Perhaps unsurprisingly we had some very strong viewing figures for the ITV regional political programmes last night! If you missed ITV Meridian's The Last Word, you can catch up on ITVX and and YouTube 👇 youtu.be/KoEyy6GQy7k?...

NEW: The Labour Party must allow Andy Burnham to stand if a Commons seat becomes available, Folkestone & Hythe MP Tony Vaughan argues. The Labour backbencher tells ITV Meridian's The Last Word it is "really important that there is a contest involving all of the talents".

NEW: I understand Labour MP Tom Rutland would back Wes Streeting, if there's a Labour leadership contest. A source close to the Sussex MP – who quit as ministerial aide – tells me Mr Streeting has "made a principled decision" and can win the "battle of ideas".

NEW: David Burton-Sampson MP tells me the "last thing the country needs" is to leave the "controls of government vacant". Labour MP for Southend West & Leigh was made a ministerial aide (PPS), after six colleagues quit and called for Keir Starmer to go.

These #LocalElections saw the Conservatives lose their county council crown in the South. For decades, they've run Hampshire, East Sussex and West Sussex. No longer. The new *five* party system punished Labour too, with the party losing Southampton and Worthing. www.itv.com/news/meridia...

🗳️ HANTS 🔵➡️⚪️ Conservatives lose majority on Hampshire County Council for first time since 1997. 🔴➡️⚪️ Labour lose control of Southampton City Council. They've had a majority for 13 of last 14 years. ⚪️➡️🟠 Lib Dems gain control of Portsmouth City Council.

❌ Polls have closed across the South. By sunrise we should know whether the Conservatives have kept control of Hampshire County Council, where they’ve had a majority since 1997. Friday evening we’ll find out if the Tories will still run East and West Sussex.

Polling stations open tomorrow for historic local elections in the South of England 🗳️ The final full county council poll in Hampshire and Sussex, after more than 130 years. I've been in a green box pointing at an imaginary screen trying to make sense of it all 👇 www.itv.com/news/meridia...

I spent the day in #Worthing asking locals about the issues on their minds ahead of elections in two weeks. The Tories currently run the county council and Labour run the borough but Lib Dems, Greens and Reform all fancy their chances. Full ITV News Meridian report👇 www.itv.com/news/meridia...

The Last Word is back tonight. On my panel… 🟠 Vikki Slade MP 🔵 Greg Smith MP 🔴 Kevin McKenna MP Plus interviews with 🟢 Green & ⚪️ Reform leaders. ITV1 after News at Ten 📺

EXC: South East Water CEO David Hinton tells ITV News Meridian he's declining a bonus this year because he's "let customers down". He insists he "really understands water" and is staying on in post because "changing the team would delay improvements".

NEW: Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin describes South East Water CEO's evidence to Parliament as "utterly pathetic". The Lib Dem told ITV News Meridian the company is a "disgrace" and that David Hinton "must resign" as chief executive.

EXC: Sir Ed Davey has defended Lib Dem councils after new analysis found they were increasing council tax bills on average by more than those run by other parties. Sir Ed told ITV News Meridian that in many cases it was because the Tories had run the councils "very, very badly".

NEW: Conservative Paul Holmes accuses Labour ministers of 'gerrymandering' over decision to redraw the local council map of Hampshire. Hamble Valley MP tells ITV News Meridian new big unitary councils will mean local identity is eroded in Southampton, Portsmouth and rural areas.

NEW: Labour’s Darren Paffey defends the government's decision to replace 15 local councils in Hampshire with just five. The Southampton Itchen MP tells ITV News Meridian that the major shake-up will mean councils 'have enough scale' to deliver public services effectively.

BREAK: Reform UK has suspended Chris Parry, their mayoral candidate for Hampshire and the Solent, after a string of controversial social media posts. When he was selected, the party described the retired Rear Admiral as having an "extensive and impressive career".

