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The rightwing populist party could play an outsize role in the next UK election – and cost the Conservatives dearly“A sinking ship” was how Antonia, an administrator from Middleton, described Britain at the start of 2024. That assessment, while damning, isn’t unusual, with “broken”, “mess” and “struggling” the top words used to describe the UK today. But Antonia, and her fellow focus group participants...

Wes Streeting says he is shocked by the extent to which the health and wellbeing of the nation’s children has declinedGood morning. Keir Starmer will today start a series of fortnightly visits around Britain intended to promote Labour’s “missions”, and today he is in the north-west of England launching the party’s child health action plan. He has written about the proposals for the Guardian...

Shadow chancellor to highlight increased mortgage costs as party targets Tory seats coveted by Lib DemsLabour is to kick off campaigning in a string of upcoming byelections by highlighting increased mortgage costs in so-called blue wall constituencies, in a tactical shift in which the party will openly target Conservative-held seats coveted by the Liberal Democrats.Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is to visit Kingswood, the...

Kevin Hollinrake, the minister for postal services, says a government announcement on the scandal is imminent Good morning. Cabinet is meeting for the first time this year and, among its other problems, the government is still under pressure to announce something definitive about the Post Office Horizon scandal that will show it is responding to the outrage generated by the ITV drama about the...