United Kingdom

Boris Johnson no longer has a county court judgment against him after Downing Street sought to strike out a claim for a £535 debt for alleged defamation. No 10 said the claim against the prime minister had been “totally without merit” and “vexatious” and lodged an application to have it struck out. A court official […]

A Tory MP who urged people not be be “litter tossers” has been accused of hypocrisy after he was fined for dropping a cigarette butt. Richard Holden, MP for Durham North West, was one of two people caught by neighbourhood wardens outside the election count at the Louisa Centre in Stanley, County Durham, on Saturday, […]

Any donations Boris Johnson received over the controversial refurbishment of his Downing Street flat are expected to be published by the end of the month. His new ministerial standards adviser Lord Geidt said that he is “determined” to publish the long-overdue list of ministers’ interests before May is up. The Crossbench peer told MPs that […]

Brexit has cost the UK economy £16billion in trade since 2016, experts have said. The Centre for European Reform (CER) estimates that leaving the single market and customs union at the end of 2020 has reduced UK trade by £7.7billion, or 11%, since March. Another £8billion – or 10% – has been wiped from the […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended the government’s plans to require photographic identification to vote by comparing it to a ban on MPs wearing overcoats and hats during Commons divisions. The Commons leader was challenged by Labour over the proposal amid fears it could disenfranchise some voters who do not have any form of photo ID. Shadow […]

TIM WALKER on an unusual theatrical production, with an intriguing premise The premise is intriguing: an unacknowledged daughter of Boris Johnson is on a quest to find out what he’s really like. Charlotte Evans, the journalist and theatre performer, had initially been commissioned by the BBC to make My Dad Boris, which comprised serious interviews […]

Earlier this year Keir Starmer called for a 1945 moment, but he has yet to outline what it involves. In June last year, Ed Miliband was asked on The Andrew Marr Show whether Keir Starmer was going to be a better leader of the Labour Party than he had been. “Definitely,” he responded, adding: “I […]

A shadow minister has quit after being accused of trying to intimidate a colleague seeking to assist a parliamentary worker who raised allegations of sexual harassment against a former Labour MP. Kate Hollern left her role on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench after the allegations were made during an employment tribunal against Mike Hill. […]

David Cameron is to face a grilling by MPs over his lobbying activities for collapsed finance firm Greensill Capital. The former prime minister is appearing at back-to-back hearings by the Commons Treasury and Public Accounts committees. Earlier this week, the Treasury Committee released dozens of texts and emails Cameron sent to ministers and senior officials […]

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has put down rumours he would be willing to join Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench, but suggested Labour MPs who should be. McDonnell, who served on Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet until last year, told the LBC’s Iain Dale he backed Richard Burgon and Rebecca Long-Bailey, who was removed from Sir Keir’s top team after […]

Jeremy Corbyn has said it is a “bit rich” to blame him for Labour’s poor election performance as four of Sir Keir Starmer’s predecessors weighed in on the party’s woes. The former Labour leader said it was “a bit weak” to suggest he is responsible for the losses in last week’s by-election in Hartlepool and […]

Polling expert PETER KELLNER on the long term factors behind the party’s decline, and what might help reverse it Two rival theories have sought to explain Labour’s drubbing in this month’s elections. The left accuses Keir Starmer of deserting the party’s socialist principles. The leadership fears that the party has not changed enough: it needs to […]

The government will set up an independent public inquiry with statutory powers into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister told MPs the inquiry would be able to take oral evidence under oath and will place “the state’s actions under the microscope”. Johnson told the Commons: “This inquiry must […]

Boris Johnson has been issued with a county court judgment for an unpaid debt of £535. A search of the official database shows the “unsatisfied record” registered to Johnson at “10 Downing Street”. The judgment is dated October 26 2020, a key period concerning questions over the prime minister’s controversial refurbishment to his flat in […]

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has said the UK must “draw a line” under Brexit and instead focus on keeping the Union together. Burnham – who won his mayoral race with 67% of the vote on Thursday – told The London Economic he thought voters had deserted the Labour Party because it was seen as the party […]

In an open letter, editor-at-large ALASTAIR CAMPBELL – the man who helped mastermind Labour’s last spell in power – offers his constructive advice to Keir Starmer on how to revive his party’s fortunes Dear Keir, I hope you are bearing up despite all the brickbats. You are experiencing something every Labour leader has had to contend with… […]

