Counter-terrorism policing chief Laurence Taylor called on people to remain vigilant after what he described as "an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the UK" after the attack in Golders Green.

Golders Green attack - follow latest

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Taylor said the country had seen a "gradual increase in terrorist threats for some time", which he claims has been "driven by a rise in both Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism".

The UK's terror threat level has been raised from "substantial" to "severe" for the first time in five years.

A severe threat level – the second highest of five terrorism threat levels – means an attack is considered highly likely in the next six months.

Read more: How the UK's terror threat level works

Police have arrested Essa Suleiman, a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia, on suspicion of attempted murder after two men – Shilome Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76 – were taken to hospital with stab wounds in what authorities have declared a terror incident.

Mr Rand, who has since been discharged, told Sky News home editor Jason Farrell the prime minister must "take charge" and do more to keep Jewish communities safe, given the string of attacks in recent months.

Sky News has also learned the Golders Green suspect was jailed over the stabbing of a policeman and his dog in Swindon in 2008.

Iran denies involvement in attacks on British Jews

Iran's embassy in the UK has said it "categorically rejects" allegations Tehran was involved in "violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom".

In a statement on Thursday, the embassy described such claims as "baseless accusations" that "lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas".

It also claimed it had previously raised concerns with UK authorities about possible "false flag" operations – typically defined as an act that can be blamed on an adversary to justify retaliation.

The embassy's remarks follow comments made by Sir Keir Starmer - who was heckled during his visit to Golders Green - insisting that the government needs "stronger powers to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran" that want to "harm British Jews".

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The war in Iran is coming for Britain's favourite food

Counter-terror police have been looking into the possible involvement of Iranian proxies after a spate of recent attacks on Jewish sites in London, with Mr Taylor claiming officers are working against "threats by state-linked actors".

The incidents include a number of arson attacks appearing to target Jewish buildings and premises, which the Metropolitan Police's deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said have been "similar in nature".

However, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said it was too early to know whether the perpetrator of Wednesday's Golders Green stabbing could have links to Iran.

The Met is also reviewing whether upcoming pro-Palestine marches should be banned. The Stop the War Coalition is planning a major demonstration in London on May 16 to mark Nakba Day, commemorating the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.

The group has described attempts to link recent attacks with marches as "false".

They were the words of the Bank of England's governor on Thursday while warning over the risks posed to the UK economy by the surge in global energy costs.

It does not bode well for the nation's favourite food: chips.

But a leading figure in the potato industry has told Sky News we won't see the worst until next year.

Scott Walker, the chief executive of GB Potatoes, said the way the industry works means the impact of war-linked costs will be delayed, with "inevitable" increases in 2027.

He was speaking amid government warnings of more than eight months of rising prices once the conflict in the Middle East ends, while the fish and chip shop industry sees an immediate threat to its very existence.

Rising costs for energy, cooking oil and fish are already being reflected in portion sizes or prices, according to the National Federation of Fish Fryers, which fears an acceleration in this decade's trend of shop closures.

When it comes to the humble spud, the cost of the base potato product actually remains weak due to a continuing, Europe-wide glut, according to Mr Walker, though chip shop prices could rise to help account for the extra price pressures already facing fryers themselves.

Follow the latest on the Iran war

Mr Walker explained that the vast majority of UK potato producers work to annual growing contracts with their customers, which give both growers and the likes of wholesalers and supermarkets "insurance" – a certainty over incomes and prices ahead.

"At this moment in time, people shouldn't be paying any more," he said, in good news for buyers of the many raw potato varieties in the shops.

Fertiliser, for example, was already bought for the current growing year ahead of the outbreak of the war, but Mr Walker said the outlook was more bleak.

"Down the line prices will have to rise because we have a lot of costs coming," he warned.

While growers could attempt to claim "exceptional" costs from their customers in a bid to restore some health to margins this year, Mr Walker warned the 2027 contracts would have to reflect a doubling of red diesel and some fertiliser prices.

He also highlighted higher plastic packaging charges, along with raised tax and wage demands imposed by the government.

