sailboat sun awning

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Boat cover, awning or bimini: Keeping cool in the sun

• Miranda Delmar-Morgan
• June 29, 2021

The perils of too much sun are well know, so decent shade on board is essential via a boat cover, awning or bimini, says Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Most people realise that yachts cruising in the tropics need decent shading, but it hasn’t normally been necessary for sailors in northern latitudes.

That is changing though and we are increasingly getting searingly hot spells here in the UK, making a boat cover, bimini or awning more important kit.

People are also now more conscious of skin damage and exposure. It is time to think about decent shelter and protection from the sun.

Last year Edward and I were fried to a crisp for several days when on the Hamble , so we decided to tackle the setup on our boat.

You will have seen, in pictures at least, large, graceful yachts rigged up with vast awnings above canvas deck chairs to stop the ice in the gin and tonics melting. Two or more masts obviously make awnings easier to suspend because there is so much more rigging for tensioning it, and good tension is essential.

The bigger awnings seen on large charter yachts have bolt ropes and grommets along the edges in order to maintain tension on rigging fore and aft. The Royal Navy even have dedicated manuals on how to rig awnings securely.

Warmer summers and a better understanding of skin damage makes proper awnings worth the investment, even in the UK. Photo: Pete Goss

Even on small boats, however, they are going to have to withstand sudden gusts and squalls at anchor , and rain showers. Plus they need to be able to throw off the water rather than pool and sag.

They nearly all need suspension along the centreline and that can be achieved with hoist points and lines running to a central ring and onto the main halyard.

Single-masted sloops, as most boats are these days, present a problem and a different approach is required.

Our three-quarter tonner, Polar Bear , had a lovely big cockpit and a 3.3m beam. René of Quay Canvas at Bursledon made us a very nice, quite wide awning with no centreline. Large panels were stitched with seams across the width rather than along the length.

If you want to cover your tender, dinghy or kayak, check out YBW’s guide to the best boat covers

Fibreglass rods of varying lengths were inserted into sleeves across the width which stopped it from collapsing.

The rods were bendy but robust and could withstand considerable tensioning. The pocket ends of the aftmost one were tethered to the pushpit, and the forwardmost one had lines running to the lower shrouds, thus providing good fore-and-aft tensioning. Bigger boat covers on larger sloops will need more rigid end bracing poles.

Access slits at the mid points allowed for the insertion of hoist lines around the rods to facilitate suspension from a halyard.

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The beam ends had grommets for tensioning downwards either to the toe rail or the outside of the lower guard rails. The longer rods are cumbersome to stow on smaller yachts. Ours were cut in half and had stainless sleeves to join them together. One half of the rods could then be left within the sleeves and the other halves removed. The whole awning could be folded in half lengthways and rolled up for stowing.

This meant it was already part assembled for our next hoisting and we could get it up pretty quickly at the next stopover.

They need to be easy to drop and raise not only because you are then more likely to use them, particularly if the crew is already hot and frazzled, but also if you have to do a quick drop in a drama. All that canvas causes windage and can unsettle your anchor if you start yawing about in heavy gusts.

Larger vessels often have large, heavily made canvas awnings

It is useful to have it designed in such a way that, having swung the boom and main sheet to the side deck you can either keep the awning low, below the boom, if you want to keep out the rain; or high, and possibly above the boom if you want to let air flow through, and that works best if you drop the sprayhood.

It may well work better in one particular position and might be less suited to the other, but you will be so grateful for the shade provided by a boat cover that if it isn’t immaculately suspended in the alternative position I suspect that will be less of a concern.

There are a few other decisions to be made about your awning or boat cover. Many boats that spend longer periods at anchor in the Mediterranean or the tropics have awnings that cover the whole boat to protect the deck from the sun, and thus keep the inside of the boat cool. These can be made in one, two or three parts, covering the cockpit, midships, and the foredeck.

While this might be overkill, a simple boat cover draped across the boom will help keep the saloon cool.

That’s all well and good while the sun is high in the sky, but in our latitudes, the sun’s rays are often at an oblique angle and it is amazing how much heat and glare come in from the sides when it is scorching hot and the sun is getting low. It is important, therefore to think about shading from the side as well.