Tony Blair has launched a scathing attack on the “woke left” and warned the Labour Party faced electoral oblivion if it did not start ‘cutting through’ to voters.   Blair, a former Labour prime minister, said May’s dismal election results showed the party needed a “total deconstruction and reconstruction. Nothing less will do.” Writing in the New Statesman, Blair […]

A cabinet minister has insisted plans to require photographic identification to vote has “nothing to do with party interests” after questions the move could limit votes for opposition parties. Civil liberties groups and senior MPs on both sides of the Commons have criticised the proposal, warning it could disenfranchise some voters. Newly-released research for the […]

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband has said the Labour Party had a mountain to climb and a “collective responsibility” to show what it stood for. Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, the former Labour leader said that Keir Starmer needed to be “bolder” and back proposals similar to US president Joe Biden’s proposals. Asked about […]

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has referred to her “very frank relationship” with Keir Starmer amid claims he tried to sack her from the shadow cabinet after the party’s damaging election losses. Rayner claimed she was appointed to her new roles because she wanted to be more “front-facing” in the reshuffled top team after she […]

A “full, proper” public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic could be established within a year, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister committed to setting up the inquiry within the new session of parliament which started on Tuesday. Although there is no fixed length for a parliamentary session, they typically run […]

Boris Johnson has mocked Angela Rayner for her new shadow cabinet job titles, claiming the deputy Labour leader will become “hungrier” for more power. Angela Rayner was given greater authority within the shadow cabinet following intense criticism of Keir Starmer’s initial move to strip her of key roles as party chairwoman and campaign co-ordinator following the elections. […]

Records of David Cameron’s intense lobbying efforts for Greensill Capital have been released to reveal text messages he sent chancellor Rishi Sunak and senior cabinet minister Michael Gove. The Conservative former prime minister also sent messages to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi during the pandemic as he sought to gain access for Greensill to government-backed coronavirus […]

Keir Starmer’s closest parliamentary aide has resigned as the fallout from Labour’s poor performance in local elections continues. Carolyn Harris, the leader’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS), said: “It has been the proudest moment of my career to co-chair the campaign that saw Keir Starmer elected as Labour leader, and to serve as his PPS for […]

Long-promised proposals to reform social care will be set out later this year to ensure that every person “receives the dignity and security they deserve”, Boris Johnson has said. Measures to address the long-standing issue of social care funding and reform were not included in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday. The Queen confirmed proposals will […]

The publishing industry has remained remarkably robust through the pandemic, but the coronavirus has exacerbated some alarming trends for the UK’s literary scene. I only realised this the other day while I was actually doing it, but of all the things I’ve missed during the pandemic – popping out for a pint, going to the […]

Labour has criticised the Tories for its plans to introduce voter ID – whilst failing to implement any of the recommendations of the Russia report. Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has challenged the government to focus on preventing foreign interference in elections rather than its existing proposals to make it “so much more difficult” for […]

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has called Boris Johnson “a liar” and confirmed he no longer considers himself a Conservative. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) ahead of the Queen’s Speech, Bercow said he would list “a number of examples” of the prime minister not telling the truth. The former speaker told the GMB […]

Labour must stop talking down to voters, deputy leader Angela Rayner has said in the wake of the party’s damaging election losses. Rayner set out on Monday how Labour must change to reconnect with working class voters after the crushing defeat in the Hartlepool by-election. Her comments came after she was given greater authority within […]

Scandal-hit financier Lex Greensill will be questioned by MPs over the collapse of his firm and the lobbying controversy centred on former prime minister David Cameron. MPs on the cross-party Treasury Committee will quiz the boss on Tuesday afternoon on the demise of Greensill Capital, which jeopardised 5,000 steelmaking jobs in the UK. The committee’s […]

The election for Wiltshire and Swindon police and crime commissioner may need to be re-run after the race was won by a candidate who withdrew over a historic driving conviction. Conservative Party candidate Jonathon Seed received 40% of the vote in the first round and was elected after it went to a second ballot, but […]

BONNIE GREER on why Boris Johnson’s success shows Britain is fatally addicted to toffs who get away with it One of the nicer things about being an adult when you move and settle in another country is that there is always a bit of you that never quite assimilates.  Your new country is like a […]