76 m. ago Speculation over Rachel Reeves’s future as demands for winter fuel cuts U

Reform’s election success last week has seen troubled Labour MPs pushing for a U-turn on winter fuel payments and speculation over a ministerial reshuffle

Politics

2 h. ago Speculation over Rachel Reeves’ future as demands for winter fuel cuts U

Reform’s election success last week has seen troubled Labour MPs pushing for a U-turn on winter fuel payments and speculation over a ministerial reshuffle

Politics

2 h. ago DAN HODGES: Tripling down on rape gangs and inviting even more Indians over to take our jobs. The British people are sick of Keir Starmer

So now we know. Keir Starmer's response to the drubbing he and his party received in Thursday's local elections will not be a reverse on winter fuel. Or a clear response to spiralling immigration.

Events

2 h. ago Friedrich Merz arrives as a humbled new German chancellor – but that may not be the worst way to start | Jörg Lau

Defeat in the first round of a confirmation vote was humiliating. It could be the lesson Merz needed to change his leadership styleThere goes the cliche about German politics being stable but dull. Germany finally has a new leader, but only after a day of drama, suspense and historic twists. The conservative Friedrich Merz failed to secure a majority confirming him as chancellor in the first round of voting in the Bundestag. In eight decades of postwar Germany, this has never happened before.When Merz’s cabinet was finally sworn in later on Tuesday afternoon, after a successful second round, both parties in the governing coalition – the conservative CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats (SPD) – were eager to play down the failure as a mere hiccup. But the high drama indicates a new degree of fragmentation and instability in the German party system. It is certain to affect the way this new administration will govern.Jörg Lau is an international correspondent for the German weekly Die Zeit...

Politics

3 h. ago 'Fascinating' poll reveals huge boost for Reform as pecking order changes

Result would see Nigel Farage’s party form opposition to SNP government

Politics

4 h. ago UK politics live: Hunt admits Tories ‘can’t rule out’ party extinction after disastrous local elections

Comes as Starmer and Badenoch clash over government’s newly-struck UK-India trade deal and Labour’s winter fuel payment cuts

Politics

6 h. ago Britain's richest plumber Charlie Mullins reveals he's considering a UK return from his tax exile in Spain so he can become a Reform councillor

EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Mullins insists he is 'loving life' abroad but would 'undoubtedly' consider coming back to contest a local council election in his native South London.

Politics

6 h. ago The 'bizarre' Scottish constituency change for historic loch town that has angered locals

There is an arm wrestle taking place over Linlithgow and whether it should sit within a new constituency.

Politics

6 h. ago PMQs live: Starmer and Badenoch clash on winter fuel and India trade deal in first debate post local elections

Tory leader piles pressure on prime minister to restore winter fuel payments to all pensioners

Politics

7 h. ago Labour revolt on winter fuel mounts as poll shows Reform with a record SEVEN POINT lead

Nigel Farage's party was on 29 per cent in the latest YouGov poll carried out in the wake of the local elections, up three on last week.

Politics

7 h. ago Scottish transport & storage firms are ditching green policies in favour of AI

A Government survey has revealed transportation & storage sector companies – including companies based in Scotland – are abandoning their carbon reduction plans in order to finance AI projects. ‘Is this a sign of changing political and social priorities?’ asks the home delivery expert Parcelhero.

Events

8 h. ago UK politics live: Labour insists India trade deal does not undercut British workers after ‘two

Starmer to soon face grilling at PMQs over newly-struck agreenment and local election losses

Economics

8 h. ago PMQs live: Keir Starmer faces anger after local elections as 45 Labour MPs tell him to 'act now'

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will today face Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions for the first time since both parties suffered at the local elections last week

Politics

9 h. ago Labour revolt on winter fuel mounts as poll shows Reform with a SEVEN POINT lead

Nigel Farage's party was on 29 per cent in the latest YouGov poll carried out in the wake of the local elections, up three on last week.

Politics

9 h. ago Red Wall MPs demand Starmer ‘acts now’ to reverse winter fuel cuts as backlash grows

The prime minister’s official spokesperson ruled out a U-turn on cuts to the winter fuel allowance despite disastrous local election results for Labour

Politics

24 h. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s drift and Tory collapse: Reform fills a vacuum they created | Editorial

Faragism’s rise isn’t a surge of enthusiasm – it’s a symptom of exhaustion with two parties failing to offer vision, justice or renewalSir Keir Starmer promised change – and, in a way, he has delivered it. Gone are the days of bold, expansive pledges; in their place are cautious, measurable goals: 6,500 new teachers, 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week. Yet voters, oddly ungrateful, remain unmoved. Perhaps it is because these modest gains barely scratch the surface of national decline. The government has touched lives, just not in the ways it promised. Cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners and proposed reductions in disability benefits have landed with jarring force. Sir Keir’s managerial style may promise stability, but voters expected transformation. The result: disillusionment with a government delivering change – but not the change voters thought they had chosen.Labour’s poor local election showing could be shrugged off as low turnout in the shires. The party wo...

Politics

26 h. ago Half of Reform voters say local election vote was a protest in clear warning to Starmer and Badenoch

After disastrous local election results, Tory MPs hoping to install Robert Jenrick as new leader risk being disappointed as research suggest he would not beat Nigel Farage’s Reform

Events

30 h. ago Poll of the day: Should Labour reverse the cuts to winter fuel payments?

Have your say: Labour’s cuts to winter fuel payments, blamed for heavy local election losses, have sparked a fierce debate over whether the policy should be reversed to win back voter trust

Politics

31 h. ago Voters don’t think Starmer and Badenoch will lead parties into next general election

After disastrous local election results, Tory MPs hoping to install Robert Jenrick as new leader risk being disappointed as research suggest he would not beat Nigel Farage’s Reform

Politics

31 h. ago 'Don't panic,' says William Hague as Tory grandee clashes with Liz Truss on how to save party after elections rout

The Conservatives lost 674 council seats on May 1 as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surged

Politics