Corbyn’s comeback: A gift for Farage, ‘a bloody nightmare’ for the Greens
Polling shared with POLITICO shows a new party under Labour’s left-wing former leader could dent the governing party’s vote share — and take a big bite out of the Greens.
Jeremy Corbyn
‘Tragic figure’ Starmer has 6 months to make major changes, says Labour ally
Maurice Glasman cast doubt on whether the prime minister would lead Labour into the next general election.
Keir Starmer is banking on Nigel Farage being toxic. What if he isn’t?
There are big potential pitfalls in trying to build an anti-Farage electoral coalition.
From the day Britain left the EU, this reset was inevitable. What a pointless waste of time, money and effort | Simon Jenkins
Keir Starmer is not blameless when it comes to Brexit, but he is moving in the right direction. Even the Tories attacking him know thatFor the Tories to attack Keir Starmer’s first step towards a Brexit reset is monumental hypocrisy. Their Brexit led t…
The battle for Keir Starmer’s brain
Britain’s Labour government is inundated by think tanks hoping to catch its ear — and given the party’s struggles and rise of Reform UK, it may appreciate the help. POLITICO runs through the main players.
Fear of Farage risks leaving Labour’s left flank unguarded
The Green Party hopes to scoop up disillusioned former Labour voters in next month’s regional elections.
Starmer rejects claim there are ‘strong arguments’ for suspending fiscal rules amid US tariffs – UK politics live
The PM doubled down on his insistence the government won’t change its fiscal rules, describing them as ‘ironclad’ and ‘non-negotiable’One person probably more enthusiastic than most about the prospect of Universal opening a theme park in the UK is the …
How Nigel Farage could smash open Britain’s electoral system
He’s an unlikely pin-up for electoral reform campaigners — but a 2029 surge that’s not matched by House of Commons seats could see Farage turn up the heat on a “rigged” system.
Sorry you hated us: 5 grovelling apologies from UK politicians
Taken over as the leader of a wounded political party? Try some self-flagellation.
Nigel Farage taunts Tories over ‘fake’ members
The Reform UK boss has challenged Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to carry out an audit to prove which party has the most members.
POLITICO London Playbook awards 2024
From minister of the year to WTF moment, Westminster’s essential newsletter picks the winners of 2024.
Westminster’s tips for a perfect Christmas lunch
Before you face the biggest feast of the year, check out how U.K. politicians prepare for the big day.
Peter Mandelson confirmed as Britain’s next ambassador to the US
Keir Starmer praises incoming ambassador — a former European trade commissioner — for his “unrivalled experience,” as former colleagues rate his chances in Trumpworld.
PMQs: Badenoch wins by punching Starmer on pensioners
Winter fuel payments took center stage in the final PMQs of 2024 — with Starmer’s defense getting a frosty reception.
UK and US must halt escalation in Ukraine | Letters
Diane Abbott MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Ayoub Khan MP, Shockat Adam MP, Iqbal Mohamed MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Brian Eno, Alex Gordon, Fran Heathcote, Sophie Bolt and Lindsey German say diplomacy is the only path to peace. Plus, Laurie Farnum on why Russia can…
UK will allay Trump concerns over Chagos Islands, says minister, as Priti Patel says Tories opposed to deal– as it happened
Stephen Doughty, foreign office minister, says if UK had not negotiated a deal with Mauritius, ‘a legally binding decision against UK seemed inevitable’Wes Streeting has now delivered his speech to the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool, and it is b…
17 wild facts about Kemi Badenoch’s new Tory team
From spilling wine on Queen Elizabeth’s carpets to branding colleagues “lazy,” the new Conservative leader has an eclectic shadow Cabinet.
The king and Keir
Two men, worlds apart, are Britain’s diplomatic double act in Samoa. But there’s more to connect Keir Starmer and King Charles III than meets the eye.
Trump allies rage at UK Labour help for Kamala Harris. There’s more to come.
Some U.S. progressives see Britain’s Keir Starmer as a lone center-left warrior if Donald Trump wins.
100 days of Starmer: How Labour’s big win went off the rails
After just a few months in office, the new British government is finding life tough.
