The brave four who think they can save Britainโs terminal Tory party
Meet the leadership hopefuls vying to bring the U.K’s Conservatives back from the brink.
Conservatives
Harris is bringing two former Trump administration officials as her debate guests
Itโs part of the campaignโs ongoing effort to use Trumpโs former allies to troll him.
EPP plots to limit Socialist Riberaโs economic powers
Spainโs green ‘socialist heavyweight,’ Teresa Ribera, is in talks about a role in EU industrial policy, disconcerting center-right politicians.
EU politicians weigh in on Draghi report
Mario Draghiโs long-awaited report on European competitiveness has been met by MEPs with both praise and reservations. Centrist politicians hope for a speedy correction of EU industrial policies, while conservatives fear accelerated spending and the fa…
Could the European Parliament reject Italyโs commission nominee? | Radio Schuman
It would be ‘odd’ to offer a vice-presidential portfolio to a candidate from the European Conservatives, German Green MEP Daniel Freund tells Euronews of the Italian commission nominee.
The great Commission puzzle: Who we think will get each portfolio
Ursula von der Leyen is about to hand out key jobs in her team. Hereโs POLITICOโs version of the next Commission.
The Tories used to be the party of business. Now theyโre a joke.
Normally a hotbed of business schmoozing, the Conservative conference is generating shrugs among industry chiefs.
โItโs disastrousโ: White evangelicals waver after Trumpโs shifts on abortion
Trump canโt win without overwhelming evangelical support. His recent comments on abortion have some of his allies on the religious right worried.
Donโt abolish us, cry Britainโs aristocratic lawmakers
Tory peer slams “high-handed, shoddy” decision to remove Britain’s remaining legislators who inherit their places. But Labour says it’s sorting unfinished business.
Macron eyes Michel Barnier for prime minister
The French president seeks to form a new government two months after a snap election defeat.
In the UK, Conservatives choose a successor to Rishi Sunak
After beginning in front of the group of MPs, the process will conclude with a membership vote, which will help determine the future political direction of the Tories.
David Cameronโs barefoot warrior bids for glory in California
Britain’s disrupter-in-chief and Trump admirer now has his eye on the Golden State’s governor’s mansion.
Justin Trudeau loses governing partner
Progressive NDP says Liberals are โtoo weak, too selfishโ to take on Canadaโs Conservatives.
PMQs scorecard: Sunak punches Starmer over pensioners and Israel
The PM was probed on issues where he faces rumbling discontent from his backbenchers.
Why the Republican Party is actually better off if Kamala Harris wins
To dominate the country once more, Republicans need to hasten the move to a post-Trump party.
EU leaders may envy Starmerโs stable majority โ Brexit’s part in it less so | Rafael Behr
Britain has already had its populist reckoning, in 2016. European states can take few lessons from our current calmTwo summers ago, when the Conservatives had just defenestrated Boris Johnson and were rallying around Liz Truss as his successor, there w…
Cheer up, Keir! UKโs Starmer told to lighten up
Elected on a landslide two months ago, the new British PM ought to be on top of the world. Instead his glumness is beginning to grate.
‘Damaging Germany’: Scholz expresses worry after success of far right in regional elections
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern after the far-rightย Alternative for Germany (AfD) topped the polls for the first time ever in the former East German state of Thuringia, and came a close second place behind the conservatives in Saxony, …
Trumpโs Orbรกn embrace sparks some US Republicans to sound the alarm
Groups seeking the former presidentโs favor have highlighted pro-Russian Hungarian leaders and talking points.
Starmer took down Thatcherโs portrait! Hereโs what he could hang in its place
New U.K. PM found old U.K. PM’s portrait โunsettlingโ and asked for it to be taken down.
Tory fury as UKโs Starmer moves Thatcher portrait
New British PM’s biographer says he found the portrait โunsettlingโ โ and Conservatives are fuming.
How the far right won over eastern Germany
By entrenching itself in small towns,
Alternative for Germany is breaking through the firewall designed to keep it out of power.
How Britain took its eye off the far right
In the wake of this summer’s riots, Keir Starmer’s new Labour government is seeking answers.
UK looking at tighter outdoor smoking rules, Starmer confirms
Ministers are mulling plans to ban smoking in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants and sports grounds.
