7 h. ago Farage: Reform UK has ‘supplanted’ Tories after local elections sweep

The Reform leader said the Conservatives will ‘never recover’.

Politics

8 h. ago Kemi Badenoch urged to be bold as critics warn she has a year to restore Tory hopes from the 'existential' threat of Reform UK

The Tory leader is lining up a set of proposals, including on sentencing and social media, after criticism she has been too slow to develop policies.

Events

9 h. ago Talk of replacing Kemi Badenoch is a distraction from the Tory party’s real problems

Editorial: Yet another change of leader would only make the Conservative Party’s predicament worse

Politics

10 h. ago Starmer urged to change course, not go ‘further and faster’ after Reform gains

One Labour MP said the response from Downing Street was ‘nonsense’ while another said the party needs a ‘change of plan’.

Politics

20 h. ago Starmer urged to change course after Reform’s success in local elections

Labour MP Rachael Maskell said her party has ‘special responsibilities’ to serve the needs of people.

Politics

31 h. ago Fight starts TODAY for Tories to win back trust: Bloodbath at polls but top Conservatives rally round leader as she vows to reverse party fortunes

An electoral bloodbath led to the Conservatives being wiped out across swathes of local authorities, losing more than 550 councillors and control of 14 councils.

Politics

31 h. ago Main party leaders under pressure as Reform sweeps to victory in local elections

Reform picked up 10 councils and more than 600 seats in an election that Nigel Farage hailed as ‘the death of the Conservative Party’.

Politics

38 h. ago Badenoch apologises as Tories suffer heavy local election defeat

The Tory leader conceded the public was ‘still not yet ready to trust us’ after losing hundreds of councillors in a Reform UK surge.

Politics

39 h. ago Tory plotting already underway to replace Kemi Badenoch as leader after local elections disaster

Exclusive: Senior Tories plan to ask Robert Jenrick to make a bid to become Tory leader

Politics

40 h. ago Conservatives and Labour lose ground to Reform in local elections

Votes were continuing to be counted in council and mayoral contests on Friday afternoon.

Politics

40 h. ago Tories hail ‘significant’ mayoral election win after widespread losses

Party leader Kemi Badenoch previously warned the local elections would be tough for the Conservatives.

Politics

40 h. ago Tackling climate change vital, says Swinney in warning over ‘dangerous rhetoric’

The Scottish First Minister urged politicians from all parties to ‘recommit’ to action to tackle rising global temperatures.

Events

55 h. ago John Swinney urges all parties to ‘recommit’ to action on climate change

The Scottish First Minister condemned ‘anti-science climate denial’ as he said the climate crisis is ‘one of the greatest global issues of our time’.

Politics

57 h. ago Polls close in contests which could see Labour and Tories suffer losses

A parliamentary by-election, more than 1,600 council seats across 23 local authorities, four regional mayors and two local mayors are up for grabs.

Politics

57 h. ago Polls close for local and mayoral elections in England and byelection result due

First mayoral race results expected around 2am with important Runcorn and Helsby byelection result about an hour laterPolls have closed across England for local and mayoral elections, as well as a key parliamentary byelection, with the first results due to be announced within hours.It is the first full-scale electoral test for Keir Starmer since the general election, and could have notable repercussions for Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, as well as to a lesser extent for the Liberal Democrats and Greens. Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Tories brace for hundreds of losses as local election voting closes

Millions cast their votes on Thursday in the first major electoral test for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Keir Starmer since the PM won power last year

Politics

61 h. ago Senior Tories warn against deals with Reform as party braces for local election losses

Exclusive: Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch under growing pressure over her stance towards Nigel Farage’s party

Economics

64 h. ago Listen closely to the Kneecap furore. You’ll hear hypocrisy from all sides | Dorian Lynskey

The band’s rightwing critics are now cancel culture advocates, while defenders demand limitless free speechDorian Lynskey is the author of 33 Revolutions Per MinuteEarlier this year, the Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap appeared to be entering their respectable phase. Their self-titled film, a raucous semi-fictionalised biopic directed by Rich Peppiatt, won a Bafta for outstanding British debut, while Kemi Badenoch’s attempt to block a grant awarded by the British Phonographic Industry was overturned in court. As the film illustrates, Kneecap were accustomed to being denounced by unionist MPs but both sides reaped useful publicity. “We have a very dysfunctional, symbiotic relationship,” admitted rapper Naoise Ó Cairealláin.This process was dramatically derailed last week when Kneecap touched the third rail of Gaza and accused Israel of genocide on stage at Coachella festival in California. Cue fury from Fox News, calls for their visas to be revoked and, according to their manager...

Politics

2 d. ago Kemi Badenoch's life from moving to UK with £100 to hacking a rival's website

The local elections are taking place today and the Conservative frontwoman could be facing a huge loss of seats. We take a look at how Kemi Badenoch rose to the top

Economics

3 d. ago Labour faces first electoral test since taking power as voters head to polls

Kemi Badenoch has conceded the scale of the Conservative victory when these councils were last up for election in 2021 means losses are likely.

Politics