This reshuffle amounts to the action of a prime minister confronted by an almighty mess - and hurriedly seeking to seize that moment for his own and his government's ends.
This is about as big a reshuffle as you could imagine, short of replacing the chancellor of the exchequer.
Earlier, Downing Street made clear Rachel Reeves wasn't going - a move to calm the markets - but it hinted at the breadth and depth of the reshuffle to come.
"Wide ranging" was how it was described to me by a government insider at lunchtime.
Drip by drip, appointments were fed out through the afternoon.
By teatime, it had met the definition of that word.
Two new occupiers of two of the big offices of state: a new home secretary and a new foreign secretary.
And, for the first time, the three big offices of state below prime minister - home secretary, foreign secretary and chancellor - all occupied by women.
Of course, all of this was prompted by the personal foul-up and foibles of the former deputy prime minister, a nightmarish start to a week Sir Keir Starmer had billed as marking the start of "phase two" of his government, focused on delivery.
Angela Rayner is a big political character, a huge personality in Westminster.
The prime minister could have simply found a replacement for her as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, but instead, he has recast his government in a far bigger way.
Recasting a government is an exercise in authority and jeopardy – and that's just for the prime minister.
For the individuals involved - with ambitions met or punctured - the overlooked, demoted or sacked almost always outnumber the elevated, smiling and promoted.
Hence that jeopardy for Number 10.
Get them right and a reshuffle on this scale can be noticed – and re-energise a government.
Get them wrong or do them too often and a government's progress can become jolty and piecemeal, and the backbench battalion of the disgruntled grows larger.
From the prime minister's perspective, a political battle looms.
After a shaky first year in office, buffeted by shrivelling approval ratings, he confronts a buoyant Reform UK.
Sir Keir has concluded going big was the best option.
He knows he needs to be seen to be delivering and quickly - and he has to hope this new team can do it.
The lightsaber was used by character Darth Vader in films including The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi
A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films has sold for $3.6m (£2.7m) at auction.
The prop featured in films including The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi was said to be the "standout" moment of the first day of sales at the auction held in Los Angeles on Thursday.
According to Propstore, the Buckinghamshire-based auctioneers, the piece of memorabilia was the highest-priced Star Wars item ever sold at auction.
Brandon Alinger, Propstore chief operating officer, said: "To see a Star Wars lightsaber - the symbol of one of cinema's greatest sagas - become the highest-valued piece of the franchise ever sold at auction is incredibly special."
The prop was used during extensive filming at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire and was described by Mr Alinger as one of the most recognised props in the history of the film.
Propstore
A Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 sign was among the items sold on the first day of the auction based in Los Angeles
While the auction took place in California, many of the lots are from UK productions including a bullwhip, belt and holster made for Harrison Ford in the 1989 Indian Jones and the Last Crusade film which sold for $485,100 (£360,000).
Other memorabilia included a Platform 9 3/4 sign used in several of the original Harry Potter films which was estimated to sell for between $20,000 (£14,925) and $40,000 (£29,850), however, went for $138,600 (£102,573).
Mr Alinger, said: "The result marks a landmark moment, not just for Propstore, but for the entire world of film collecting.
"It speaks to the enduring cultural power of Star Wars and the passion of fans and collectors who see these artefacts as touchstones of modern mythology."
Until this week, Angela Rayner was considered to be one of the most powerful women in Britain, a deputy prime minister who was widely tipped to be a future candidate for the top job in politics.
A self-described "proper working-class" woman, Rayner grew up in poverty and left school without any qualifications at 16. She entered high office in the wake of a landslide election victory.
It was a remarkable journey.
But Rayner's extraordinary rise to the apex of British politics with the Labour Party has culminated in an equally spectacular fall.
She resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she did not pay enough tax on the purchase of a new home.
She has also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour party.
It means a return to the backbenches for a high-profile MP who was considered to be a big political asset to her party and who remains a popular figure within many Labour circles and beyond.
Her against-the-odds story, personality, and ability to connect with parts of the electorate that might be less accessible to others, gave her a special status in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet and underscores why she will be so hard to replace.
Tough upbringing
Born Angela Bowen in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1980, Rayner grew up on one of the area's poorest council estates and from an early age, was caring for her mother, who was bipolar and suffered from depression.