A warning from the No 10 garden and an EU olive branch. We are finally seeing Starmerism in action | Martin Kettle
In terms of problems at home and abroad, the PMโs aims are ambitious, social democratic and long-term. But he will need continual public assentOn Tuesday, in the Downing Street garden, Keir Starmer delivered a grim, generation-defining warning that โth…
Trump claims Zuckerberg plotted against him during the 2020 election in soon-to-be released book
The Meta CEO earlier this week asserted that Biden administration tried to โpressureโ the company to downplay content about Covid.
UKโs Starmer urges European left to confront far-right โsnake oilโ
British PM tells European progressives to focus on โdelivery and honestyโ or risk defeat by the far right.
Want to prove you care about young people, Keir Starmer? Give us back our freedom to explore Europe | Beth Riding
The scrapping of the Erasmus scheme was a mistake. But by working with Brussels, the PM can put it rightIn my lifetime, it has always felt as if the government has served old people at the expense of young people. The most notable example during the Co…
UKโs Starmer lovebombs Scholz โ but no going back on Brexit
Joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shows Britain’s new leader working to heal Brexit wounds โ while walking a fine line back home.
Zuckerbergโs new Washington game
Meta has largely won its legal battles over social media bias โ and now its CEO is hedging his bets against a potential Trump presidency.
Keir Starmer blames the Tories for Labourโs own cronyism scandal
The prime minister says the Tories “dragged our country down” as he denies any wrongdoing on civil service appointments.
The bewildering politics of Telegram
Here are two big reasons the controversial app just became a global flashpoint.
Zuckerberg says he regrets caving to White House pressure on content
Metaโs CEO tells the House Judiciary Committee that he wishes he had been more outspoken against the Biden administration during the pandemic.
UK Labour faces a scandal of its own making
Keir Starmer promised to clean up Whitehall. Heโs already engulfed in a cronyism scandal.
Republican fight over green subsidies heads toward a boiling point
The partyโs leaders may soon have to decide whether to preserve at least parts of the Democratsโ climate law.
Polandโs presidential campaign kicks off โ 9 months before the vote
The presidency isn’t a powerful office, but it’s a must-wing for all sides in deeply divided Poland.
Can Britainโs Labour Party teach Kamala Harris how to win?
From immigration to housing and confronting the left, new U.K. PM Keir Starmer appears to offer a playbook for victory to the Democrats in the U.S.
The last of the Lords
Britain’s new leader Keir Starmer is determined to reform the archaic House of Lords โ but it could come with a hidden price.
Trump says he would not enforce Comstock, angering anti-abortion groups
Many prominent conservatives and anti-abortion activists were outraged by the remark, calling it โnonsensicalโ and โcowardly.โ
9 times politicians reached for Ozempic โ or more trad diets
From Ozempic to “bulletproof” coffee, politicians are just like the rest of us when it comes to seeking a shortcut to slim.
9 times politicians reached for Ozempic โ or more trad diets
From Ozempic to “bulletproof” coffee, politicians are just like the rest of us when it comes to seeking a shortcut to slim.
Morawiecki eager to replace Meloni as head of EU conservative group
Polandโs former prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, is vying for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, a role currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish media reports.
Where Harris and Walz stand on 2024โs biggest policy issues
The rise of the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket filled an already chaotic campaign year with โbratโ and โweirdโ and flipped the Democratic Partyโs misery into a cautious euphoria.ย Now, the pair has 11 weeks to sell voters on what a Harris-Walz administration might actually mean.ย There are areas where the duo are effectively in lockstep [โฆ]
Donald Trump canโt figure out how to attack Kamala Harris. Just look at his nicknames.
The former president has tried and abandoned several monikers for his new Democratic opponent.
Blood scandal payouts heap fresh cost pressure on UK government
Ministers briefed to expect ‘significant additional costs’ as UK widens payouts for worst-ever health scandal.
Britainโs most powerful woman goes to war
Complaints are already mounting about the former civil servant turned Keir Starmer chief of staff Sue Gray.
Russia to promote anti-Ukraine politicians ahead of US election: Report
Meta says Russia-based online influence campaigns would focus on weakening the West’s support for the Eastern European country.
