UK Politics

The decision to lower the voting age to 16 could widen the inequality divide among teenagers in the UK due to the lack of political education in school. Academics have warned that the move to extend the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds risks only benefitting those from wealthier backgrounds, unless all students are given equal access to citizenship education. Recent research from the University of Roehampton found specific classes on politics and democracy have been provided unevenly across the country, with more affluent schools likely to receive dedicated lessons. It also found that pupils with university-educated parents are more likely to discuss politics at home, and feel more confident engaging in political debates. This results in teenagers from low income households often being at a disadvantage in terms of understanding parties and voting systems, which the research concluded “compounded class-based disparities”. The voting age will be lowered to 16 as part of plans to ‘modernise’ British democracy More

Britain will recognise the state of Palestine within weeks unless Israel ends the “appalling situation in Gaza”, Sir Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday, signalling what would be a historic shift in UK foreign policy following the humanitarian crisis in the territory. After recalling senior ministers for an emergency cabinet meeting, the prime minister said “now was the right time to move this position” on the two-state solution.In an ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Sir Keir said the UK could recognise Palestine as early as the United Nations General Assembly in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution.There was applause at the UN in New York as foreign secretary David Lammy conveyed what could be a historic turning point, more than a century after Britain’s role in the creation of modern-day Israel. But Mr Netanyahu claimed the announcement: “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism”.The prime minister has said the UK and its allies need to see ‘at least 500 trucks entering Gaza every day’ More

Donald Trump has thanked an unlikely ally for supporting plans for his new golf course during the official opening at his Aberdeenshire resort.The US president did a lacklustre impression of James Bond star Sir Sean Connery’s accent as he addressed guests and the media from the Scottish resort. Referring to difficulties getting the new site approved, Mr Trump said: “This has been an unbelievable development.”The land, they said it couldn’t get zoned, it was an impossibility.Donald Trump praised Sean Connery’s help in opening his new golf course More

The world economy will grow faster than expected after the impact of Donald Trump’s tariff war waned and imports to the US surged, new projections show. Britain is in line for a small boost with the IMF upgrading its growth predictions by just 0.1 per cent for 2025. Growth is expected to sit at 1.2 per cent this year and 1.4 per cent for 2026, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook forecasts. It came as the IMF said the global economy would be more resilient than it expected in May. Global growth is set to be 3 per cent this year and 3.1 per cent next year, up from 2.8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Like Britain, Germany and Italy have both had their growth upgraded by 0.1 per cent for 2025, and received no upgrade for 2026. Meanwhile, Canada was handed a marginally bigger upgrade of 0.2 per cent in 2025 and 0.3 per cent in 2026, taking its growth to 1.6 per cent in 2025 and 1.9 per cent in 2026. Rachel Reeves has been accused of talking down the economy More

Nigel Farage has reiterated his demands for a Cabinet minister to apologise for accusing him of being on the side of “extreme pornographers”.A row broke out on Tuesday morning after Peter Kyle said the Reform UK leader is on the side of “people like Jimmy Savile” over the party’s pledge to scrap the Online Safety Act.Mr Farage labelled Technology Secretary Mr Kyle’s remarks as “below the belt” and “so absolutely disgusting that it’s almost beyond belief”, and urged people to sign a petition calling for the legislation to be repealed.Former Reform chair Zia Yusuf said on Monday that the party would repeal the legislation if they got into Government.“I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he’s going to overturn these laws,” Mr Kyle told Sky News.“So you know, we have people out there who are extreme pornographers, peddling hate, peddling violence. Nigel Farage is on their side.“Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he’d be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he’s on their side.”Responding to Mr Kyle on a live stream on Tuesday morning, Mr Farage said: “Just how low can the Labour Government sink in its desperation?“Yes, of course they’re in trouble. They’re well behind us in the opinion polls. But frankly, to say that I would do anything that would in any way aid and abet people like Jimmy Savile, it’s so below the belt it’s almost not true.”He also reiterated his demand for an apology and added: “We’re not going to get one. I think perhaps the best thing we can do is to sign the petition to repeal the Online Safety Act. That’s what I’m going to do today. I think it makes sense. I’m deeply worried about the implications for free speech.”Under rules that came into effect on July 25, online platforms such as social media sites and search engines must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide.Mr Yusuf has said that the laws work to “suppress freedom of speech” and “force social media companies to censor anti-Government speech”.After being asked by Mr Farage to apologise on social media, Mr Kyle doubled down on his comments, claiming that wanting to “overturn” the Act puts somebody “on the side of predators”.Mr Yusuf has claimed that Mr Kyle’s remarks showed “how deeply unserious” the Government was about child safety, adding: “Talking about Jimmy Savile in that way does nothing other than denigrate the victims of Jimmy Savile.”He told Sky News that the comments are “one of the most outrageous and disgusting things a politician has said in the political arena that I can remember. And that’s quite a high bar, frankly.”Sir Keir Starmer jumped to defend the legislation from its critics when he met Donald Trump on Monday, telling reporters: “We’re not censoring anyone.“We’ve got some measures which are there to protect children, in particular, from sites like suicide sites.”The Prime Minister added: “I personally feel very strongly that we should protect our young teenagers, and that’s what it usually is, from things like suicide sites. I don’t see that as a free speech issue, I see that as child protection.” More

A row has broken out between Labour and Nigel Farage after a Cabinet minister accused the Reform UK leader of being on the side of Jimmy Savile and “extreme pornographers” over his opposition to new online safety laws. The technology secretary Peter Kyle accused the Reform UK leader of wanting to “turn the clock back to the time when strange adults, strangers can get in touch via messaging apps with children”.It came after Mr Farage’s party promised to scrap the Online Safety Act – a new set of laws aimed at protecting children and adults online – dubbing it a “dystopian” infringement of free speech. Responding in a virtual broadcast on Tuesday morning, Mr Farage said the “below the belt” comments were “so disgusting its almost beyond belief”. Peter Kyle’s comments sparked backlash More

Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana has revealed what she wants the new left-wing party she has founded with Jeremy Corbyn to be called. The Coventry South MP, who quit Labour earlier this month to launch the new group, is pushing for the name to be ‘The Left’.However, the name, already a well-known phrase used to describe left-wing parties and activists in the UK, risks repeating the same confusion that occurred when the movement was officially announced last week. At that stage Mr Corbyn unveiled its existence with a message saying “this is your party” and urging his followers to go to the website yourparty.uk. Many assumed the party’s new name was simply Your Party, prompting Ms Sultana to clarify on social media: “It’s not called Your Party.”The party is a joint venture between MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Donald Trump has hit out at Keir Starmer’s taxes on North Sea oil just hours after praising the prime minister when the two met at his Scottish golf course. The president said the resource is a “treasure chest for the United Kingdom” as he urged Starmer to ”incentivise the drillers”.It comes less than a day after Trump described Sir Keir as “strong” and “respected” in an impromptu press conference on Monday, even saying that he wanted “to make the prime minister happy.” Now the president has used his Truth Social network to attack North Sea oil taxes, which he said make “no sense”. He posted: “North Sea Oil is a TREASURE CHEST for the United Kingdom. The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. “They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, “we don’t want you.” Incentivize the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people!”The two men met at Trump’s Scottish golf course More