Both Rayner's parents were unemployed and speaking in 2017, she remembered having to grow up very quickly.
"My mum was a really vulnerable person. I remember, at 10, my mum being suicidal and me sleeping like a dog on the end of her bed, just to try and stay next to her so she didn't do any harm to herself," Rayner said.
She has also recalled going to her grandmother's flat on Sundays, so the family could take it in turns to have a bath there. Hot water was too expensive for them to use at home.
Reuters
Rayner has often spoken about being told she would "never amount to anything", after she left school without any qualifications.
But after having her first child at 16, Rayner studied part-time at college, learning British sign language and gaining a vocational qualification in social care.
She spent a number of years as a care worker in Stockport, mainly looking after elderly people in their own homes, while also rising quickly through the ranks of the union, Unison.
She has described herself as "mouthy", someone who would "take no messing from management".
Alamy
In her 20s, she became a full-time union official and eventually, after battles over working conditions and zero-hour contracts, rose to the most senior elected role in Unison in north-west England.
It was at Unison she met Mark Rayner, a fellow union official whom she married in 2010 and divorced in 2023. The couple went on to have two sons, one of whom was born so prematurely he is registered blind and has special educational needs.
She credits the trade union movement with encouraging her to enter politics and taking her from - in her own words - "the girl on a council estate" to "a woman who feels like she can conquer the world".
Those ambitions started to be realised in 2015, when she was elected as the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester. She later said she had only stood to make the point that "people like me can't get elected" and had "accidentally" won the seat.
The Prescott role
Rayner rose quickly in Westminster, taking up the women and equalities, and education briefs in the shadow cabinet of former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
When Corbyn stood down in 2020, following Labour's worst general election result since 1935, Rayner did not run for the leadership, and backed her ally Rebecca Long-Bailey, who came second to Sir Keir.
Instead, Rayner stood for the deputy leadership and won election to that post comfortably.
But relations between Sir Keir and Rayner have sometimes been tense. After Labour lost control of eight English councils and lost the seat of Hartlepool in a parliamentary by-election in May 2021, the deputy leader was removed from her post as party chairwoman.
She pushed back and was appointed shadow first secretary of state among other titles.
By that point, Rayner had a strong support base and a powerful role likened to that of John Prescott, who was seen as a political bridge between the working class and the New Labour project during Tony Blair's premiership.
Rayner heavily leaned into that role and tried to use it to her party's advantage in the years before Labour's general election win in 2024.
Getty Images
In May 2021, the deputy leader was removed from her post as party chairwoman
Outspoken and combative at times, Rayner repeatedly accused the Conservatives of being "out of touch", and hammered the party with lines such as "one rule for them and another rule for us" during the scandal over pandemic parties in Downing Street.
Sometimes Rayner admitted she had gone too far, once apologising for describing senior Conservatives as "a bunch of scum".
Her prominence and the venom of her political attacks had put a target on her back and attracted unwanted headlines.
In 2021, Rayner lashed out at "sexism and misogyny" in politics, after a newspaper reported that she crossed and uncrossed her legs during prime minister's questions to distract Boris Johnson.
And in 2024, she was investigated by the police over the tax paid on the sale of her council house, again following a slew of reports by unfriendly newspapers, cheered on by the Conservatives. She was not found to have committed a criminal offence.
Getty Images
Her tendency to brush through political controversies gave her an air of untouchability, with some dubbing her "Teflon Ang".
Her stock had risen further still as deputy prime minister, leading on one of Labour's key pledges to build 1.5 million homes by 2030, and helping Sir Keir quell a rebellion by Labour MPs over welfare cuts.
Days before her resignation, the prime minister mounted a full-throated defence of Rayner, hailing her a "great story of British success" who gave working-class children "a real sense of aspiration".
And yet the political optics of a housing secretary admitting she had not paid enough tax on her home were not easy on the eye.
Rayner faced charges of hypocrisy and calls for her to stand down.
She resigned from government after the prime minister's ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus declared that she had breached the ministerial code.
While he said that she had "acted with integrity", he told the prime minister that "she cannot be considered to have met the 'highest possible standards of proper conduct' as envisaged by the [ministerial] code."
