Starmer is asked about appointing former prime minister Gordon Brown and former deputy leader Harriet Harman into new roles points towards a sense of the future.

The prime minister says he wants women to have the opportunities they deserve and he wants to tackle misogyny.

"Harriet working with the team is the absolute right person to do that," he says.

Starmer says that one of the big challenges Britain faces is global finance. He says the war in Iran is causing real problems and is having an economic impact, and there is a need to spend more on defence.

He says Brown has a strong record and can help build a strong economy for the future.

"On both fronts they are very future-looking roles, they're vital to how we strengthen our country and take it forward," he says.

It's put to Starmer that some Labour figures have reported hearing from people that they would not vote Labour because of Starmer.

Starmer responds by saying the results are tough and "of course it hurts", but adds "the right thing to do is to therefore set out the path forward".

He adds: "We made unnecessary mistakes.

"One of which was that we, rightly in my view, levelled with the public about the challenges that we face as a country both on the finances and internationally - but what we didn't do is enough to convince them about the change that would impact them, how their lives would be better.

"The hope wasn't there enough in the first two years of this government."

Starmer says it is important to set out "where hope resides" - in Britain's young people to go as far as they can, and to make sure everybody feels the pride about where they live and where they work, he says.

Starmer is asked about the number of his own MPs calling for him to resign or set a timetable for stepping down.

The prime minister reiterates language he used yesterday, saying he's not going to walk away and "plunge the country into chaos".

"I think the right thing to do is to rebuild and show the path forward," he says, adding: "We did make a number of really important calls in the last couple of years about stabilising the economy, investing in our public services, not getting drawn into the war with Iran.

"We need to couple to that the arguments we are making about hope and the future."

The prime minister is asked if he would stand if he was challenged - Starmer repeats that he is not going to walk away but says that does not mean Labour does not need to respond to the results.

Image source, Pool

We are now hearing from Prime Minister Keir Starmer who is asked by the BBC's Chris Mason, on behalf of broadcasters, for his reaction to the big Labour losses.

Starmer, speaking in south-west London, says "it was really tough" and he is "not going to sugarcoat that".

He says its important to reflect and respond when the electorate send a message like that.

"We have to set out the path ahead and that's what I intend to do in coming days - how we rebuild, how we convince people about hope for the future. And we haven't done enough of that," he says.

Matt Spivey
Live editor

As the dust settles on a heavy set of election losses for the Labour Party, PM Keir Starmer has this morning appointed Labour veterans as advisers.

Here's what you need to know:

• Former PM Gordon Brown is appointed as special envoy on global finance
• Former Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman is appointed as an adviser on women and girls
• All seats have been declared in the Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections – in the Senedd, it's Plaid Cymru which has the most seats but not an overall majority, and it's a similar picture for the SNP in Holyrood
• In England, we're still waiting on five council elections to be declared: Bradford, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets
• These last few results will not change the broader picture – Reform UK made sweeping gains, while Labour and the Conservatives lost big
• We've been hearing from key Labour figures this morning on Starmer's future: Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell tells the BBC a change in approach is needed, but the party needs to stick with Starmer. While, senior Labour MP Clive Betts tells the BBC a timeframe is needed to introduce a new Labour leader within months

Image source, PA Media

The Wales Green Party is "open to having conversations" about how the next Welsh government will be formed, the party leader has said.

Earlier, the deputy leader of Plaid Cymru said her party - which came out top in the election but fell short of an outright majority - would consider co-operating with other "progressive parties" in the Senedd where there is common ground.

Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter welcomed that Reform did not win the vote - coming second with 34 seats out of 96 - and congratulated Plaid Cymru on their result.

"This is a victory for everyone who wanted to keep Reform’s divisive, Trumpian politics out of Wales," he says in a statement.

"When it comes to the next government of Wales, we are open to having conversations, but no decisions have been made at this point," he continues.

"In any negotiations we will be looking to deliver on the Green objectives that people voted on in this election – including action to address the cost-of-living crisis, protecting our NHS, fixing the renting crisis and restoring our natural environment."

