What You Need To Know

Labour and the Conservatives have dominated British politics for more than 100 years. But local and devolved elections being held across the UK could be about to change that forever, and potentially mark the end for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
ITV News' election expert Professor Jane Green has been given access to YouGov polling data that suggests that we might be at a tipping point, where challenger parties like Reform UK, the Lib Dems, the Green Party, Plaid Cymru, and the SNP could be set for some of their best results ever.
In this video, we’ll look at what this data reveals, how Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and Zack Polanski’s Green Party could potentially unseat Labour and the Conservatives, and how this all means the future of British politics could be set to change indefinitely.

The King and Queen will meet with US President Donald Trump in person five times over four days as they try to patch up the strained relations between the US and UK amid the conflict in Iran.
And everyone involved in the visit admits it is the most risky diplomatic trip of King Charles’ reign so far.
Trump has said Starmer is "no Winston Churchill", he picked on his voice, shared social media posts mocking his British counterpart and called Royal Navy warships "toys" compared to American ones.
But the prime minister put his faith in the so-called 'soft-power' of the monarchy, which he said, "is often able to reach through the decades on a situation like this".
Only stills photographers have been invited into the Oval Office when the King meets the President, which limits the chance of Donald Trump saying something awkward in front of TV cameras.
But no one can ever be confident that Trump will stick to his script at a state dinner in Washington.
What the King and Queen will not be able to do on the trip is see those Epstein survivors who have written to the palace asking for a meeting.
There is currently a criminal investigation in the UK into the King's younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, for the offence of misconduct in public office.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but he was stripped of his prince title, his dukedom and his home in Windsor.
Other police assessments are going on into claims of trafficking young women into the UK for sex.
The former Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but he was stripped of his prince title, his dukedom and his home in Windsor over what the palace called his "errors of judgement".
A Buckingham Palace source said: "We fully understand and appreciate the survivors' position, but can only reiterate that our position is clear that anything that could potentially impact on ongoing police inquiries and assessments and any potential criminal investigation that could result from that would be to the detriment of the survivors themselves in their pursuit of justice." However small the risk, it is one palace officials are not prepared to take.
However small the risk, it is one palace officials are not prepared to take.

The appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to Washington has led to a series of scandals and resignations, after revelations about the extent of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
Lord Mandelson was sacked as ambassador in 2025, after information was published by the US government as part of the Epstein files. Despite admitting to being aware of this relationship, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted Mandelson "lied repeatedly" to No 10 about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador. The PM claimed that if he had known then what he later found out, Mandelson "would never have been anywhere near government".
Mandelson has since apologised for his relationship with Epstein, claiming he did not witness wrongdoing in his interactions with the late financier. In relation to his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the former ambassador has claimed not to have acted in any way criminally and said he was not motivated by financial gain. He insists his priority is to cooperate with police and clear his name.
ITV News explores the timeline of events surrounding Mandelson's controversial appointment.

Kim Ju Ae could be the most powerful teenage girl in the world. Not only is she the daughter of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – one of the most feared dictators in the world.
She could also end up becoming the next Supreme Leader of the country. Recently, she’s been seen at official events more and more alongside her father.
But could the patriarchal totalitarian regime in North Korea ever accept a female leader? Here's What You Need To Know.

On the 7th of May, the United Kingdom will go to the polls to vote in local and national elections across the country.
And they are more important than you might think.
National elections in Scotland and Wales could set a path for the breakup of the UK, England's council elections could decimate Labour and the Conservatives.
The Greens and Reform are projected to make big gains, and the results across the board could be the end of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Here's what to expect, how results might play out, and what the knock-on effect might look like.