Top Stories
Rishi Sunak facing ‘ultimate car crash election’ as new poll puts Tories at historic low | Politics | News

A leading pollster has warned that Rishi Sunak needs “a complete change of direction” after the latest survey revealed that the Prime Minister is heading to “a car crash” election.
On the day that Mr Sunak hoped that a mini reshuffle of his top team might help to reset his government the weekly Techne UK tracker poll has revealed that Labour’s lead over the Tories has increased over the summer.
According to the poll of 1,633 UK voters Labour is 21 percent ahead of the Conservatives by 45 percent to 24 percent.
After a summer where Mr Sunak tried to snatch back the agenda with a week of measures on tackling illegal migrants including the giant barge to house asylum seekers, and getting tougher on crime, his party has lost two points.
Labour is also down one point with the Lib Dems up one on 11 percent, Reform UK up two on 8 percent and the Greens on six points.
More troubling for Mr Sunak is that one in 10 Tory voters from the 2019 election have said they will not vote in the next election and less than half (47 percent) will vote Conservative again.
Pollster Michela Morizzo, chief executive of Techne UK, said: “If this was not bad enough for the Conservatives our poll shows one in 10 2019 Tory voters won’t now bother to vote, one in five such voters are uncertain to vote, and most damning of all less than half of these 2019 Conservative voters would now vote for the Conservative Party.”
In a stark warning to the Prime Minister, she went on: “I remain convinced that only a complete change of direction for Sunak’s Party can save them from a defeat by Labour at the next General Election and become competitive again.
“In particular, economy is the first issue, the crisis the population is experiencing and the difficult autumn that lies ahead. It is fundamental not to lose sight of this as the key issue that will shape the outcome of the next general elections.”
According to the prediction website Electoral Calculus if the poll was the result in an election the Tories would be down to a historic low 106 seats with Labour holding a 276 majority.
Her warning comes as Tory MPs have made it clear they are unhappy about Chancellor Jeremy Hunt briefing Treasury officials that he is not planning tax cuts in the Autumn Statement.
Many believe that only tax cuts can start to shift the agenda.
There was also criticism of Mr Sunak appointing Grant Shapps as the new Defence Secretary and his close political ally Claire Continho as the Energy Secretary.
One senior Tory said that the moves were “putting spin above substance.”
Top Stories
Doctor, 25, Goes To Delhi For Exam, Suffers Burn Injuries In Haryana, Dies

A 25-year-old medical graduate, Bhawana Yadav, from Rajasthan preparing for postgraduate medical studies in Delhi suffered severe burn injuries while she was in Hisar. After her mother was informed, she took her daughter to Jaipur, where the young doctor died during treatment on Thursday.
The circumstances surrounding her death are fuzzy as it is not clear how the student who was in Delhi for her weekly exam ended up in Hisar.
Gayatri Yadav, her mother, has filed a zero FIR in Jaipur. The same has been forwarded to Hisar Civil Lines Police station for further investigation.
Bhawana Yadav completed her medical studies from Philippines in 2023. She was preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, a medical licensing exam in India, compulsory for Indian citizens and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders who obtained their MBBS degree abroad.
According to the mother’s complaint, the 25-year-old was attending online classes and travelling to Delhi weekly for tests. On April 21, she was in Delhi for an exam. In Delhi, Bhawana used to stay with her sister, who is preparing for the Civil Services Exam. On April 21 and 22, Bhawana stayed with her sister and appeared for her exams. On April 23, Bhawana called her mother to say she would return by 24th morning, but never did.
On April 24, a man named Umesh Yadav called the medical graduate’s mother to inform her that Bhawana suffered burn injuries and was admitted to Soni Hospital in Haryana’s Hisar.
Soon after, the mother reached Hisar. The hospital was unclear where Bhawana was found or the circumstances leading to her condition. Due to the severity of her injuries, the 25-year-old was later shifted to SMS Hospital in Jaipur, where she died during treatment on the night of April 24.
The mother has claimed that there were sharp weapon injury marks on her daughter’s abdomen. She further alleged that her daughter was stabbed and then set on fire, suggesting she was murdered. Bhawana’s laptop, mobile phone and other valuables are missing, she further claimed.
(With inputs from Himanshu Sain)
Top Stories
Pakistani Nationals Failing To Leave India Face 3 Years Jail Term, Rs 3 Lakh Fine