You can have drop skirts made for suspending from the sides, attached by Velcro or zips.

Alternatively, in extremis, you can suspend something like flat bed sheets, or beach towels. If you gather the corners with hitches you can tether them to the awning sides. You then need to take the bottom corners over the top guard rail and tie them down to the stanchion bases thus creating skirts.

Using bed sheets will look messy, but they do work, and they do at least satisfy the ‘dual purpose’ role for something you are already carrying around. Sheets and towels won’t work as rain deflectors though, whereas canvas will.

Lateral poles will help maintain height across the full beam. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Awnings can vary in fabric and weight and you will have to be guided by your canvas maker. Obviously the heavier they are the bulkier they are to stow and more cumbersome to erect.

Acrylic is often favoured for a more classic look. The lighter weight ones can be noisy if they flap about. Modern fabrics usually have high UV resistance. They are breathable, durable and water resistant; so they serve you equally well in heavy downpours. Most canvas makers generally use a UV-resistant thread.

Bits of tarpaulin simply draped across a boom and tied down to the guardrails don’t work very well. They are better than nothing at all but the lashings impede your passage up and down the side decks and pulling the fabric down towards the guardrails reduces the overall coverage.

Other alternatives to a boat cover or awning might, with a little ingenuity, be adapted from items bought at a camping or outdoor shop. You can get lightweight sunshades held open with collapsible poles like a tent, that you can hoist with a halyard or secure to the backstay, and then lash in place from the corners.

Camping tarpaulins are also lightweight, come with guy ropes attached and are shaped in a way that makes them easier to tension. Even umbrellas, parasols or the top of a gazebo might be pressed into service, though are unlikely to be satisfactory long-term solutions.

At sea, of course, a bimini is invaluable. If they are well made, well secured and taut they should be able to cope with windy conditions.

A well set bimini can be used underway in a decent breeze.

One canvas maker says he designs his biminis to withstand going to windward at 8 knots in 35 knots of wind. He has so much work he prefers to remain anonymous.

Biminis have a permanent tubular structure and stow in a canvas zip up ‘sausage’ either in front of, or behind the cockpit. They are permanently on deck and so are quicker to raise and stow than an awning and obviously they do quite a different job.

They are best stowed aft of the cockpit if possible because if they rest forward of the cockpit they can impede the view. They can also obscure your immediate overhead view of the boom and mainsail, but it is a price worth paying.

Most are made in such a way that the main sheet can be reached and adjusted whilst under sail, and the detachable drop skirts are often see-through but offer shading and a wind break.

It’s also worth remembering to wear plenty of sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved shirt. Gone are the days that peeling skin was considered an acceptable stepping stone to building up a decent tan.

A really good awning provides a wonderful outdoor living space and an element of privacy. If you intend living aboard for any length of time it is without doubt an essential item.

All these awnings, boat covers and biminis are usually custom made and therefore expensive. However, lying beneath a well-tensioned awning, watching the stars and planets twinkle in a balmy night sky as the boat swings to her anchor is a magical experience. You will never regret the expense.

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November 12, 2017

We built this cockpit awning for our sailboat...need shade from the mexican sun.

Build your own sailboat cockpit awning

PVC pipes support our sun shade canopy

5 comments:

Very cool modification! I don't have (and cannot install) a bimini on my boat, so something like this would be of much use to me. ....another item on the to-do list. 😁 Mike www.FillingTheSails.com

Thanks Mike - Yeah try it out.. Like I said, it won't work in heavy seas. But it will keep things very shady in calm conditions..

If the Deck is too hot, it is better to choose Diy awning for your deck to keep it cool and also to protect from harmful ultraviolet rays. We can find awnings in two roof styles. One is hip roof and other is pyramid roof.

That is a practical application. And the open material should be cheaper than sunbrella. We find any shade reduces interior temperature ĝreatly. Thanks for documenting this for others.

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Sun Awnings & Boom Tents

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Sun Awnings & Boom Tents anyone use them? I'm wondering if anyone here uses a sun awning or boom tent to keep the boat cooler while anchored out. If you do does it make a noticeable difference in temps below? What are your experiences when the wind pipes up? Do you leave it up if you dinghy ashore? What designs do/don't work and why?  