NEW: Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin is calling for Ofwat to waive its £22m fine for South East Water and replace it with an enforced investment plan. The water regulator proposed the penalty for multiple supply failures in Kent and Sussex from 2020 to 2023. Full story👇 www.itv.com/news/meridia...

EXC: Kemi Badenoch has denied that a local election slogan to 'lower taxes' meant council tax would actually go down. The Conservative Leader told ITV News Meridian: "Council tax goes up with inflation… We’re not saying people are going to have less [tax] than they paid before."

Dame Sarah Mullally told me it was a "beautiful day" as she set off on her 87 mile pilgrimage from St Paul's to Canterbury. It's the first time a new Archbishop of Canterbury has made the six day journey along the Becket Way ahead of their enthronement.

NEW: Aldershot MP Alex Baker has written a letter – signed by 18 other Labour MPs – urging the British government to “seize this moment” to engage with the new government of Nepal “to address the longstanding issues that Gurkha veterans have faced”.

Your favourite regional political programme is back! The Last Word panel: 🔵 Donna Jones 🔴 Chris Ward MP 🟢 Baroness Jenny Jones Also on this month's show: 🟠 Calum Miller MP ⚪️ Nigel Farage MP Tonight at 10.45pm on ITV1 in the Meridian region 📺

Bracknell MP Peter Swallow is told to leave the Commons by the Speaker because of his conduct during #PMQs. Sir Lindsay Hoyle said to the Labour backbencher: "You're going out. I've had enough... week in, week out. Either leave now or I'll name you."

EXC: Nigel Farage defends Reform-run Kent County Council increasing council tax by 3.99% despite election leaflets last year pledging to “reduce waste and cut your taxes”. Mr Farage told ITV News Meridian: “Cutting taxes can be not putting them up as much, I suppose.”

NEW: Folkestone & Hythe MP Tony Vaughan has co-ordinated a letter from 100 Labour MPs to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressing concerns about her asylum reforms. "We can change our immigration system for the better without forgetting who we are as Labour."

NEW: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says the government's U-turn over delaying elections in Sussex is "a victory for democracy in this country".

NEW: Local elections "should never have been cancelled in the first place", says Lib Dem MP Jess Brown-Fuller. Chichester MP tells ITV News Meridian that the U-turn "shows the Government does not have a strategic vision for this country".

NEW: Labour MP Peter Lamb calls on Sir Keir Starmer to do the “responsible thing” and set out a “timetable for departure in May”. The Crawley MP tells ITV News Meridian this would allow the party to “get on with electing a new leader”.

Could the Mandelson scandal spell the end of Keir Starmer’s premiership? We debate that, plus Suella Braverman’s defection, assisted dying bill stalemate in the Lords and celebrating food and drink from the South. ITV's The Last Word is available now on YouTube 👇 youtu.be/VAwDDfzRJb8?...

NEW: Chair of the National Maternity Investigation tells ITV News Meridian she "remains committed" to publishing her final report in the Spring. Baroness Amos admits meeting the deadline will "take a lot of hard work" as she calls for more women to share their experiences.

EXCL: South East Water's under-fire CEO is refusing to attend Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's scrutiny meeting on Monday. In a letter seen by ITV News Meridian, David Hinton argues it's “happening too soon” for him to be able to give the committee “the answers they understandably want”.

BREAK: The Government cancels East and West Sussex County Council elections – for a second year in a row. Polls originally due in 2025, now won’t happen until 2027 at the earliest.

If you missed January's The Last Word on ITV1, you can get your fix of regional political discussion anytime on ITVX and YouTube! We discuss government U-turns, cancelling local elections and South East Water failures. 📺 www.itv.com/watch/news/t... 💻 www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2B-...

