4 h. ago Labour MP given formal reminder after sharing post about Israel

Clive Lewis shared a post from historian Louise Raw on X.

Politics

5 h. ago Migrants convicted of sex offences to be banned from claiming asylum in Britain

Labour’s crackdown will also see 24-week time limits for asylum appeals decisions to cut the backlog

Events

14 h. ago Thursday’s elections will be ‘tough’, PM admits as campaigning enters final week

The upcoming Runcorn and Helsby by-election will run alongside local elections and it is expected to be a tight contest between Labour and Reform UK.

Politics

17 h. ago Tories 'face losing 500 seats' in Reform local elections surge as Keir Starmer 'stays away' from Runcorn by

Tension is building ahead of the crucial votes on Thursday, with Reform expected to make sweeping gains.

Politics

57 h. ago Labour crisis as the city of John Prescott turns its back on Starmer

Canvas returns seen by The Independent suggest that Labour could be a distant third to Reform and the Lib Dems in their former heartland of Hull and East Yorkshire

Events

3 d. ago Reform UK on course to win in two mayoral contests – UK politics live

Polling predicts victory for party in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull/East Yorkshire with the Greens possibly taking West of EnglandThere are six mayoral elections next week. Two of them are for single-authority mayors (Doncaster and North Tyneside), but the others are for combined-authority mayors (or regional mayors – like metro mayors, but not just covering city regions). Today YouGov has released polling covering all four of these contests and it suggests Reform UK is on course to win two of them easily. And the Green party is narrowly ahead in a third, the poll suggests.Here are the polling figures.In theory the Tories should be winning in Lincolnshire as they hold most of the parliamentary seats in the area and have dominated local politics forever. But it’s also the most Reform-friendly part of the country. It contains Richard Tice’s constituency and numerous seats in which they came second. Plus their candidate is a former Tory MP – Andrea Jenkyns, famous for her Boris Johnson...

Politics

3 d. ago Starmer faces Labour revolt over plan to raid bank accounts of benefit claimants

Welfare fraud bill would allow funds to be taken from bank accounts and driving licences to be cancelledShould benefit claimants risk having their bank accounts spied upon and driving licences revoked? I don’t think soKeir Starmer is facing a rebellion over his plan to use direct deductions from people’s bank accounts and the cancellation of driving licences as part of a government crackdown on welfare fraud and over-claiming.In an attempt to claw back the annual £9.7bn in benefit overpayments made by the Department for Work and Pensions due to fraud or error, the government has adopted Conservative plans for debt recovery. Continue reading...

Economics

3 d. ago Reeves hints at priority as she says ‘trading relationship with Europe arguably more important’ than US – UK politics live

Chancellor said she understood the focus on possible deal with US, but added the EU remained ‘our nearest neighbours and trading partners’Water company bosses face up to two years in prison if they cover up illegal sewage spills under new laws coming into force, PA Media reports. PA says:The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said no prison sentences have been handed to water company executives since privatisation despite widespread illegal sewage discharges, and the tougher penalties were essential because some firms have obstructed investigations.Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “Bosses must face consequences if they commit crimes. There must be accountability. From today, there will be no more hiding places.”I’m now pretty optimistic that we are moving in a good direction.In the end, I think everybody understands that this is about our security in Europe. It requires cooperation between democracies, friends, allies, countries with the same values.The...

Politics

4 d. ago A new deal with the EU is exactly what Britain needs. Here’s how Labour will achieve it | Nick Thomas

This isn’t about politics – it’s about pragmatism. Working with our allies will make British people safer, more secure and more prosperousLabour has been determined to negotiate a new partnership with the EU. The benefits it could unlock are clear – reducing barriers to trade, driving economic growth and keeping us safe in an increasingly dangerous world. It is the sensible, pragmatic thing to do. We want to put more money in the pockets of working people and provide Britain with long-term stability and security; we won’t be defined by debates and arguments of the past.We are equally confident in what the UK can offer in return. It is a politically stable country, and the government has a huge mandate, with more than four years left to deliver our policies. This stability has already inspired the confidence of businesses across the world, unlocking tens of billions of pounds of long-term investment. This month, Universal announced a multi-billion-pound investment for a new theme par...

Economics

5 d. ago Labour MPs call for youth visa scheme as part of closer relationship with EU

The EU has pushed for such a scheme in talks with the UK.

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer avoids admitting he was wrong to say 'trans women are women' as he's furiously accused of having 'no balls' by Kemi Badenoch at PMQs

In the first session since the Easter break, Keir Starmer was repeatedly challenged by Kemi Badenoch over his shifting views on gender.