Keir Starmer’s reset shows his premiership is already in crisis
Less than 100 days after taking office, the prime minister has already been forced to shake up his team.
Tony Blair’s tips for a Tory revival
Former Labour prime minister says Conservatives must unite and heed concern over immigration.
What Westminster (Massachusetts) really thinks about the US presidential election
A small town in Massachusetts is as politically divided as its London namesake.
Keir Starmer’s Labour conference speech: 7 things we learned
PM forgoes ‘easy answers that may move a crowd’ but bungles a statement on Gaza.
When UK party conferences go wrong
Despite the best efforts of party bigwigs, Britain’s annual gatherings of political animals frequently descend into chaos.
Tech policy: 20 people to meet at Labour conference
We break down the 20 figures inside and outside government shaping Labour’s tech policy.
Kamala Harris campaign told how to win by UK Labour strategist
Deborah Mattinson — a fixture of the U.K. polling scene — will travel to Washington D.C. next week to brief the Harris-Walz team.
Tuesday briefing: Why the far right’s success in German state elections can’t be written off as a local phenomenon any more
In today’s newsletter: Alternative für Deutschland have deployed Nazi rhetoric throughout their rise – and they are pulling the mainstream further to the right• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. For the first time since …
Putin needs guitar lessons and Trump is ‘f***ing funny’: The political wisdom of Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher
Oasis are getting back together. Good news for music fans, bad news for those hoping the Gallagher brothers might turn their hand to politics.
French left looks to UK Labour as a model for booting out Mélenchon
France’s centrist socialists are eyeing Britain’s experience of how to purge the hard left.
Can Britain’s 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.
British MPs appeal to Azerbaijan government to free detained academic
In letter to Ilham Aliyev, campaigners urge release of Gubad Ibadoghlu after pre-trial process halted indefinitelyA group of British MPs have called on the Azerbaijan government to free an academic from the London School of Economics and Political Scie…
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.
Me and J.D. Vance are just the same, says Britain’s left-wing foreign secretary
David Lammy insists he “gets on” with Donald Trump’s controversial new running mate.
Britain finally has a female chancellor. It only took 800 years.
Meet Rachel Reeves: the chess-playing former banker who needs to get the U.K. economy rolling.
Labour’s new tribes: 7 gangs to watch in the class of 2024
Hundreds of the party’s brand-new MPs are finding their feet in the British parliament following its landslide election victory.
Britain’s new power list: 12 people you need to know in the UK Labour government
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is now in office. These are the people who really matter in his government.
How Britain voted: Charts and maps
We analyze the results which radically changed the UK’s electoral map.
Why a disillusioned, angry Britain voted for change
A tour of Britain’s provincial towns reveals a restless nation with no love for its political class.
How the Tory election campaign melted down in six disastrous weeks
Rishi Sunak played a bad hand appallingly — and paid a terrible price.
Jeremy Corbyn leads left-wing Gaza revolt against Labour
Independent MPs set to be thorn in PM Keir Starmer’s side over the Middle East.
Labour’s election victory is weaker than you think
Conservative annihilation may not be the most consequential outcome of the 2024 U.K. general election.
Who is Keir Starmer? Britain’s incoming prime minister is complex, unknowable, aggrieved
A trip north with the U.K.’s most powerful leader in a generation.
Watch the UK election like a pro
It’s set to be the most consequential British general election for a generation. POLITICO takes you through what to watch out for and exactly when to tune in.
Revenge of the moderates? UK’s Labour set for landslide win in general election
While French voters ponder the temptation of the far-right, across the Channel they are also campaigning, only there it feels like revenge of the moderates. Out with Little Britain Brexiteers, out with Jeremy Corbyn’s hard left. In with a more genteel…
Gaza is still the hottest election issue in these parts of Britain
Labour Leader Keir Starmer faces intense pressure in heartland constituencies over his equivocation about war in the Middle East.
An American’s guide to the 2024 UK election
We can’t give you a felon and an old guy on July 4 — but we do have a gambling scandal. And Nigel Farage.
