5 h. ago Tories withdraw ‘mental health’ briefing about Suella Braverman after former Tory home secretary joins Reform – UK politics live

Her defection means there are now eight Reform MPs in the CommonsKeir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to what he would say to Labour MPs who think he is being “cowardly” and just blocking Burnham to avoid the risk of a leadership contest.Millions of people will be better off if we have the continuation of a Labour government in Wales, and if we’re able to win the government in Scotland and retain and win councils across England.When I came into politics in 2015, the first thing I did was support Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign. The first team I worked in was for Andy Burnham. And in the job he’s doing now, he and I work closely together ..So there’s no question of me and Andy not working very well together. He’s doing an excellent job.The battle of our times is the battle between patriotic, Lab...

Society

5 h. ago Watch: Suella Braverman laments Tory MPs joining Reform before her own defection

Suella Braverman ruled out ever defecting to Reform UK, resurfaced video shows after the former Conservative MP announced on Monday (26 January) that she would be joining Nigel Farage’s party.

Politics

6 h. ago Reform UK: All the politicians who have defected as Suella Braverman latest to join from Conservatives

Here is a list of politicians who have recently defected to Reform UK

Politics

7 h. ago Suella Braverman ruled out ever joining Reform UK, resurfaced video shows

Suella Braverman ruled out ever defecting to Reform UK, resurfaced video shows after the former Conservative MP announced on Monday (26 January) that she would be joining Nigel Farage’s party.

Culture

7 h. ago Labour says Farage ‘stuffing his party full of failed Tories’ after Suella Braverman joins Reform – UK politics live

Her defection comes shortly after Robert Jenrick joined Nigel Farage’s party, meaning there are now eight Reform MPs in the CommonsKeir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to what he would say to Labour MPs who think he is being “cowardly” and just blocking Burnham to avoid the risk of a leadership contest.Millions of people will be better off if we have the continuation of a Labour government in Wales, and if we’re able to win the government in Scotland and retain and win councils across England.When I came into politics in 2015, the first thing I did was support Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign. The first team I worked in was for Andy Burnham. And in the job he’s doing now, he and I work closely together ..So there’s no question of me and Andy not working very well together. He’s doing an excellen...

Politics

7 h. ago Who is Suella Braverman? Former Home Secretary becomes latest Tory MP to join Reform

The former Attorney General has sparked controversy by backing the Government’s new immigration policy

Society

8 h. ago ‘I feel like I’ve come home’: former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK – UK politics live

Her defection comes shortly after Robert Jenrick joined Nigel Farage’s party, meaning there are now eight Reform MPs in the Commons.Keir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to what he would say to Labour MPs who think he is being “cowardly” and just blocking Burnham to avoid the risk of a leadership contest.Millions of people will be better off if we have the continuation of a Labour government in Wales, and if we’re able to win the government in Scotland and retain and win councils across England.When I came into politics in 2015, the first thing I did was support Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign. The first team I worked in was for Andy Burnham. And in the job he’s doing now, he and I work closely together ..So there’s no question of me and Andy not working very well together. He’s doing an excelle...

Society

1 week ago Tory ‘arsonists’ still in charge of party, says Jenrick as he hits back at Badenoch

Former Conservative minister who has joined Reform responds to allegations of lying from his former leaderUK politics live – latest updatesThe “arsonists” who tanked the reputation of the Conservatives are still in charge of the party, Robert Jenrick has said as he and the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, trade blows a day after his dramatic defection to Reform UK.Giving his first interview since his announcement on Thursday, the former shadow justice secretary said the Conservatives had not changed since the election, while defending himself against allegations of lying from his former party leader. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Opponents label Jenrick a ‘chancer’ and a ‘charlatan’ as he defects to Reform – politics live

Former shadow justice secretary turns fire on Tories and Labour as he joins Nigel Farage’s partyFull report: Badenoch sacks JenrickNigel Farage, speaking at his press conference in Scotland, has said that “of course” he has had conversations with Robert Jenrick, who was sacked by Kemi Badenoch this morning for planning to defect.UPDATE: Farage said:I have had conversations with a number of very senior conservatives over the course of the last week, the last month. A lot of them realise that for all the talk on 8 May the Conservative Party will cease to be a national party. They will be obliterated in Scotland, Wales, the red wall councils.As far as Mr Jenrick is concerned, of course I have talked to Robert Jenrick. Was I on the verge of signing him up? No. But we have had conversations.This morning I removed the Conservative whip from Robert Jenrick after dismissing him from the shadow cabinet.I was very sorry to be presented with clear, irrefutable evidence, not just that he was pr...

Politics

1 week ago Robert Jenrick attacks Tories as ‘failed’ party as he defects to Reform

It comes after the Newark MP was sacked from the Tory frontbench by Kemi Badenoch.

Events

1 week ago Wes Streeting criticises Labour colleagues who blame Whitehall for blocking reform – UK politics live

Health secretary says: ‘If we tell the public that we can’t make anything work, then why on earth would they vote to keep us in charge’Here is Jessica Elgot’s report on Wes Streeting’s speech. (See 9.45am.)Here is a fuller version of the quote from Wes Streeting’s speech, from the Times’ Steven Swinford.Bafflingly, some on my own side of the political divide have begun to parrot the same argument. They complain about the civil service. They blame stakeholder capture.This excuses culture does the centre-left no favours. If we tell the public that we can’t make anything work, then why on earth would they vote to keep us in charge? Continue reading...

Politics