🟥New series on Times Politics Red Box: council of the day.

Local elections are next week. But the morning after can feel like a sea of thousands of councillors and confusing metrics. To make life easier, these are the ones to watch.

Today, Dudley 👇

Exc: Understand Labour has written to Lancashire police to call for an investigation into allegations of fraud and misconduct in public office by Mark Menzies

More in Red Box this morning

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PMQsUnpacked: Lettuce vs Lawyers

'It's Weetabix with crack cocaine on top'
Tim Shipman and I watch a decent Commons clash, Lara Spirit rounds up the best of the rest.

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Excl: Britain has entered talks to replicate the Rwanda migrant deportation scheme with Armenia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica and Botswana.

Leaked documents reveal the government’s extensive search for additional third country deals:

thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-tal…

Exc: More than 6,000 children *under five years old* are being referred to the NHS for mental health treatment each month

And more six to ten-year-olds are being seen for mental health issues than any adult age group

Labour lead at 26 points in latest YouGov poll for The Times

CON 19 (-1)
LAB 45 (+2)
LIB DEM 8 (=)
REF UK 15 (-1)
GRN 7 (-1)

Fieldwork 10 - 11 April

EXC: Harold Wilson had an affair with a Downing Street aide, his closest surviving advisers have revealed after half a century of silence

Joe Haines & Bernard Donoughue say they want to commit the Labour PM’s affair with Janet Hewlett-Davies to history

thetimes.co.uk/article/harold…

YouGov Westminster voting intention (Scotland, 25 Mar - 2 Apr): Labour are now ahead of the SNP for the first time since the independence referendum

Labour: 33% (+1 from Oct)
SNP: 31% (-2)
Con: 14% (-6)
Lib Dem: 7% (+2)
Reform UK: 7% (+5)
Green: 5% (=)

yougov.co.uk/politics/artic…

Labour needs a clearer sense of its defining mission in government, a Starmerite think tank aiding the party’s preparations for power has said

Fascinating report on the 2010 Cameron transition by Phil Tinline published today

thetimes.co.uk/article/think-…

My column in this morning’s Times is on the possible Portillo moments to come — and whether Michael Gove might have his own

thetimes.co.uk/article/9b1ff4…

Labour lead at 23 points in latest YouGov poll for The Times

CON 20 (-1)
LAB 43 (+3)
LIB DEM 8 (-2)
REF UK 16 (=)
GRN 8 (=)

Fieldwork 2 - 3 April

Exc: Times/YouGov analysis of this week's MRP poll finds Reform could cost the Tories 41 seats

Six of the 11 cabinet ministers forecast to lose their seats this week would have been expected to hold on – including Penny Mordaunt

thetimes.co.uk/article/reform…

Excited to be joining the Westminster team at The Times and The Sunday Times in the run up to the general election, joining the incredible Lara Spirit on the flagship Red Box newsletter after Easter recess. Do get in touch with stories, DMs open or on max.kendixThe Times and The Sunday Times.co.uk

Of those key 65 'Blair seats' from this weekend – Tory-held seats won by Labour in 1997 but recaptured by Howard/Cameron – Labour now doing even better:

January's YouGov MRP: Tories hold 12, Labour take 53

Today's YouGov: Tories hold 5, Labour take 60

thetimes.co.uk/article/7abeae…

NEW Labour set to win 403 seats in latest YouGov MRP

LAB 403
CON 155
LIB DEM 49
SNP 19
PLAID 4
GRN 1

thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-p…