that it was not always easy for him to monitor his bank outgoings, as he has around 50 direct debit payments going out of his accounts each month.

The judge found that Prof Haddad could be excused for not noticing that there was no subscription in place during his first year as owner, but added: “I see considerable force in the suggestion that Prof Haddad had a responsibility thereafter to ensure that the tracker was activated.

“With each year that went by, the failure to notice or to check his records becomes more difficult to understand.

“The ordinary person taking an ordinary level of care of his or her own affairs would be expected over time to realise that he was not making payment, or receiving correspondence, about an important point in relation to the insurance of a valuable vehicle.

“In my judgment, he is 60 per cent to blame for the loss that he has suffered.”

The finding of contributory negligence against Prof Haddad meant his payout was slashed by 60 per cent from £82,643 to £33,057, although with interest he will get just over £37,000.

New Epstein island pictures give ‘harrowing look behind closed doors’

Never-before-seen photos and videos, released Wednesday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, reveal details of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on his infamous private island.

Among the trove of unearthed images is what appears to be a dentist chair in a room adorned with decorative masks of bald men’s faces hanging on the walls, as well as another room featuring a chalkboard with the words “power,” “deception,” and “music.”

Another features a large shower room stacked with bins of towels and blankets.

“Oversight Dems have received never-before-seen photos and videos of Jeffrey Epstein’s private island that are a harrowing look behind Epstein’s closed doors,” the Democrats wrote on X. “See for yourself. We won’t stop fighting until we end this cover-up and deliver justice for the survivors.”

The new photos and videos were taken on Epstein’s island in the Caribbean, where he took women as part of his sex-trafficking ring.

The House released them on the same day members of Congress demanded answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi on when the Trump administration will release the full Epstein files.

Congress passed – and President Donald Trump signed into law – a bill that required the full files to be released in 30 days, which would be on Friday.

In a letter to Bondi, obtained by NBC News, the lawmakers are asking the attorney general to clarify if the Justice Department can meet the 30-day deadline to release the files should they find “any new evidence, information or procedural hurdles.”

In total, the Oversight Committee democrats uploaded 10 photos and four videos showing some of the interior and exterior of the lavish estate.

Epstein, once a wealthy financier, invested millions in Little St. James, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands that he used as a private getaway – where he brought underage girls and young women to the island to sexually abuse.

Videos of the estate show palm trees scattered throughout the expansive property, surrounding multiple small buildings. In one video, a helipad can be seen located near a large in-ground pool. The paved walkway from the pool leads visitors to the beach.

The interior photographs show two large bedrooms, a sprawling bathroom, what appears to be an office and a large shower room.

Stacked against the wall in the large shower room are bins filled with towels and what seems to be extra linens.

In walkthrough videos of the bedrooms and their adjoining bathrooms, there appear to be few personal touches other than bottles of skincare products.

The file of photos also includes close-up photos that reveal puzzling, but inexplicable, details. One depicts a landline telephone with first names listed on speed dial buttons: Darren, Rich, Mike, Patrick and Larry. Several other names appear to be censored on the phone’s directory.

Another detailed photo shows a chalkboard, seemingly located in Epstein’s office, that has various single words scribbled across it, including “Power,” “Deception,” “Truth,” and “Music.”

Some of the writing on the chalkboard is also censored. A Democratic committee aide told CNN that any woman’s name was redacted out of an abundance of caution.

The Independent has asked the Justice Department for comment.

Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, a ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said they plan to release documents and files “as we receive them.”

“The survivors deserve justice and the truth. We need the Department of Justice to release all the files, NOW,” Garcia wrote.

House Democrats have been releasing documents and files related to the government’s investigation into Epstein as part of a push to force transparency on Epstein’s alleged ties to high-profile individuals.

Trump spent part of his 2024 campaign promising to release more information about the Epstein case. The disgraced financier died by suicide inside a New York City prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.

His death has sparked numerous conspiracies as people believe there is more to his case and death than has been publicly released.

Epstein had connections to several prominent figures and politicians, including both Trump and former president Bill Clinton – neither has been accused of wrongdoing.

Bondi said early in Trump’s return to the White House that the Epstein files and his so-called “client list” were on her desk for review. But she later retracted and in July announced no new information would be released.

That sparked fury among the MAGA base and saw several prominent lawmakers split from the president to demand the release of the files.

Trump downplayed the requests as a “hoax” led by Democrats. He continued to persist until it became clear that the House of Representatives had enough support to force a vote. Trump then reversed course and said the files should be released.

After passing in the House and Senate, Trump ultimately signed the legislation on November 19 – triggering the 30-day deadline for the Justice Department to release documents.

The legislation allows for Bondi to make redactions to protect survivors’ identities, national security or ongoing investigations. It’s unclear if any of the exemptions will delay the release by the deadline.

