2024 General Election

Sunak and Starmer’s first TV debate: a tetchy PMQs where no one dared mention the F-word

— The first 2024 election debate felt anticlimactic, with Rishi Sunak indirectly addressing the absent Nigel Farage. Sunak’s aggressive tactics against Labour’s Keir Starmer suggested future ambitions over current priorities.

UK Politics

The size of the swing to Labour in the Blackpool South by-election made this such an unpleasant night for Rishi Sunak

— Debates ponder if the upcoming general election will mirror the close 1992 or landslide 1997 outcomes. Amid significant shifts, including in Blackpool South, Labour sees unprecedented by-election success, while the Conservatives face potential annihilation, struggling even against the Reform party.

Long-Read

Britain’s Brexit drift

— The UK government’s new ‘common user charge’ on EU imports adds significant costs, affecting particularly small firms and highlighting the ongoing economic and political instability post-Brexit, with broader impacts on sectors like agriculture and financial services.

UK Politics

Climate crisis denier Lee Anderson finds common cause with Reform UK

— Tory MP Lee Anderson, suspended from the Conservative Party, joins Reform UK, a climate science denial party. He opposes net zero policies, supports fossil fuels, and works with GB News, known for climate denial.

UK Politics

Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections: It’s never been this bad for the Conservatives, and it could still get worse

— The Tories’ by-election losses in Wellingborough and Kingswood reflect substantial shifts towards Labour amid a backdrop of resignations and controversies, dissatisfaction, particularly in economic stewardship and leadership, where Labour demonstrates strength.