Liberal Democrat spokesperson Anna Sabine tells BBC News her party increasing its number of councillors in the eighth consecutive set of local elections in England is "phenomenal".

The Frome and East Somerset MP argues that gains from other parties appear more dramatic as they have come from a much lower base than the Lib Dem.

"When people have a local Liberal Democrat MP, when they have local councillors, they know they get out and do the work and that's why we keep winning," she says.

Pressed on why the Lib Dems have only had one candidate elected to the Welsh Parliament, Sabine concedes that Plaid Cymru and Reform "kind of dominated the narrative there".

But she says it is "not all doom and gloom" as the Lib Dems doubled the number of Scottish MSPs they have and have been successful in England.

Sabine is also pressed on why there is so little speculation about Lib Dem leader Ed Davey being a future prime minister and whether the Lib Dems are a strong enough force in the House of Commons.

She insists the party has been an "extremely effective force in parliament", but adds the party "struggle" with "two extremes on the left and the right" which she says gets "clicks and media attention". But she says people want parties that "do the work".

All results have been declared in the parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.

In England, we've had almost all the results - 131 councils out of the 136 that held elections on Thursday.

The five council results we're still waiting for are: Bradford, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets.

We're expecting them to be announced by this evening.

Image source, PA Media

As we’ve just reported, the prime minister has today appointed Gordon Brown as special envoy on global finance, and Harriet Harman has been appointed Starmer's adviser on women and girls.

Gordon Brown is the former Labour prime minister who led the country from 2007-2010, including through the global financial crisis.

This period included the bail-out of the Royal Bank of Scotland - considered the biggest rescue of a bank in the world at the time.

He was also the longest-serving chancellor of the exchequer in modern history, having served in the role for a decade under Tony Blair.

Harriet Harman served as Brown's deputy leader of the Labour Party, and is a member of the House of Lords.

She has held several senior government positions in her career, including two brief stints as acting party leader in 2010 and 2015.

She has been serving as the UK's special envoy for women and girls - a global role appointed by the foreign secretary - since March last year.

Image source, Getty Images

All seats in the Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections have been counted, and just five councils are left to declare in England. Here's where things stand:

Wales

• Plaid Cymru are the biggest party in the Senedd with 43 seats, falling short of the 49 needed for a majority
• Reform UK takes 34 seats - they had none in the 2021 election. The Green Party are up two seats and the Lib Dems have one
• Labour, who had been in power in the Senedd for 27 years, are 35 seats down on their previous performance, with just nine seats
• It was also a big loss for the Conservatives, who lost 22 seats in this election, leaving them with just seven

Scotland

• The SNP won for a fifth successive time with 58 seats - down six from last time - but failed to achieve the 65 needed for a majority
• Labour lost four seats bringing them to a total of 17
• Reform gained 17 up from zero, putting them on a par with Labour in Scotland
• The Scottish Greens and Lib Dems both gained six, bringing them to 15 and 10 respectively
• And the Conservatives lost 19, leaving them with 12 seats

England

• With the last results still coming through, Reform UK is the biggest winner, gaining 1,442 seats
• Labour's losses were on a similar scale, down 1,406 seats. That leaves them with 997
• The Lib Dems gained 151, putting them in third place with 834 seats overall
• The Conservatives lost 557 seats, leaving them with 773
• The Greens gained 374 seats, giving them a total of 515
• And there was a rise in the number of independent seats too - up by 27 to a total of 199

As a reminder, here's how we report the election and calculate seat changes.

Starmer has posted on X to say he is pleased to appoint Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown in their new advisory roles.

"As Britain’s longest-serving chancellor, Gordon is well placed to work with our international allies to build a stronger Britain and boost our country’s security and resilience," he says.

He calls Harman a "strong advocate for women and girls" and says he will work with her to tackle "structural misogyny".

"I know she will deliver greater opportunity for women in public life," he says.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

More and more criticism is pouring in from Labour people over this morning’s appointments.