Perfect portraits: from groups to selfies and candid pics, expert tips

Portrait photography has come a long way from the days where everyone needed to be smiling directly into the camera, as a flash bulb popped.

And in fact, following on from an era where social media sites offered very curated, sometimes heavily filtered snapshots of our lives, more natural, candid images that really show off our personalities and experiences are now very much on trend. Think authentic photos of genuine moments where no-one is really paying attention to the camera. Instead they’re focused on enjoying what’s happening and the people they are with. For example, friends around a table enjoying a drink and a chat. Families engaged in a favourite activity. Photos that look like a glimpse into someone’s normal every day.

The best way to capture these in-the-moment shots? On a mobile: our ever-present, hand-held, do-everything device that has steadily taken over photography in the 26 years since the first camera phone appeared. Samsung’s newest device, the Galaxy S25 FE offers a wealth of photography-first features, from multiple cameras, lenses and wide angle settings, to in-built AI technology that will help you take the best possible pictures, then easily edit them afterwards. And as a photographer who runs masterclasses in mobile photography I couldn’t wait to try it out.

The phone itself is slim and lightweight, which makes it so much easier to hold steady, for clear, crisp, blur-free images, and take discreet, candid snaps.

Of course, we all have friends, family members and even pets who love performing for the camera. But for those who are a bit more reluctant to step into the frame, the Galaxy S25 FE offers a whole host of easy-to-use, fun AI features that will have even the most camera-shy feeling completely confident and ready for their close-up.

Samsung’s Drawing Assist function is a prime example and was an absolute hit with my kids, transforming our Sunday afternoon walk from a litany of moaning and dragging feet into a fun-filled adventure involving a lucky escape from the shark that apparently now lives in the park pond, and flying through the air with some giant balloons.

And all it took was a few simple, if strategically positioned snaps and some quick sketches using the Sketch to Image* function when editing the photo. This works best when you have some space in the frame around your subjects so you can easily draw what you want to add. In the shark image, for example, we needed enough water to the left of my kids for the shark to emerge from.

In the photo where the children are flying with the balloons, I needed them to be high up against the sky, and I also wanted the trees visible to add some context to the story we were trying to tell. They’re on top of the boulders, but I had to crouch down on the ground to cut out the houses in the background. By using the Generative Edit** function I was then able to replace the boulders with trees and then used Sketch to Image to draw in some balloons to make it look like they were floating away.

You don’t need to be an amazing artist for Sketch to Image to work well either, just enough line and shape for the app to recognise what you want to add into your image. The only limit here is your imagination and creativity. Involving the kids in some fun photography also meant that I got to capture some real, candid moments of them in the beautiful Autumn sunshine, with none of the usual complaints.

While playing around with reality can be fun, the Galaxy S25FE’s other AI features can also be used to make more subtle adjustments to enhance your images.

Just a few minutes of work with the Generative Edit function on a day out with a friend, helped me erase two unwanted photobombers from a photo (in which she perfectly co-ordinated with the graffitied heart wall in Borough Market). While removing some distracting weedkiller from the table where my cat was basking in the sunshine ensured the perfect pic where I can really appreciate him in all his fluffy glory.

Aside from fun and helpful editing functions, the phone’s AI technology is also running in the background to give your photos a boost, whatever and whenever you are capturing them.

This is great when you’re shooting challenging lighting conditions, for example at night. Dark, grainy and blurred photos are a thing of the past, with Samsung’s Nightography feature. Tapping the yellow moon icon that appears in dim lighting will enable this clever function which captures multiple images and then uses AI to blend them together to create one sharper, brighter image.

This can take a few seconds, so you’ll need to keep very still when using this feature – if you can, brace your arms on a table and hold the phone with two hands to keep the camera as steady as possible. It also helps if your subject is still, so this is more for capturing adults and older kids than snapping a restless pet or fast-moving child.

For these trickier subjects, from youngsters to four-legged friends, the excellent autofocus on the device makes for pin-sharp portraits rendered in high definition. And if you couple that with the outstanding Samsung colour profile you get beautifully saturated, nicely contrasted images which really pop. All the colours are beautifully rendered and all skin tones (and fur tones) are true to life. No filters are needed here.

And this is not just true of portraits you take of other people. The 12 MP camera lens on the front of the phone makes for gorgeously rendered, high resolution selfies with a variety of crop options, so you can find the perfect angle or image composition.

Taking a selfie at a 1:1 square crop, as well as the standard 3:4 crop option means you can easily include a friend or family member in your photo. And there’s a lovely little feature where you can get the lens to zoom out a little by tapping the ‘two person’ icon to provide a little extra space.

The 9:16 crop option means you can opt for a more flattering, longer and thinner photo while the full frame cop allows you a more zoomed-in selfie.