"The average price was about 65p (a litre) for red diesel last year," he explained.

"Farmers this year have been paying about 140p, but it has dipped back to around 120p."

Mr Walker warned that much would also depend on the weather in the months ahead, with a dry summer forcing farmers to irrigate more using diesel-powered generators.

"If diesel prices remain high, that's going to be a big extra cost," he warned, signalling that planting, irrigation, harvesting and distribution costs were all flashing red.

"Sadly, rising prices are inevitable... Everyone faces rising prices: the cost of collection, living wage, (the) price of electricity for wholesalers. There's a lot of cost in the system."

What about crisps?

Mike Russell Smith, who co-founded the Savoursmiths luxury crisp brand outside Cambridge in 2016 alongside his wife, grows his own potatoes and manufactures the product on site.

He echoed Mr Walker's sentiments over the surge in costs.

He explained that a "massive oversupply" across Europe last year, due to strong crop yields, had depressed prices, but the business, at the same time, was already grappling with a doubling of sunflower oil costs due to the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He pointed to rising costs for labour, harvesting, production and cold storage.

"The softer price of the potato due to the surplus of supply is going to be significantly offset by considerably higher prices in terms of energy, gas, electricity and the sunflower oil we cook the potatoes in," he explained.

On the prospect of price increases for consumers, he added: "In 2027, we'll certainly have to review things in what is a very competitive industry. There comes a point where the costs just aren't swallowable anymore."

The industry 'plea'

Mr Walker argued it was in the gift of government to help ease the burden facing the industry.

He said: "Most of it is out of our hands. The plea to government...unfortunately is a lot of the rules and regulations are adding to the burden, and we call on the government to ease those regulations and help with electricity costs.

"Access to water is a key thing for growing potatoes, so we keep asking for regulation to allow farmers to store water to secure food security."

A government spokesperson said in response: "We are taking the effects of the Iran war very seriously and are actively monitoring the potential impact of the conflict on the food and farming sector.

"The UK has a resilient food system, and at present we do not expect any impact on availability. We are continuing to meet with stakeholders, including farmers' unions, to share information on rising fuel and oil prices."

Speaking to Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harriet Harman said it makes ministers "feel very demotivated and anxious", and it "undermines morale and perception".

The criticism of Number 10's media handling comes after our political editor Beth Rigby revealed that Sir Keir Starmer's inner team is split over whether a reshuffle should take place after the elections on 7 May.

She was told by senior government sources that the prime minister's acting chief of staff Vidhya Alakeson and key cabinet figure Darren Jones, secretary to the prime minister, are advising Sir Keir to pause on a reshuffle.

On the other side, political director Amy Richards and chief whip Johnny Reynolds are pushing for one.

Downing Street did not shut down reports this week that changes to the prime minister's top team could be incoming, simply telling journalists that they do not comment on "speculation".

Baroness Harman criticised that, telling the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: "I just feel a bit dispirited because I feel it's unwise for Number 10 to have put into the public domain the idea that if there's a bad election result on 7 May, the solution is going to be a reshuffle.

"Firstly, because if he [Starmer] decides that he doesn't want to do a reshuffle after 7 May, because of all the speculation that has been running that there's going to be one, it will look as if he hasn't done a reshuffle because he wanted to, but he's just not strong enough."

Reshuffle talk also "makes secretaries of state and ministers feel insecure", pointing to reporting that the technology secretary, Liz Kendall, could be among those to go.

"She's going to feel very demotivated and anxious," said Baroness Harman.

"But also her diary secretary's going to think, 'why should I bust a gut to get all these appointments in her diary for the second half of May or June? Because she's probably not going to be in her job.'"

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'It undermines morale'

She went on to explain that outside organisations planning meetings or conferences with Ms Kendall, or other ministers facing the chop, could "hold fire" because someone else might be in the job.

Baroness Harman added: "It's unwise, even if they were planning to do a reshuffle and were absolutely certain on it, but it's even more unwise if it's actually not yet decided.