Having overcome a difficult upbringing and personal adversity to climb the heights of the Labour Party and become only its second ever deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner's political career has come to a premature end within just 14 months of a Labour government.
WSL predictions 2025-26: BBC Sport pundits pick their top three
Published
The Women's Super League returns on Friday with Chelsea seeking to win a seventh successive title - will anyone stop them?
Sonia Bompastor's side finished 12 points clear of Arsenal last season, but with a busy transfer window behind them the Gunners will hope to be closer challengers.
London City Lionesses are embarking on their debut campaign in the top-flight, while there have been a number of managerial changes over the summer, including at Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Some of our pundits and presenters predicted their top three for the 2025-26 campaign, making their picks made before deadline day.
Once the transfer window closed, BBC Sport women's football news reporter Emma Sanders predicted where she thinks each team will finish this season.
Who are the pundits backing?
Emma Sanders' predictions
1. Chelsea
Having won six WSL titles in a row, it's hard to look past Chelsea.
I was concerned by injuries in their frontline - Mayra Ramirez will be out until January following hamstring surgery, while Lauren James is also missing for a few weeks.
But they spent big money to bring in United States forward Alyssa Thompson on deadline day to sort that issue.
With Australia superstar Sam Kerr also to return, their squad remains one packed with talent, and they know how to win.
2. Arsenal
Arsenal have always been capable of winning the title but have lacked consistency and were miles off it at the start of last year.
They will be very close this time around off their back of their Champions League success but they need to turn that belief into ruthlessness.
Manager Renee Slegers has proven her pedigree and if anyone can get that out of them, it is her. But I think Chelsea still have an edge.
The arrivals of Olivia Smith and Taylor Hinds have added depth to Arsenal's squad but I worry they might still be a bit short in a few areas.
3. Manchester City
Under new manager Andree Jeglertz, Manchester City have made it clear they want to be challenging for the title and returning to Champions League football.
They have fallen behind in recent years with their lack of silverware but when they have a fully-fit squad, they have played some of the best football.
I need convincing they can compete with Arsenal and Chelsea but I see no reasons why they can't qualify for the Champions League.
They have signed some exciting young players in Switzerland international Iman Beney and England midfielder Grace Clinton to add depth.
4. Manchester United
While Manchester United have added some quality in Sweden internationals Julia Zigiotti and Fridolina Rolfo, plus England midfielder Jess Park in the transfer window, they lost Grace Clinton and look short in depth in areas.
I hoped to see more ambition over the summer to prepare them for Champions League football, especially when you look at the business done by other clubs around them.
They have a strong team and performed well last season which I think puts them in good stead, but I don't see them challenging for the title.
5. London City Lionesses
Perhaps a wild prediction to place a newly-promoted side so high up in the table but London City Lionesses are not your average club.
They broke the world-record transfer fee to bring in France international Grace Geyoro for £1.4m on deadline day, having triggered a release clause of £430,000 for young Spanish international Lucía Corrales earlier that day.
Their squad is full of players with Champions League and WSL experience. On paper, it is one that could challenge the top four.
The biggest question is whether manager Jocelyn Precheur can get them all to gel so quickly but I think they will do well.
6. Everton
Another club who have shown ambition in the window is Everton under new ownership The Friedkin Group.
They will be playing at Goodison Park this season which can only be a good thing and under manager Brian Sorensen, they have a clear identity on how they want to play.
The past few seasons they have had to dig in to finish mid-table and manage several injury issues. Now, they have more depth and quality to push on.
7. Brighton
Brighton made strides last season under manager Dario Vidosic and they have added more talent in the transfer window.
But the loss of experienced England international Nikita Parris was a blow and I still think they need time to allow their relatively young squad time to progress.
I can see them causing problems but they will need to be consistent to stay in the top half of the table.
8. Liverpool
It's been a very unsettling six months for Liverpool since the departure of former manager Matt Beard.
They fell behind in the summer when Gareth Taylor's appointment as permanent head coach was delayed by contractual issues from his time at Manchester City and that meant they were scrambling around for new signings to add depth.
In the end, they did some good business on deadline day, bringing in Risa Shimizu on loan from Manchester City and making Alejandra Bernabe's move from Chelsea permanent, giving them much-needed depth in full-back areas.
