Politics Live: Keir Starmer tells forces 'put bobbies on the beat or lose cash'

Kemi Badenoch slapped down BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty this morning, as the pair rowed about Netflix’s Adolescence series.

Ms Badenoch has previously said she has not watched the hit programme, insisting it is a fictional show and she had already been campaigning on many of its core themes prior to broadcast.

The Tory leader pointed out: "I don’t need to watch Casualty to know what’s going on in the NHS".

On Thursday, Mrs Badenoch acknowledged that the local elections would be "challenging" following the party's "historic defeat" at last year's general election.

She said: "We can't win everything all the time, but I want people to know that those local Conservatives are working hard for every vote."

Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: "Now it's crystal clear: if you vote Reform or Conservative, you're opening the door to more of the Tory chaos that held our country back over the past 14 years.

"Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative Party left our NHS at breaking point and Nigel Farage wants to make patients pay for healthcare when they're sick. Just imagine what they'd do together.

"Only this Labour Government has a plan for change that is turning our country around, delivering security for working people and renewal for our country."

Conservative councillors could be free to go into coalition with Reform UK after next month's local elections, Kemi Badenoch has said.

The Tory leader has consistently ruled out any national deal with Reform, whose leader Nigel Farage has vowed to "destroy" the Conservative Party.

But speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, Mrs Badenoch suggested the picture could be different at a local level.

She said: "I've seen Conservatives go into coalition with Labour, with Liberal Democrats, with Independents.

"You don't get to have a rerun of an election at local level, so what I'm telling local leaders across the country (is) they have to do what is right for the people in their local area."

Critics have warned of grooming gangs in at least 50 towns and cities across the UK.

And Yvette Cooper has admitted there could be more than the initial five local inquiries set up.

She told LBC: "There may be more. We're drawing up the framework at the moment, and we've announced one of those local inquiries.

"So there's been a huge amount of misinformation. Sadly, we’ve seen party political.

"What we should be doing is all working together to support victims and survivors of these really vile crimes.

"What we’re also doing is we're putting in place stronger measures.

"We're strengthening the law into these gangs, and we're also increasing police investigations, which is the most important thing of all, because, frankly, these perpetrators should be behind bars, and if you don't get the police investigations in place, that won't happen.

"That is the best way to get people justice and to keep communities safe."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted five local grooming gang inquiries will go ahead.

Home Office minister Jess Phillips said that “following feedback” the Government would adopt a “flexible approach” so some of the £5 million announced for inquiries could be used on other projects linked to grooming gangs.

Ms Cooper told LBC: "We're still going ahead. The framework is being drawn up at the moment.

"There's been, sadly, a lot of, I think, party political misinformation about this.

"What we should be doing is all working together to support victims and survivors of these really vile crimes.

"What we’re also doing is we're putting in place stronger measures. We're strengthening the law into these gangs, and we're also increasing police investigations, which is the most important thing of all, because, frankly, these perpetrators should be behind bars, and if you don't get the police investigations in place, that won't happen.

"That is the best way to get people justice and to keep communities safe."