Are the Conservatives on course to lose the next general election? May 5, 2023 Local election results are seen as a crucial test for governments – and oppositions. They provide parties with a sense of momentum; a narrative about the country’s direction; and vital data for political number crunchers to pore over. One particularly key metric we can extrapolate from them is the estimated national vote share. Not all [...]
Police urged to investigate Boris Johnson video May 5, 2023 Police are being urged to investigate after a video emerged of Boris Johnson allegedly not wearing a seatbelt in what appears to be a moving vehicle. In a video shared on social media, the former prime minister is heard urging Derbyshire Conservatives to “turn out and vote” ahead of Thursday’s local elections. Johnson does not [...]
Sunak to meet Oz and NZ leaders as trade deal – which promises cheaper manuka honey and Jacob’s Creek – takes effect May 5, 2023 Rishi Sunak is set to welcome the leaders of Australia and New Zealand to No10 ahead of the UK’s landmark post-Brexit trade deals coming into force. The prime minister will meet Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Chris Hipkins, prime minister of New Zealand, in Downing Street today. It comes as the UK’s trade deals with [...]
Local elections analysis: Do results suggest fear of complacency was misplaced? May 5, 2023 Poll leads can be a tricky thing for opposition parties, as Labour has shown in recent weeks. Lean in too far and risk appearing complacent. But downplay it too much, and you could fail to capitalise on a popularity boost. What everyone – from activists to frontbenchers – really want is cold, hard evidence of [...]
Local elections: Tories suffer big losses including commuter belt councils Hertsmere, Brentwood, Windsor and Maidenhead May 5, 2023 The Conservatives have been hit by major losses in the local elections – losing over a third of their council seats so far. Losses include key commuter belt councils Hertsmere, Brentwood and Windsor and Maidenhead – which includes former prime minister Theresa May’s constituency. It was prime minister Rishi Sunak’s first significant electoral test since [...]
Penny Mordaunt accused of letting politics ‘get in the way’ in ongoing Aquind row May 4, 2023 Emotions in Portsmouth are certainly running high. In the latest development of an ongoing row, local MP Penny Mordaunt lashed out at Alexander Temerko, director of Aquind – a company who’s proposal to build a power cable between France and England was rejected by the government in 2022. After stressing her security credentials, Mordaunt said: [...]
Sunak: Politics no longer ‘box set drama’ as local elections open May 4, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said politics is moving away from a “box set drama” style following months of turbulence. His comments came on the eve of local elections across England today (4 May) with requirements for voters to present photo ID at the ballot box coming in for the first time. Sunak is facing [...]
Hunt hypes up UK’s future as ‘world’s next Silicon Valley’ May 3, 2023 Jeremy Hunt has talked up Britain’s prospects of becoming the “world’s next Silicon Valley” in a summit with creative industries leaders. The Chancellor has said the Prime Minister’s ambition for the UK to become a “science and technology superpower” is key to the country’s future. Speaking at a Treasury Connect event in a series of [...]
Covid cash lost to fraud down by third because we’re ‘going after everybody’, Sunak claims May 3, 2023 Government cash lost to fraud and error via Covid-19 business and jobs support schemes has been reduced by a third thanks to “hundreds of criminal investigations”, Rishi Sunak has claimed. The prime minister defended the pandemic business loans and job support and vowed his government was “going after everybody” in a bid to reclaim the [...]
Second oil tanker in a week seized by Iran in Gulf – US Navy confirms May 3, 2023 A second oil tanker in a week was seized by Iran on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the US Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures.