Postmaster who lost father in Air India crash faces battle with Royal Mail to save business

A village postmaster grieving the loss of his father in the Air India plane crash is facing a battle with Royal Mail to save his business.

Umang Patel has flown out to India to join the hundreds of people who attended the funeral of his father, Kirit, who died when the London-bound flight crashed during takeoff in Ahmedabad last week.

Kirit Patel was on the flight for his annual summer visit to the UK, where he hoped to support his son and his son’s wife, Vaishali, run a Post Office and shop in the Somerset village of Pensford, near Bristol.

But their immense personal loss is not the only battle the family is having to deal with, with a decision by Royal Mail to close a small delivery office in the branch threatening the future of their livelihood.

In April, Umang Patel called on the village for support when he told the local parish council that the post office made up 60 per cent of his income, and without it, the branch would not be viable.

Councillors responded by writing to oppose the closure, arguing it was a “lifeline” for vulnerable residents in the community, with the nearest branch three miles away.

A petition has also been launched, with more than 1,200 people signing it, many after the loss of Mr Patel’s father last week. The family was also the subject of a crowdfunding campaign that raised £11,000 after his death, but they asked for it to be taken down after costs had been met because they “did not want to take advantage”, according to villager Jim Beacham.

Royal Mail confirmed that a plan was in place to shut the small delivery office, with the date for closure understood to be in September.

A spokesperson said: “Our small delivery office within Pensford Post Office is being merged into the New Paulton Delivery Office. Relocating to a larger, dedicated facility will provide better working conditions for our posties and support a more efficient delivery service.

“Residents can be assured that deliveries will continue as normal.”

A Post Office spokesperson said a post office area manager had been working with Mr Patel to help limit the “financial implications” of the move. Ways to grow the business were also being explored, they added.

They said: “We have offered our sincere condolences to Pensford Postmaster, Umang Patel, for the tragic death of his father Kirit Patel in the Air India plane crash. Umang, his wife Vaishali and two sons are much-loved members of the village community. Umang and Vaishali have run a first-class Post Office and shop for more than 10 years and are very popular as demonstrated by the community rallying round to support them at this very difficult time.”

Prince of Wales celebrates 43rd birthday with new puppy picture

The Prince of Wales has marked his 43rd birthday with a heartwarming new photograph featuring his beloved dog, Orla, and her three adorable puppies.

The candid image, captured by the Princess of Wales, was shared by Kensington Palace on Saturday to celebrate William’s special day. In the picture, the Prince is seen gently stroking one of the chocolate cocker spaniel puppies, while Orla, the proud mother, stands watchfully behind him.

The accompanying caption, signed by the family, read: “Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!”

Orla has been a part of the royal household since 2020, joining the family after the unexpected passing of their previous cocker spaniel, Lupo. Lupo, a cherished companion, had been a wedding gift to the couple from the Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton.

Orla gave birth to four puppies last month and the photograph was taken in Windsor on a sunny day earlier in June.

It appears to be a quieter birthday for the Prince of Wales than last year, when he took Prince George and Princess Charlotte to see Taylor Swift at Wembley stadium.

William had faced a challenging 12 months in the lead-up to turning 42, with both Kate and his father the King diagnosed with cancer.

In the week of his birthday this year, the Prince of Wales joined the King and Queen at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

His wife missed the event for the second successive year and was said to have been disappointed not to join her family at the famous sporting and social event in Berkshire.

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales was in Norwich with Earthshot Prize council member Cate Blanchett to see the hi-tech work of one of the 2023 prize finalists.

The pair donned lab coats to see how Colorifix, an eco-friendly textile dye company, makes its products.

William admitted he needed a “layman’s version” of the scientific explanations and later apologised to staff for “all the stupid questions”.

Self-swab ‘rape kits’ being marketed at students a ‘serious concern’

Rape support groups have expressed “serious concerns” over self-swab ‘rape kits’ being marketed towards university students in the UK.

The kits allow people who have been sexually assaulted or raped to take a swab themselves and send it off to a lab to be tested for the DNA of the alleged perpetrator. Half the sample is frozen and can be kept for up to 20 years and handed to the police if the incident is later reported.

Such kits have been handed out to students on UK university campuses in recent months, with companies saying the kits act as a deterrent and provide a simpler way to report a rape.

However, Rape Crisis England and Wales has warned that although the kits might seem like a good idea, there are concerns about how they work.

It warned survivors that the kits may not be able to collect the evidence needed to prove rape and that any evidence gathered may not be legally admissible – giving them “false hope” that it could help in a legal case.

“Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) are aware that in parts of the country, self-swab ‘rape kits’ are beingmarketed to students and universities as a way for survivors – primarily, but not always, women and girls – to report rape, and to deter rapists,” a statement issued by Rape Crisis said.

“Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials.”

It added: “At-home kits can’t offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.”

It said this was because professional forensic medical examinations take place in forensically cleaned, controlled environments with strict rules to avoid contamination, making the evidence reliable.

Unlike self-swab kits, they also include assessments of injuries, clothing, blood samples, and other medical findings.

The kits have emerged amid a low rate of convictions for rape, with as many as five in six UK victims choosing not to report a rape at all.

In 2024, 71,227 rapes were recorded by police, but only 2.7 per cent of these had resulted in charges by the end of the year.

Companies selling the kits say they provide survivors with a “simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence”.

Enough, a company that has handed out free kits at the University of Bristol and also sells them online for £20, says their main aim is to act as a deterrent, not to provide criminal justice.

It told The Independent that 70 per cent of polled students in Bristol said the kits had prevented sexual violence on campus, 90 per cent are aware of the not-for-profit and over 200 reports have been made in just six months.

“Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is ‘how does this not already exist?’ They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped.” Katie White, the Enough co-founder said.

Its website says that if a person is seeking to report a rape to the police, they should go to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) first.

It also says that leading KCs had confirmed DNA evidence collected by its kits – which are made by the same forensic experts that make them for the police – may be admissible at trial, but there are no guarantees of this.

Rape Crisis said while these self swap kits may provide DNA evidence, it is rarely used in rape trials as they cannot prove any activity was non consensual.

Although Enough points people to where they can get further support on its website, Rape Crisis also raised concerns that the kits don’t offer specialist, in-person support: “Survivors need trauma-informed care, reassurance, and to be heard and believed. A self-swab kit can’t provide emotional support or explain next steps, but a trained support worker in a Rape Crisis centre, or an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) can.”

Rape Crisis is the latest organisation to voice its concern over the kits, after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) issued a joint statement on the issue last year.

It said it did not currently support the use of self-swab kits, and it could “put survivors at risk” if they did not have the correct information.

JLS star rushed to hospital in medical emergency

JLS singer Aston Merrygold was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

The 37-year-old musician, who is making his voiceover debut in Disney’s forthcoming animation Elio, recalled his recent hospital visit in a story shared to his Instagram page on Friday (20 June).

A photograph showed Merrygold strapped into stretcher on an ambulance while connected to medical equipment. In it, the “One Shot” singer appears to have a bump on his forehead, with a smaller inset picture showing the singer frowning in pain.

Another photo showed Merrygold giving the camera a thumbs up, while a fourth image showed a close up of an IV inserted into his forearm.

“It’s been an interesting 13 hours,” he captioned the post, alongside a pained emoji.

Merrygold is yet to reveal what caused the emergency. The Independent has contacted a representative of the singer’s for comment.

He appeared to be in good spirits, however, as he later reposted promotional videos for his role in Elio on Saturday morning (21 June). The film follows the titular main character, a young boy played by Younes Kibreab, who has an eye patch and feels different from his peers. Emilia Perez actor Zoe Saldaña stars as Elio’s aunt.

In a four-star review of the film, The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “Elio is witty, sweet, and ready to shred your heartstrings like a teething puppy. It posits that we’re all conducting our own kind of intergalactic exploration, entering other people’s orbits in the hope of finding that elusive element we call friendship.”

Speaking about his role in the forthcoming movie, Merrygold said: “I’m so excited and beyond honoured to join the voice cast for the all-new original film from the iconic Animation Studio. I mean who isn’s a Pixar fan? It means everything to me that my kids will be able to hear their Dad’s voice on the big screen!”

In March last year, the singer announced the birth of his third child with wife Sarah Louise Merrygold. Singer Pixie Lott, Fleur East and Pussycat Dolls star Kimberly Wyatt were among the stars to share their congratulations.

Riley Skye is their first daughter. The couple share two sons, Grayson Jax and Macauley Shay.

How the ‘intimidating’ martini became the most in-demand cocktail

It’s the cocktail you know how to make without even trying one. The one you see glistening on top of glitzy bars in countless films, TV shows, and music videos. The one associated with everyone from Gatsby and Bond to Don Draper and Lucille Bluth to such a degree that it’s practically a character in its own right. It can be wet, dry, clean, or dirty. It is shaken and not stirred: it is, of course, the martini.

For whatever reason, the not-so-humble Hollywood tipple has undergone a somewhat radical transformation in recent years. For a while, it was known as a bit of an elderly choice, a drink favoured at lunchtime by nostalgic boomers and the Queen. But then something shifted and the martini was suddenly everywhere, with London bars reporting a surge in demand as the classic cocktail began infiltrating our Instagram feeds and bar menus in myriad variations.

On TikTok, there are more than 183,000 posts under #martini, with some showcasing people making their own drinks at home. Some are classic gin or vodka martinis; others are fruit-based, pornstar, or espresso martinis. Quirkier bases range from tomatoes, blueberries, and pickles to matcha, chocolate, and lychee. A few are inspired by celebrities (Kris Jenner martini, anyone?), literary icons (the Hemingway martini), and others are, quite frankly, a little too creative: this one has a literal chicken wing in it — it’s made using chicken broth, olives, mayo (I know) and then the wing is used as a garnish.

At Selfridges, sales of a pre-mixed version of the martini have surged by 200 per cent in the last year, with the retailer naming the martini as one of its “obsessions” for this year’s sunnier seasons, creating a bespoke martini window display at its Oxford Street flagship. Meanwhile, bars across London have noticed a major uptick in orders. Take the Tomatini at La Petite Maison, a now-iconic cocktail at the premium Mayfair dining destination that has been spotted in the hands of everyone from Charli XCX to Beyoncé.

“Light, savoury, and effortlessly sippable, it’s made with fresh tomatoes, Ketel One vodka, white balsamic, and a pinch of salt and pepper,” explains Tibor Krascsenics, group beverage director at La Petite Maison. “We’ve seen a clear rise in martini orders across our bars. Guests are more confident and precise, often asking for very dry vodka or gin martinis with a twist. Dirty martinis remain popular, It’s no longer an intimidating drink – it’s stylish, personal, and definitely in fashion.”

At Quaglino’s, where more guests are ordering martinis than ever before, the design of the drink has evolved and become more expansive over time. “We’ve had some fun with them,” says Jonathan Ecca, bar manager at the St James restaurant. “One of our favourites was the Sakura martini, inspired by Japanese flavours. We also tried an Asparagus martini made with Japanese vodka, homemade asparagus vermouth and a pickled white asparagus garnish to finish. It sounds wild, but it worked.”

Other establishments favour more classic varieties. “People love simplicity; they don’t want to over-complicate drinks with too many ingredients that take too long to make,” says Martin Kuczmarski, founder of The Dover, where martinis are one of the restaurant’s staples; around 90 per cent of its diners order one, usually with vodka. “A martini is beautiful to look at, sophisticated, and gives a sense of occasion, showing how people are moving away from overly complicated cocktails and rediscovering the beauty of minimalism,” adds Kuczmarski. “One of the missions of The Dover was to bring back many traditional, and classic elements of hospitality. I didn’t want to follow any trends, and the martini is one of the simplest cocktails that exists. But like with anything simple, it is one of the hardest things to execute well.”

The perfect martini requires a combination of high-quality ingredients, premium glassware, balance, the appropriate garnish according to the drinker’s tastes, and of course, it must also be ice cold. Few know this quite like Alessandro Palazzi, bar manager at Dukes Bar in London, which is arguably the UK’s leading martini destination thanks to its popularity among celebrities, royals, and a mythic social media presence. Frequented by Ian Fleming himself and reportedly the place where Bond’s famous line “shaken, not stirred” was inspired, Dukes has been serving up its signature martinis since 1908, bringing them out on its famous trolley service, adding a theatrical element to the whole experience.

“Lots of people are coming in from social media these days,” says Palazzi, who has been working at Dukes for 18 years, serving everyone from Stanley Tucci to Paul Feig, a close friend who wound up casting the bartender for a cameo in his latest film, Another Simple Favour, in which martinis play a lead role – Dukes is mentioned in the first film by Blake Lively’s character. There’s almost always a queue to get into Dukes, which now serves between 300 and 400 martinis a day. “We spot the social media people right away because as soon as you arrive with the trolley, they take a camera out without asking,” adds Palazzi. “That bothers me a lot.”

The philosophy at Dukes is simple: to inspire others to make their own martinis at home, and to create a warm, discreet environment where the drinks can be sipped and savoured slowly. Famously, the bar won’t serve customers more than two martinis each. “There are five shots of pure alcohol in each glass,” explains Palazzi. “That, combined with the fact that frozen alcohol has a delayed reaction means you can’t digest it right away. So then it stays inside you and you have an explosion if you drink very quickly. Our intention is not to make you drunk but to offer an experience.”

