11 h. ago ‘Lots of bumps in the road’: Keir Starmer faces testing month before one

From spending review to China audit to assisted dying vote, June’s events have potential to lift or darken Labour moodAs Keir Starmer approaches his first anniversary in Downing Street, there will be several things he wishes he had done differently. But before he can contemplate that July milestone, he faces a busy month strewn with political bear traps.June has proven a difficult time for successive prime ministers: Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak all had to contend with deeply unhappy parliamentary parties reeling from heavy local and European election losses. Continue reading...

Politics

34 h. ago Reeves hits back at spending review critics claiming ‘my choices are Labour choices’

Exclusive: As a cabinet civil war heats up over her spending review, Rachel Reeves has written for The Independent defending her motivations and choices as chancellor

Events

36 h. ago US warns Starmer it is 'important' UK hits new Nato target for spending 3.5% of GDP on defence as Labour struggles to balance the books

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the message as he met ministers from the military alliance in Brussels.

Events

39 h. ago Tony Blair think tank urges Rachel Reeves to invest billions and not just ‘balance the books’ in spending review

Britain facing cuts after chancellor doubled down on her manifesto pledge not to raise taxes to fund Labour’s spending plans

Economics

56 h. ago ‘Accept it or you have to walk’: Labour’s UK spending review battles enter final stage

Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces ‘make or break’ moment for government’s pledge to deliver 1.5mn new homes

Events

65 h. ago Chelsea hold Mike Maignan transfer talks as Enzo Maresca makes U

Chelsea have started talks with AC Milan over a surprise move for Mike Maignan with the France goalkeeper set to enter the final year of his contract at the San Siro

Sport

66 h. ago Labour ‘at war’ over Reeves’ spending review amid fears manifesto pledges will be ditched

Chancellor is facing a push to consider wealth taxes instead of cuts before she publishes her spending review next week

Events

3 d. ago Reform UK ramps up spending on 'racist' Facebook advert attacking Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar

EXCLUSIVE: Nigel Farage's party has now spent almost £25,000 on the controversial social media video.

Events

3 d. ago Reeves urged to raise taxes and cut public spending as UK growth to stall after Trump tariffs

Labour chancellor under pressure from the OECD ahead of upcoming spending review

Economics

3 d. ago Labour 'at war' over cash for Net Zero, housing, cops and education: Spending review goes to the wire as Rayner, Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Bridget Phillipson hold out

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to unveil the crucial three-year settlements for departments in just over a week, amid mounting pressure on the public finances.

Economics

4 d. ago Pep Guardiola confirms two Man City transfer decisions before Club World Cup

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has spoken about the club's squad planning ahead of next season amid speculation over stars about to enter the final year of their contracts

Politics

4 d. ago UK issued ominous warning of 'enemies at our door' as PM unveils major defence plan

The Prime Minister said the long-awaited strategic defence review would make the UK 'safer and stronger, a battle-ready, armour-clad nation' amid Russian threats

Events

4 d. ago Strategic defence review live: Starmer pledges to make UK ‘battle

Starmer fails to make firm commitment to 3% defence spending target

Events

4 d. ago Must Laila Soueif die from her hunger strike in London before her son Alaa Abd el

Egypt’s lack of respect for the rule of law is alarming and Britain should impose sanctions to ensure his freedomUK should impose sanctions on Egypt over jailed activist, says Helena KennedyLaila Soueif is one of the most determined people I know, and for that reason, she is in grave danger. The grandmother, 69, is lying in a hospital bed in central London, perilously close to death after 245 days on hunger strike. She could still survive, but it will depend on the UK government taking strong action.Soueif stopped eating to try to save her son, the imprisoned British-Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and winner of the 2024 English PEN writer of courage award. He has spent more than a decade in an Egyptian jail cell because of his writings on democracy. Soueif wants more than anything else to reunite him with his own son, 13, who lives in Brighton and has barely been able to spend time with his father.Helena Kennedy KC is a Labour p...

Events

5 d. ago Labour is accused of making an embarrassing retreat on defence spending as Defence Secretary downgrades 3 per cent GDP military pledge to an 'ambition'

The Defence Secretary (pictured, with Sir Keir Starmer) has rowed back on a commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on national security by 2034.

Events

5 d. ago Defence review to say UK must be ready to fight a war in Europe or Atlantic

Review will call for ‘war-fighting readiness’ to deal with new threats, though army will not grow before next electionAnalysis: Labour pushes ‘military Keynesianism’ to win support for defence spendingBritain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, a strategic defence review will conclude, though it is not expected to promise immediate increases in the size of the armed forces to deal with the threat.The 130-page document will call for a move to “war-fighting readiness” to deter Russian aggression in Europe and increases in stockpiles of arms and support equipment, some of which may only last days in a crisis. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Rachel Reeves told it is ‘impossible’ to invest in growth, public services and net zero in spending review

Labour chancellor under pressure over spending plans as deputy prime minister Angela Rayner among those whose departments fail to settle budget with the Treasury

Economics

7 d. ago BORIS JOHNSON: Like an alcoholic reaching for the bottle, Labour are addicted to a greedy gulp of the old tax and spend

Watching the Labour Government trying to manage the UK economy is like watching an alcoholic trying to deal with a lifetime of addiction.

Politics

7 d. ago Prime Minister Farage? He’s serious about that – it’s time the country was too | Gaby Hinsliff

His tax-and-spending maths may be bonkers, but while Labour dithers, the Reform leader knows just what his voters wantIf Nigel Farage has a secret weapon, it is his seeming refusal to take things seriously.His habit of repairing to the pub at any opportunity – though in private, he’s said to barely drink now – and the cheerfully unabashed amateurishness of his operation have long made other politicians look stuffy by comparison. But the chaos is also, as it was for Boris Johnson, a means of defence.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Winter fuel reversal details could come in weeks, suggests Rayner

The Deputy Prime Minister indicated an announcement could be made in the Spending Review on June 11.

Politics