Gabriel Attal urges tactical voting in second round to keep party from forming country’s first far-right government

• Full report: National Rally in reach of being dominant French party
• Explainer: what happens now?
• ‘Not a solution’: fears grow over prospect of win for far-right in France

Marine Le Pen’s victory has been applauded by other far-right leaders in Europe. Santiago Abascal, who heads the far-right Vox party across the border in Spain, called it a “victory of hope, freedom and security for the French people”, while André Ventura, leader of Portugal’s Chega party, hailed “a great victory”, adding: “Europe is waking up! Soon, it will be Portugal!”

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and the leader of the far-right League party, accused Macron of undemocratic behaviour after the French president called for a united front to head off Le Pen’s National Rally in the second round.

The US president met with his family at Camp David, after a disastrous debate performance last week led to calls for him to drop out of the election

Joe Biden’s family have urged him stay in the race after a disastrous debate performance last week, according to reports in the US media, as senior democrats and donors have expressed exasperation at how his staff prepared him for the event.

The president gathered with his family at Camp David on Sunday, where discussions were reported to include questions over his political future. It came after days of mounting pressure on Biden, after a debate in which his halting performance highlighted his vulnerabilities and invited calls from pundits, media and voters for him to step aside.

‘People will be asking, is it worth the pain?’ if asked to give UK a gift, says European diplomat

The EU will not rush to reopen Brexit negotiations with the UK even if Labour is swept to power next Thursday, senior sources in Brussels have indicated.

They say they will welcome a change of government but the deep scars left by the Conservatives during Brexit negotiations along with the new priorities caused by the war in Ukraine, and the rise of the far right weigh heavily on the minds of influential figures in Brussels.

Exclusive: Alan Milburn, Jacqui Smith and Sally Morgan would be contenders to take over from Richard Meddings

Labour is poised to axe the chair of NHS England if it wins the election and replace him with a party loyalist to help implement its plans to revive the “broken” health service.

The party is considering replacing Richard Meddings with the former health secretary Alan Milburn, the ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, or Sally Morgan, who served as Tony Blair’s political secretary.

Government decision to begin drafting previously exempt ultra-Orthodox men came months into Gaza war

• See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage

Al Jazeera reports that Muhammad Abu Salamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, has been released by Israeli forces.

Israel has been holding him in detention since 23 November.

Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in communities near the Gaza Strip, approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis. A number of the projectiles were intercepted and some of the projectiles fell inside southern Israel. No injuries were reported. IDF Artillery is currently striking the sources of the fire.

Exclusive: Rise in dealmaking likely to be reflected in spring bonus season as interest rate hike cycle ends

London’s investment bankers are expected to rake in bigger bonuses this financial year, as the City begins to recover from a two-year slump in deals caused by surging interest rates.

Demand for investment banking services – such as facilitating mergers and acquisitions, advising companies and governments on fundraising, and underwriting new stock and bonds – was hit by a sharp increase in borrowing rates after the pandemic, as central banks acted to tame runaway inflation. Jobs and pay were cut as investment banks sought to reduce costs.

Exclusive: Analysis of social media posts, including by candidates projected to win seats, finds multiple mentions of ‘hoaxes’ and ‘the Illuminati’

At least 30 Reform UK candidates have posted material or made statements that cast doubt on the validity of human-induced global heating, a Guardian analysis can reveal.

A suite of the party’s prospective parliamentary candidates have publicly cast doubt on the existence of the emission-caused climate crisis.

Cap falls by £122 to a typical £1,568 a year – but bills are expected to rise again in October when the cap ends

Millions of households will pay lower gas and electricity bills this summer as the energy price cap for Great Britain falls by £122 a year to the equivalent of £1,568 for the typical annual charge from today.

However, the latest cap applies only from July until the end of September, and bills are expected to rise again this winter, leaving millions struggling to heat their homes.

Claimants who were onboard BA149 claim airline and Thatcher’s government knew of risk before they landed in 1990

British Airways (BA) passengers and crew taken hostage in Kuwait and used as human shields during Saddam Hussein’s invasion are suing the airline and the UK government.

The claimants, who were subjected to torture, including mock executions, say they have evidence that BA and the government knew the invasion had taken place hours before the plane landed in Kuwait. They also claim that the flight was used to secretly transport a special ops team for immediate and covert deployment to the battlefield, “regardless of the risk this posed to the civilians onboard”.

Who else? Jude Bellingham mouthed the words during the wild goal cele­brations and it was a good point well made. It simply had to be Bellingham, England’s golden boy, ­rescuing the team, the nation and surely Gareth Southgate, too, with an act of comic‑book brilliance just when all seemed lost.

The board had gone up to show six additional minutes at the end of the 90, England trailing to Ivan Schranz’s goal for Slovakia midway through the first half and the ­obituaries were being written. Hell, they had been written.