Keir Starmer takes a political gamble with message of bad news Past Labour PMs – Blair, Wilson, Attlee – have tended to arrive in power accentuating the positive The Guardian - UK · Aug 27, 2024
What we learned from the first big poll for the 2026 Scottish election Is it really looking good for Anas Sarwar? ... Polling expert James Kelly doubts it. The National (Scotland) · Aug 27, 2024
Are Starmer and Labour really in hock to ‘union paymasters’? PM faces pitfalls navigating what are crucial relationships but claims by jilted Tories don’t ring true, say experts The Guardian - UK · Aug 24, 2024
Tory leadership contenders would be wise to become the ‘heir to Keir’ The Conservative leadership contest is something of a sideshow to the meaningful politics of government. Whoever wins will inherit a depleted party reeling from arguably its worst ever election defeat. It comprises only 121 MPs, many now in marginal seats (77 are defending majorities where just a 5% swing would… The Conversation · Aug 23, 2024
Is effective centre-left government possible? Starmer has yet to prove that – but prove it he must The PM faces conflicting ideological demands. After the budget and Labour conference, we will see how adept he is at managing them, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett The Guardian - UK · Aug 23, 2024
Theresa May-lite or real humanitarian? Yvette Cooper’s new migrant plan makes me fear the worst Labour is wasting its time on efforts to appeal to all sides in the debate. The likes of Nigel Farage will never be satisfied, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams The Guardian - UK · Aug 21, 2024
A double whammy of winter fuel payment cuts and scrapping a planned cap on social care costs is set to hit older people Before the general election, former prime minister Rishi Sunak was asked on TV why he “hated pensioners”. After her recent speech in parliament, the same question might be directed at Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She has launched an assault on pensioners in England and Wales akin to the classic boxing “one-two”. The Conversation · Aug 16, 2024
In cancelling his family summer holiday, Keir Starmer has made his first serious mistake The days when Harold Macmillan could disappear to the grouse moors for the summer are gone – but even prime ministers need a break, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle The Guardian - UK · Aug 15, 2024
Grace Campbell says new Fringe show about abortion feels like an ‘exorcism’ ‘Abortion is really hard to talk about,’ the comedian said The Independent UK · Aug 9, 2024
Professor Gregor Gall: Labour must deliver on their pledges to workers THE GMB union lost its battle for union recognition at the Amazon BHX4 site in Coventry last month. It fell agonisingly short, losing by just 29… The National (Scotland) · Aug 6, 2024
Republicans beware: weaponising pets is a political minefield Before attacking ‘childless cat ladies’, senator JD Vance would have done well to remember the old showbiz adage… The Guardian - UK · Aug 4, 2024
UK police special enquiry team to examine role of Washington Post chief in email deletions Exclusive: Scotland Yard move on complaint by ex-PM Gordon Brown, who accuses Will Lewis of phone hacking ‘cover-up’ in 2011 The Guardian - UK · Jul 31, 2024
Inside the Labour Party's obsession with controversial PFIs The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was not always a controversial brand ... The National (Scotland) · Jul 30, 2024
Irregular, not illegal: what the UK government’s language reveals about its new approach to immigration One of Keir Starmer’s first acts as prime minister was to kill off the previous government’s flagship asylum policy. The Rwanda plan was doomed from the start, dogged by legal and political difficulties and culminating in a £320 million bill to the taxpayer with no planes actually taking off. The Conversation · Jul 29, 2024
The Independent UK · Jul 29, 2024 Labour lost almost a third of its Black and Asian support at election, polling finds Exclusive: Ipsos data shows both Labour and Tory parties lost a significant number of Black and Asian voters, who turned to Greens and Independents in unprecedented numbers
The Conversation · Jul 29, 2024 Historians of the Labour party put Britain’s new government into context The coming of a new Labour government is a moment to take stock. Are there things that the new administration can learn from previous Labour governments? Is it true, as David Cameron claimed in 2009, that Labour governments always run out of money?
The National (Scotland) · Jul 29, 2024 Why are we talking about PFI now? The public finance initiative was brought in under John Major’s government between 1992 and 1997 but was considerably expanded after that point…
The Guardian - UK · Jul 26, 2024 At last, the chance to legalise assisted dying in the UK – and end the untold, unnecessary anguish Tory MPs opposed to this human right have been swept away. On Friday in the Lords, a path towards choice will finally be set, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
The Conversation · Jul 26, 2024 Keir Starmer needs to answer these pressing questions about how he will govern Keir Starmer’s government has hit the ground running. But over the next few weeks and months some serious choices will have to be made about exactly how to govern. These are 13 pressing questions that will demand answers soon, partly drawing from my experience working in city government, several national…
The Guardian - UK · Jul 25, 2024 Keir Starmer, please – scrap the distasteful weekly brawl that is PMQs Parliament’s fusty old procedures badly need updating. The PM should start with a spectacle that serves no benefit, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
The Guardian - UK · Jul 24, 2024 The Guardian view on Labour’s rebellion: removing the whip is a step too far Editorial: A continuous demonstration of intra-party unity and loyalty to the party leader won’t solve Britain’s problems
The Conversation · Jul 24, 2024 Keir Starmer’s first prime minister’s questions: four things we learnt If you want real, substantive answers to a question, prime minister’s questions is not the place to be. But if you want to see how politicians defend their positions and hold others to account, it is must-see politics.
The Independent UK · Jul 24, 2024 World’s most expensive wedding party heading to UK with Prince Harry set to join £600m celebrations Indian heiress and son of Asia’s richest man continue wedding celebrations
The Guardian - UK · Jul 24, 2024 The Only Way Is Up by Polly Toynbee and David Walker review – climb every mountain A savage indictment of years of Conservative rule and how social democracy can set it right
International Business Times · Jul 22, 2024 UK Warned Israel Over 'Out Of Control' Troops In 2002: Archives Britain accused Israel of allowing its troops to run "out of control" during a huge military operation in the occupied West Bank two decades ago, UK government archives showed Tuesday.