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Stormont is "going to have to look at" raising its own money to help with public funding pressures, the new Northern Ireland secretary says.

On a trip to the country - his first since taking office days ago - Hilary Benn says the executive in Northern Ireland has historically "not been as good as it might be in income generation", and that public spending there is greater than in England.

The region receives around £124 per head for every £100 per head spent in England - and Benn says the "urgent" focus needs to be on using this money "most effectively".

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill says she "strongly made the case for fair funding" for the country, and that cuts "endured under the Tories must end now".

Yesterday Benn met O'Neill and deputy first minister Emma Little Pengelly, as well as representatives from other Northern Irish parties, before meeting traders on a visit to St George's Market in Belfast this morning.

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As we've been previewing, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is jetting up to Scotland this afternoon, the first stop on a tour of the UK over the coming days.

We've just received this picture of the prime minister ducking out the back entrance of Downing Street, presumably on his way to the airport.

He will meet Scotland's First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh later, before travelling on to Northern Ireland and Wales.

Stay tuned as we bring you updates after Starmer touches down in Edinburgh.

Image source, Reuters

The British CEO of Tata Steel has released a statement congratulating Sir Keir Starmer on his election victory.

As we've been reporting, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he would prioritise efforts to avoid job losses at the Tata steel works in Port Talbot.

For context, the previous government agreed a £500m rescue package to keep the plant open - but around 2,800 jobs would be lost as part of the deal.

Reynolds said he had already spoken to the firm to begin negotiations and wanted to make sure job guarantees were now part of his negotiations with Tata.

Rajesh Nair says he is looking forward to working with the new government.

"In the coming days and weeks we will be engaging with new ministers over our ambitious plans to invest in and transform Port Talbot with electric arc furnace steelmaking, and to supporting our workers through this necessary but difficult transition," Nair adds.

Paul Adams
Travelling with the foreign secretary

Image source, EPA

David Lammy was also asked during his visit to Poland what he meant, when he spoke in Berlin yesterday, about wanting to adopt “a more balanced approach” to the war in Gaza.

The foreign secretary said the UK position was “absolutely clear”.

The UK had been calling for a ceasefire since the end of last year.

He said he hoped President Joe Biden's ceasefire plan could soon be adopted, and that Israeli hostages would be released.

Lammy said the world could not look away from the number people, many of them women and children, who have lost their lives in Gaza.

“This is a time to redouble our efforts diplomatically. I will be doing that,” Lammy said.

For his part, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Poland, like the UK, had a relatively fresh government, which he said was the product of public fatigue with what he called “enthusiasts on the nationalist side of politics".

He said he expected a “more pragmatic approach” towards the UK’s relationship with the European Union.

Paul Adams
Travelling with the foreign secretary

David Lammy also spoke of joint efforts to accelerate the net-zero transition, as well as the government’s desire to strike a new veterinary deal with the EU.

The foreign secretary said “the new spirit of co-operation will be on show" when the UK hosts the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on 18 July.

Asked whether political changes in France and possibly the US might complicate crucial relationships in the near future, Lammy said this was “a tough geopolitical moment”.

But, Lammy said it was important not to confuse “differences of opinion in mature democracies” with the dangers posed by authoritarian states.

“I am concerned when I see Iranian drones turning up in Ukraine," Lammy answered. "I am concerned when I see shells from North Korea being used here on European soil.

"Of course I'm concerned with the partnership that I see Russia brokering across those authoritarian states.

"And I think that China should be very careful about deepening those partnerships over the coming weeks and months.”

Paul Adams
Travelling with the foreign secretary

Image source, sikorskiradek

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been speaking about his vision of a reset in UK-EU relations during a visit to the country home of the Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski

Lammy said the UK and Poland shared “the same strategic vision” on Ukraine and Nato, with British troops and air defence systems helping to defend Poland.

But, Lammy said he was here “to go further.”

“Working together with you, I want to reset both our bilateral relationship and our relationship with the European Union.

"In particular, we want to double down on our commitment to Ukraine and, of course, European security, including through joint bilateral projects between our defence industry and a new EU-UK security pact.”

Image source, Reuters

Downing Street says the prime minister has also spoken with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Sir Keir Starmer and Ramaphosa spoke about South Africa's state visit in 2022 and the "strong bond" between the two countries.

"The prime minister and president agreed to continue working together on climate change, economic growth and opportunity and equality ahead of the G20 in South Africa next year," a Downing Street spokeswoman says.

Starmer has also spoken to President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.

"The leaders agreed to deepen cooperation on defence, cyber security, trade and investment ties between the UK and UAE," the No 10 spokeswoman adds.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

These conversations are an early opportunity to set the tone of a future relationship – both to discuss shared interests and also, sometimes, to signal a change from the previous government.

