UK

Angela Rayner wanted to force middle-class families to lose child benefit in a bid to avoid welfare cuts for the disabled and a squeeze on public spending, a leaked memo has revealed. The deputy prime minister’s proposal would have forced families where the top earn has a salary of £50,000 or more to pay back any child benefit they receive through their tax returns.The scheme was originally introduced as an austerity measure by George Osborne in 2010, but the band was raised to a salary of £60,000 or more by former Tory chancellor Jeremy Hunt just before the last general election.Angela Rayner (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

The most common word the public associates with Britain is “declining”, a damning new poll has revealed. A study by a group of Labour backers reveals seven in 10 people feel ignored by politicians amid the erosion of public services and the hollowing out of local communities. And, in the landmark report, the influential groups are calling on Sir Keir Starmer to take the fight to Reform UK with a radical programme to rebuild local communities – not by seeking to ape Nigel Farage on immigration. A sense of national decline is fuelling the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform More

May’s local elections left 10 councils under no overall control and sparked weeks of uncertainty about their political direction. Reform won the most seats of any party — 677 out of some 1,650 — cinching majority control in ten councils, but gaining representation across all 23 councils. Labour and Conservatives lost two-thirds of the seats they had in 2021 while the Liberal Democrats nearly doubled their seats up to 370 overall, and winning majority control of three councils. Since the election counts, 10 local councils left with no overall control have since confirmed their leadership and executive arrangements after holding annual meetings.This is the political makeup of each authority, and which parties will lead them.Devon County CouncilBoth the Lib Dems and Reform gained 18 seats at the election, ensuring the former became the biggest party with 27 councillors.The Conservatives lost 32 seats and control of the council, with seven councillors remaining.The Greens were the only other party to make gains as their seats increased from two to six.Lib Dem Julian Brazil was elected leader unchallenged on Thursday.A major challenge for the new leadership will be children’s services, with the county’s support rated inadequate by Ofsted for the second time in five years earlier this month.Commenting on the issue on Thursday, Mr Brazil said: “No stone will be unturned or sinew unstrained in order to improve the service that we deliver to some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.”At the same meeting, Reform councillor Michael Fife Cook complained that “half the council is being ignored” after the Lib Dem cabinet was confirmed.How many Conservative councillors lost their seats across the local electionsGloucestershire County CouncilThe Conservatives had led Gloucestershire County Council since 2001 but lost 20 seats at the election, reducing the Tory group to just six.The Lib Dems gained 11 seats but fell one short of the 28 needed for a majority.The party’s group leader Lisa Spivey was elected council leader unchallenged on May 21, becoming the first woman to take on the role.Her nomination was backed by the Greens, which secured the third highest number of seats at the election with nine – a gain of five.Reform became the second largest group with 11 councillors while Labour’s seats were reduced from five to one.Speaking at the annual meeting, Ms Spivey said the electorate had delivered “a clear call for something better – a loud and resounding vote for change”.Addressing new Reform councillors, she acknowledged there would be sharp differences of opinion between the two groups, but added: “I look forward to working with you to deliver for your communities.”Hertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshire County Council slipped into no overall control for the first time this century, with a collapse in support for the Conservatives indicative of the party’s wider electoral woes.Such was its dominance in this part of the South East, the Tories had been the only party to hold a majority in Hertfordshire since the council was established in 1974.With 40 seats needed for a majority, the Lib Dems came closest with 31 due to a gain of eight.The Tories lost more than half of their 46 seats to end the night with 22 councillors, while Reform made the biggest gain by securing 14 seats.Both Labour and the Greens ended up with five seats.Lib Dem Steve Jarvis was elected leader on May 20, with no sign of a formal coalition agreement with other parties.He said his first two priorities were to fix roads and host a summit on plans to improve support for those with special educational needs and disabilities.Conservatives and Labour were the two big losers of the local elections in MayLeicestershire County CouncilA surge in support for Reform in Leicestershire resulted in the party gaining 25 seats – just three short of an overall majority.The Conservatives, who led the council as a majority since 2001, lost 27 seats.This left the party