Starmer latest: Wes Streeting to visit PM for No 10 showdown over Labour division ahead of King’s Speech More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a statement urging Sir Keir Starmer not to stand down The Independent UK · May 12
Local elections: How did the parties do compared with previous years? Counting for the local elections concluded on Monday, more than 72 hours after polling stations closed. Evening Standard · May 11
MP backs down from Labour leadership bid as Starmer vows to prove doubters wrong Catherine West had previously said she would challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership as early as Monday afternoon. Evening Standard · May 11
Victorian politics still exposed to ‘dark money’ and foreign donations as MPs struggle to agree on urgent reforms Exclusive: state is now without caps on political donations or disclosure requirements, months out from November election The Guardian - AU · May 11
Random Musing: Why Keir Starmer is experiencing 'Labour pain' A version of the British Parliament has been around since 1265 in one form or another, and has survived murderous kings, civil and world wars, lord protectors, skirmishes that inspired the Game of Thrones Red Wedding, and one lettuce that briefly became a constitutional actor. It has seen its fair… The Times of India · May 11
Starmer vows to prove ‘doubters’ wrong after local election drubbing Describing the election results as ‘tough’, he told an audience in central London: ‘I get it, I feel it, and I take responsibility.’ Evening Standard · May 11
Starmer vows to prove doubters wrong as he tries to ward off leadership challenge PM makes series of policy pledges including seeking new deal with EU and says he will fight any challenge The Guardian - UK · May 11
Meet the newest member of Scottish Parliament, an Indian-born who went to UK on a student visa India-born, non-binary anthropologist Q Manivannan has been elected to the Scottish Parliament on a "kinder politics" platform. Manivannan, a queer Tamil immigrant, secured a win for the Scottish Greens, enabled by a rule change allowing visa holders to contest elections. He aims to bring a politics of care and solidarity… The Economic Times · May 11
'Need to do more': Labor to lift lid on housing reform Australians are under financial pressure and the government cannot "just sit back", the prime minister says, as his treasurer prepares to hand down the budget. AAP · May 11
2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions Keir Starmer’s party has lost out to Reform and the Greens, with no respite in Scotland, Wales or England The Guardian - UK · May 11
‘London is a case study in hope’: Sadiq Khan on 10 years as mayor London mayor talks up coalition-building, highlights his environmental record, and worries national Labour party is on the wrong track The Guardian - UK · May 11
What’s behind surge in support for Reform and Greens across England? Five key takeaways Significant gains this week lay bare an increasingly fragmented political system The Guardian - UK · May 10
UK in chaos: A warning for Dems? Two years after the British Labour Party’s “landslide” win, a crushing defeat threatens its future Salon · May 10
‘Better the devil you know’: former Labour voters in Birmingham unsure about replacing Starmer Focus group sceptical that replacing Keir Starmer would improve party’s fortunes, with some drawn to Reform or the Greens The Guardian - UK · May 10
The Guardian - UK · May 9 Labour MP says she will trigger leadership contest by Monday if cabinet does not launch challenge – as it happened Catherine West says she will try to get the necessary signatures herself to trigger a leadership contest
The Guardian - UK · May 9 ‘I’ll talk to work on Monday’: what happens when a ‘paper candidate’ actually wins? Tyrone Scott, who didn’t think he had a hope in the election, wants to help the Greens rebuild ‘community cohesion’ in Hackney
The Guardian - UK · May 9 British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses Labour party loses more than 1,400 English council seats and crashes out in Welsh and Scottish parliament votes
The Guardian - UK · May 9 John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ‘greater respect’ after SNP victory Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beaten in election as count puts his party on 17 seats, a tie with Reform
The Conversation · May 8 English local elections 2026: a story of a new kind of politics Every election is a storytelling contest, with campaigning parties competing to frame the plot. This year’s local elections, the largest test of voters’ mood since the 2024 general election, have been dominated by two master-narratives.
The Guardian - AU · May 8 Water flows to parched NSW wetlands could be turned back on within weeks as drought fears loom Water minister Rose Jackson calls drying in Gwydir region ‘devastating’ as bill passes upper house
Evening Standard · May 7 Votes being counted in crucial elections for Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership Polling guru Lord Robert Hayward has suggested Labour could lose some 1,850 councillors in England.
The Guardian - UK · May 7 Labour suffers historic defeat in Wales as Reform surges in English council elections and Greens make gains – as it happened Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat with party pushed into third place behind Plaid Cymru and Reform
Evening Standard · May 7 London local elections: Which boroughs have mayors and who will win? Residents in Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Croydon will cast their votes to appoint a mayor for their council
The Independent UK · May 7 Greens not viewed as party with biggest antisemitism problem, poll shows When asked which of the main five parties has an antisemitism problem, Labour and Reform were identified most frequently, with both at 33 per cent