What if Andy Burnham had become Labour leader in 2015? Opinion On his third try, Andy Burnham looks all but certain to become Labour leader. But what if he had taken the reins of the party eleven years earlier? Matt Kenyon imagines an alternative timeline… 2015 It’s a world that looks a lot like our own. There’s just one, seemingly minor, difference: A cluster of well-meaning [...]
Defence secretary defends UK stance on Iran as Starmer faces backlash Politics Keir Starmer is facing mounting criticism from senior Conservatives over Britain’s response to the escalating conflict with Iran, as defence secretary John Healey confirmed UK forces are actively intercepting Iranian drones and reinforcing regional defences. Speaking on Sky News, Healey said “few people will mourn the Ayatollah’s death”. He described the Iranian regime as a [...]
Starmer: UK not involved in Venezuela strikes Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed the UK was “not involved” in the US military strikes on Venezuela or the capture of Nicolas Maduro earlier this morning. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Starmer said: “I haven’t [spoken to President Trump] and it’s obviously a fast-moving situation. We need to establish all the facts. “What [...]
Rachel Reeves rented out her home without a licence October 30, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out an investigation into Rachel Reeves after she admitted that she rented out her family home without securing a licence. The Chancellor referred herself to an independent ethics adviser after being made aware on Wednesday that Southwark council required her to obtain a “selective” licence to let a property. Reeves [...]
Conservatives will attempt to block Chagos deal over China spying fears October 18, 2025 Conservative MPs will launch a last-ditch attempt to block the Chagos Islands deal next week due to fears it will be used by China to spy on the UK. First reported in the Telegraph, the Tories plan to force a vote in Parliament over whether to effectively end the deal by holding up payments to [...]
Business chiefs would be ambassadors if Tories re-elected October 4, 2025 Business chiefs would be made ambassadors to represent the UK’s interests abroad if the Tories were re-elected into government. Leaders from the private sector would be part of a “cultural revolution towards commerce” under a Conservative government, according to shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel. In an article for the [...]
Jeremy Hunt ‘made mistake’ in taxing non doms June 27, 2025 Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was wrong to target non doms as part of efforts to raise more government revenue from tax, shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith has said. Hunt abolished a special tax status for non-domiciled residents in his last Budget, then raising £2.7bn, before Rachel Reeves went further by removing a carve-out that allowed [...]
Israeli ministers face UK sanctions over Gaza stance June 10, 2025 Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were sanctioned by the UK government over “monstrous” comments on Gaza and the use of violence to expand control in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir, Israeli security minister, and Smotrich, the finance minister, will face financial sanctions – their assets will be frozen – as well as a travel [...]
‘Chagos chaos’ continues as deal is put ‘on hold’ May 16, 2025 The government has put the much-contested Chagos islands deal ‘on hold’ after outcry from Labour backbenchers. The deal would see sovereignty over the Chagos islands returned to Mauritius, but with the UK and US paying to continue military operations on the islands. The transfer is reported to cost the UK £9bn. While President Trump has [...]
EU reset: Government face backlash on meat and dairy regulatory alignment April 15, 2025 The government is facing a backlash over reported plans to align with EU regulations on meat and dairy products. UK officials have suggested to European Union (EU) counterparts that Britain could be willing to accept alignment with EU rules on fresh meat and dairy, and to accept oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), [...]