as the second largest group with 15 councillors, followed by the Lib Dems with 11 (+2), Labour with two (-2), the Greens with one (+1) and independents with one (+1).Former Conservative councillor Dan Harrison was elected leader on May 14, having defected to Reform in February.The Conservatives had ruled out forming a coalition with Reform, preferring to provide a “strong opposition”, the BBC reported.Warwickshire County CouncilWarwickshire County Council, which has alternated between a Conservative majority and no overall control since it was established in 1974, is now under the leadership of Reform.However, despite securing 23 seats the party fell short of the 29 needed for a majority.The Lib Dems gained nine seats to take its total to 19, while the Conservative vote collapsed to deliver just nine councillors – a loss of 32.The Greens won seven seats with a gain of four. Labour lost three to end with three.Reform’s Rob Howard was elected as leader of the county council on May 16 and his cabinet will be announced “in the coming weeks”, the council said.Alternative leadership nominations were made for Liberal Democrat councillor Jerry Roodhouse and Green councillor Jonathan Chilvers.Mr Howard won the support of 28 councillors, while Mr Roodhouse won 15 votes and Mr Chilvers 10, with one abstention.Reform councillor Edward Harris was chosen as the new chairman of the authority and Conservative councillor Dale Keeling elected as vice-chairman.How each political party performed at the local elections in May 2025Worcestershire County CouncilReform were just two seats shy of securing the 29 needed for an overall majority after voters turned their backs on the Conservatives en masse, with the party losing 33 councillors – leaving them with 12.The Tories had been in charge of the county since 2001.Reform’s Jo Monk was elected the new leader of the council unchallenged on Thursday.The Greens benefited from a five-seat boost to become the third biggest group, ahead of the Lib Dems on six (+2) and Labour on two (-1).Buckinghamshire CouncilThe Conservatives fell one seat short of retaining overall control of Buckinghamshire council, a unitary authority performing both county and district-level functions created in 2020.The Tories lost 29 seats to leave them with 48 after boundary changes, while the Lib Dems gained 19 to secure 27 and second place.Conservative Steven Broadbent was elected council leader on Thursday after former Tory leader Martin Tett stepped down.Independents are the third largest group with 13 councillors, an increase of six, followed by Labour on four.Reform failed to make the inroads it achieved elsewhere, with the party winning three seats.(PA Graphics)Cornwall CouncilReform emerged from the election as the biggest party but fell well short of the 44 seats needed to gain overall control.Reform’s 28 new councillors put the party ahead of the Lib Dems in second on 26, after a gain of 13.However, the support of independents proved pivotal in the vote for council leader on May 20 as Lib Dem councillor Leigh Frost was elected with 53 votes. There were 25 abstentions.Reform UK had withdrawn from the race after other parties said they would not support them, the BBC reported.Independents maintained their 16 seats and became the third biggest block, while the Conservatives suffered a huge loss of 40 seats, reducing their representation to seven councillors.Labour now have four seats on the council – a reduction of one.Northumberland County CouncilThe Conservatives narrowly retained its status as the largest group on Northumberland County Council, finishing three seats ahead of Reform, which gained its first 23 councillors.But the Tories failed to win the 36 seats needed for overall control and faced a challenge from Reform for the leadership of the unitary authority.Support from independents, Greens and Liberal Democrats led to Tory leader Glen Sanderson being re-elected as leader ahead of Reform nominee Mark Peart. Labour councillors abstained.The election saw Labour slip from 21 seats to eight while independents, the Lib Dems and the Greens maintained low levels of representation.Speaking at the annual meeting on May 21, Mr Sanderson is reported as saying: “We will build together to make this continue to be successful. We all share one thing in common, which is to have our residents put a cross in our box to say we put our trust in you to represent us.”Wiltshire CouncilDuring a dramatic annual meeting on May 20, the Liberal Democrats took control of Wiltshire Council – a Conservative stronghold since it became a unitary council in 2009.The Lib Dems gained 16 seats in the election but fell seven short of an overall majority, while the Tories lost 24 to come in second on 37.This set up a head-to-head between Lib Dem Ian Thorn and former council leader Richard Clewer for the leadership.Boosted by support from independents, it was Mr Thorn who prevailed by a margin of five votes.Mr Thorn said there is now an opportunity to encourage parties to work together more, while Mr Clewer said he was “frustrated” and “sad” not to continue in the role.Reform is now the third biggest party on the unitary council after winning 10 seats, followed by independents on seven and Labour on one (-2). More