Days from power, Keir Starmer remains a mystery to Britain
As the U.K. general election approaches, new polling shared with POLITICO shows continuing questions over PM in waiting.
The next king of Scotland
Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar is following in the footsteps of his legendary political father.
Biden plagiarized him in the 1980s. Now Neil Kinnock wants the president to take a few more notes.
A Q&A with Neil Kinnock, who inadvertently tanked Biden’s first presidential run and sees some similarities between the British left and the U.S. left.
London’s neighboring county Essex is turning red
Essex has demonstrated enduring loyalty to the Conservative Party. But in this July’s election, even this bastion of working-class Toryism looks imperiled.
How Britain’s Conservatives lost their heart and soul
Trends point to an historic collapse of the Tory vote in rural, semi-rural and suburban seats, the like of which England has maybe never seen before.
Senior Tories line up to denounce Nigel Farage’s defence of Putin’s war
Conservatives are desperate to halt the rise of Reform UK, which is splitting their party in twoRishi Sunak and a string of senior Conservatives have condemned Nigel Farage for claiming the west provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid a growing …
Ireland is dreaming of a UK Labour landslide
Irish eyes are smiling at the prospect of Keir Starmer in Downing Street surrounded by Irish-savvy aides.
Rishi Sunak says he is ‘incredibly angry’ about betting allegations in BBC Question Time election special – as it happened
Prime minister says suspects must face ‘full force of law’ if found guilty; Labour, SNP and Lib Dem leaders speak during programmeThe next question comes from Linda, who says Davey’s antics during the election campaigns (fun photo opportunities, often …
Rishi Sunak was a broken man on BBC Question Time
As the leaders of the main UK parties faced a studio audience, a hangdog prime minister fighting for reelection looked like he was preparing for the end.
UK Green Party snaps at Labour heels from the left
The Greens’ election manifesto is packed with policies designed to appeal to left-leaning voters disaffected with the Labour Party.
5 takeaways from Labour’s ‘Captain Caution’ manifesto
Keir Starmer is promising change from 14 years of Tory government. In fiscal terms, it’s not so much — for now.
General election live: Sunak refuses to say if aide who bet on election date knew about timing
PM says it ‘would not be appropriate’ to say whether Craig Williams knew that he was going to call a July electionTeachers and health workers: what do you think of the manifestos?Sign up for Election Edition, our UK election newsletterFollow tonight’s …
UK Labour’s Keir Starmer arrives on the world stage
A D-Day furore for his rival lets the Labour leader play PM in waiting. But questions remain over his party’s defense plans.
What’s the point of a manifesto?
As Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer prepare to launch their manifestos, host Sascha O’Sullivan takes a look at what goes into the making of the crucial documents that spell out each party’s plan for government. Former Tory adviser Cleo Watson recalls how it all went wrong for Theresa May at the 2017 election when a […]
UK Labour talks up nuclear weapons to banish Corbyn’s shadow
Keir Starmer says he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons, unlike his predecessor.
Tony Blair’s reinvented Labour Party pursues a risky ideological ‘purge’
On the center-left of British politics, current leader Keir Starmer wants to show voters Labour is ready for office again. Not everyone’s on board with his methods.
UK Labour’s fight with the left risks spinning out of control
The main opposition party is way ahead in the polls as a July election looms — but it’s spent days fighting itself.
Jeremy Corbyn will stand against Labour in UK election
‘We have to stand up and say we’re not taking this anymore,’ says ex-leader booted out of the party under Keir Starmer.
Meet Keir Starmer: Britain’s next prime minister?
The buttoned-up lawyer is about to roll up his sleeves on the campaign trail.
UK general election: Everything you need to know
Britain’s summer election is on. Here’s your bluffer’s guide.
Tory MP Natalie Elphicke in shock defection to Labour
Elphicke is the second Conservative MP to cross the floor in two weeks.