I will be putting a boomtent on my boat. But at 25 feet, it needs all the extra room it can get when out cruising on anything more than a day trip.  

I agree with everything travlineasy said. We use a "Shadetree" brand Boat Awning System which is supported by 3 fiberglass poles which are installed on either side of the cockpit and arch the awning over the boom. It covers from the rear of the cockpit forward to the mast and the boat sort of looks like a covered wagon when it's erected. Here's the link to their webpage. Shadetree Boat Awnings But it takes time to erect and to breakdown and store and is only guaranteed for 25 knots or so. I've owned it for 8 years and love it.  

Not sure what a boom tent is. I have a canvas cover, actually a sunbrella equal that I put over the boom, then use line to tie to the upper lifelines at supports. I can put this up and down in probably 5 min per, so 10 up and down! The only issue I have with it, and the fellow that made it, did not seem to understand I wanted a zipper at about the back of the cabin, so I could open up the cover to get in . Instead he made it such that the back corner 45's up and zips into place. I can try and take a pic this weekend if interested. It does help on really sunny days cooling down the cockpit area. ALong with it is not what I would call any where near permant per say, ie needing to secure poles etc. Marty  

We have found a product called "Sun Shade Fabric" which I bought at Home Depot. It is far superior to Sunbrella, tarps or anything I have ever used. It is a loose weave so it does not gather wind and yet cuts out 75% of the heat. I just knotted the corners and used small stuff to fasten it to the shrouds (bow string tight) 2.5 years ago just to see if it would hold up. It hasn't torn or worn even in gusts of 36 knots or more and I don't worry at all when the squalls hit that it adds a great deal of windage, being so porous. I keep meaning to hem a new one, but this is so easy, cheap and durable that I haven't gotten around to it. Obviously it's not rain proof, but down here in the tropics it really keeps the cabin much cooler for far less money. Never again will I pay the exorbitant price of Sunbrella for awnings.  

That is what i use also. It is up right now and has been for weeks. Have owned it for two years and has seen a lot of use and strong winds but not a sign of damage. The porous material allows the heat to escape but still shades under. I connect it with shark clips. All available at home depot. All cheap. Rolls up very light and small. I wouldn't recommend anything else at this point. Brian  

i have found plastic tarps to be godsend. easy up and down and it doesnt matter if they rip and tear in wind. they keep the temp here in tropical places way down..i dislike boiling in my own saloon..... i leave em up until winds hit 17 kts then i drop em slightly so wind can still come into boat and i dont get boiled. as formosas dont like fresh water, the first year of the plastic tarp is preventing water from hitting topsides....in summer i use air conditioner, so i have tarps to keep the usage down and water off boat. second year of using same tarps is solely sun protection and tarp tent for gato. . i do have covers of a sort that were made for boat once upon a time--but........  

I've seen people secure a beach umbrella in the cockpit. Certainly seemed easy to put up and down.  

there is a fella in la cruz e huanacaxtle, in nayarit, mexico, who uses an umbrella to sail his dinghy to shore...was fun to watch  

i am working on a cover with screening plus water shedding/collecting for our 67-100 inches of annual rainfall yet to come over the summer months----matches the trim on my boat and is coming together very slowly over the next few months---i will have solid areas surrounding my overhead hatches and screening over the glassed part of topsides so i dont have to suffer my teak with fresh water problems...and i can sit in the cockpit during the rainstorms and enjoy them without wearing them...i will post pix when i am finished making it. it will be in a few different pieces so it is easier to affix and ditch.  

Made one for my boat on no wind deliveries. I used to bake for hours in the boat while motoring during the summer. Now the inside of the boat is cooler and there's massive amounts of shade in the cockpit. Much better.  

I have a Sunbrella boom tarp that covers most of the cockpit (except for the very back). I keep it up all winter just to protect the dodger and sail cover and to keep rain out of the cockpit. It goes on and off in about 2 minutes, it's about as easy as the boom cover. Since the back is open on mine I can climb on and off of the boat with it in place. I have to climb over the lifelines while holding onto the split backstay. I've never used it at anchor. We don't get a lot of sun up here in Seattle and I haven't had this boat through the summer yet. So when we have sun I try to enjoy it. Maybe by the end of my summer cruising I'll have a better idea of how often I use it at anchor.  