And if you want to take your selfies to another level, the option to add a little skin toning and smoothing effect and iron out any wrinkles (or in my case remove evidence of a sleepless night) is one of the additional features that makes the selfie camera stand out!

The excellent battery life means you don’t need to worry about it lasting, even after a few hours of photo fun. And when your battery does run down, lightning fast charging will see you back at 60 per cent in just 30 minutes, so you don’t have to wait long until you are good to go again.

Overall, whether it is taking vibrant portraits of yourself or capturing creative, candid images of the people (and pets) in your lives, making memories you’ll want to share is easy and fun with the Galaxy S25 FE.

Kirsty Hamilton is a portrait photographer – find out more at her website and on Instagram.

To find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE visit Samsung

*Samsung account login and network connection may be required for certain AI features.

**Samsung account login is required. Requires network connection.

‘Powerful’ 3.3-magnitude earthquake rocks north-west England

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake sent tremors through homes across northwest England late on Wednesday night, the British Geological Survey has confirmed.

Striking shortly after 11.23pm, the tremor was felt widely across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, impacting towns such as Kendal and Ulverston, all within 12 miles of its epicentre.

Data indicates the seismic event originated just off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire, at a depth of 1.86 miles.

Residents reported to the BGS that it “felt like an underground explosion” and was “so powerful it shook the whole house”.

Map of where the earthquake hit:

The Volcano Discovery website, which monitors global seismic activity, received more than 1,100 reports from individuals in the affected area, with most describing the shaking as “light” or “weak”.

While the BGS detects between 200 and 300 earthquakes in the UK annually, only a fraction – typically 20 to 30 – are strong enough to be felt by the public.

The majority pass unnoticed, recorded solely by sensitive instruments, and rarely cause significant damage.

The most recent earthquake exceeding 3.3 magnitude occurred on 20 October, affecting parts of Perth and Kinross in Scotland.

The BGS noted that the tremor struck at 7.25 am, with its epicentre located in Pubil, within the Glen Lyon region.

Last week, the US state of Alaska was rocked by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake struck shortly after 8am on Thanksgiving near Susitna, about 37 miles northwest of Anchorage.

Tremors were felt from around 350 miles north of Anchorage, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage or deaths.

Alaska sees more earthquakes than any other US region, and the second-largest earthquake in recorded history hit the state in 1964.

The earthquake was measured at 9.2, although last week’s earthquake that struck on Thanksgiving morning marked the largest in south-central Alaska since 2021.

Labour expected to postpone mayoral elections amid Reform poll lead

Sir Keir Starmer’s government is expected to announce that crucial elections for new mayors are set to be postponed by two years.

Elections for newly created mayoral posts in Cumbria, Cheshire & Warrington, Norfolk & Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex & Brighton, and Hampshire & Solent were due to be held next year.

But it is understood the elections will be postponed until 2028, which has prompted accusations from Reform UK that it is a move to stop “big Reform wins”.

An official announcement by communities secretary Steve Reed is expected this week.

It comes after a poll this month by Ipsos put voting intention for Labour at 18 per cent, with Nigel Farage’s Reform leading at 33 per cent, although the party dropped 1 per cent from September.

Sir Keir’s own future has been pinned on how well Labour does in the elections next May with challenges in Wales, Scotland and London borough councils already causing Labour a headache.

Meanwhile, some Tories in areas like Essex and Norfolk & Suffolk have also been appealing for a delay with fears of a wipeout to Reform.

According to one government official, the expected delay to the mayoral elections is because of fears of Reform winning, as they did in mayoral races in Humberside and Lincolnshire last year.

“In my opinion it is [fear of Reform], what other valid reason could there be to not have 2026 elections where candidates are already in place,” they said.

Zia Yusuf, Reform’s head of policy, said: “This is a blatant attempt to stop big Reform wins next May. It’s an act of a desperate government who are clinging on to power by any means necessary.

“Labour has proven time and time again that they’re not beyond denying democracy to millions of people in order to maintain their cosy status quo.”

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “This is a scandalous attempt to subvert democracy by a Labour government whose credibility and popularity are already in tatters.

“The Conservatives firmly oppose this decision to delay the mayoral elections, especially when candidates have been selected and campaigning is well underway.”

The Independent has seen briefing notes from officials suggesting that a ministerial written statement will be put out confirming the delay of the six mayoral elections to 2028.

Added to that, the delay means that the elections would not be held under first past the post, where the candidate who gets the most votes wins, even if they do not have above 50 per cent.

Instead, it would revert to a proportional supplementary vote system following the implementation of Labour’s local government reforms.

Elections in nine council areas – East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey – were already postponed from this year to 2026 amid the reorganisation of local government in England.

The Independent has approached the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Labour Party for comment.