But it's hard to look past the loss of last season's top-scorer Smith and vice-captain Hinds, both to Arsenal. The squad is light and they will need to be busy in January.
9. Aston Villa
It's hard to judge where Aston Villa are at because they were so disappointing last season but I don't think they will have the same struggles this time around.
They have made some shrewd signings in the transfer window with England youth international Lucia Kendall among a group of talented youngsters.
But manager Natalia Arroyo is still early in her tenure so it could take some time before she is able to instil her style of play on the squad.
10. West Ham
Rehanne Skinner did a good job last season at getting the best out of her squad and West Ham showed more consistency.
It was a better transfer window for the club too as they managed to keep hold of their big-name players, such as top-scorer Shekiera Martinez.
But I think they look light in midfield in particular and still need to add more depth to challenge those higher up the table.
11. Tottenham
Plenty of Tottenham fans are concerned about their squad going into the new season and I can see why.
It was a disappointing transfer window with defender Toko Koga and forward Cathinka Tandberg the only additions.
New manager Martin Ho is a highly-regarded coach and had a successful time at former club Brann but he has his work cut out this season.
Spurs have previously spoken about wanting to close the gap on the top clubs in the WSL but they lost ground last season and have acted slowly this summer.
12. Leicester City
Like Tottenham, the depth in Leicester City's squad is a concern .
They sacked manager Amandine Miquel just 10 days before their WSL season opener against Manchester United.
A flurry of late arrivals in the final 48 hours of the transfer window has helped them but I don't think there is enough quality in the squad to compete consistently.
Automatic relegation doesn't exist in the WSL this season following expansion, so I think a more successful window in January will be enough to keep them safe.
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed
The upcoming U.S. Dietary Guidelines will instead be influenced by a competing study, favored by industry, which found that moderate alcohol consumption was healthy.
The report that has been sidelined is one of several that have upended a long-dominant narrative about alcohol that suggested that moderate drinking was not harmful and might even have health benefits.
The RSF seized the Zamzam refugee camp earlier this year
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have allegedly committed numerous crimes against humanity during their siege of the city of el-Fasher in Darfur, UN investigators say.
The report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission accuses the group of "murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, forced displacement and persecution on ethnic, gender and political grounds".
It also cited broader evidence of alleged war crimes by both the RSF and the regular army, however both sides have previously denied any wrongdoing in the country's ongoing civil war.
The UN report said the two groups targeted civilians in numerous ways and as deliberate strategies.
"Both sides have deliberately targeted civilians through attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture, and inhuman treatment in detention facilities, including denial of food, sanitation, and medical care," said Fact-Finding Mission chair, Mohamed Chande Othman.
"These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes."
Highlighting the RSF's actions in el-Fasher, the report accused the group of using starvation as a method of warfare that might amount to the crime of extermination.
The US has also placed sanctions on army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan blaming him for civilian deaths and using food deprivation as a weapon of war.
The army has been at war with the RSF since April 2023, with the latter recently intensifying its offensive on el-Fasher, local people have previously told the BBC.
Recent research conducted by Yale University analysing satellite images showed that 31km (19 miles) of raised banks had been built since May in areas populated by the RSF just outside the city, and that there was an intention to essentially trap civilians.
The report, titled "A War of Atrocities" called on the international community to enforce an arms embargo as well as set up an independent judicial process to ensure alleged perpetrators face justice.
"Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war," Mr Othman added.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Sudan's civil war and forced some 13 million to flee their homes.
Google has been fined €2.95bn (£2.5bn) by the EU for allegedly abusing its power in the ad tech sector - the technology which determines which adverts should be placed online and where.
The European Commission said on Friday the tech giant had breached competition laws by favouring its own products for displaying online ads, to the detriment of rivals.
Google told the BBC the Commission's decision was "wrong" and it would appeal.
"It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money," said Lee-Anne Mulholland, global head of regulatory affairs at Google.
"There's nothing anti-competitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before."
In its decision on Friday, the Commission accused Google of "self-preferencing" its own technology above others.
As part of its findings, it said Google had intentionally boosted its own advertising exchange, AdX, over competing exchanges where ads are bought and sold in real-time.