I have a somewhat large awning that uses three telescoping poles that covers from the mast back and overlaps my bimini. It is made from dacron sail cloth. It came with the boat and I use it quite a bit when the temps get over 90. I also have a triangular awning made from white Sunbrella that covers the foredeck. This on is attached to the lifelines via cording and is is a Godsend since we sleep in the V-berth and it makes a huge difference. I will leave the large awning up until it starts blowing 20+; the small awning I will leave up in much higher winds since it is low and doesn't catch a lot of wind.  

Brian, Capta, do either of you remember the brand of sun shade you bought at Home Depot. I checked online and they carry four different brands at different price points. Thanks, Jim  

JimMcGee said: I'm wondering if anyone here uses a sun awning or boom tent to keep the boat cooler while anchored out. If you do does it make a noticeable difference in temps below? What are your experiences when the wind pipes up? Do you leave it up if you dinghy ashore? What designs do/don't work and why? Click to expand...

Attachments

Cruisingdad said: Hang on, it gets better... Thats me and Fatty having a beer, me in my bathing suit, tuesday afternoon about 330... Just sayin'! Brian Click to expand...

Told ya that i mentioned you to anne at the marina and she said hi. Wish you were here too. I happen to have a unique margarita recipe too. We could share, my friend! Love the meet and greets. Last time was up there i did two beer can chickens on the grill! Celebrated my birthday with another gal and had a blast! Close community here. Hope you cone back down to see it. Bria  

Sweet! Mine is more of the Sanford and Sons variety. Helps keep vagrants off the boat. Brian  

semantix will cause the loss of a product availability. sun shade/sun screen--wtf--no difference.... here in mexico there are alternatives to the problems yáll find in temperatezoneville....you guys have the sun screens and the waterpruf materials at realistic pricing, hahaha here in mexico one finds readily truck tarps and overly expensive wtf the canvas person has on stock.... truck tarps rock. so do those solar screen/shade covers. skeeters and no seeums dont get thru it well.... gotta think outside the box, guys....  

Oh, agreed...semantics are dumb, but when its the brand name it does matter when trying to find it. (Like he said, his package was faded, I appreciated him getting us close!)  

many times our brands we use will have been removed from usage by the store as no one other than ourselves will actually buy the stuff..... i first found sun screening at 75 usd per square yard in lost angeles a looong time ago. was awesome stuff. if that is what you seek, buy lots , if you intend to sail in tropics, as it isnt here yet, despite decades of use in usa.  

If you go with the sunshade/truck tarp material. THere is a true wooven, along with more of a blended for lack of better term. The wooven cloth, like you shirt has a tendency to get caught and rip. Where as the blended materal does not. Having had a blended tarp on my dump truck for over 20 yrs, the wooven like plastic tarp etc, are long gone with in a year or two! Price wise, they are way less than sunbrella or equal. Many horticluture supply places may carry it, so you can get pieces that are already upwards of 20-30' wide, many many many feet long. Teufels nursery in Oregon sells this, They are one time had a person that could custom cut and sew in grommets etc they way you would need for your project. I did a 10x18 tarp for around $100 at the time from them. Marty  

If you are trying to cut your sun exposure, the sun screens will let about 10 - 20% through. Probably not too important for most, but, might be a consideration for some.  

if the dog drinks all the beer get rid of him. had a dog who would tip over any beer can left in his vinicity and gone. but he could hunt so lived to a ripe old age. ?can your dog swim? daughter has french bull dogs and they sink.  

She actually swims under the water. We have to video it. It is hilarious. Other than that, we keep a large life jacket on her!  

While I've never set up the boom tent at anchorage, I have used it for over ten years in the slip over winter storage. Each year I expect to find it off after numerous winter storms, yet it has always come through. The tent is a heavy canvas(12x18) and is rigged with a line running around 2 feet above the boom. (from the mast to the back stay) It takes awhile to rig the underlying support lines, but I find it amazing that it has held up so well.  