UK economy grew robustly in Q2 โ but thatโs as good as it gets, for now
GDP per capita is still below its pre-pandemic peak, meaning that the average Briton is still worse off than five years ago.
Liz Truss ambushed by giant lettuce at pro-Trump talk
Banner reading “I crashed the economy” is unfurled in stunt by activists.
Brits would vote to rejoin EU in new referendum, poll finds
Polling says Keir Starmer has a mandate to build a closer relationship with the EU but not to rejoin the bloc.
Brexit Britain creeps back into Brusselsโ orbit under Labour
A bill which paves the way for closer regulatory alignment with the European Union almost slipped under the radar.
Migration keeps derailing British leaders
As the dust settles on days of far-right rioting, the issue seems inescapable for Britain’s new leader Keir Starmer.
The mainstreaming of Islamophobia in the UK
Decades of hostile media rhetoric and discriminatory government policy have resulted in the normalization of Islamophobia. And the failure to tackle it guarantees weโll see a repeat of these ugly riots.
As riots rage back home, Keir Starmer is a smash hit with the French
But it will take more than a serenade to woo Paris.
Europeโs needs a centrist agenda
Extremist and populist parties exploit real fears and frustrations โ they don’t invent them. And far too many feel their grievances have been insufficiently addressed by the political center.
Keir Starmer walks straight into summer from hell
With Britain’s prisons full and its population angry, the new prime minister hoped things wouldn’t reach boiling point so soon.
Labour plots radical shake-up at heart of British government
Cabinet Office faces being stripped back to core functions with 80 percent of staff moving out of the department, under plans for reform.ย
Meloni and von der Leyenโs messy split
Italian PM and European Commission president had been close but that’s all changed.
The UKโs first rate cut in three years is awkward for Labour
The U.K.’s finance minister spent all week saying Britain’s economy is broken. Then the BoE cut interest rates.
Poised for victory, Germanyโs center right dithers
The country’s ascendant Christian Democratic Union remains utterly baffled as to how it might wield power.
With Britainโs far right on the march, Labour has a problem
Riots that followed the killing of three children in Southport are the latest far-right show of force confronting Britain’s new government.
Wednesday briefing: Where Franceโs โฌ1.6bn plan to clean up the Seine for the Olympics went wrong
In todayโs newsletter: The government has spent โฌ1.6bn improving the river, but an ancient sewage system and the climate are muddying the watersโข Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.An ambitious project to clean up the Rive…
Death, rape and torture threats prompt DJ at Olympics opening ceremony to file police complaint
Barbara Butch was “the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic, sexist and anti-grossophobic insults,โ her lawyer said.
5 ways Labour says Britain is broken
Labour attack dossier lays out holes in Britain’s finances โ which the Tories dismiss as simply a political excuse to raise taxes.
Tory leader race: The 6 hopefuls trying to save their party from the abyss
With just 121 Conservative MPs left, it’ll be an uphill struggle for these contenders to turn around the once-mighty British party’s fortunes.
European Parliamentโsย gender equalityย drive thwarted by the right-wing
There’s been a marked decline in women MEPs in the European Conservatives and Reformists group of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
UK port operators to seek compensation if post-Brexit trade barriers are lowered
British Ports Association reportedly warns government it faces huge losses after investing in border control postsUK port operators have reportedly said they must be compensated by the government if it negotiates a deal to lower trade barriers with the…
Labour steals Tory playbook for financial blame game
Labour, with an eye on the next election, wants voters to hear that the public finances are worse than they thought โ so blame the Tories for higher taxes.
Olympics opening ceremony ‘Last Supper’ parody sparks anger among Catholics, conservatives
A parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco ‘The Last Supper’ featuring drag queens in the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris has sparked fury among some Catholic clergy and far-right politicians, while supporters praised its message of tolerance. Th…
UK drops objection to ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Labour U-turns on the previous government’s opposition to the warrant, arguing for judicial independence and everyone being subject to international law.
ย Yes, JD Vanceโs beard matters. Hereโs why
Itโs been more than a century since a sitting president or vice president sported a beard. Heโs in politically uncharted, potentially risky territory.
Macron hopes glitzy Olympics can deliver political breather
The French president wants a summer timeout from politics, but it will be back with a vengeance.
