UK

Starmer and Badenoch clash on local elections eveVoters across England are going to the polls for local elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election today in the first major test for Sir Keir Starmer’s government.They will also be an important test for Nigel Farage and Reform UK to see if their high poll ratings since last summer translate into real votes.The Tories are also set for a difficult day defending more than 900 council seats across the country while lagging behind both Labour and Reform in most polls.A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs in 23 local authorities across England, with the Tories defending 954 of them.A key test for all parties will be in the six mayoral contests for the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.And maybe the biggest test of all will be the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, called because of the departure of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury after his conviction for assault.Polls will be open from 7am until 10pm.Analysis | Tories facing biggest challenge in today’s electionsHere is some analysis from our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin: It is the Conservatives who face the most difficult challenge in today’s local elections. The last time this particular set of council elections was held was at the height of Boris Johnson’s “vaccine bounce”. Since then, Partygate and a series of other scandals have reversed the party’s fortunes, leaving it out of power in Westminster for the first time since 2010.But Labour could also struggle in certain seats. Despite its momentous rise to power at the general election last summer, the party has made a series of controversial decisions since then, including scrapping winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners and sweeping welfare and international aid cuts, that could trigger a backlash from voters.Andy Gregory1 May 2025 15:31Reform’s candidate for Doncaster mayor leaves polling stationReform’s mayoral candidate in Doncaster, Alexander Jones, was pictured leaving the polling station.( More

A top lawyer has claimed that the assisted dying bill breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), because of inadequate safeguards for people with disabilities.Tom Cross KC’s review of the legislation comes as the government is expected to publish the impact assessment of the bill, which is due to have its final stages debated in the Commons on 16 May.Mr Cross, who is one of the counsel for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and fellow barrister Ruth Kennedy have warned that the bill breaches Article 14 of the ECHR – the provision that everyone’s rights are protected equally – and would unfairly discriminate people with conditions such as autism, bipolar disorder and depression.Kim Leadbeater has brought forward the assisted dying legislation More

Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a fresh blow as a second Labour grandee hit out at the party’s policies as polls opened in the local elections.After Sir Tony Blair criticised western governments for failing to do enough to tackle climate change earlier this week, former education secretary Alan Johnson warned Britain’s world class universities are “under threat” as Labour plans a crackdown on immigration. Mr Johnson said the higher education sector is facing a “worrying” situation and urged ministers not to “make the mistake” of trying to cut net migration with measures that could “ruin or close” universities. Former education secretary Alan Johnson warned the government ahead of its expected immigration crackdown More

Nigel Farage has called for an end to the NHS being funded through taxes, but refused to say how it would be paid for instead. The Reform UK leader sparked fresh fears that patients would be charged for accessing the health service if he won a general election, arguing the current model “does not work”. In an interview on the eve of the local elections, Mr Farage said: “I do not want it funded through general taxation. It doesn’t work. It’s not working. We’re getting worse bang for the buck than any other country, particularly out of those European neighbours.” Nigel Farage said he no longer wants an NHS funded through general taxation More

Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, The Independent’s chief political commentator.Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A, click here.England’s local elections on 1 May are shaping up to be the most consequential in a generation – a pivotal test for all the major parties, and perhaps a glimpse into the future of British politics.In an exclusive interview with The Independent, polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said less than half of voters are telling pollsters they will vote for one of the two main parties, in a historic shift in voting patterns.Labour, fresh from its return to government last summer, is under pressure to consolidate its gains, but faces discontent in key heartlands after a string of controversial policy decisions. The Conservatives, battered by years of scandal and now out of Westminster power for the first time since 2010, are fighting to hold their ground in councils they have dominated for decades. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK hopes to convert its surge in national opinion polls into real-world wins, with targets ranging from mayoral races in Lincolnshire and Hull to Labour’s Doncaster stronghold.With dozens of councils, mayoralties and a high-stakes parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby up for grabs, the results could reshape the political map in ways that will reverberate far beyond Thursday night.So, which seats really matter? How much trouble are the Tories in? Can Reform turn headlines into votes? And how fragile is Labour’s new electoral coalition?Join me live at 12pm BST on Friday, 2 May, as I answer your questions on all the key contests, party strategies, and what the results tell us about Britain’s fast-changing political landscape.Submit your questions in the comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to participate. For a full guide on how to comment, click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question right away – some may be hidden until the Q&A starts. See you at 12pm! More

British police said Thursday that counterterrorism detectives will investigate comments by Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, which has been criticized by U.K. politicians over statements about the Middle East and British politics.The Irish-language rappers from Northern Ireland were reported to police over footage from a 2024 concert in which a band member appeared to say: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Footage from another concert, in 2023, appears to show a member of the trio shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” – both banned organizations in the U.K.London’s Metropolitan Police force said the videos “were referred to the Counter Terrorism internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.“The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time,” the force said in a statement.The Belfast trio is known for satirical lyrics and use of symbolism associated with the Irish republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland, currently part of the U.K., with the Republic of Ireland. More than 3,600 people were killed during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland involving Irish republican militants, pro-British Loyalist militias and the U.K. security forces.Kneecap’s comments were criticized in the House of Commons this week by government and opposition lawmakers, who noted that two members of Parliament have been murdered since 2016.In a statement on Instagram, band members Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh apologized to the families of Labour Party lawmaker Jo Cox, who was killed in by a far-right attacker in 2016, and Conservative legislator David Amess, murdered in 2021 by an Islamic State supporter.The group said “we never intended to cause you hurt.” Kneecap said it had “never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” and accused “establishment figures” of taking comments out of context to “manufacture moral hysteria” because of the band’s criticism of Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organizers of June’s Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance by the group.Fellow musicians have come to the rappers’ defense. Several dozen performers, including British rock group Primal Scream, Irish band Fontaines D.C. and mod singer Paul Weller have signed an open letter criticizing a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap and opposing “political repression of artistic freedom.” More

English local elections on May 1 mark the first time widespread voting has happened in the UK since last year’s general election. They are therefore the first big test for the Labour government – but also for Reform’s Nigel Farage. Farage has led his party into elections before, but not since becoming an MP.Reform achieved 14.3 per cent of the vote in July 2024 and opinion polls put them at around 25 per cent now. Farage has declared his party is therefore the “opposition to the Labour government”.These elections in 23 English local authorities are about selecting the representatives that will serve communities, both in day-to-day essential operations, and during council reorganisations amid plans for decentralisation of British democracy. Yet attention is also being paid to the challenge Reform have set themselves – can they continue the transition from anti-establishment outsiders to a winning party engine?There are 1,641 local councillor vacancies up for election this week, in 1,401 wards. Reform are contesting more seats than any other party. In fact, there’s only a handful without their candidate on the ballot, amounting to 99.3 per cent coverage. Nigel Farage speaks in Dover, Kent More

Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels within two years under plans to be announced by ministers, it has emerged. The plans would see housebuilders mandated to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027, which the government argues will slash energy bills and boost its net zero drive. The change would reportedly add around £3,300 to the cost of building a semi-detached or terraced house, rising to around £4,000 for a detached property, while saving an average household more than £440 per year on energy bills. The plans, seen by The Times, would force 80 per cent of new homes to have solar panels equivalent to 40 per cent of a building’s ground area. Another 19 per cent would have slightly fewer, and just 1 per cent of new homes would not have any solar panels. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is seeking to prevent solar panels from China being used by a state energy company (Danny Lawson/PA) More