When using something at anchorage, its important to have something you can take down quickly. Had a waterspout come very close to us yesterday. Wouldn't want that up in those kinds of winds.  

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Cockpit awning on a budget

At less than $100, this diy awning might not be as pretty as one that’s custom made but it does the job.

If your boat lies unattended, even for a short time—be it in a marina, (in or out of the water), or on a mooring—it doesn’t take long for it to become grubby, from bird droppings or wind blown dust. An awning is still the simplest and most effective defense method. It works particularly well to protect a large cockpit or the cockpit of a pocket cruiser for sleeping and living. 

I wanted to cover the center cockpit and bimini on my 45-foot schooner Britannia to shield it from the Florida sun. The bimini enclosure leaked a little especially during some of the horrendous cloudbursts on summer afternoons.

Of course, it’s always possible to have an awning custom made at any canvas or sail maker’s loft, but that wasn’t in my budget. 

The simplest and easiest way to create an awning is to buy a cheap plastic tarp from your local DIY store, drape it over a boom and attach it to the rails with bungee shock-cord, to basically form a simple tent or lean-to. The main boom on Britannia passes straight over the cockpit, so making a tent was easy. Most tarps have eyelets every 18 inches, so threading bungee cord through and hooking the other end to the rail was easy. 

However, as might be expected, such a simple solution has its inadequacies. Only the area where there is a support boom can be covered and if you anchor the sides down to a rail it can become a bit of a scramble to edge along the side decks. The tarp will also probably rub against the sides of the bimini, which can cause chafe to both materials in high winds. And, no surprise, a tarp tent looks cheap, because it is.  

I thought about how to overcome these defects, and make an awning that is both more effective and looks a bit more professional. An idea sprung from seeing covered wagons in an old Wild West movie and I decided to try to make a curved cover like those wagons. Such an arrangement might also hold the tarp clear of the bimini and allow air to pass between. It should also offer more headroom along the side decks and overcome the access problem.

I found manufacturers offering just such an awning for about $700 for my boat. And although I knew that what I could make would not look as finished as a purchased custom awning, I was mindful of the budget.

I bought a 12-foot-by-16-foot tarp from my local hardware store that nicely fit my main boom length of 16 feet and the boat’s 13-foot beam, tapering down to 10 feet towards the stern. The awning also extended over the aft hatch. Tarps are available in many different sizes and colors, so it should not be difficult to find or tailor one to suit almost any boat. 

I needed something to make three curved support bars. I bought six 10-foot-long, half-inch diameter PVC pipes. These are very strong yet flexible and used for high pressure hot and cold water in houses. I also found couplings to screw two pipes together so they could also be unscrewed to more easily stow the awning when we went sailing. I glued the adapters to each pipe, then screwed them together with a threaded coupling. 

To attach them to the boat I used the same type of pipe, but three-quarter-inch diameter. This size pipe has an internal diameter of a half-inch, so my half-inch awning supports slid inside this pipe perfectly. I fastened three short lengths of three-quarter-inch pipe to the stanchions on each side of the boat using hose clips, after first taping the stanchions to prevent scratching by the clips. The awning rods easily curved over the boom and into these sockets, forming three perfect arches. I fastened half-inch hose clips on the rods, to prevent them from sliding through the sockets.

After dragging the tarp over the boom, I used cable ties to strap it securely to the rods, through the eyelets in the front and back of the tarp. I then used one-quarter-inch line to secure the awning round the mast and a cable tie at the rear to fasten it to the end of the boom. I could only fasten the center support rod at the edges of the tarp, but it has stayed in place so far in all winds.

I then bought 10 3-foot lengths of bungee shock cord, (blue color to match the rest of the boat), with pre-made hooks on each end to anchor the tarp to the side lifelines and the front and rear rods. All that was needed to attach the cord to the tarp was to cut the hook off one end, then thread it through an eyelet in the tarp and tie a single overhand knot to stop it slipping out. The central arch not only supported the middle of the long tarp, but it provided more room to get under the awning and made it look neater. Shorter awnings than Britannia’s might not need a center support.