Politics

5 d. ago Badenoch declines to criticise Jenrick over Reform coalition comments – UK politics live

Spokesperson for Tory leader says she agrees with colleague that ‘we need to bring centre-right voters together’Rosie Duffield, the independent MP who left Labour after the election in part because she felt her gender critical views made her unwelcome in the party (although her resignation letter focused on welfare issues), has claimed that Keir Starmer no longer arguing a trans woman is a woman shows he is a “manager rather than a leader”.Speaking on LBC, Duffield said:It’s just another sign of the prime minister’s lack of leadership skills. I’m bound to say that, he’s a manager rather than a leader. He responds and reacts rather than leads from the front, and this is what we’re seeing again from him.Nigel Farage is peddling a dangerous fantasy by claiming the UK can be self-sufficient in gas.After sixty years of drilling, the truth is the UK has already burned most of its gas. That’s down to geology, not politics, and no amount of hot air from Farage will change that. Continue rea...

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer avoids admitting he was wrong to say 'trans women are women' as he's furiously accused of lacking 'moral courage' at PMQs

In the first session since the Easter break, Keir Starmer was repeatedly challenged by Kemi Badenoch over his shifting views on gender.

Politics

5 d. ago Labour minister says she's 'not interested in what men think' about gender in swipe at Keir Starmer during bruising TV interview after Supreme Court ruling

Dame Diana Johnson, the MP for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham was caught out on Sky News when asked whether the PM should apologise for being unable to say what a woman was in 2022.

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer calls for ‘lower temperature’ in trans debate as Badenoch says he must admit he was wrong about defining women – UK politics live

PM faced questions at PMQs after No 10 spokesperson said on Tuesday he does not believe transgender women are womenRosie Duffield, the independent MP who left Labour after the election in part because she felt her gender critical views made her unwelcome in the party (although her resignation letter focused on welfare issues), has claimed that Keir Starmer no longer arguing a trans woman is a woman shows he is a “manager rather than a leader”.Speaking on LBC, Duffield said:It’s just another sign of the prime minister’s lack of leadership skills. I’m bound to say that, he’s a manager rather than a leader. He responds and reacts rather than leads from the front, and this is what we’re seeing again from him.Nigel Farage is peddling a dangerous fantasy by claiming the UK can be self-sufficient in gas.After sixty years of drilling, the truth is the UK has already burned most of its gas. That’s down to geology, not politics, and no amount of hot air from Farage will change that. Continue ...

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer calls for ‘lower temperature’ in trans debate as Badenoch says he must admit he was wrong about defining women – PMQs live

PM faces questions in Commons after No 10 spokesperson said on Tuesday he does not believe transgender women are womenRosie Duffield, the independent MP who left Labour after the election in part because she felt her gender critical views made her unwelcome in the party (although her resignation letter focused on welfare issues), has claimed that Keir Starmer no longer arguing a trans woman is a woman shows he is a “manager rather than a leader”.Speaking on LBC, Duffield said:It’s just another sign of the prime minister’s lack of leadership skills. I’m bound to say that, he’s a manager rather than a leader. He responds and reacts rather than leads from the front, and this is what we’re seeing again from him.Nigel Farage is peddling a dangerous fantasy by claiming the UK can be self-sufficient in gas.After sixty years of drilling, the truth is the UK has already burned most of its gas. That’s down to geology, not politics, and no amount of hot air from Farage will change that. Contin...

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer should be held ‘personally responsible’ if trans women are harassed in male toilets, Labour NEC member says

Exclusive: A member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee claims Sir Keir Starmer is telling trans people to put themselves in harm’s way

Events

5 d. ago Starmer claims Labour is 'the patriotic party' and vows to 'fight' extremists for the English flag on St George's Day as he faces Reform challenge

The Prime Minister used a celebrity reception at No10 to warn of the 'never-ending fight for our flag and what it represents'.

Politics

5 d. ago Nigel Farage thinks net zero is the new Brexit. Starmer can prove him wrong | Rafael Behr

Labour must deliver the green transition voters want, leaving Reform and the Tories on the side of economic decline and dictatorsWhich former British prime minister described the climate emergency as “a clock ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2”?The florid style gives it away. You’d guess Boris Johnson even if you’d forgotten that the master of Brexit bombast also had a sideline in net zero evangelism. It wasn’t the most memorable part of his repertoire and it didn’t catch on as a Conservative catechism.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Now Keir Starmer DOESN'T believe trans women are women: Sir U

Keir Starmer hailed a 'step forward' by the Supreme Court as he faced questions on a visit to promote the government's pilot scheme for free breakfast clubs in schools.

Politics