British Politics

Labour has ratcheted up pressure on Boris Johnson over the £200,000 renovation of his Downing Street flat by calling on the Electoral Commission to launch an investigation into the funding. Cat Smith, a shadow cabinet office minister, instructed solicitors at Edwards Duthie Shamash to write to the Electoral Commission. In a letter sent by the […]

A former senior Labour staffer is one of 21 people suing the party for libel over a leaked internal report into the handling of allegations of anti-Semitism. An 860-page report on Labour’s governance and legal unit, which found “no evidence” of anti-Semitism being handled differently from other complaints, was leaked in April last year. The […]

A race equality think tank has questioned the suitability of Tony Sewell as chairman of the racial disparity commission after the academic previously claimed that evidence of the existence of institutional racism was “flimsy”. Dr Sewell, chairman of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, said there was evidence of overt racism in Britain but […]

An SNP councillor and a senior party official have become the latest figures to defect to Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence party. Shahid Farooq, who represents a ward in North Lanarkshire, and veteran independence supporters Dot Jessiman have switched to the Alba Party. Salmond launched the Alba Party as a rival to the SNP following a […]

Former ministers like David Cameron need to be “very careful” how they conduct themselves, the communities secretary has said, amid growing controversy over the ex-premier’s lobbying activities. Robert Jenrick said it was important that those who had had the “privilege” of serving in Government did not act in a way which “does harm” to the […]

The Labour Party has lost a last-minute bid to have Anas Sarwar’s name included on ballot papers for the Scottish election. The party took legal action against the Electoral Commission over what it said was the refusal to allow the slogan “Anas Sarwar – Labour’s National Recovery Plan” to be on regional list ballots for […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he was “disappointed” by the findings of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ report published so far. Tony Sewell, who is chairman of the Commission, said while there was anecdotal evidence of racism, denied there was any proof that it was structural. But the leader of the […]

There is no evidence of “institutional racism” in Britain, although there is evidence that “overt” prejudice exists, the man behind a landmark study set up in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement has said. Tony Sewell, who is chairman of the Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities, said while there was anecdotal evidence […]

Dominic Cummings was apparently “scouting out the complex” for the production of the new Novavax vaccine in the UK, Boris Johnson joked with business leaders during a meeting. Johnson decided against a Barnard Castle gag at his press conference on Monday where he announced Britain would produce the Novavax jab in the North East, saving it […]

Forcing England’s indoor visitor attractions to remain closed when non-essential shops reopen is “extraordinary”, a tourism industry leader has said. Bernard Donoghue, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), made the comment as he revealed major UK tourist sites suffered a 70% decline in visitor numbers last year compared with 2019. Under Boris […]

Sir Keir Starmer said a senior Labour MP has apologised after describing business as “the enemy”. The Labour leader said Alex Sobel, a member of his shadow ministerial team, “knows what he said was wrong”. Starmer stressed that under his leadership, Labour was “very clearly pro-business”. Sobel’s comments, made to a podcast, were reported by […]

The UK is poised for a “decade of unprecedented economic change” after Covid-19 and Brexit, a report has claimed. It comes ahead of the launch of a three-year-long inquiry, with economic and policy experts seeking to examine the nature of economic change and what it means for people. The Economy Inquiry 2030 is part of […]

David Cameron “did absolutely nothing wrong” in his dealings with Greensill Capital, according to a senior government minister. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng indicated his belief that “everything was above board” with the former prime minister’s connection to the financial services company which collapsed earlier this month. Speaking on Sky News, Kwarteng said that, with Cameron […]

David Lammy has received praise for his handling of a caller to his radio show who said he could not describe himself as English. The Tottenham MP, 48, was discussing the term BAME on his LBC show when he faced a member of the public who said he “will never be English”. The caller, named […]

Sir Keir Starmer will campaign in Hartlepool on Tuesday ahead of a by-election battle which will be a key test of his Labour leadership. The May 6 contest will give an indication of whether the Labour leader can shore up support in the party’s former industrial heartlands after large sections of the so-called “red wall” […]

Ten EU member states have said they will no longer extradite their nationals to the UK following Brexit, the Home Office has said. Countries including France, Germany and Poland have informed the UK of their refusal to allow the extradition of their nationals. Two more – Austria and the Czech Republic – will only hand […]

Nicola Sturgeon has said the pandemic has led to her having “much less patience for those who treat politics like a game” in a speech to SNP activists. In an online speech, she also attacked Brexit and accused the Conservatives of “muscling in” on the Scottish Parliament’s responsibilities. Her speech did not directly refer to Alba, […]

Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson over accusations he had an affair with Jennifer Arcuri, with his spokesperson claiming he acts with ‘honesty and integrity’. Allegra Stratton, the prime minister’s press secretary, did not deny Arcuri’s claims in The Mirror that they had a four-year relationship while the PM was mayor of London, choosing not to […]

An inquiry must be held to “get to the bottom” of David Cameron’s dealings with a scandal-hit banker, Keir Starmer has claimed. The Labour leader made the call as he said the sooner such an inquiry starts “the better”. It comes after Labour raised concerns that Cameron, during his time as prime minister, had ordered […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has backed shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds following reports he was considering moving her in a reshuffle of his top team. On a local election campaign visit in Milton Keynes, Sir Keir told reporters: “Anneliese Dodds has my confidence, she has my full confidence, she is doing a fantastic job. “And […]

The door “is not shut” on holidays abroad this summer and more will be known from government scientists in the next few weeks, the health secretary has said. As outdoor gatherings and sport resumes across England, Matt Hancock said international travel had not been ruled out, though the priority was enabling people in the UK to […]

The Conservatives will warn supporters that Labour could experience a “post-Corbyn bounce” in the May elections. Party co-chairman Amanda Milling will launch its campaign on Saturday, calling on voters to choose the Tories to help “build back better from the pandemic”. Addressing the Conservatives’ virtual spring forum, the MP will warn of a tough fight […]

Calls have intensified for an inquiry into David Cameron’s involvement with a scandal-hit banker after allegations surfaced that Lex Greensill was given privileged access to Whitehall departments. An investigation by the Sunday Times alleged that Greensill enriched himself through a government-backed loan scheme he designed after the then prime minister gave him access to 11 […]

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has said vaccine passports would be “the last straw” for struggling pubs and force bar staff into a “bitter civil liberties war” with customers. Conservative backbenchers, publicans and some scientists have raised concerns over the possible introduction of coronavirus health certificates as England’s lockdown is eased. Ministers are studying their potential […]

Boris Johnson’s racial disparities commission is reportedly poised to recommend that the term BAME should no longer be used by public bodies and companies. The Telegraph reported that scrapping the acronym – standing for black, Asian and minority ethnic – is a key proposal in a report to be published this week by the Commission […]

A lobbying watchdog has concluded that David Cameron’s activities “do not fall within the criteria” that requires registration on the Register of Consultant Lobbyists. The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists said that the former prime minister was an employee at Greensill and so not required to register, following an investigation into whether he […]

The government is seeking a “lessons learnt analyst” to help Test and Trace learnt from mistakes made during coronavirus pandemic.  The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has posted a vacancy a the year-long “senior executive officer” role, which will be based in the Joint Biosecurity Centre and be paid £45,000. The job advert for the post, […]

Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond has announced he is setting up a new political party to contest May’s Scottish parliament election. Salmond will stand in the North East region and lead the Alba Party, which will field at least four candidates in the regional lists. Chris McEleny, an SNP councillor in Inverclyde, has resigned […]