New Delhi:
Any Pakistani, who fails to leave India as per the deadlines set by the government, will be arrested, prosecuted and may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of a maximum Rs 3 lakh or both.
The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline is April 29. The 12 categories of visas whose holders have to leave India by Sunday are — visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrim.
According to the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which came into effect on April 4, overstaying, violating visa conditions, or trespassing in restricted areas could lead to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh.
“Whoever,-(a) being a foreigner, remains in any area in India for a period exceeding the period for which the visa was issued to him or stays in India without a valid passport or other valid travel document in contravention of provisions of Section 3 or does any act in violation of the conditions of the valid visa issued to him for his entry and stay in India or any part thereunder; “(b) contravenes any other provisions of this Act, other than sections 17 and 19, or of any rule or order made thereunder or any direction or instruction given in pursuance of this Act or such order or direction or instruction for which, no specific punishment is provided under this Act, shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to three lakh rupees or with both,” the Act says.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called up the chief ministers of all states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country.
After Shah’s telephonic conversations with the chief ministers, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a video conference with the chief secretaries and asked them to ensure that all Pakistani nationals whose visas were revoked must leave India by the fixed deadline.
The already strained relations between India and Pakistan nosedived further after the Pahalgam terror attack, with New Delhi announcing a barrage of retaliatory steps, including the cancellation of visas, and Islamabad hitting back with a string of tit-for-tat measures.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Top Stories
25 Dead, 750 Injured In Iran Port Fire, Blast Heard 50 Km Away: 10 Points

Smoke shrouded Iran’s largest commercial port and surrounding areas as a fire following a major blast killed 25 people and injured 750 so far. Strong winds posed hindrances to firefighting operations.
Here Are The Key Takeaways:
- An explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran on Saturday, leading to a major fire the intensity of which increased amid winds.
- Thick, black smoke spread far and wide, resulting schools and office in Bandar Abbas, situated over 20 kilometres away, to be ordered shut.
- Local media aired visuals showing choppers dropping water on shipping containers engulfed in dense smoke, even as survivors walked down a debris-littered boulevard a short distance away.
- The powerful explosion was felt and heard about 50 kilometres away, Fars news agency reported. Further, the shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged, per Tasnim news agency.
- The cause of the fire is being investigated. State TV quoted the port’s customs office as saying that the fire originated from the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot.
- The New York Times reported that a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity, said what exploded was sodium perchlorate, a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.
- Hundreds of people were transferred to nearby medical centres for treatment, as the provincial blood transfusion centre issued a call for donations.
- Shahid Rajaee, more than 1,000 kilometres south of Tehran, is Iran’s most advanced container port, according to the official IRNA news agency. It is situated near the Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of world oil output passes.
- Despite the explosion, the Bandar Abbas oil facilities continue to operate without interruption. The state-owned National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company said in a statement that the explosion “has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes or oil pipelines”.
- The explosion comes at the heels of Iranian and US delegations meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, in which both sides reported progress.
- Education4 weeks ago
Cruise ship expert urges passengers to bring key magnetic items on board | Cruise | Travel
- Education3 weeks ago
People are just realising what ‘kiss of death’ code means on boarding pass | Travel News | Travel
- Video3 weeks ago
Putin Says He’s Ready to Discuss Oil, Energy Issues With Trump
- Entertainment2 weeks ago
Save money on Last of Us Complete and get spare PlayStation credit with discount deal | Gaming | Entertainment
- Movies2 weeks ago
Who Is Lawyer C Sankaran Nair And Why His Story Needs To Be Told
- Sports2 weeks ago
Jude Bellingham ‘in training bust-up’ and separated from team-mate | Football | Sport
- Sports2 weeks ago
Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying results changed as Mercedes slapped with brutal penalties | F1 | Sport
- Sports2 weeks ago
Arsenal player ratings vs Real Madrid: 10/10 given as Gunners progress to semi-finals | Football | Sport