UK

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

Sir Keir Starmer has signed an agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a scramble to prevent a further legal challenge after a last-minute injunction to halt the move failed on Thursday morning. The deal will see the UK give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and pay £101 million per year for 99 years to lease the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia back from the government.It could result in a total sum of £10bn carved out of the UK’s defence budget but the prime minister said the government had to “act now” because the Mauritians would likely win legal disputes against Britain.Sir Keir said the UK’s base in the Chagos Islands is “one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security relationship with the United States”.Keir Starmer said the UK had to hand the islands to Mauritius More

‘Migration will fall, that’s a promise’ Keir Starmer announces stricter immigration rulesDoctors are threatening strike action after the government announced they would receive a 4 per cent pay rise.The British Medical Association (BMA), the union representing doctors, said the pay rise does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes.The National Education Union (NEU), the largest union for teachers, meanwhile threatened to “register a dispute” with the government unless it fully funds the 4 per cent pay rise for teachers, part of which is currently due to be covered by existing school budgets.The pay increases, recommended by independent pay review bodies, are above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024.But Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA’s chairman of council, warned it was already considering strike action, as the union believes the pay rise does not do enough to restore doctors’ pay after previous salary freezes.Elsewhere, most members of the armed forces will be given a 4.5 per cent pay rise; senior civil servants will get a 3.25 per cent pay rise; prison officers and managers are also set to get a 4 per cent pay rise; and judicial office holders, a group which includes judges, will also get a 4 per cent pay rise.Chagos Islands deal will cost the UK £3.4 billion, Says StarmerThe deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands will cost the UK £3.4 billion overall, Sir Keir Starmer said.Speaking as he signed a deal to hand over the islands, the Prime Minister said: “£101 million a year is the average cost. The net overall cost is therefore £3.4 billion overall. That’s over the 99 years.“The average £100 million per year is about the same, or slightly less than, the running cost of an aircraft carrier, minus the aircraft.“Now, given the significance of this facility, both the geography and the capability, you can see that as, again, measured against an aircraft carrier running costs that this is very good value for money.“I should also say that is very similar to arrangements made by other allies, the US and France in relation to the bases that they lease and make arrangements for as well.”He earlier told the audience at the handover that the base on Diego Garcia is essential for a range of UK defence matters, including anti-terror operations, telecommunications and its deep water port.( More

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused by an Israeli minister of “emboldening the forces of terror” that led to the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC.A gunman shot young diplomat couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim from close range after they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, police said on Wednesday night. The suspect then walked into the building chanting ‘Free Palestine’ before he was apprehended by security and arrested.Israeli ministers have directed blame towards western political leaders, suggesting their recent condemnation of Israel’s aid blockade and resumed offensive in Gaza was partly to blame.Click here for the latest on the Washington DC shooting. Yaron Lischinsky, right, and his partner Sarah Milgrim were victims of Washington DC shooting More

The justice secretary has said that many sentencing reforms aimed at easing prison overcrowding have been accepted by the government, including chemical castration for sex offenders.Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday (22 May), Shabana Mahmood said 20 prisons will pilot the scheme, which aims to reduce the risk of reoffending.“Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, power and control,” she said.It was one of 48 recommendations put forward by former justice secretary David Gauke to ensure there is space in prisons for the most dangerous offenders.She also accepted reforms to allow some criminals, including violent and sexual offenders, to be released at an earlier point in their sentence if they show good behaviour.“If they follow prison rules, they will earn an earlier release. If they do not, they will be locked up for longer,” she said, though stressed that terrorists and the most dangerous offenders will not be eligible.Ms Mahmood also announced that the government will scrap the use of short sentences of less than 12 months, and that the Probation Service will also receive a funding boost of up to £700m by 2028/29. More

Net migration to the UK almost halved last year, new figures have revealed, sparking concerns over a worker shortage in the UK.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 948,000 people came to Britain in 2024, with 519,000 leaving in the year to December 2024.The 431,000 net migration figure is around half the 860,000 level seen a year earlier, driven by a fall in non-EU workers and students coming to the UK, and marks the largest fall on record. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his immigration reform plans earlier this month More