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Kevin Hollinrake has said in his view ‘people should be prosecuted’All our UK politics newsI mentioned in the introduction that Reform UK are giving a press briefing that they have billed as being about “Labour’s betrayal of the working class”. That will be starting in a few minutes and I will bring you any key lines that emerge …John Harris writes for us today,...

Treasury minister Gareth Davies says William Wragg will remain Tory MP while there is an investigationAll our UK politics newsLabour in Scotland have also been on the attack over taxes, with an ad taking a swipe at the SNP and Conservatives.In comments release to the media, Labour’s leader in Scotland Anas Sarwar criticised what he said was “SNP and Tory mismanagement”, saying:[First minister] Humza...

London mayor’s comments come as other senior Labour figures call for government to take action after killing of aid workersSadiq Khan has become the most senior Labour politician to call for an immediate end of UK arms sales to Israel, with a number of other prominent party figures also saying the government should take action after the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza.The...

National Education Union leader says morale among teachers is at ‘an all time low’ in radio interview There is widespread agreement in the UK and the US that Israel has “gone too far” in its war against Hamas, Darren Jones, a Labour Treasury spokesperson, said this morning.In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Jones said:I think what we’ve seen from President Biden, from...

In today’s newsletter: Inside the buildup to the 2 May vote, and what the result might mean for Labour at the general election• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.The streets of London are riddled with “crime and desperation”. “Ulez enforcers dressed in black faces covered with masks” terrorise the city “at the beck and call of their Labour mayor master”....

Resolution Foundation study suggests lowest earners are £6,000 a year better off due to policyThe minimum wage has driven up the pay of millions of Britain’s lowest earners by £6,000 a year, making it the single most successful economic policy in a generation, according to a leading thinktank.Since its introduction in 1999 by Tony Blair’s first Labour administration the policy has secured cross-party agreement,...

Footage of people panicking, designed to attack the London mayor’s record on crime, was filmed in a New York subway stationThe Conservatives have deleted an online video that used scenes of a panicked crowd at a New York subway station to criticise Sadiq Khan’s record on crime in London.The attack ad, posted on X in support of Susan Hall – Khan’s rival for the...

Exclusive: Warning came at party’s first public meeting with Chinese government since Keir Starmer became Labour leaderLabour has warned China that it will respond to any interference in UK democracy after the government announced fresh sanctions against hackers linked to Beijing.The warning came at the party’s first public meeting with the Chinese government since Keir Starmer became Labour leader. Continue reading...

Minister says ‘labelling ups and downs of life as medical conditions holds people back and drives up benefit bill’ as report comes out into women’s pensionsQ; Are you feeling sorry for the Princess of Wales at the moment?Yes, says Starmer. We should leave her alone. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor to deliver prestigious Mais lecture and will announce plans to rewire the TreasuryTribune, the long-established paper (now a magazine and website) for the Labour left, is not impressed by Rachel Reeves’ suggestion that Margaret Thatcher delivered a decade of renewal.Rachel Reeves’ claim that Margaret Thatcher ‘delivered a decade of national renewal’ is the latest attempt to justify the suffering caused by her...

First 1001 Days Movement says five-year decline in toddler development is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for the UKAn incoming Labour government must revive the 1997 spirit of Sure Start and put babies at the heart of policies if it is to achieve its goals, a coalition of charities has said.The First 1001 Days Movement, a coalition of more than 200 charities and professionals, said...

Shadow ministers step up preparations by holding informal meals to pick the brains of senior political figuresSenior members of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet have been meeting with top Whitehall mandarins and former cabinet ministers as part of the party’s growing preparations for government, the Observer has learned.Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser who helped guide the government through the pandemic, as well as former...

Shadow chancellor will tell high-profile financial audience that ‘mission-led’ governments must take a lead in turbulent timesThe shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will pledge to embark on a “decade of renewal” if Labour is returned to power at the next election.Speaking at the annual Mais lecture in London on Tuesday, Reeves will tell an audience of bankers and financial executives that she will create a...

Outcome of election paves way for first black head of a European country or the UK’s most senior gay leaderThe winner of the race to become the next first minister of Wales is to be revealed on Saturday.Whether Vaughan Gething or Jeremy Miles is elected Welsh Labour leader, it will be a historic moment. Continue reading...

The average time the Commons spends sitting every working day is now at lowest level for quarter of a centuryGood morning. Rishi Sunak has ruled out calling a general election on 2 May. This is no great surprise to anyone working in Westminster (despite what the Labour party claims), but worth knowing anyway, particularly for journalists with holiday plans for April. Here is the...

Shadow cabinet talk with Whitehall officials after Keir Starmer meets head of civil service All members of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet are to meet top civil servants in Whitehall departments before Easter as Labour steps up preparations to form the next government, according to senior party sources.The Observer has been told that Starmer recently held a first round of so-called “access talks” with the...

Former PM says she remains committed to supporting Sunak as she decides to ‘pass the baton on’ after 27 yearsTreasury minister Gareth Davies has denied the number of Conservative MPs stepping down signifies a lack of confidence in the party’s electoral prospects.He told Sky News he was “personally sad” to see Theresa May step down after “a pretty good innings” of “27 years of...

Exclusive: Party’s proposals come after Elish Angiolini’s report into Wayne Couzens’ murder of Sarah EverardA Labour government would order every police officer in England and Wales to undergo compulsory training on combating violence against women and girls, the Guardian has learned.The plans are being drawn up by the party and come in the wake of the shockwaves from Elish Angiolini’s report on Thursday into...

Losing party says ‘Galloway only won because Labour did not stand’ and calls him ‘a damaging force in our public life’Full story: George Galloway wins Rochdale byelectionLabour says George Galloway is “only interested in stoking fear and division”.In a statement issued about the byelection result, the party apologised to the people of Rochdale for the fact that it did not have a proper candidate....

Former Labour MP wins almost 40% of vote in contest beset by chaos and controversy – and dominated by the Israel-Gaza warUK politics live – latest updatesThe veteran political agitator George Galloway declared “a shifting of the tectonic plates” away from Labour after claiming a stunning victory in the Rochdale byelection.Galloway, one of the most divisive politicians in Britain, won almost 40% of the...

Galloway claimed his victory signalled a ‘shifting of tectonic plates’. The reality is perhaps less apocalypticUK politics live – latest updatesWhile George Galloway’s portentous declaration of “a shifting of the tectonic plates” was the sort of hyperbole he specialises in, his sweeping victory in the Rochdale byelection does carry some lessons for other parties, and not reassuring ones.It is not the first or even...

In today’s newsletter: what victory for a veteran political disruptor means after a toxic byelection in Rochdale• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.A dramatic night has come to an end. George Galloway, the leader of the Workers’ party of Britain, is back in Westminster after a decisive landslide win in the Rochdale byelection. At 12,335 votes, Galloway came away with...

Byelection in Greater Manchester town sees George Galloway standing on a pro-Palestine ticket while Labour abandoned its candidate over claims about IsraelPolls have opened in the Rochdale byelection after a chaotic contest dominated by the war in Gaza.The veteran campaigner George Galloway is the bookies’ favourite to win after Labour abandoned its candidate over inflammatory comments he made about Israel. Continue reading...

Politicians from Conservative and Labour parties get close protection and chauffeur-driven vehicles Three female MPs have been given bodyguards and chauffeur-driven cars after concerns about their safety, it was reported. Representatives of the Conservative and Labour parties had their security upgraded after a risk assessment, according to the Sunday Times.The MPs, who have not been named, have been given close protection by private companies...