Live results: Reform takes ten county councils in local elections landslide May 2, 2025 Reform is set to pick up hundreds of council seats around the country both from the Conservatives and Labour, in a significant electoral breakthrough. So far, the party has gained more than 500 seats, with the vast majority still to be counted and formally announced. In a major coup for Reform, it has taken control [...]
New powers to tackle fake immigration lawyers ‘unworkable in practice’ April 29, 2025 Crackdown on fake immigration 'lawyers' is said to be a "positive step" by the head of Law Society, but he warns it will be "unworkable in practice"
Bankrupt, rat-infested Birmingham shows why local government matters April 23, 2025 With local elections across much of England, it’s time we took regional accountability much more seriously, says Simon Clarke Next Thursday, there are local elections across much of England. For many people, these events will pass them by entirely. For others, they will be purely an opportunity to send a message about national politics: it [...]
Politics ‘not show business’, Badenoch warns at Tory local elections launch March 20, 2025 The Conservatives are facing an “extremely difficult” challenge in May’s local elections, Kemi Badenoch warned as she launched the party’s campaign to win town halls. The Tory leader was also defiant about the threat her party faces from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, urging voters to remember politics is not “show business” and that “you will [...]
Kemi Badenoch: Tories to look at ‘achievable solutions’ for clean energy March 18, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has said net zero is “impossible” for Britain to achieve by 2050 and that her party will look at “achievable solutions”. The Conservative Party leader outlined her plans for the Tories to renew their policy programme at a speech in London, as she set out her stall ahead of the May local elections. [...]
Reform UK pledge to stand candidates at all council elections in May March 17, 2025 Reform UK has promised to stand candidates in all the council elections in May. Chairman Zia Yusuf has pledged the party will stand candidates in all council seats at the local elections on May 1. Speaking at a press conference in central London, Yusuf said: “Last May, Reform failed to stand in 88 per cent [...]
Sunak’s green U-turn has been a strategic mistake May 9, 2024 The Prime Minister's U-turn on green policies has failed to produce results - because voters aren't anti net zero, writes Lucy Kenningham
The fight is on for the soul of the Conservative Party May 6, 2024 Rishi Sunak looks safe for now, but after a local election drubbing the battle for the future of the world’s second oldest political party, writes Jessica Frank-Keyes They say it’s the hope that kills you. And throughout Friday afternoon and evening, as the Tories hung on in Tees Valley, and whispers emerged of a Conservative [...]
‘Bring back Boris’: Conservative MPs divided after local elections fallout May 5, 2024 Conservative MPs were divided this morning over the fallout of the local election results, with one former minister calling for the “return of Boris".
Stickers and democracy sausages – time to give polling day some pizzazz May 2, 2024 Low turnout in elections is bad for democracy. If we want more people to vote, why not make polling day more of a party? Asks John Oxley It’s polling day in London, and chances are that you’re not going to vote. Well, admittedly, as a reader of opinion columns you are probably among the more [...]