Despite this logical and sensible guidance, the influx of attention on Dukes recently has meant that a few people try to come in and subvert it, trying their luck to order a third martini. “I call them the imbeciles,” says Palazzi. “Usually they’re classic businessmen and city boys who think they have something to prove and can handle more than two martinis.” This kind of bravado will get you nowhere at Dukes, or anywhere else, for that matter.

It’s unclear where the sudden rush for the martini came from. Palazzi suspects it began during the pandemic: “A lot of us were at home, drinking cocktails, or watching videos of celebrities making them,” he says. Dukes was actively posting clips during that time, too, while celebrities like Tucci regularly went viral for his DIY cocktail-making videos on Instagram.

But there’s also something to be said about the martini’s rise and a wider shift in alcohol consumption more generally. Consider the mini martini, an increasingly popular variation of the drink that is, obviously, smaller and more potent. “We also serve a lot of mini martinis,” says Krascenics. “They’re playful one-sip versions that let guests explore multiple styles, from classics to vegetal twists like beetroot or caperberry. It’s our way of making the martini both elegant and fun.” You can now find these minute variations across London, with popular spots like Rita’s, Dishoom, and, up until it closed in April, the Blue Bar at the Berkeley, all downsizing their drinks to cater to more moderation-concerned clientele.

“I think it ties into this wider shift we’re seeing, people are drinking less, but drinking better,” explains Agustina Basilico Miara, beverage manager at Toklas. “They’re looking for quality over quantity, and the martini, when made well, is the perfect example of that. It’s refined, simple, and all about balance and care.” Indeed it is – just don’t drink too many of them at once.

What’s the secret to a truly stress-free holiday?

High-end cruising has entered a new era. Today’s luxury travellers aren’t looking for big flashy experiences. They want slow-paced, intimate travel and authentic cultural immersion. More than anything else, they’re looking for ease: that feeling of being genuinely cared for, safe in the knowledge that they’re experiencing the best of the best.

That means excellent quality food and drink, of course – it’s got to be restaurant standard and cater to all tastes – but also onboard enrichment experiences of the highest calibre. The great beauty of cruising has always been that not a second is wasted. Savvy travellers get to explore a rich and rewarding variety of exotic, off-the-beaten track locations, but instead of spending half their holiday stuck in motorway traffic, they’re honing their swing in the golf net, or sipping on a cocktail on the upper deck as they travel from destination to destination.

When they’re onshore they want genuinely immersive experiences that get them under the hood of a destination: think cellar tours of local vineyards or speedboat cruises to hidden beaches. Done right, a high-end all-inclusive cruise is the ideal form of slow travel, offering a perfect balance of adventure and indulgence, proper pampering and a thrilling sense of discovery.

The world’s most luxurious fleet

First among equals when it comes to the new era of luxury cruising is Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which offers more than 170 different itineraries visiting over 550 ports of call worldwide. Each of the six ships in their fleet is opulently appointed with beautifully designed communal areas and a huge array of amenities, but none of them has a capacity of more than 746 guests, ensuring space and freedom for all aboard.

The all-suite accommodation means that the private spaces are similarly roomy, each having a private balcony and marble bathroom. And service is always impeccable with a crew-to-guest ratio that’s nearly one-to-one, meaning that the team can always go that mile extra for all travellers.

Across the ships, the food is uniformly excellent. As well as Regent’s signature Compass Rose restaurant, with its daily changing menu of bistro classics like lobster bisque and New Zealand lamb chops, the different ships also feature a range of speciality dining venues. These include Prime 7, a New York-style steakhouse, Pacific Rim with its pan-Asian menu (be sure to try the miso black cod), and fine-dining destination, Chartreuse, where the chefs turn out sophisticated plates of upscale French cooking like Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Seared Foie Gras.

With a number of long cruises on their roster, Regent has made sure that each of its ships is akin to an ultra-luxury, boutique floating hotel with an incredible variety of things to do during the day and top-level entertainment at night. There are courts for paddle tennis and bocce, and the onboard spa offers a range of exclusive bespoke treatments. The ships host talks by experts in their field and cooking lessons are also available on some of the ships at the culinary arts kitchens where visiting chefs guide guests in how to make wow-factor dishes that relate to the ports of call. In the evening, the Constellation Theatre hosts lavishly staged productions from a team of Broadway choreographers and artists.

