In the headlines
Soldiers could be scrambled to drive petrol tankers under emergency plans being drawn up by Downing Street today, as motorists continue panic-buying. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insists there is “no shortage of fuel”, but the Petrol Retailers Association says up to 90% of the country’s pumps have run dry. Two potential rivals for Keir Starmer’s shaky leadership are drawing attention at the Labour conference in Brighton: Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham. Rayner made headlines on Sunday by refusing to apologise for calling Boris Johnson “scum”. “She is an imbecile and until she realises that, the party will never be credible,” one Labour MP tells The Times. Burnham, meanwhile, joked about his “King of the North” nickname: “I’ve not quite gathered the troops at the M6 Knutsford services, but the day may come if they don’t sort out this levelling-up thing.”