London Mayor: Two Tories officially throw their hat in the ring to take on Sadiq Khan May 9, 2023 Ex-Boris Johnson advisor Samuel Kasumu and former City Hall Tory chief Susan Hall have announced they plan to stand as Conservative candidate to run against mayor Sadiq Khan. The news came as the party opened the race to decide its mayoral pick ahead of a July 19 deadline, giving the chosen name 10 months to [...]
Starmer refuses to rule out Lib Dem coalition May 9, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly refused to rule out a coalition with the Liberal Democrats if he does not secure a majority at the next general election. The Labour leader on Tuesday refused to rule out a pact with Sir Ed Davey’s party despite emphatically saying he would not team up with the Scottish National [...]
Former prime ministers gather for King’s coronation May 6, 2023 Seven former prime ministers gathered to attend the coronation, including Liz Truss, whose brief tenure in No 10 included the late Queen’s death and the King’s accession. Ms Truss followed her predecessors Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major into Westminster Abbey for the coronation. The UK [...]
Local elections: Labour now largest party of local government – but predicted to fall short of outright Westminster majority May 6, 2023 Labour have said the Tories’ dire local election results marked a “clear rejection” of Rishi Sunak as they became the largest party of local government since 2002. Sir Keir Starmer was celebrating wins in key battlegrounds as an indication his party was on course to win the next general election. The prime minister was under [...]
Are the Conservatives on course to lose the next general election? May 5, 2023 Local election results are seen as a crucial test for governments – and oppositions. They provide parties with a sense of momentum; a narrative about the country’s direction; and vital data for political number crunchers to pore over. One particularly key metric we can extrapolate from them is the estimated national vote share. Not all [...]
Police urged to investigate Boris Johnson video May 5, 2023 Police are being urged to investigate after a video emerged of Boris Johnson allegedly not wearing a seatbelt in what appears to be a moving vehicle. In a video shared on social media, the former prime minister is heard urging Derbyshire Conservatives to “turn out and vote” ahead of Thursday’s local elections. Johnson does not [...]
Local elections analysis: Do results suggest fear of complacency was misplaced? May 5, 2023 Poll leads can be a tricky thing for opposition parties, as Labour has shown in recent weeks. Lean in too far and risk appearing complacent. But downplay it too much, and you could fail to capitalise on a popularity boost. What everyone – from activists to frontbenchers – really want is cold, hard evidence of [...]
Local elections: Tories suffer big losses including commuter belt councils Hertsmere, Brentwood, Windsor and Maidenhead May 5, 2023 The Conservatives have been hit by major losses in the local elections – losing over a third of their council seats so far. Losses include key commuter belt councils Hertsmere, Brentwood and Windsor and Maidenhead – which includes former prime minister Theresa May’s constituency. It was prime minister Rishi Sunak’s first significant electoral test since [...]
Sunak: Politics no longer ‘box set drama’ as local elections open May 4, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said politics is moving away from a “box set drama” style following months of turbulence. His comments came on the eve of local elections across England today (4 May) with requirements for voters to present photo ID at the ballot box coming in for the first time. Sunak is facing [...]
Ex-Barclays boss: New tech and social media have power to ‘turbocharge’ bank runs May 4, 2023 New technologies and social media have the power to “turbocharge” bank runs, former Barclays boss Antony Jenkins has said, commenting on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Speaking to Morning Wire, Jenkins said “technology is a wonderful thing” that has drastically improved the experience for financial services customers in many different ways. But while [...]