Destinations that match the onboard luxury

Of course, none of this onboard luxury would mean much if the destinations weren’t up to scratch, but Regent’s superbly curated itineraries are up there with the very best. Its week-long trips include culture-packed European tours like Glories of Iberia which sails from Barcelona to Lisbon, and thrilling frontier explorations such as the Great Alaskan Adventure from Whittier to Vancouver.

Longer trips include four-week Legendary Journeys from Athens to Montreal, and fully immersive explorations of the Arctic. Long or short, these itineraries are all underpinned by a commitment to taking guests right to the heart of a destination with the kind of bespoke onshore activities and expert-led insights that mean on a Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage, adventure is guaranteed.

Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises now to uncover the true meaning of luxury and start booking your ultimate stress-free getaway

Could Rayner’s squeeze on landlords actually end up hurting renters?

On the face of it, Angela Rayner’s Renters’ Rights Bill has some benefits – not least that Section 21 no-fault eviction notices will be scrapped, giving tenants more security.

But experts are now warning that, as part of Labour’s reforms currently making their way through parliament, landlords would be prevented from re-listing their properties as rentals for a year if they try – and fail – to sell up. Which, therefore, also means they’ll have to forgo rent for a year.

Failed sales are not unusual – and with the latest Rightmove stats on the housing market, things are looking especially bleak for homeowners in London and the South East. If they are forced to hold onto their property under these new provisions, not only will they as landlords be out of pocket, we’ll end up with even more empty properties gathering dust.

Right away, you can see the problem: Britain already has too many of those and this may lead to an even bigger shortage of housing during what the National Rental Landlords Association (NRLA) describes as “an unprecedented supply and demand crisis”.

Indeed, the organisation puts the number of empty properties in the rental sector at roughly half a million in England alone, using data from the government’s English Housing Survey.

“We are concerned that the government does not recognise the risk that the number of empty homes in the private rented sector may substantially increase if this proposal passes into law,” says Meera Chindooroy, the trade body’s deputy director of campaigns, policy and public affairs.

So, has the government lost the plot? Not quite. I can see the method in Rayner’s apparent madness. Let me explain…

The problem with the private rental market is that the balance between tenant and landlord has been out of whack for too long. The current system, which allows for tenants to be booted out with a couple months’ notice at the end of a year’s tenancy, can leave them in a horrible jam if the owner decides that it’s time to book a quick profit when the property market gets hot.

Rayner’s policy aim with the bill is to create a situation where this doesn’t happen because most landlords will be professional – in it for the long haul, rather than hobbyists who buy themselves a flat or two to fatten up their pensions.

The re-listing ban is an explicit attempt to make landlords think very carefully before putting their properties on the market. It makes that option a risky move for them.

Other provisions included in the Bill that the NRLA describes as “the biggest change to renting in over 30 years” include a protected 12 months at the start of a tenancy, where a landlord will be barred from evicting a tenant for the purposes of selling.

As also mentioned, there will be the abolition of Section 21 notices, better known as “no-fault” evictions. A national database for the private rented sector will be created, and there will be an ombudsman to handle disputes. Landlords will no longer be able to discriminate against families or benefit recipients – nor will they be able to create bidding wars.

Some of these policies were first mooted by Michael Gove, when housing was part of his portfolio. And while the current chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced a 5 per cent “second home” stamp duty surcharge, the drive to professionalise the sector began with former Tory chancellor George Osborne.

He restricted the tax relief residential landlords could claim on mortgage interest payments to the basic rate of 20 per cent. These measures ramped up costs for the small fry and many left the market as a result.

As you can see, there has been a degree of cross-party consensus on the need for reforms aimed at improving life for private sector tenants, who are often left feeling as if they’re lost in a swamp with no map and no mobile phone reception.

As a package, the reforms should, in theory, improve life for them. If an owner is in it for the long term, the renter can make a home of their tenancy, as often happens on the continent. Needless to say, a long term tenant could also improve life for the landlord, because they will likely be more inclined to look after the place (if you’ve ever been house-hunting, the ex-rentals stand out – and not in a good way).

However, at this point I feel obliged to trot out one of those old sayings: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” You don’t help renters if you end up with fewer properties on the market. Constricting supply will inevitably add rocket fuel to rental prices, which are already too high.

According to the quarterly tracker by Rightmove, the average advertised rent of homes outside of London rose to a record £1,349 in the first three months of the year. London, meanwhile, recorded its 14th consecutive record, with monthly rents increasing to £2,698.

It is true that Rightmove noted a (welcome) increase in supply, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a shortage overall.

