15 h. ago Lucy Powell slams 'unacceptable' Labour infighting and explains what needs to change

Speaking in a week that saw a briefing war emerge over Keir Starmer’s leadership, the Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell called for a 'cultural reset' in how politics was done

Politics

4 d. ago New drug could 'slow progression' of motor neurone disease and offer 'real hope'

The discovery offers hope of substantially slowing the progression of "one of the cruellest diseases"

Events

5 d. ago The death of the country house? Buyers no longer want lavish rural pads... and they're selling for a bargain

Off the record, estate agents describe a market devoid of buyers. Home sellers left waiting in faint hope not just for an offer, but for a single viewing.

Economics

5 d. ago Resilience of Europe’s populist right carries warning for US Democrats

As Democrats bask in electoral success the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary offer a cautionary taleIn the afterglow of electoral triumph, hope springs renewed for Democrats confined to the frustrating impotence of political opposition.Boosted by last week’s electoral wins in New York City, Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere, as well as California’s affirmation of Proposition 50 allowing for congressional redistricting, party members suddenly feel able to dream that future elections may herald an escape route from the Donald Trump era. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago ‘We’ve planted the apple that fell on Newton’s head’: the artists striking back against the climate emergency

From cultivating a spiral-shaped orchard to finding lost glaciers and dressing up as a landmark bird, on 4 November artists around the UK will participate in Remember Nature, a day of activism to offer hope for the futureBack in 2015, well into the twilight of his life, the artist and activist Gustav Metzger decided to embark on one last big project. Best known as the inventor of auto-destructive art – a response, he said, to the destructive horrors of the Holocaust – Metzger had also, over the course of a long career, been an inspirational teacher to Pete Townshend of the Who and campaigned for numerous causes including nuclear disarmament and vegetarianism. Now, on a video message barely three minutes long, he was making one final plea.“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your participation in this worldwide call for a day of action to remember nature on November 4th, 2015,” he began, appealing to creatives to take a stand against the ongoing erasure of species. “Our task is to remin...

Economics

3 w. ago Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell says party can still win in Scotland by uniting against hate

Lucy Powell insists Labour can turn around the polls with a clearer sense of values and "whose side we are on".

Politics

3 w. ago DAN HODGES: It's only a matter of when, not if, the Prime Minister is removed by his backbenchers

Keir Starmer 's defeat in Labour's deputy leadership contest is a calamity for him. The only question now is whether his MPs move against him before or after next year's local elections.

Politics

3 w. ago Powell calls on Labour to show more ‘purpose’ after winning deputy leadership race

MP for Manchester Central beats education secretary Bridget Phillipson to secure influential role

Politics

3 w. ago DAN HODGES: Lucy Powell's Deputy Leadership victory sounds the death knell for Starmer. I know her well, and this is what she has planned for Labour and the country

Now it is only a matter of when, not if, he is removed as Prime Minister. And that's good news for Labour, and good news for Britain.

Politics

3 w. ago Lucy Powell's deputy Labour leadership will be different in one important way

Ms Powell could now be free to speak out against his Government’s policies from the back benches rather than being bound by collective responsibility like her rival

Politics

3 w. ago Lucy Powell's speech on 'huge privilege' to be elected Deputy Labour leader in full

The new deputy leader said: "We have to offer hope, to offer the big change the country is crying out for. We must give a stronger sense of our purpose, whose side we are on and of our Labour values and beliefs"

Politics

3 w. ago Blow for Starmer as sacked Cabinet minister Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leader contest

Lucy Powell - who was sacked from the Cabinet by the PM just last month - saw off Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in the contest.

Politics

3 w. ago Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leadership race to add to Starmer’s headaches

The Manchester Central MP was sacked from the Government by Sir Keir Starmer and will now be a prominent voice on the back benches.

Politics

3 w. ago Lucy Powell wins Labour Deputy Leadership contest and calls for party to offer 'hope'

The former leader of the Commons Lucy Powell secured 87,407 votes in the contest to succeed Angela Rayner, defeating Bridget Phillipson who earned 73,536 in a close contest

Politics

3 w. ago Labour’s new deputy leader to be announced – UK politics live

Polling suggests Lucy Powell enjoyed a healthy lead over Bridget Phillipson as voting closed on ThursdayThere will be no big event to mark the new deputy leader result on Saturday, just a camera in Labour HQ with the results and a short speech from the winner. Some of Lucy Powell’s backers are irritated by the low-key plan. There are fears that she may be in effect frozen out – and uncertainty over whether she would be able to do her own broadcast rounds or election organising. “They need to respect the mandate if she wins,” one ally said.Senior strategists had hoped five weeks ago to avoid a contest altogether, with a high threshold for MP nominations. Keir Starmer made appointments in the reshuffle for the party chair and the deputy prime minister, crowding out the role of deputy leader.This sounds like an operational error, but the buck has to stop somewhere, and it has to stop at the top, at the justice secretary, the home secretary and the prime minister.They have said that the...

Politics

3 w. ago Keir Starmer is 'out of touch' with Labour voters and must be clearer about party's 'purpose' says soft

Lucy Powell hit out at the Prime Minister in the lead-up to poll closing today in a deputy leadership election that could trigger a major new schism in Labour and see it tack even further to the left.

Politics

3 w. ago The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. Trump's plan can't be an excuse to dodge responsibility now | Nathalie Tocci

Tiptoeing around Israel has cost Europe its credibility. It must exert meaningful pressure to ensure the horrors we have seen never happen againThe first phase of Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has drawn a collective sigh of relief from European leaders. After two years of slaughter, the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli military’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and humanitarian access to the territory offer hope – and unfortunately, an excuse for Europe to continue doing nothing.When it comes to the war in Gaza, unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European governments have shown their worst colours. They are divided, and their political splits have led to policy paralysis. But worse than sitting on the sidelines hand-wringing, European governments and EU institutions in Brussels can be accused of complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They have been unwilling to exert any pressure on the perpetrators, while continuing economic, political and...

Politics

3 w. ago We must turn Labour around, deputy leadership frontrunner warns Starmer as she hits out at ‘mistakes’

Exclusive: Frontrunner for deputy leadership takes aim at PM over ‘mis-steps and mistakes’, saying she was sacked for opposing cuts and that the party must reconnect with lost voters - but not by copying Reform

Events

3 w. ago Labour deputy leadership contest may only cause more trouble for Starmer

Victory for Lucy Powell or Bridget Phillipson, the rivals at the centre of the race, could be reckoning for the party When Lucy Powell got a phone call from a withheld number in her constituency office in Manchester on the day Angela Rayner resigned, Powell told her staff: “This is me getting the sack.” Never would the former Commons leader have believed less than two months later that she might be on the brink of returning as Labour’s deputy leader.Her rival, Bridget Phillipson, also never expected to be in this position. Hurt by some of the internal briefing against her position as education secretary, she debated for more than a day whether to join the race at all. Being cast as the favoured candidate has not been comfortable. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Lucy Powell hits out at anonymous briefing in Labour deputy leadership race

Her opponent Bridget Phillipson said she had also been subjected to ‘vicious’ briefing.

Politics