8 h. ago ‘It’s rather rude’: Tory club accuses Truss of trying to poach its members

Former prime minister allegedly wandering 5 Hertford Street to find members for her Mayfair club a street awayFor Tory grandees licking their wounds and plotting their return after their disastrous 2024 general election performance, the opulent, fire-lit rooms of the exclusive club 5 Hertford Street are a sanctuary.But in recent weeks, their long lunches have been rudely interrupted by Liz Truss, who has been accused of wandering the premises in search of members to poach for her own rival operation, just one street away, which asks “founding members” for an eye-watering £500,000. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago ‘It’s rather rude’: Truss accused of trying to poach members of rival Tory club

Former prime minister allegedly wandering 5 Hertford Street to find members for her Mayfair club a street awayFor Tory grandees licking their wounds and plotting their return after their disastrous 2024 general election performance, the opulent, fire-lit rooms of the exclusive club 5 Hertford Street are a sanctuary.But in recent weeks, their long lunches have been rudely interrupted by Liz Truss, who has been accused of wandering the premises in search of members to poach for her own rival operation, just one street away, which asks “founding members” for an eye-watering £500,000. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago Democrats change their minds on releasing 2024 election loss report

The analysis reportedly notes that Republicans were much better at using internet to cultivate young voters than Democrats were

Politics

27 h. ago Democrats reverse course and will not reveal findings on why the party lost the 2024 election

The analysis reportedly notes that Republicans were much better at using internet to cultivate young voters than Democrats were

Politics

29 h. ago Democrats won’t release 2024 election loss ‘autopsy’, DNC chair says

Report on Kamala Harris’s loss to Trump would be a ‘distraction’ as party is ‘putting our learnings into motion’The Democratic National Committee won’t release a review of its election loss in 2024, saying it would be a “distraction” from helping the party win going forward.The party has been working on a so-called autopsy of 2024 since Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Jimmy Lai verdict: Hong Kong court to decide on national security charges against pro

Incarcerated activist and media owner has been on trial for more than two years on national security chargesJimmy Lai verdict: Hong Kong judges set to rule on national security chargesEarlier this month Jimmy Lai’s children voiced new alarm over the incarcerated tycoon’s health, describing his dramatic weight loss, teeth rotting and nails falling off.The report quoted them saying that Lai – was is 78 and has diabetes – had been kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a jail where summer temperatures rise to 44C (111F).His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago England caught up in Ashes media fallout over security guard’s row with TV crew

Channel Seven airs footage of Brisbane airport incident‘This matter is being taken seriously,’ says broadcasterEngland’s embattled tour of Australia suffered a public relations setback on Saturday following a testy altercation between a member of security staff and a local camera operator at Brisbane airport.In footage released by Channel Seven, England’s minder Colin Rhooms is heard repeatedly telling the camera operator Nick Carrigan to “get out of my face, mate” and eventually pushing him back as he attempted to film players in transit. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Bangladesh to hold national elections in February, the first since 2024 mass uprising

Bangladesh’s next national elections would be held on Feb. 12, eighteen months after former Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina was ousted through a mass uprising following weeks of violence that left hundreds dead and thousands injured

Politics

8 d. ago Barron Trump sees Andrew Tate as ‘big brother’ and received dating advice from his associate, report claims

Barron Trump also helped his father enmesh himself in the online web of right-wing podcasts to win the 2024 election

Politics

9 d. ago Venezuelan Nobel peace prize winner misses ceremony but vows to continue struggle

Daughter delivers speech, with Nobel Institute saying María Corina Machado still expected in Oslo after journey of ‘extreme danger’ Europe live – latest updatesVenezuela’s most prominent opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has vowed to continue her struggle to free the country from years of “obscene corruption”, “brutal dictatorship” and “despair” as she was awarded the Nobel peace prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo.The 58-year-old conservative has lived in hiding in Venezuela since its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, was accused of stealing the 2024 presidential election from her political movement. Despite fevered speculation that she would make a dramatic appearance at Wednesday’s event, having somehow slipped out of Venezuela, Machado was not present, although she was expected to arrive in Oslo in the coming hours. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Reform leader Nigel Farage's campaign 'reported to police' over election spending rules

The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's campaign has been accused of falsely reporting election expenses during his eighth bid to become an MP in Clacton at the 2024 General Election

Politics

1 week ago Trump slams ‘lack of loyalty’ after pardoned Democrat says he won’t change party