There are some good things in Rayner’s reform package. But facts are facts and markets are markets – and if she squeezes landlords too hard, she will hurt the market and end up squeezing tenants – the last thing anyone wants, least of all her.

Banning rents for a year after a failed attempt to sell is a measure that demands a rethink, however well-intentioned.

Whitehall isn’t working – here’s how the PM can fix it

It never rains but it pours for Keir Starmer. He is fighting to stop the Iran crisis wrecking his one success as prime minister – a solid performance on foreign affairs in which he somehow maintains a productive relationship with Donald Trump.

Insiders tell me Starmer’s efforts are aimed at persuading Iran to enter meaningful talks on its nuclear programme and then convincing a highly sceptical US president that Iran is serious about negotiations.

But if Trump goes ahead with his threat to bomb Iran, Starmer’s special relationship with him could conceivably be stretched to breaking point.

The prime minister can’t escape his woes on domestic matters. His intense diplomacy was interrupted on Thursday by the unwelcome news that Vicky Foxcroft had resigned as a whip in protest at the government’s cuts to disability benefits. She might not be the last to quit a government post before the crunch vote on £5bn of welfare cuts on 1 July, when Starmer faces the biggest Labour revolt of his premiership.

Some parliamentary aides to ministers are on resignation watch. The government’s robotic response to Foxcroft’s departure, which failed to acknowledge her respected work as shadow disabilities minister before last year’s election, angered some Labour MPs.

Many will rebel with a heavy heart. They accept the need to reduce the ballooning welfare budget, but think the panicky cuts ahead of Rachel Reeves’s spring statement symbolise how the government repeatedly reacts to events – in this case, living from hand to mouth to stick within the chancellor’s fiscal rules – instead of having a long-term reform strategy.

For some Whitehall-watchers, Starmer will not improve matters unless he reforms the centre of government. Critics think the relationship between No 10 and the Cabinet Office isn’t working, leaving the other side of the triangle, the Treasury, to call the shots. The result: the winter fuel allowance catastrophe and now the welfare rebellion.

Even some in Downing Street admit privately a shake-up is needed. Sam Freedman, a former special adviser and author of an excellent book, Failed State, suggests loosening the Treasury’s grip by forming an Office of Budget Management, run jointly by the Treasury and Downing Street, which would oversee future spending reviews to ensure they reflect the PM’s priorities.

Freedman believes Starmer should consider a change Tony Blair introduced in his second term, which improved public service delivery. To prevent the whole operation being sucked into reacting to events, three units focused on different timescales: a policy unit on day-to-day oversight of Whitehall departments; a delivery unit on a small number of the PM’s priorities (in Starmer’s case, that would be his five missions); and a strategy unit on difficult long-term challenges. This ensured a more strategic state.

One problem today is that the “missions delivery unit” is based in the Cabinet Office rather than No 10. The Institute for Government (IFG) think tank has made a sensible proposal to abolish the Cabinet Office and set up an expanded “Office of the Prime Minister”, which would then take charge of the missions.

Do such structures really matter? Yes. They are even more important when a PM makes a virtue out of his pragmatism and lack of ideology, as Starmer does. Like many predecessors, Starmer complains the Whitehall machine is slow to crank into life when he demands action. Often fair – but civil servants also have a point when they grumble that this government does not give them clear enough marching orders.

For example, the government’s own commitment to Starmer’s missions – later relaunched as six milestones in his “plan for change” – is now being questioned in Whitehall. Ministers promised the missions would be the “guiding star” of the government-wide spending review unveiled by Reeves last week, and that cabinet ministers would collaborate on cross-departmental working and budgets. Only one problem: there was little money to go round. So the review again became a trial of strength between the Treasury and individual ministers trying to protect their departments.

Starmer’s “mission-driven government” was caught in the crossfire and some Whitehall officials think the idea suffered serious damage. The IFG calculates that two of the missions – on economic growth and clean energy – did well out of the spending review, but the other three – on health, safer streets and opportunity – look difficult to achieve.

Another reason why the missions matter is that this government doesn’t have the option of pumping in extra cash to secure the improvements to public services voters want, as Blair and Gordon Brown enjoyed. Although Reeves won headlines for her big boost to building projects, her squeeze on day-to-day budgets is viewed in Whitehall as a “standstill settlement”. So reform and efficiency savings will be needed to secure tangible improvements – not least in the NHS.

The missions can play a part in prioritising these goals. With many public services still struggling in the voters’ eyes, standing still will not win Labour a second term.