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Jeremy Corbyn claimed Labour lost votes in the general election over the war in Gaza.The independent MP for Islington North attended a pro-Palestinian march in central London on Saturday (6 July).The former Labour leader told protesters on stage: “Palestine was on the ballot in this election – and I promise to stay true to my word to stand up for the Palestinian people.”Mr Corbyn also suggested the pro-Palestinian marches had directly influenced the results of the general election.He said: “The Labour vote was lower on Thursday than it was in 2019 and 2017, and Labour lost seats to independents – five independents were elected.“The common thread running through their campaigns was Gaza.” More

Labour MP Paul Waugh MP took a jibe at George Galloway after taking the Rochdale seat from him in the general election.The leader of the Workers Party held his set for just 54 days after Mr Waugh was elected in the election on Thursday (4 July).Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Saturday (6 July), Mr Waugh said he was delighted to have ridded Rochdale of “toxicity”.He said: “These populists ride a wave of anger, but they provide no solutions.“Galloway lost because he didn’t deliver. I was in the Chamber as a journalist, more often than he was for the debates on Gaza.” More

Labour’s new prisons minister said “a lot of prisoners should not be in there” in a resurfaced interview.James Timpson said the UK is “addicted to sentencing and punishment” in an interview earlier this year with Channel 4.In the clip, Mr Timpson said: “A lot of people in prison in my view shouldn’t be there, and they are there for far too long. It’s getting worse.“I meet people in prison regulary, who are serving sentences longer than they’ve ever been alive for already, and I just think this is common sense being ignored and evidence being ignored, because there is this sentiment around punish and punish.” More

Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson shared a hug as they reflected on Reform UK’s election result, in a new video posted to social media.“I’ve got no drinking partners left!”, Anderson, who won a seat for the party in Ashfield, joked.Farage, who also won a seat in Clacton, responded: “Well done mate.”Reform UK have secured four seats in the General Election, including Great Yarmouth and Boston and Skegness, both taken from the Tories.Their policies include stopping all unnecessary migration, and banning transgender ideology. More

Sir Keir Starmer got straight to work assembling his Cabinet Office after promising to rebuild trust in politics and restore hope to the nation after a landslide Labour victory in the general election.Rachel Reeves has been confirmed as Britain’s first woman chancellor of the Exchequer, Angela Rayner is Sir Keir’sdeputy prime minister and retained the levelling up, housing and communities brief, and Yvette Cooper is home secretary.David Lammy takes the roll of foreign secretary.The Independent takes a closer look at the team at the top More

Britain’s first female chancellor of the Exchequer described the appointment as “the honour of my life” and a sign for all women and girls that there should be “no limit to your ambitions.”In a post on X, and in a speech followering her Cabinet appointment on Friday (5 July), Rachel Reeves said: “It is the honour of my life to have been appointed chancellor of the Exchequer.“Economic growth was the Labour Party’s mission. It is now a national mission.“Let’s get to work.”She added: “To every young girl and woman reading this, let today show that there should be no limit to your ambitions.” More

Andy Burnham appeared to enjoy the moment Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg lost his seat in the general election, suggesting the former Tory cabinet minister had been “battered”.The 55-year-old Arch-Brexiteer was defeated by Labour’s Dan Norris in the new North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.Mr Norris won 20,739 votes compared to 15,420 for Sir Jacob.As the result was broadcast on Sky News on Friday morning (5 July), Mr Burnham celebrated.“That’s ‘Mogg-xit’ – he’s gone,” the Mayor of Greater Manchester said.“He’s been battered and he deserves to be. He has no clue what he has inflicted on people.” More

The first senior Tory to lose a seat in the general election launched a brutal attack on his party during during a live BBC interview.Sir Robert Buckland slammed Conservative colleagues for saying “stupid” and “inflammatory” things during an interview on Thursday night (4 July).The former Justice Secretary lost to Labour’s Heidi Alexander, who won a majority of 9,606 and wiped out Sir Robert’s majority of more than 6,000 in Swindon South.Speaking to the BBC after his loss, Sir Robert said: “I’m fed up of personal agendas, and jockeying for position. The truth is now with the Conservatives facing this electoral Armageddon, it will be like a group of bald men arguing over a comb.” More