Cooper says five grooming gang inquiries to go ahead after Tories claim they’ve been dropped in ‘cover up’ – as it happened

Yvette Cooper arriving in Downing Street on 8 April. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

5.45pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Yvette Cooper has said the government is pressing ahead with local grooming gang inquiries, as Labour MPs warned the right was “weaponising” claims that the party watered down its promise to hold them in five areas.

• Keir Starmer has rejected a suggestion that President Trump is not taking his calls over tariffs. (See 4.23pm.)

• Nigel Farage has rebuffed a suggestion from Kemi Badenoch that Conservative and Reform UK councillors could form coalitions in town halls after the local elections.

• The Cabinet Office will shrink in size by about a third, with about 1,200 jobs to go and another 900 transferred to other departments, it has been revealed.

• Hospitals in England are being offered unlimited bonus payments to remove people they decide do not need treatment from their waiting lists amid warnings that thousands of patients most in need are still facing unacceptable delays.

• China has confirmed that the head of the British military paid an unannounced visit to the country this week, where he met his counterpart at a time when Beijing’s trade dispute with the US was intensifying.

• Internal Labour polling suggests Reform UK could overtake the party in next year’s Senedd elections, sources have said.

5.35pm BST

Starmer and Japanese PM agree in call there are 'many options to accelerate growth', No 10 says

Keir Starmer has spoken to the Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba today, No 10 said. In a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said:

On trade, the leaders agreed that a trade war does not benefit anyone, and that now is the time for a cool, calm and pragmatic approach.

They agreed on the importance of likeminded partners such as the UK and Japan to work closely together to lower trade barriers. Through trading blocs such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and working bilaterally, there are many options to accelerate growth.