UK Politics

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat has emerged as an early frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest because he has the lowest negative rating with members of the public.According to Savanta, the former security minister has a net rating of -3 with the wider public and +28 with 2024 Tory voters.It comes in stark contrast to former home secretary Priti Patel who has scored -28 net rating with the public and +7 with Conservative voters.The pair are among seven MPs understood to be entering their names into the race as nominations open today for contenders to replace Rishi Sunak. They are set to close on Monday with those getting the support of 10 other Tory MPs allowed to go forward.A four month contest will see members eventually pick from a final two decided by Tory MPs with the winner unveiled on 2 November after four months.Tom Tugendhat hs emerged as the most popular contender (Lucy North/PA) More

Baby of the House Sam Carling addressed his young age as he made his first speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 24 July, aged 22.The first MP to be born in the 21st Century ousted Conservative Shailesh Vara by just 39 votes to win the seat in the 2024 general election.In his debut speech, Mr Carling explained how the cancellation of his A-Level exams during the coronavirus pandemic politicised him.“I grew up in a deprived rural area and was concerned from a young age to see a progressive decline in local high streets, alongside growing problems in public services, notably within schools,” Mr Carling told fellow MPs. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorWatch as John Healey and his Polish counterpart, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, made joint statements in Warsaw on Wednesday, 24 July.The new defence secretary has made his first visits to France, Germany, Poland and Estonia.His whistlestop 48-hour tour is aimed at sending a message that European security will be the government’s “first foreign and defence priority”.In Germany, Mr Healey signed a joint defence declaration agreeing to closer cooperation as the first step in a new UK-German defence relationship.He said the new Labour administration is “getting on with the job” and “resetting our relationships” with allies on the Continent.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said ministers agreed on six priorities for tighter collaboration as part of the new accord, including “comprehensive” co-operation in the field of long-range capabilities.Other key goals are “strengthening UK and German defence industries, reinforcing Euro-Atlantic security, improving joint operations, confronting evolving security challenges” such as cyber threats, and supporting Ukraine. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat has emerged as an early frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest because he has the lowest negative rating with members of the public.According to Savanta, the former security minister has a net rating of -3 with the wider public and +28 with 2024 Tory voters.It comes in stark contrast to former home secretary Priti Patel who has scored -28 net rating with the public and +7 with Conservative voters.The pair are among seven MPs understood to be entering their names into the race as nominations open today for contenders to replace Rishi Sunak. They are set to close on Monday with those getting the support of 10 other Tory MPs allowed to go forward.Tom Tugendhat hs emerged as the most popular contender (Lucy North/PA) More

Starmer dodges SNP question on two-child benefit cap rebellionSupport trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has stood defiant over his decision to suspend seven MPs following their rebellion over the two-child benefit cap. A spokesperson for Sir Keir said voting against the government over the King’s Speech is a serious matter, after a number of MPs broke ran and voted to scrap the policy. “We’ve been very clear on our position on the child limit and why we did not commit to removing it both during the campaign and since. And that is because given the economic situation we’ve inherited, we are very clear that we’re not going to make promises that we can’t keep,” the spokesperson said. “Now, clearly, voting against the party’s position on the King’s Speech is a serious matter.”She added Sir Keir is “focused on delivering the change” the public voted for rather than dwelling on the rebellion. The Labour leader dodged questions over the two-child benefit cap during his first Prime Minister’s Questions since leading Labour to an election victory and entering Downing Street. Although the move has been seen as a show of strength by the Labour leader, Ms Sultana, representing Coventry South, claimed she was a victim of Sir Keir’s “macho virility test”.Show latest update 1721832069Suspended MP accuses Labour of offering domestic abuse support to back two-child benefit capApsana Begum has accused the Labour Party of offering her support on domestic abuse violence if she voted with Sir Keir Starmer to back the two-child benefit bill.The MP for Poplar and Limehouse claimed she was left “shocked” by the way she was treated by her party.Speaking on Sky News: “That is unacceptable. That demonstrates I think the way in which that draconian stance was taken in regards to the scrapping of the two-child limit.”Ms Begum added: “Many of my colleagues are quite surprised in the way in which the operations took place yesterday around the vote. “I myself was quite shocked and surprised to see the way in which I was treated. I had a very difficult election. I had an election in which many people said to me ‘we are happy to support you as an individual but we find it very hard to support Labour at this time’. For a number of different reasons. “But one of the reasons is that we don’t see a difference between the two main parties in parliament.“I had to contend with that and with the fact I am a survivor of domestic abuse and coercive control, unfortunately I had my ex husband standing against me.”( More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has been accused of “authoritarian control-freakery” after suspending seven LabourMPs for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.The prime minister removed the whip from long-standing figures including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell after they rebelled against the government to back an SNP-led amendment to scrap the policy.As backlash against the Labour leader grows, a member of the party’s governing national executive committee said the move “does not benefit him, the party or anyone in the long-run”.But a political spokesperson from Downing Street confirmed today that the action had been taken “ because they rebelled against the King’s speech – the party’s programme for government – which is a serious matter.”The spokesperson denied that the move would set a precedent for all rebellions and Downing Street confirmed that lifting the cap is something a review into child poverty will be able to consider.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces his first PMQs since the election on Wednesday (Carl Court/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour MP Emily Darlington urged Hilary Benn to “rebuild strained relations” with the European Union, warning that businesses in her local constituency have struggled to survive in the wake of Brexit.The MP for Milton Keynes Central asked the secretary of state for Northern Ireland to engage with the Irish Government as part of an attempt to reduce barriers to trade.Asked about his plans to repair relations with Europe, the Labour frontbencher admitted that Brexit had brought “additional costs and paperwork for businesses”.But Mr Benn also defended the Windsor Framework, an agreement signed by the previous Conservative government to reduce trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the EU, dubbing it an “important and significant step forward”.Speaking during Northern Ireland questions in the House of Commons this morning, Ms Darlington said: “Can I congratulate the honourable member on his position and hope that he will be able to rebuild those relations that have been strained through the Brexit process.The Northern Ireland Office said Secretary of State Hilary Benn was considering the evidence on the case for extending the deadline (Niall Carson/PA) More

Rishi Sunak opened his first prime minister’s questions as leader of the opposition with a joke about his inability to win. The former prime minister, who lost a leadership election to Liz Truss, several local elections, and last month’s general election by a huge landslide, sent his best wishes to Team GB athletes heading to the Paris Olympics. Mr Sunak said: “To be honest, I am probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win.”The joke was met by laughter from MPs in the Commons. More