"So this is another handling issue – it undermines morale and perception."

Starmer in 'precarious position'

Beth Rigby explained on the podcast how she learnt on Wednesday of the discussions in Downing Street about a potential cabinet reshuffle.

The split in the prime minister's team, she said, "tells you a lot" about his position.

It's a "high stakes" moment for the government, Rigby said, adding: "The fact we've been talking about this is a reflection of the precarious predicament… the prime minister is in."

The guarantee ensures the state pension increases every April in line with whichever is highest out of three options: the total earnings growth in the year from May to July of the previous year; Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation in September of the previous year; or 2.5%.

But in a new report, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) calls for the triple lock to be scrapped to prevent the state pension rising faster than earnings growth.

It labels the current system "outdated, increasingly unaffordable, and too rigid for the way people live and work" because it concentrates state-supported income support at retirement.

What's the alternative?

The former PM's thinktank argues a "lifespan fund" should be established instead, providing a flexible model that builds entitlement through activities including work, caring and study.

It says annual contributions to a notional fund would provide up to 20 years of state-backed support at the level of today's state pension.

Individuals could then be offered some flexibility, including accessing some of that entitlement while still working, to support them through "critical periods" such as unemployment, retraining or caring.

People who choose to access this support would automatically pay higher national insurance contributions when they return to work, creating a "default path to rebuild what they had drawn down".

Tom Smith, director of economic policy at the TBI, said: "We can't keep pouring money into a system that is increasingly unaffordable."

The report highlights that the number of pensioners will rise from 12.6 million today to nearly 19 million by 2070.

He called on political party leaders to show "leadership" to tackle the issue. Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch have both said they would keep it, as has Nigel Farage, who said he'd cut welfare to do so.

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Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the triple lock should be retained into the next parliament – saying it has helped some of the poorest pensioners.

"Going forward, we need a national debate to determine the purpose and appropriate value of the state pension as, at present, it is set too low to provide those reliant on it with a decent standard of living throughout their later lives," she said.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: "Supporting pensioners is a priority, and our commitment to the triple lock for the rest of this parliament means millions of pensioners will see their yearly state pension rise by up to £2,100."

It added that the pensions commission "is already examining how we can ensure secure retirements for tomorrow's pensioners and for those that have not reached state pension age but need extra support".

The firm was described as "devoid of proper leadership" and "riddled with cultural problems" in a new report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee.

Alistair Carmichael, the chair of the cross-party committee, said: "Someone in this company needs to take a grip, be accountable for its failings and put them right."

The rebuke comes after a major water outage in late 2025, which left tens of thousands of customers in Tunbridge Wells without drinking water for two weeks.

The report criticises SEW's boss, David Hinton, and calls for a reset of the company's attitudes – but argues that "change at this scale requires SEW's leadership to change".

Ofwat, the water regulator in England and Wales, is already consulting on issuing a fine of up to 8% of SEW's annual turnover (£22.46m) due to significant supply failures and poor customer service between 2020 and 2023.

The committee has also called on shareholders in SEW – Utilities Trust of Australia, NatWest Group Pension Fund and Desjardins Group and associated holding companies – to hold the company to account.

Failure to carry out routine cleaning and water tests

A lack of water jar testing – to ensure water quality – by SEW at its Pembury Treatment Works, where various failures led to the two-week outage in Tunbridge Wells, was highlighted by the report.

Despite having been advised by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) to carry out the tests, it failed to do so.

This meant the water company was "flying blind" at the time of last year's water outage.

Alongside this, the DWI said that routine maintenance and cleaning were not undertaken at Pembury before the Tunbridge Wells incident.

The committee argues that insufficient resourcing and planning to tackle these problems have been implemented since 2019, despite being costed in many cases.

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The report is most scathing in its assessment of SEW's leadership team, saying it has a "clear pattern" of blaming factors outside of their control "despite clear evidence to the contrary".

"There is also a clear culture of obfuscating responsibility that is seriously inhibiting their ability to analyse problems and learn lessons," it adds.

SEW has been contacted for comment.