All told, the materials for this project cost just $90, including $37 for the tarp.

Dismantling the awning when we wanted to go sailing actually proved to be quite simple, and my wife and I soon became proficient. Leaving the two center fastenings front and back still attached, the shock cord is unclipped and the rods removed from their sockets. The rods are then unscrewed and one side of the awning is folded over the other while still attached to the boom at both ends. Then we remove either the front or rear center attachment and the awning can be tightly rolled up along with the rods. I tie the rolled up tarp to the lower lifelines on my boat, where it is out of the way, again using bungee cord. 

This inexpensive awning effectively protects Britannia’s canvas bimini from the fierce Florida sun as well as any expensive custom made cover. Temperatures in the cockpit are also significantly lower than when the awning is not fitted, and I can comfortably get along the side decks.

I consider this to be ample reward for the financial outlay and the small effort. I can even put up with the occasional remark that it “looks like a replica of a Conestoga wagon,” because envy is just another form of flattery.

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UK election latest: Starmer hits out at 'mess' left by Tories - and warns 'tough decisions' to come

The new prime minister chaired his first cabinet meeting this morning after Labour's landslide election victory. Later on, in a sober speech before taking media questions, Sir Keir said "tough decisions" are to come - and that he would embark on a victory tour of the UK tomorrow.

Saturday 6 July 2024 17:08, UK

• General Election 2024

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Need to know

• Starmer hits out at 'mess' left by Tories | Warns 'tough decisions' to come | Announces UK tour
• PM asked what he will deliver in first 100 days
• Labour cabinet pictured for first time
• Hunt rules out Tory leadership bid | Braverman: 'No announcements today'
• Starmer's challenges: Tackling exhausted NHS | Looming chaos abroad | Defence to dominate early days | Small boats plan? | Rift with scientists needs healing
• Listen: Politics at Jack and Sam's - what's in Starmer's in-tray?
• Jon Craig: Who will become next Tory leader?
• Ed Conway : The new political geography
• Meet the country's youngest MP - he's 22
• Results in every constituency

Live reporting by Ollie Cooper

At least 242 women have been elected as MPs - a record number.

The previous high came in the last general election in 2019 when 220 women were elected - out of 650 MPs in the House of Commons.

Our political correspondent Mhari Aurora explains more below: 

The new health secretary has said Westminster will look to "lift" the devolved administrations when approaching how to fix the NHS. 

"Following this morning's cabinet meeting, I held calls with health ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland," Wes Streeting said in a statement online. 

"A Labour government in Westminster will be a rising tide that lifts all ships and we'll work constructively with devolved administrations."

The new prime minister said he would visit all four of the nations of the UK, beginning tomorrow in Scotland, and it appears his new cabinet is keen to follow suit and show eagerness to work with the devolved administrations. 

Sir Keir Starmer is the oldest prime minister to enter office in 48 years. 

At 61, he is starting his new job older than Tory predecessors Rishi Sunak (42), Liz Truss (47), Boris Johnson (55), Theresa May (59) and David Cameron (now Lord Cameron, 43). 

You have to go all the way back to April 1976 to find an older new prime minister - when a 64-year-old James Callaghan entered Number 10 for Labour. 

He was succeeded by Margaret Thatcher (who was 53 when she entered office), John Major (47), Tony Blair (43) and Gordon Brown (56). 

The oldest prime minister ever is William Gladstone, who began his fourth term at 82 years of age in 1894. 

Sir Keir Starmer has entered 10 Downing Street as the first Labour leader to become prime minister after an election since Sir Tony Blair in 1997.

While it is Sir Keir who has the top job, credit for his rise to power has also been given to the tight-knit team that surrounds him.

In the below article, our political reporter Alexandra Rogers  takes a look at the figures in the prime minister's inner circle who are likely to play a crucial role in the running of Downing Street.

Read more here . 

Sir Keir Starmer has been photographed walking up the famous No 10 staircase, past portraits of his predecessors. 

Lord Cameron, Gordon Brown, Theresa May and Tony Blair are among the portraits of past prime ministers he passes in the first image.

The new prime minister is quickly being thrown in at the deep end of his new job - as he's expected to represent the UK on the world stage just days after his appointment.