A Labour MP says: "Not sure voters in Wigan, Wandsworth, Salford or Sunderland voted Reform because they thought we needed more advisers from a different era of Labour politics. I think this shows that Keir doesn't even understand the problem, never mind the solution."

A former Labour adviser says: "Is his plan to combat the notion that he has no ideas to just double down on that and bring in a load of other people to come up with ideas?"

Green Party peer Jenny Jones says the result from Thursday's election is "absolutely huge" for the Greens.

"If I weren't sitting down, I'd be dancing around the room," she tells BBC Breakfast.

The Greens have gained 374 seats in the English council elections, bringing their total number to 515, with only a handful of authorities left to declare. They have also gained two seats in the Senedd in Wales, up from none.

The party is hoping to get more seats in the Commons at the next general election than its current five, Jones says. Asked whether they have benefitted from a protest vote, she says: "I think a lot of people will be [with us for the long term]".

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

It’s early days but I am starting to hear some bafflement, even anger, from Labour ministers, MPs and officials about the appearance of Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman this morning.

While both widely respected by Labour MPs, there is widespread confusion about how figures from Labour’s past signify change.

One normally loyal minister just said to me: "It’s a joke. There is no question to which bringing these two back is the answer."

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been appointed as a special envoy on global finance.

The prime minister has committed to boosting the country's security and resilience and "in this role, Gordon Brown will advise on how global finance co-operation can help to achieve this," Downing Street says.

It comes after former Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman was appointed as an adviser on women and girls.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Not long after Harriet Harman emerged from No 10 with PM Keir Starmer, another figure from Labour's past has done the same - Gordon Brown.

We don't know what role the former prime minister has agreed to take. But this is a clear strategy: Starmer seeking to reassert his authority through the backing of some of the figures from Labour's past most respected by the party's MPs.

Harman charged with helping PM deliver change faster - but will it work?published at 10:12 BST 9 May

10:12 BST 9 May

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

The appointment of Harriet Harman is an attempt to flesh out what the prime minister means by delivering change faster.

He has repeatedly said that tackling violence against women and girls is one of his priorities.

Harman has now been charged with helping Keir Starmer deliver that.

The former Labour deputy leader Harriet is universally respected by Labour MPs, but whether her elevation to a part-time, unpaid adviser role is enough to reassure Labour MPs digesting the election results remains to be seen.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent, reporting from Downing Street

Harriet Harman has been appointed the prime minister’s adviser on women and girls as part of a reset following Labour’s heavy election losses.

Baroness Harman will work with ministers, Number 10 said, on tackling violence against women and girls.

Downing Street said: "The role will see her draw on work with women across Parliament to identify action needed to tackle misogyny and deliver greater opportunity for women in parliamentary and public life."

Image source, Getty Images

New Member of the Scottish Parliament Stephen Gethins says there is "now a bigger pro-independence majority" in Scottish Parliament than ever before, when other parties are included alongside the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Gethins is a former Westminster MP who will now need to step down after being elected as MSP for Dundee City East.

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it is "incumbent on all politicians to listen to the electorate" in the aftermath of "seismic elections".

"People in Scotland want a choice about their future" and "deserve" that choice, he says.

The SNP won the Holyrood election for the fifth consecutive time with 58 seats, down six from 2021, but failed to achieve the 65 required for a majority.

Image source, Reuters

The deputy leader of Plaid Cymru says the party is "absolutely not" considering a coalition with Reform UK in the Welsh government.

Plaid Cymru made big gains in Thursday's election and is now the biggest party in the Senedd with 43 seats, but it has fallen short of the 49 needed for a majority

Delyth Jewell tells BBC Breakfast that Plaid Cymru's success is a "historic moment" for Wales and says it signals faith in the country's potential and "a triumph in the politics of hope over division".

She adds that the party stands ready to form the next Welsh government and would consider co-operating with other "progressive parties" where there is common ground.

Pressed on which parties this may be, Jewell lists the Greens, Labour and the Liberal Democrats as parties it may work with on a "case-by-case basis" when there is common ground.

She says that Plaid Cymru will be "standing in Wales' corner" and demanding what she characterises as a better deal from Westminster.