Henry Cuellar launched House re-election bid as Democrat days after Trump pardoned him over bribery chargesDays after issuing him a pardon, Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat.Trump pardoned Cuellar and the congressman’s wife on Wednesday as they faced bribery charges. They were alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Composer Craig Armstrong: "I don’t think anybody realised the impact the film Love Actually would have"

Glasgow composer Craig Armstrong will release his new work Pacific on 5 December 2025 via CMA Records. Written for piano, cello, and electronics, the three-movement piece was originally commissioned in December 2024 by Christian Kellersman, a pioneering figure in contemporary classical and jazz music, for his new live event series Berlin Confidential, co-curated with Alexander Szlovák.

Politics

2 w. ago Trump might not be a Taylor Swift fan but the pop star was one of Karoline Leavitt’s most listened to Spotify artists

Trump has launched several unprovoked attacks on the pop star since she announced her endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 election

Politics

3 w. ago Partisan X posts boost political polarisation among users, research finds

Study shows small changes to tone of posts in ‘for you’ feed increase unfavourable feelings towards political opponentsSmall changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.A groundbreaking experiment to gauge the potency of Elon Musk’s social platform to increase political division found that when posts expressing anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity were boosted, even barely perceptibly, in the feeds of Democrat and Republican supporters there was a large change in their unfavourable feelings towards the other side. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation

Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three yearsSmall changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.A groundbreaking experiment to gauge the potency of Elon Musk’s social platform to increase political division found that when posts expressing anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity were boosted, even barely perceptibly, in the feeds of Democrat and Republican supporters there was a large change in their unfavourable feelings towards the other side. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago England have no plans to extend Borthwick’s contract despite winning streak

Head coach’s current deal runs until 2027RFU annual report shows net loss of £1.9mThe Rugby Football Union has no plans to begin talks with Steve ­Borthwick over extending his ­contract beyond 2027 “for the ­foreseeable future” despite England’s 11-match winning streak and autumn clean sweep.Borthwick’s contract runs until the end of 2027 but with England halfway through the current World Cup cycle and currently third in the world ­rankings, the RFU chief ­executive, Bill Sweeney, has no immediate intention of discussing an extension in a sea change from the union’s ­previous approach. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago England have no plans to reward Borthwick with new deal despite winning run

Head coach’s current deal runs until 2027RFU annual report shows net loss of £1.9mThe Rugby Football Union has no plans to begin talks with Steve ­Borthwick over extending his ­contract beyond 2027 “for the ­foreseeable future” despite England’s 11-match winning streak and autumn clean sweep.Borthwick’s contract runs until the end of 2027 but with England halfway through the current World Cup cycle and currently third in the world ­rankings, the RFU chief ­executive, Bill Sweeney, has no immediate intention of discussing an extension in a sea change from the union’s ­previous approach. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Why did young men move left in this month’s US elections? | Cory Alpert

Democrats’ relentless focus on affordability welcomed in a group that had been seduced by an ecosystem of huckstersJust a few months ago, it seemed that the political landscape was changing permanently, with young people shifting right – especially young men. Democrats spun up a vortex of efforts to win them back, but they often appeared to be flailing. This month’s elections, however, told a different story.Young men in the US face a political identity crisis. It should not be controversial to say that the world that many were promised as children has not come to fruition. Two decades of war and a turbulent economy have combined with a massively changing workforce. Young men’s disaffection should come as no real surprise.Cory Alpert is a PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne looking at the impact of AI on democracy. He served in the Biden-Harris administration for three years Continue reading...

Politics

last month ‘I thought the grownups were back in charge!’: John Crace on how Labour shattered his expectations

After 14 years of Tory rule, the Guardian’s parliamentary sketch writer thought he had seen it all. Westminster would surely tick along nicely once Keir Starmer’s party took over. How wrong he was ...I feel I should probably start with an apology. A few days after the 2024 general election, I wrote that it felt as if the grownups were back in charge. It wasn’t as if I was carried away by the vision of Keir Starmer or the charisma of Rachel Reeves. More that I felt we had regained a basic level of competence. That politics would become business as usual rather than the breathless psychodrama of the past 10 years. You could go to bed at night relatively confident that the country would be more or less recognisable when you woke up. There would be no more mad people doing mad things as we raced through five or six news cycles in the course of a couple of hours.And part of me was a little concerned. Because what is good for economic stability and social justice isn’t necessarily good fo...

Politics