Sir Keir Starmer will debut on the international stage as Britain's leader when he flies to Washington DC for the NATO summit on Tuesday.

We'll get an early indication on his stance on the conflict in Ukraine - with discussion in the US set to be dominated by Russia's continuing war - although he had said throughout his time as leader of the opposition that any government he formed would continue to support Kyiv.

Sir Keir was a strong supporter of the Tory government's substantial financial and military contributions to Ukraine - and has pledged that his government would do the same. 

He said earlier: "It is for me to be absolutely clear that the first duty of my government is security and defence, to make clear our unshakable support of NATO.

"And of course to reiterate, as I did to President Zelenskyy yesterday, the support that we will have in this country and with our allies towards Ukraine."

That's not where it ends for Sir Keir on the international stage either, as he'll then host the European Political Community summit on 18 July.

That comes just a day after the state opening of parliament and the King's Speech - which sets out the new government's agenda.

From the cost of living crisis and small boat crossings to the drive for green energy and the war in Ukraine, the Labour government has its work cut out.

To get a sense of the challenges facing Sir Keir Starmer, we spoke to our specialist correspondents about their patches.

By  Jason Farrell , home editor

When she was home secretary, Priti Patel made a concerted investment in tackling county lines drug dealing and was often seen out on dawn raids with the police, her focus on disrupting the gangs.

Labour, it seems, will put a greater emphasis on crime prevention, keeping children out of gangs by launching a "Young Futures programme".

New Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has spoken about the "tough love" plan to tackle knife crime, which would see youth workers placed in A&E units, custody centres and pupil referral units.

Ms Cooper also promises a police reform plan to bring in mandatory standards in policing so that vetting, training and dealing with misconduct doesn't vary across forces.

The youngest MP is likely 22-year-old Sam Carling in North West Cambridgeshire.

Born in 2002, he was a toddler when his opponent, Conservative Shailesh Vara, first won North West Cambridgeshire in 2005.

He beat the veteran MP by a razor-thin 39 votes.

"Thank you so much to everyone in North West Cambridgeshire that came out to vote for me yesterday. I am beyond honoured to have been elected as your MP," he said.

He previously said he entered politics to "fight the continuing decline in public services" under the Conservatives.

Mr Carling will be nicknamed "baby of the House" when he enters the Commons, taking over the traditional moniker from Labour MP Keir Mather.

He graduated from the University of Cambridge last year and has been a councillor at Cambridge City Council since 2022, according to his LinkedIn.

Nigel Farage says he will provide "opposition in the country" - not necessarily parliament.

Reform UK underperformed exit poll expectations, winning five out of a forecast 13.

"Everyone thinks about opposition as being what happens in parliament. We will do what we can with five in parliament," he said.

"What I will do for certain is provide real opposition in the country."

Mr Farage continued: "We are not downhearted, we know the system really, really hard. We know it is very unfair on us. But you know what, we're a new party, we've built the bridgehead into parliament."

By Tom Clarke , science and technology editor

Labour has made some big promises on clean energy. If they deliver on them, it could bring meaningful long-term reductions in energy bills, as well as improve energy security and help reduce the dangers from climate change.

There are companies waiting to invest if Labour can ease the current planning and supply-chain constraints. But how they plan to deliver on other less investment-friendly pledges, like improving energy efficiency of homes and installing heat-pumps in social housing, without spending a lot more public money isn't clear.

Like their predecessors, Labour wants the UK to become a "science superpower". They want to start by healing rifts between researchers and the last government, caused first by Brexit which severed funding sources from the EU, then by the Tories' "war on woke" that seriously undermined trust among universities and saw academics unfairly targeted for their views.

A first test will be the details on a 10-year budget for key research institutions which Labour claims will elevate UK biosciences to "superpower" status. But so far there's been no detail on what those budgets might be.

One interesting area to watch is Labour's stance on AI. The UK's close relationship with big tech firms such as Google has helped us become a heavyweight in AI research and deployment, bringing real economic benefit. Maintaining Labour's commitment to protecting workers from an AI takeover without capitulating to Silicon Valley will be a tightrope walk.

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