Labourโs climate plan: build, baby, build
A flurry of energy announcements from Keir Starmer are about one thing โ driving through his governmentโs ambitious climate goals.
The great Tory beauty pageant
The race to succeed Rishi Sunak as UK Conservative leader is heating up.
JD Vance has a bunch of weird views on gender
Overt chauvinism is the unifying thread of the New Right.
Von der Leyen faces tough puzzle as conservatives demand big Commission portfolios
Italy and the Czech Republic governments have already declared that they want their commissioners to be given big portfolios, a sign of their conviction that the conservatives’ gains in the European elections should be reflected in the composition of t…
US Republican leaders urge members: Stop making race comments about Harris
Leadership warned lawmakers during a closed-door meeting to focus on the vice presidentโs record, not her race.
Polandโs Tusk hits a wall on legalizing abortion
Failure of abortion vote raises big questions of whether Tusk can deliver the key social reforms he promised in last year’s election.
Macron slaps back at leftโs bid to govern France
French president tries to rise above the political fray ahead of this month’s Paris Olympic Games
No to Orbรกn, yes to Meloni. European Parliament hands out top jobs but cuts out (parts of) the far right
Centrist majority managed to keep Patriots for Europe at bay but backed the European Conservatives and Reformists.
Neil Kinnock tells Labour MPs โtide is shiftingโ towards closer ties with Europe
Former leader rallies pro-EU MPs who German ambassador says now vastly outnumber ERG group of Eurosceptic ToriesNeil Kinnock has delivered a rallying cry to pro-EU Labour MPs, telling them that โfortune favours the braveโ when it comes to forging close…
A question for Labour: do you have any real change? | William Keegan
The new government has promised things will be different: but when it comes to spending, we seem stuck on old Tory policiesThe election campaign mantra of โchange, change, changeโ reminded me of those people down on their luck who approach you in the s…
Weโre good, Meloni says about von der Leyen
“We have cooperated so far and will continue to do so in the future,” Meloni tells Corriere della Serra.
How Lord of the Rings shaped JD Vanceโs politics
โA lot of my conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien.โ
The best and worst dressed at the GOP convention
A sartorial survey of RNC wins and fails.
Sorry, Boris โ Nigel Farage is still Britainโs Trump Whisperer
In Milwaukee, the battle for Donald Trump’s attention is heating up and Brits want in.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron: New allies heading in different directions
A U.K. Foreign Office aide said the French president was pleased by how the Brits handled his brainchild summit.
Macron wins shock vote to keep coalition hopes alive
Pro-Macron and center-right lawmakers successfully pulled their votes together to stop the left from grabbing control of the National Assembly.
Von der Leyen threads the climate needle to keep her job
It was a love fest today. The green fights begin tomorrow
Trump brags about ending Roe. No oneโs talking about it in Milwaukee
Heading into the final day of the Republican Partyโs first national gathering since the Supreme Courtโs landmark decision, the issue has barely received a passing mention.
Von der Leyen is in! Let the fighting over the next European Commission begin.ย
EU leaders will fight back against โtoo powerfulโ von der Leyen as she assembles her team.
Britainโs Keir Starmer vows: Iโll never leave ECHR
The European Political Community is gathering in Blenheim, Oxfordshire.
Itโs Christmas in July (for Commissioners)! Von der Leyen hands out policy gifts ahead of key vote
Ursula von der Leyen presents herself as a beacon of stability to secure another five years at the head of the EU’s executive.
Franceโs fractured legislature faces first big hurdle
The leftist New Popular Front agreed to put forward communist lawmaker Andrรฉ Chassaigne as a candidate for the lower house of parliament. Can Macron and the right unite to beat him?
The new politics of the Parliamentย
More right-wing, less green โ and less Franco-German power.
The MEPs who actually matter
Here are 11 EU lawmakers to keep your eye on in the new term.
How to speak EP
Your guide to the jargon that’s everywhere in Brussels.
How to dominate your European Parliament committee
Itโs where the legislative magic happens.
A new kind of Republican Party is forming at the RNC
The GOP is dramatically transforming. Just listen carefully to the RNC.
European Parliament rejects far-right proposal to debate Trump shooting
The proposal was rejected with 337 votes against, 119 in favor and 15 abstentions.