Israel’s leader has accused Sir Keir Starmer and other world leaders of “being on the wrong side” of justice, humanity and history after two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead in Washington DC.The UK prime minister, French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian PM Mark Carney were “emboldening Hamas to continue fighting forever”, Benjamin Netanyahu claimed, by giving them “hope to establish a second Palestinian state from which Hamas will again seek to destroy the Jewish state”. A gunman shot young diplomat couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim from close range after they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect then walked into the building chanting “Free Palestine” before he was stopped by security staff and arrested.Sarah Milgrim, left, and Yaron Lischinsky were shot dead in Washington DC More

Labour should not mimick right-wing populist strategies following disappointing local election results, a new report from The Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) has warned. Instead, the influential think tank urges the party to embrace a bold, progressive agenda to counter the rising tide of populism.The IPPR, which played a key role in shaping policy during the Blair and Brown years, argues that simply rehashing past Labour approaches won’t suffice in the current political climate.Titled “Facing the future” and backed by former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the report serves as a counterpoint to groups like Blue Labour. The campaign group has suggested that Labour should adopt some of the rhetoric and policies of their right-wing opponents to combat the surge in popularity of parties like Reform UK.Following significant losses to Reform UK in May’s local elections, Labour has emphasised action on issues like migration and crime – areas where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken a hardline stance.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his immigration reform plans earlier this month (Ian Vogler/PA) More

A court in Georgia ordered opposition party leader Zurab Japaridze detained Thursday on charges of failing to appear before a parliamentary inquiry as protests continued against the ruling Georgian Dream party. Demonstrators waving Georgian and European Union flags blocked the central thoroughfare in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, demanding new elections and the release of dissidents. Demonstrators have gathered there each night since Nov. 28, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze halted the country’s EU integration process. Ahead of Japaridze’s hearing Thursday at a courthouse in Tbilisi, police surrounded the facility to prevent his supporters from entering. Only a handful of people were allowed into the cramped hearing room, angering his supporters. Two people were arrested, and Japaridze’s lawyers left in protest following a failed motion to move the proceedings to a larger room. Japaridze, who heads the Girchi – More Freedom party, was detained after refusing to appear before a parliamentary commission investigating alleged wrongdoings by the government of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili. Opposition politicians have declined to attend the commission hearings, saying they are politically motivated by Georgian Dream to damage the opposition, particularly Saakashvili’s United National Movement party.Speaking to reporters before the hearing, Japaridze said he knew that he would be arrested but that he did not recognize the legitimacy of Georgia’s current parliament or its commission.“The regime is trying to kill the civil society,” Japaridze said. “They’re killing the opposition parties and this is just one example of what they are doing now.”“We have to continue the fight; we have to go out to the streets. We will win this battle only from the street, because there are no democratic institutions holding elections in this country anymore.”Japaridze and six other opposition leaders who did not attend the commission are expected to appear before a court in coming days. If found guilty of failure to comply with a parliamentary investigative commission, they face up to a year imprisonment. Political unrest Georgia has seen widespread political unrest since the country’s last parliamentary election on Oct. 26, which was won by Georgian Dream. Protestors and the country’s opposition declared the result as illegitimate amid allegations of vote-rigging helped by Russia, sparking weeks of protests across the country.At the time, opposition leaders vowed to boycott sessions of parliament until a new parliamentary election was held under international supervision and alleged ballot irregularities were investigated.Georgian Dream has seen widespread condemnation by European leaders and international rights groups over its rough handling of protestors and perceived democratic backsliding.When asked whether the United States would “impose real cost on the anti-American Georgian dream on behalf of the people of Georgia” at a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio replied: “Is it in our national interest to have an anti-American government governing an important part of the world? And if not, we’ll take appropriate actions to impose costs on that government.” More

Sir Sadiq Khan has distanced himself from Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the Supreme Court trans ruling, vowing to “stand up for trans Londoners”.The London mayor said trans and non-binary Londoners “are some of the most marginalised and vulnerable in our city” and the ruling, which saw judges confirm that the term “woman” referred to biological sex, must not lead to more stigma and discrimination. In his first public comments on the controversial ruling, Sir Sadiq said: “I’ve always been proud of London’s status as a beacon for openness, equality and LGBTQ+ rights and I’m determined that this remains the case. Sadiq Khan’s response was a marked contrast to his party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s More