TODAY’S WEATHER

☁️ It’ll be overcast with rain later in Glasgow, although Edinburgh will remain dry all day. Aberdeen will also see rain this evening. London will swelter through a sunny day, with temperatures hitting 32 degrees. (Here’s the UK forecast).

THE BIG STORIES
Starmer still under pressure on benefits cuts | Glastonbury fallout hits BBC | Spain swelters

📣 Prime Minister Keir Starmer made big concessions last week to head off a 100+ rebellion from his backbench MPs over welfare reforms. But it’s not enough for some: a former Government whip, who quit her role in protest at the changes, has called for further concessions on disability benefit cuts. The vote is tomorrow. (The Guardian has the exclusive)

• Starmer is launching a “last-ditch effort” to quell the rebellion today (Times £)

• Scottish MP Brian Leishman says the welfare reform plans “could be lethal” and has called for them to be withdrawn entirely. (The Herald has the exclusive)

• The Conservatives are claiming the benefit changes are “targeting the wrong people” (Mail)

📣 The fallout over anti-Israeli remarks and chanting at the Glastonbury music festival has continued: organisers have said they were “appalled” by rap duo Bob Vylan’s remarks, while Keir Starmer criticised the BBC’s decision to continue to show the performance live on its services. (Guardian)

• A full roundup of what happened and reaction to it is later in today’s Early Line. ⬇️

📣 Are you heading to Spain on holiday? Watch out for dangerously high temperatures. Southern Spain has seen thermometers reach the mid-40s, while very hot weather has a hold across much of Europe. It’s expected to stay hot for some time. (BBC)

• The airport serving the Turkish coastal city of Izmir has closed because of wildfires (Independent)

IDEAS
Six things we learned over the weekend

🗣️ Music retains its power inspire, shock, and provoke debate. Last year, the post-Glastonbury Festival debate was rather tame chat about the brat summer, Shania Twain’s sound problems and a rather good Coldplay performance.

No such frippery this year.

The build-up had been dominated by the appearance of Northern Irish rappers Kneecap, who have been in the headlines since rapper Liam O’Hanna was charged with terrorism offences after allegedly displaying a flag supporting Hezbollah. They duly pitched up on Saturday and let loose a “highly charged” performance, leading the crowd in expletive-laden chants against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had said their appearance was “not appropriate”.

The BBC, forewarned, had chosen not to televise their performance live, although it got good reviews - even from the Telegraph.

But they weren’t prepared for what had preceded Kneecap: a punk duo called Bob Vylan, who led the same crowd in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF”. The performance was televised live in full.

The fallout was widespread and immediate. Glastonbury’s organisers said they were “appalled” by the incitement to violence, which went against the festival’s ethos of “hope, unity, peace and love.” Keir Starmer said there was “no excuse”. Avon and Somerset Police said they’d be investigating - former BBC executive Danny Cohen called the broadcast “criminal”. That means “deputy heads may roll” at the BBC because nobody pulled the plug on the broadcast (although it has now been removed from iPlayer).

🗣️ But… keen observers would have noticed a harder edge to Wes Streeting’s response to complaints from the Israeli embassy about the performance. Appearing on the BBC, he called the chanting “appalling”. He also urged the Israeli embassy to “get your own house in order” over the conduct of settlers in the West Bank. “I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously,” he said. That’s a toughening of the government line on Israel.

🗣️Last week was tough for Keir Starmer. This week could be even worse. It’s expected there will still be a rebellion of some kind tomorrow by Labour backbenchers over benefits changes, despite Starmer’s watering down of his controversial welfare reform. Then, on Wednesday, there will be a debate in Parliament on the designation of Palestine Action as terrorists, after they vandalised plans at RAF Brize Norton. That may expose further rifts in Labour ranks. And it could be this week that former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launches a new hard-left political party which - polling suggests - could take 10% of the vote, and to to Labour what Reform UK has done to the Conservatives.

🗣️John Swinney’s facing some pressure too - over his party’s stance on defence. Pressure is growing for the SNP to have a debate on its policy, which currently only seeks to block investments related to munitions, and a staunch opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons system. (Scotland on Sunday)

🗣️Two cultural icons from the 1990s are making their long-awaited comebacks this week. Jurassic Park wowed the world with its special effects in 1993: the seventh instalment of the series, Jurassic World Rebirth, is released on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, Oasis begin their summer tour with two performances in Cardiff, where the excitement is already building.

🗣️And finally… an Edinburgh church has offered its altar servers a workout, to help them meet the demands of their elaborate services. (Edinburgh Reporter)

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 Scotland’s police officers are “at breaking point” with stress absences up by 50% and claims of a “mental health crisis” within the force. (Scotsman)

📣 A Labour MP has accused the SNP of downplaying the scale of child abuse in Scotland, renewing her calls for an inquiry into grooming gangs here. (Herald)

📣 A teenage paddleboarder has died after going missing on Loch Ore on Saturday evening. (Mail)

📣 Glasgow’s skyline changed again as two vast tower blocks were demolished in the Gorbals. The towers had cladding and timber balconies, installed in the 1990s, which were deemed a fire risk. (🎥See the demolition)

AROUND THE UK

📣 Keir Starmer said he “deeply regrets” a speech in which he warned the UK could become an “island of strangers”: language taken to be an echo of Enoch Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech. His comments came in a long profile in The Observer.

📣 Conservative MP George Freeman has referred himself to the standards commissioner after claims in the Sunday Times that a company he worked for helped him write questions to the government. (BBC)

📣 More than 25% of UK business have been hit by a cyber-attack in the last year, a report claims. (The Guardian has the exclusive)

AROUND THE WORLD

🌎 Donald Trump has called for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran once again, as Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington. (Independent)

• Israel has ordered evacuations in northern Gaza ahead of increased military action (BBC)

🌎 Denmark has expanded its military draft to women for the first time. (AP)

🌎 A man shot dead two firefighters after starting a wildfire in the US state of Idaho, in what was thought to be an ambush. (AP)

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SPORT

🎾 Wimbledon starts today, without Andy Murray: Scottish hope Jacob Fearnley, the British men’s number two, is hopeful of making progress in this year’s tournament. (The Scotsman)

• But it’s Jack Draper who has to shoulder the burden of Wimbledon hopes this year: he’s embracing his new role as figurehead of British tennis (Guardian)

⚽️ Celtic are said to have struck a deal to sign Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata. (Herald)