5 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

5 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

11 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

12 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

13 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

13 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

13 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

29 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

31 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

31 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

31 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

35 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

38 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

41 h. ago Nigel Farage says the NHS should NOT be funded from general taxation because it 'isn't working' and the 'rich' should pay more

The Reform UK leader, speaking ahead of today's local elections , said the health service in its current form 'is not working' as he suggested 'the rich' should pay more.

Economics

43 h. ago Nigel Farage 'doesn't want' NHS to be publicly funded as Reform leader criticises health service

The Reform UK leader was condemned for comments broadcast on the day of the local elections in England.

Politics

45 h. 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

53 h. 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

58 h. ago Massive Attack defend Kneecap after row over ‘kill your MP’ footage

Video has emerged from a November 2023 gig appearing to show one member of the Irish group saying: ‘Kill your local MP.’

Events

60 h. ago Sir Ed Davey signs ‘magic spatulas’ during local election visit

Sir Ed visited Lib Dem campaigners in Tunbridge Wells feeling ‘optimistic’ about their chances in the elections on Thursday.

Politics

61 h. ago Party leaders trade blows over grooming gangs, immigration and Trump in bruising PMQs on eve of local elections... as Labour fears they are 'toast'

With less than 24 hours before polls open, Kemi Badenoch used PMQs to lay into Keir Starmer for refusing to launch a national inquiry into 'rape gangs'.

Politics