Trade unions leader calls on Labour to forge closer relationship with Europe In an exclusive interview, the head of the TUC Paul Nowak says a customs union with the EU could boost the UK’s economy The Guardian - UK · Dec 27, 2025
Trade union members turning to Farage because of failure to tackle cost of living, Starmer warned The warning from TUC general secretary Paul Nowak comes as new polling shows one in five adults are skipping meals because of financial problems The Independent UK · Dec 27, 2025
Top Conservative peer urges Starmer to give Reform seats in House of Lords Reform’s success means their view ‘should be heard in the upper chamber as well’, says Lord True The Independent UK · Dec 26, 2025
UK ministers urged to cap political donations to ‘rebuild voter confidence’ Letter from 19 organisations says a cap would help to protect democracy, weeks after £9m donation to Reform UK The Guardian - UK · Dec 26, 2025
Friday briefing: The answers to our quiz are in – how much of 2025 did you remember? In today’s newsletter: From the right number of French prime ministers to the pasttimes of Archie Bland’s dog – here are answers to our inaugural Christmas Day quiz. The Guardian - UK · Dec 26, 2025
Starmer’s shift to the right to combat Farage threat is ‘utterly doomed’, union boss warns Union boss Matt Wrack warned that the PM ‘can never out-Farage Farage’ as the government attempt to win back votes lost to Reform UK The Independent UK · Dec 25, 2025
Ditch Starmer to boost hopes of winning next election, say Labour voters in new poll Findings of a survey commissioned by The Independent reveals Andy Burnham as favourite to take over from the prime minister The Independent UK · Dec 25, 2025
Did 2025 mark the end of British parliamentary democracy as we know it? The conventions and rituals that define the way we do politics rapidly eroded this year – setting the UK on a course into the unknown, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett The Guardian - UK · Dec 25, 2025
Farage criticised for £400,000 job promoting physical gold as pension investment Exclusive: Reform leader promotes Direct Bullion – but experts say commodity is not for everyday investors The Guardian - UK · Dec 24, 2025
Don't deprive voters in London commuter belt from taking part in local elections, Starmer warned by watchdog Elections in nine areas, including Essex, Surrey, Hampshire and East and West Sussex, have already been delayed by 12 months until next year Evening Standard · Dec 24, 2025
Pollsters claim Reform UK is ‘in decline’ as lead over Labour drops A Yougov poll has shown that the lead held by Nigel Farage’s party has dropped from 10 to five points with both Labour and the Tories gaining The Independent UK · Dec 23, 2025
Farage Slams UK's Live Lobster Boil Ban: 'Control Freakery' in New Cruelty Crackdown The UK has banned boiling lobsters alive in a new cruelty crackdown, but Reform UK's Nigel Farage calls it 'authoritarian control freakery.' International Business Times UK · Dec 23, 2025
Reform plan to cap aid at £1bn would damage UK’s international influence, critics warn Exclusive: Campaigners say slashing overseas aid would leave UK unable to meet existing commitments The Guardian - UK · Dec 23, 2025
Tuesday briefing: What would a Reform-led country look like? In today’s newsletter: Local government may offer some answers – after winning 677 council seats, Reform’s triumph quickly gave way to reports of chaos, infighting, and scandal The Guardian - UK · Dec 23, 2025
The Guardian - UK · Dec 22, 2025 Boiling lobsters alive to be banned in England amid animal cruelty crackdown Move is part of a long-awaited Labour strategy including outlawing hen cages and ending puppy farming
Evening Standard · Dec 22, 2025 Ban on shock collars and trail hunting among Government’s animal welfare plans The animal welfare strategy, launched on Monday, includes plans to ban trail hunting, for fear it is being used as cover for chasing live foxes.
Evening Standard · Dec 21, 2025 Elections watchdog will not investigate Nigel Farage’s constituency spending Labour had called for an investigation into spending in the Clacton constituency, after raising questions about whether it breached a spending limit.
The Guardian - UK · Dec 21, 2025 Starmer will ‘absolutely’ still be prime minister by next Christmas, says Labour chair – as it happened Anna Turley says people will start to ‘see and feel’ change in public services and cost of living from next year
Evening Standard · Dec 20, 2025 Farage faces calls to sack candidate who claimed Lammy should ‘go home’ Hampshire and the Solent mayoral candidate Chris Parry’s conduct on X was described as ‘racist and grossly offensive’ by the Labour Party.
The Independent UK · Dec 20, 2025 Pressure on Farage to sack ‘racist’ Reform candidate as he doubles down on claim Lammy should ‘go home’ to Caribbean ‘Farage's refusal to take action against racism in his party shows what a dark place he's dragging politics to,’ says Labour Party chair as Reform’s Hampshire mayor candidate praises Enoch Powell
The Guardian - UK · Dec 20, 2025 Reform councillors in Kent condemned for spending thousands on political assistants Party that pledged to cut waste and save money faces criticism after pushing through vote to employ advisers
The Guardian - UK · Dec 20, 2025 Was 2025 the year that business retreated from net zero? From retailers to banks, carmakers to councils, the bold pledges for carbon-neutral economies are being watered down or scrapped
The Guardian - UK · Dec 19, 2025 We abhor racism in Britain, but refuse to recognise where it comes from Letters: Paul McGilchrist says we will remain complicit in the rise of racism until we can accept that it emerges from problematic behaviours and attitudes. Plus letters from Dr Peter Purton and Michael Bulley
The Guardian - UK · Dec 19, 2025 As Tory after Tory defects to Nigel Farage, I say this: be careful which turncoats you wish for As a chief whip, I came to know a thing or two about those who flee their parties. Often they are more trouble than they are worth, says government chief whip from 2022 to 2024, Simon Hart
The Guardian - US · Dec 19, 2025 Conservative legal group aims to export its rightwing Christian mission beyond US borders Alliance Defending Freedom has ramped up its global spending on litigation and other campaigns to push its ultra-conservative Christian values