Competitors and publishers faced higher costs and reduced revenues as a result, it said, claiming these may have been passed to consumers in the form of more expensive services.
The regulator has ordered the company to bring such practices to an end, as well as pay the nearly €3bn penalty.
Third time rules broken
The Commission's fine is one of the largest fines it has handed down to tech companies accused of breaching its competition rules to date.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the Commission, said in a statement on Friday the regulator had factored in previous findings of Google's anti-competitive conduct when deciding to levy a higher fine.
"In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game," she said.
Ms Ribera also warned the tech giant it had 60 days to detail how it would change its practices, or else the Commission would look to impose its own solution.
"At this stage, it appears the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its ad tech business," she said.
Earlier this week, the Commission denied reports it had delayed the announcement of Google's fine amid tensions over trade relations between the EU and the US.
Israeli strikes and demolitions have destroyed dozens of buildings in areas of Gaza City, satellite images show, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its offensive has established control over 40% of the city.
The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have levelled several neighbourhoods over the past four weeks.
Rows of tents - which have sprung up over the city to shelter Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military campaign - have also disappeared over the past month, the images show.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the strip and launch an incursion into Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.
UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be "beyond catastrophic". Strikes have intensified in areas of Gaza City in recent weeks and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in attacks this week alone according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defence agency.
Satellite images show that significant damage has already occurred in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun and Tuffah neighbourhoods in recent weeks. The photos show that dozens of buildings in the city were levelled between August and September.
In a statement to BBC Verify, the IDF said it was "locating and destroying terror infrastructures embedded, among other things, inside buildings".
In Sheikh Radwan - a neighbourhood located about three kilometres from Gaza City centre - a number of buildings have been wiped away. BBC Verify previously geolocated footage of strikes carried out by the IDF to the area on 29 August.
The images clearly show track marks left by Israeli armoured vehicles, many of which pass through sections of the neighbourhood where buildings and trees once stood.
BBC Verify also geolocated footage of an explosion which levelled dozens of high-rise buildings as part of a demolition in the adjacent Jabalia area.
Verified video shows Israeli demolition in Jabalia
In Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood images show what appear to be four clusters of IDF armoured vehicles. In a 24-hour period between 1 and 2 September, dozens of buildings which had stood in an area between the vehicles have been demolished.
By 4 September the armoured vehicles had moved on, images reviewed by BBC Verify showed, with further damage inflicted on buildings in the area.
Elsewhere in Zeitoun, rows of tents set up by displaced Palestinians have disappeared in little over a month. According to the UN, more than 1.9 million Gazans - about 90% of the population - have been displaced by the Israeli military campaign.
According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting had returned to northern Gaza earlier this year after the Israeli military opened a corridor from the south of the strip during the short-lived ceasefire agreement.
High-rise buildings which had surrounded the tents have also been destroyed, while signs of activity on the streets have also disappeared. Fresh track marks left by IDF vehicles passing through areas where buildings once stood are also visible.
Similarly, in the Tuffah neighbourhood - where Israeli strikes killed at least eight people on Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency - more buildings have been levelled.
On 1 August IDF armoured vehicles were visible in the area. By 1 September buildings near where the vehicles were active had been destroyed, including a school.
The images also appear to show fresh tracks left by armoured vehicles crossing through a cemetery, where over 3,000 troops killed fighting for the British Empire in World War 1 are buried. The cemetery has already been heavily damaged by bombardments earlier in the conflict, with a crater left by a previous strike also visible.
An IDF spokesperson told BBC Verify, without providing evidence, that: "In certain cases, entire neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip are converted into combat complexes which are utilized for ambushes, housing command and control centres and weapon warehouses, combat tunnels, observation posts, firing positions, booby-trapped houses, and for setting explosives in the streets."
Last month, Hamas said it had accepted a plan from regional mediators Qatar and Egypt that would see 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages released during a 60-day truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.
Israel has not responded to the plan but insists all the hostages must be released in one go.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage.
At least 64,231 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Additional reporting by Paul Brown and Merlyn Thomas.
The economy added only 22,000 jobs in August. President Trump’s high tariffs and mass deportations appear to have created noticeable pressure on employers.
Democrats on the House China committee said the office of Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was “stripping away the guardrails that protect our nation from foreign influence.”
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