So the "readouts" from Sir Keir Starmer’s calls with both Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are particularly interesting.

Starmer “set out the clear and urgent need for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians,” a Downing Street spokeswoman summarised the call with Netanyahu.

The spokeswoman went on: “He added that it was also important to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively.”

That is a shift from the Tory government which wanted a “humanitarian pause” and only a ceasefire once conditions had been met, like hostages having been released.

The readout of the call with Netanyahu came alongside one from the call with Palestinian Authority President Abbas.

It said PM Starmer “was pleased to be able to speak to President Abbas so early in his tenure” and added his policy of recognising the state of Palestine had not changed “and it was the undeniable right of Palestinians".

Starmer knows he has a particular vulnerability when it comes to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

His previous refusal to back a ceasefire enraged many voters, particularly Muslims, who had previously supported Labour. It cost him seats in the election, most notably the loss of his shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth who lost his seat in Leicester South to an independent pro-Gaza candidate.

Image source, jillgallard

While the prime minister is due in Scotland later this afternoon, new Foreign Secretary David Lammy continues his trip to Europe, travelling to Poland and Sweden later today.

This comes after his visit to Germany on Saturday, where he said he was re-setting Britain's relations with its European allies.

Lammy's German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, said Berlin was working with the new Labour government in Britain to see how London could move closer to the European Union.

Writing in Sunday's Observer, Lammy said: "Let us put the Brexit years behind us.

"We are not going to re-join the single market and the customs union but there is much that we can do together."

Nathan Standley
Education reporter

Overnight, the Prime Minister named Jacqui Smith as his new higher education minister. But what are the biggest issues facing universities at the moment?

Mostly: money. A handful of institutions are reaching financial crisis points, and 40% are forecasting deficits in England.

Labour's manifesto promised universities a "secure future", but was scant on detail around the options they're considering to make that happen. They've also made no explicit promises of more support for students still struggling with the cost of living.

On campus, the new minister will also have to handle the issue of ongoing student protests, especially around the war in Gaza.

In a recent episode of her 'For The Many' podcast, recorded before her appointment back in May, Smith said balancing the right to protest with the concerns of Jewish students was a "really difficult challenge".

The new minister will also inherit a soured relationship between university employers and union members, after a long-running industrial dispute culminated in a marking boycott last summer which left some students unable to graduate.

Becky Morton
Political reporter

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The government has ruled out the introduction of digital ID cards, after former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair said they could help control immigration.

Blair brought in legislation for compulsory identity cards when he was in office but the scheme was later scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Blair said: "We need a plan to control immigration. If we don't have rules, we get prejudices. In office, I believed the best solution was a system of identity so that we know precisely who has a right to be here.

"With, again, technology, we should move as the world is moving to digital ID. If not, new border controls will have to be highly effective."

This morning, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds initially said the home secretary would "be looking at all sources of advice" on the issue.

However, he later told Times Radio: "We can rule that out, that's not something that's part of our plans."

• You can read the full story here

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A bright red sofa and a piano are among a number of items removed from Downing Street on Sunday morning, days after Labour's landslide election win.

A bright yellow moving van could be seen parked up around the back of the famous building, with workers filling it up with the contents of the former occupiers.

It's not clear whether these are Rishi Sunak's or Jeremey Hunt's.

Image source, PA Media

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The prime minister gets the choice of living at No 10 or No 11 Downing Street, with the other going to their chancellor. Keir Starmer has yet to move into his new address.

During his time in office, Sunak opted to live in the flat above No 10, with Hunt residing in the larger flat above No 11.

Interested in more on life behind the iconic black door? Click here.

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A former Scottish National Party MP has said Nicola Sturgeon owes it an apology after losing 39 seats at the general election.

Joanna Cherry, who represented Edinburgh South West for nine years, told Sky News that voters had become "disillusioned" with the party's strategy for independence.

"It was difficult to persuade people to vote SNP in this election," Cherry said.

"Many, many former constituents said to me on the doorstep 'I would vote for you Joanna but I just can't vote SNP this time'.

Asked whether she thought Sturgeon - the former SNP leader and Scottish first minister - should apologise, Cherry said she did.

"I don't think you can ever blame a setback like this on one person, however, Nicola Sturgeon was a very strong leader who brooked no debate and no dissent, as I know to my considerable cost."

She said there had been a "huge strategic failure" on Sturgeon's part to further the cause of independence and reach unconvinced voters.

Sturgeon said recently it would be the "easy solution" for people to "take refuge in somehow it's all my fault".

New "Baby of the House" Sam Carling says he has a "lot of experience older MPs won't have", after being elected in Thursday's election.