How can Labour fix Britain’s ‘economic failure’ without rejoining the EU? | William Keegan
Starmer wants to make Tory policy on the economy a central theme of its election campaign … without mentioning BrexitNow, let me get this straight. We have a fissiparous, Brexit-supporting government, many of whose MPs are stepping down, convinced that…
Cops step in as Gaza protest hits Nancy Pelosi’s Oxford speech
Campaign group holds silent protest at prestigious English university.
British politics is hooked on Trump-style begging emails
Threatening subject lines and big red donor buttons litter Britain’s inboxes — but could the pleas turn genuine supporters off?
Labour on course to win more than 400 seats and majority of 154, suggests poll – as it happened
YouGov polling suggests Conservative party could face worse result at general election than it suffered in 1997 under John MajorDelegates at the National Education Union’s annual conference in Bournemouth have voted for a motion saying Ofsted should be…
Leak inquiry: what happens when Westminster’s secrets are spilled
This week, Aggie Chambre looks at the art of the leak and asks — why do people do it, and what happens when your political secrets are exposed? Former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green talks about helping to leak Home Office secrets when Labour was in charge. Aggie hears from journalist and author Isabel Oakeshott about […]
With Theresa May’s exit, UK Conservatives face green leadership vacuum
Environmentally minded Tories fear losing influence after the general election.
Jeremy Corbyn vows to sue Brexiteer Nigel Farage
The former Labour leader could lock horns in court with the former Brexit Party leader.
Gaza war comments, ghosts of past anti-Semitism rows haunt UK’s Labour Party
Voters in the northern English town of Rochdale go to the polls Thursday in a by-election that has roiled the Labour party with a new anti-Semitism controversy. Britain’s main opposition party was the clear favourite until its candidate was disowned f…
UK’s Tories tear themselves apart over Islamophobia
A row over a suspended MP has triggered a days-long debate in the governing party about anti-Muslim hatred.
PMQs scorecard: Sunak gets nasty on eve of Starmer’s by-election nightmare
The debate came on the eve of the Rochdale by-election.
Keir Starmer’s Gaza problem
Labour leader continues to feel the heat from his party over his stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
All Keir Starmer’s Labour U-turns in one place
POLITICO lists 26 (and counting) key walkbacks in Starmer’s spell as opposition leader.
How Britain learned to love Keir Starmer’s ‘boring, snoring’ right-hand woman
Rachel Reeves’ low key approach seems to be striking a chord with voters.
How UK Labour stopped worrying and learned to love Davos
Keir Starmer has sent his biggest hitters to the World Economic Forum as the party burnishes its business credentials.
How Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Liz Truss and more do Christmas
POLITICO London Playbook rounds up the festive traditions of Westminster’s power players — in their own words.
Spooked by Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak goes hard on immigration
Tory MPs are freaking out about the possible return of Mr. Brexit
Keir Starmer breaks the great Labour taboo: Praising Margaret Thatcher
Starmer is just the latest Labour leader to attempt to tap into the Thatcher legacy in order to woo Tory voters.
UK Labour Party admits it’s not ready for government — yet
“We’d be fucked if there was an election tomorrow,” party officials say, as talks with civil service put on ice.
PMQs scorecard: Rwanda and reshuffle rows on a tough day for Rishi Sunak
Sunak and Labour’s Keir Starmer trade jibes over migration, inflation, the Middle East, David Cameron, and, er, Elon Musk.
Labour frontbencher quits in protest at Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza cease-fire
Imran Hussain said he wants to advocate for a ceasefire but ‘cannot sufficiently, in all good conscience, do this from the frontbench.’
Rishi Sunak plots pre-election tax trap for Labour
Could the Conservatives derail Keir Starmer’s apparently smooth path to victory with a tax giveaway next year?
Former Labour leader Corbyn disinvited from German conference due to Palestine stance
Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the British Labour Party, was banned from speaking at a conference in Berlin this week by the hosting venue due to his “stance on the Middle East”, the venue confirmed on Tuesday (7 October).
No 10 says 40% of trains must always run under new laws to limit impact of strikes to be brought in by Christmas – UK politics live
Government aiming to limit rights of railway workers, ambulance staff and border officials to go on strikeRishi Sunak has not accepted that Suella Braverman’s description of rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice” was offensive – although he declined to…