Markus Andrews

Labour deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell has dubbed fevered speculation around the possible return of Andy Burnham “kind of sexist”. As the crisis facing Sir Keir Starmer continues to grow, there have been mounting calls from Labour backbenchers for the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Westminster politics and launch a leadership bid. But asked about the possibility of such a return, Ms Powell said the conversation is “just a classic Westminster bubble obsession”. Bridget Phillipson is running against Lucy Powell (PA) More

A former Labour councillor has been charged after a probe into the Westminster honeytrap scandal. Oliver Steadman, 28, has been charged with one count of blackmail and five counts of improper use of a public phone network.He will appear in court on 3 November. The former Labour councillor was arrested last June in a probe More

Nigel Farage has secured his first Labour defector as a borough councillor became the first to abandon Sir Keir Starmer’s party for Reform UK. In a significant shift, Mason Humberstone became the first Labour politician to jump ship to the insurgent right-wing party. His defection follows a series of Labour councillors joining the Green Party or switching to a pro-Gaza independent ticket. And it follows a slew of former and current Tory MPs and councillors joining Mr Farage’s ranks. Mason Humberstone has defected from Labour to Reform More

Donald Trump and his allies have done “the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”, Sir Sadiq Khan has said. As the US president arrived in the UK for his historic second state visit, the London mayor attacked him for “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens and deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities”. “These actions aren’t just inconsistent with Western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” Sir Sadiq added. Sadiq Khan said Donald Trump has fanned the flames of the far-right More

Sir Keir Starmer is pinning his hopes of political revival on the long-awaited state visit by Donald Trump as the two leaders unveiled a multibillion-pound tech investment deal to kick off the historic two-day affair.The under-fire prime minister will be hoping to make progress on the international stage after coming through his worst fortnight since entering office. The past two weeks have seen the sacking of Peter Mandelson and the resignation of two of Sir Keir’s key allies, events that have prompted speculation that he may not remain in post until the next election.As President Trump touched down in the UK, the two leaders announced a “tech prosperity deal” that will see Britain and the US cooperate on AI, nuclear power, and quantum computing. As part of £31bn worth of backing from America’s top tech companies, Microsoft will make its largest ever investment in the UK, of £22bn.As a buoyant Mr Trump departed the White House, he made clear that he is open to helping Britain when it comes to trade, but reserved his praise for “my friend” King Charles, whom he described as an “elegant gentleman”.He told reporters: “They want to see if they can refine the trade deal … and I’m into helping them.”The president is known to be fond of the King, whom he has described as an ‘elegant gentleman’ More