Workers in healthcare, education and justice are battling crumbling systems. They told us what actions they want to see from the new government

Keir Starmer opened his first cabinet meeting on Saturday with the words: “We have a huge amount of work to do.” From the NHS to schools and prisons, the public sector is battling chronic underfunding, staff shortages and record demand for its services. The Observer asked five key workers what Labour’s priorities should be in the months and years ahead.

Jonathan Clucas (above), headteacher at Layton primary school in Blackpool
I came to school on Friday morning feeling more hopeful than I’ve felt for a long time. I’ve been a headteacher for 19 years and this is the hardest it’s ever been. Teaching is a brilliant job, full of wonder, but all our successes have been despite the last government not because of them. I feel optimistic Labour will champion education again.

Tennis and motor racing affected by downpours and flood alerts remain live near two rivers in Hampshire and Gloucestershire

It could be a case of rain stops play for some this weekend for sports fans and revellers alike with heavy rains and even floods expected.

Wimbledon fans faced a tentative wait to see if their favourites would take to the court after rampant rain delayed proceedings in SW19 on Saturday morning.

Starmer reveals relief at 10pm exit poll and pride in high number of state-educated, female cabinet ministers

• General election 2024: live news

Keir Starmer touched upon a number of difficult topics in his first press conference as prime minister, answering questions on prisons , NHS understaffing and the economy.

The 20-minute session also gave way to a few lighthearted moments from a politician who has long been accused of lacking pizzazz .

• Girmay holds off Philipsen for second stage win
• Norwegian rider dies in crash during Tour of Austria

Biniam Girmay of the Intermarche Wanty team took his second stage win in the Tour de France, in Charles de Gaulle’s home village of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, after a day-long breakaway by Jonas Abrahamsen, riding for Uno-X Mobil, was reeled in with 14km left to race.

On the approach to the long straight ramp to the finish line, overlooked by the giant Cross of Lorraine, symbol of Free France, the jostling for position was intense. But as the road climbed into the final 300 metres, Girmay held off rival sprinter Jasper Philipsen, of Alpecin Deceuninck, to claim the win.

• City Of Troy holds off spirited challenge of Al Riffa
• ‘He’s a fast-ground mover so he won despite the ground’

City Of Troy followed up his impressive success in the Derby with a win that showed a fresh side to his character in the Eclipse Stakes on Saturday, as he dug deep on rain-softened to fight off a spirited challenge from Al Riffa by a length, with Ghostwriter, who finished ahead of City Of Troy in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, another length away in third.

It was not quite the dominant performance that the Sandown crowd might have expected to see from a 1-4 favourite, but Aidan O’Brien, the colt’s trainer, suggested afterwards that it had been a late call to let him take his chance at all the ground.

Israel’s ground offensive is nearing its conclusion amid the threat of indefinite occupation and a continuing insurgency

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the phase of “intense fighting” against Hamas in Gaza is coming to an end , but with no publicly unveiled plans for the next stage of Israel’s campaign, Palestinians and Israelis alike fear that the unfolding chapter in the conflict could amount to a long period of insurgency-style warfare and indefinite occupation.

Israel’s generals are expected to announce soon that the last main ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, in the southernmost city of Rafah, is over, although the prime minister has made clear that the war will not end until Israel achieves “total victory”, which he defines as the complete eradication of Hamas as a civilian and military entity.

More chefs are pairing savoury and sweet flavours for unusual desserts that surprise diners and ‘make them think’

Ice-cream toppings used to offer a simple choice between strawberry or chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles or maybe a maraschino cherry. Not any more. Waitrose’s senior innovation chef, Will Torrent, said recently that he likes his scoop of sea salt and caramel ice-cream with an added topping of stilton.

The chef said the sweet, creaminess of the dessert was “elevated” by the “rich and sharp” blue cheese. A white chocolate ice-cream, he added, could pair well with a Brie de Meaux.

Anyone under 32 has lived their entire adult life under the Tories. What do they make of the new political landscape?

People aged 32 or younger have lived under a Conservative government their entire adult lives. We asked young Observer readers what they want to see from their first incoming Labour government – and if they’re feeling hopeful about Britain’s future.

McLaren star’s humble beginnings keep him in check as he continues to etch his mark on modern Formula One

One of Lando Norris’s endearing qualities is his willingness to open up, to be, well, himself, an increasingly rare trait in Formula One. It is this candour, as the huge numbers of fans at the British Grand Prix supporting him will attest, that makes him one of the sport’s most popular drivers.

Norris cuts a relaxed figure as he speaks in the McLaren motorhome, the 24-year-old thoughtful and typically honest as he considers how close friends have come to play a crucial role for a kid who grew up in something of a bubble. “It’s quite a lonely life,” he says.