NEW: Lib Dem MP Layla Moran says South East Water "seems to have done the extraordinary thing of making Thames Water look good". The Oxford West & Abingdon MP says water firms should be run as "public benefit companies". 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: Poole Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan tells me the party’s leadership sees backbenchers like him as a "nuisance not an asset". His advice for the PM: "Listen to backbench MPs more". 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: Conservative MP Kit Malthouse tells me Robert Jenrick's sacking "doesn't come as any surprise" and that Kemi Badenoch has been "decisive". "You need an ideological coherence within a political party." 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: South East Water CEO David Hinton tells Parliament his phone call to Tunbridge Wells MP during December’s outage “wasn’t his finest moment”. Mike Martin alleges to EFRA Committee Mr Hinton asked him “how he could sleep at night after politicising the issue”.

EXCL: Sir Keir Starmer tells me the SEND system “isn’t working” and commits to “bringing forward reforms in the new year”. The PM also reveals to ITV News Meridian that the issue of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities is raised with him more than any other.

Pre-Budget speculation, Downing Street briefing wars, and whether climate change is being crowded out... lots to discuss tonight! The Last Word panel: 🟠 Charlie Maynard MP 🔵 Mims Davies MP 🔴 Jim Dickson MP On ITV1 in the Meridian region at 10.50pm 📺

Newly-elected Lib Dem president @joshbabarinde.bsky.social tells me he'll be "the last line of defence against Reform". The Eastbourne MP plans to "campaign hard" to offer "solutions of hope and optimism that bring our communities together rather than tear them apart".

Exclusive: The family of British Army veteran Mark Houghton MBE say he feels "deserted by the state" after being denied disability benefits following a "catastrophic" E-scooter crash in Dubai. Mark's son, Lawrence, says they're fighting "tooth and nail" for support. 🧵 (1/3)

EXCLUSIVE: Plans to introduce so-called “mega councils” in the South will cost an initial £12 million over two years, figures obtained by ITV News Meridian reveal. ▫️Surrey: £6.4m ▫️Essex: £2.8m ▫️Hampshire: £1.03m ▫️Sussex: £920,000 ▫️Oxfordshire: £736,000 ▫️Kent: £440,000 www.itv.com/news/meridia...

NEW: The Prime Minister refuses to commit to holding delayed local elections in 2026. Sir Keir Starmer would only tell me he “wants them to go ahead” next year in Essex, Sussex and Hampshire.

It’s the last day of Parliament before MPs head off on their summer recess. It’s also my first anniversary as ITV News Meridian’s political correspondent. What a year. I feel my ability to multitask has improved. And my coffee intake. Here’s to Year 2! ☕️

Are cuts to disability and sickness benefits justified? And is the government ploughing enough money into the military? Lots to debate on The Last Word: 🔴 Anneliese Dodds, Oxford East MP 🔵 Dame Penny Mordaunt 🟠 James MacCleary, Lewes MP 📺 10.45pm tonight: ITV1 Meridian

NEW: Labour MP Peter Lamb describes the Air India plane crash as “absolutely tragic news” and says he is “there to try to help” any constituents affected. The MP's Crawley constituency includes Gatwick Airport, where the flight was headed.

The new Reform UK leader of Kent County Council defends the removal of Ukraine’s flag from the council chamber. Cllr Linden Kemkaran tells me: “I don’t think most Ukrainians will have noticed the flag was there in the first place”.

Polling stations are open until 10pm tonight 🗳️ – Kent County Council – Oxfordshire County Council – Wiltshire Council – Buckinghamshire Council Full #localelections coverage on ITV Meridian tomorrow 📺

Could the Conservatives lose control of Kent County Council next week? “Anything is possible”, Kemi Badenoch tells me on a visit to Sevenoaks. The party leader says “the public are still angry” with the Tories ahead of polling day on 1st May. #localelections

"Did you go back to bed?" Heathrow CEO, Thomas Woldbye, refuses to tell me whether he went to sleep after first being told of the substation fire, which led to the total shutdown of Europe's busiest airport.

“If I lose my PIP, I won’t be able to afford to live” Poppy May, from Crawley, tells me why she travelled to Downing Street to protest against planned cuts to benefits, including Personal Independence Payments. #SpringStatement