The 22-year-old is now the youngest member of the House of Commons, after winning by a razor-thin majority in North West Cambridgeshire.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Carling says he gets "a little frustrated" when people criticise his lack of life experience.

"No-one has explained to me how being older makes you better at the job," he says.

Carling adds that he hopes his time in Parliament will show young people are "just as capable" as anyone else.

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With a change of government comes a whole new cabinet - which met for the first time yesterday.

if you want to know who is who in Sir Keir Starmer's top team, then click here.

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Alba Party leader Alex Salmond says he voted for the party he used to lead - the Scottish National Party - in Thursday's election.

In an interview with LBC, the former first minister says it was because "we had no Alba candidate" where he was registered to vote.

"I'm one of the few people in Scotland who can say I voted for a successful SNP candidate," he says - after the party won the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat.

"I'm glad to give the SNP their saving grace," he continues.

Salmond formed Alba - a pro-independence party - three years ago following a public dispute with the SNP.

He had been an SNP stalwart, leading the party from 1990 to 2000, and then again from 2004 through to the unsuccessful referendum on independence in 2014.

But he resigned from the party in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct - he was later acquitted of all charges after a High Court trial.

Timing is tight on Port Talbot plantpublished at 11:20 British Summer Time 7 July

11:20 BST 7 July

Huw Thomas
Business correspondent, BBC Wales

While Jonathan Reynolds said this morning that there was "a better deal available" for workers in Port Talbot, the new business secretary knows that Tata Steel is determined to press ahead with its restructuring plans.

The company wants to shut the second of its Port Talbot blast furnaces in September, before making 2,800 workers redundant across the UK.

Labour had asked for no "irreversible" decisions to be taken by the company ahead of the general election, but talks between the unions and Tata Steel are almost complete.

The glimmer of hope for those who want to mitigate the impact of Tata's plans is the idea of future investment, where the Labour government may help fund the building of new infrastructure such as a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant or a plate mill to help construct floating wind turbines.

Labour had discussed supporting future investment in Port Talbot during the election campaign, and Tata Steel bosses had been open to the idea.

This won't save jobs in the short term, and even Tata Steel's existing commitment to build an electric arc furnace next year - with £500m of government cash - will require far fewer workers than are currently employed in the heavy end of blast furnace production.

Timing is incredibly tight.

Workers are keen for answers, some are ready to take redundancy, and Tata Steel is already hitting deadlines for the closure of the heavy end of production in Port Talbot by the autumn.

Nadia Ragozhina
Live page editor

That was a busy morning as we brought you all the lines from Laura Kuenssberg's political interviews.

Now that's over let's look ahead to the rest of the day.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be visiting Scotland later - he's due to visit the UK's nations in the coming days to speak with the leaders of the devolved administrations.

He's due in Edinburgh for a meeting with First Minister John Swinney.

Swinney, the SNP leader, has said he welcomes "the prime minister’s commitment to forge a positive relationship" with the Scottish government, and hopes they can work together "to build a better Scotland".

The prime minister, meanwhile, says he wants to establish a "different and better" way of working across the UK.

For more on Starmer's trip to Scotland, click here, and stay with us as we bring you all the updates and analysis of Labour's first weekend in government.

Another packed show with five guests being grilled by Laura Kuenssberg - let's have a quick recap of the key moments from the political hour:

• Labour's new business secretary has said one of his immediate priorities is the future of the Tata steelworks in Wales
• Jobs are at risk in Port Talbot, as the plant moves to a greener form of production. Jonathan Reynolds said he would be seeking guarantees on jobs during talks in the coming days and weeks
• Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham called on Sir Keir Starmer to "commit early" to England's Northern Powerhouse - the Conservatives' attempt to attract investment, jobs and new infrastructure to the north of England
• For the Conservatives, both Victoria Atkins and Robert Jenrick offered their diagnosis of what went wrong for the Tories after the party lost 251 seats at the election
• Both were coy on their own leadership ambitions and declined to answer whether they would stand to succeed Rishi Sunak
• Finally, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, joined from his home in Kingston saying he had pushed for an emergency health and social care budget by the end of July

Jim Reed
Health reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Ed Davey spent the first part of interview with Laura Kuenssberg repeating his call for an emergency health and social care budget before the end of July.

It’s an idea his party was pushing strongly in the last few weeks of the election campaign.

He says more money is urgently needed to pay for more GPs, NHS dentists and cancer nurses.

The Liberal Democrat leader, who now heads up a party with 72 MPs in the House of Commons, also said he was “disappointed” the Labour manifesto did not mention family or unpair carers.

“I’ve made very clear that the Liberal Democrats will be the voice of carers, and we will challenge the government to make sure they deliver for millions of people looking after their loved ones,” he said.