Labour steps up attack on Tories ahead of May elections April 8, 2023 Tens of thousands of offenders convicted of serious crimes have been spared jail since the Tories took office, with Labour claiming Rishi Sunak’s party is “on the side of criminals”. The figures highlighted by Labour show community punishments or suspended sentences handed to more than 16,500 adults convicted of child pornography offences and 130 cases [...]
Labour secures 40 point lead over Conservatives in London, new poll shows April 6, 2023 Labour are now seeing a 40 point lead over the Conservatives in London, YouGov pollsters have found. It’s the largest Labour lead in London since YouGov tracking began in 2010, the polling firm says. Sir Keir Starmer’s party continues to exert political dominance in the capital, with 58 per cent of the vote share, leaving [...]
May 2023 local elections: All you need to know April 4, 2023 In just over a month, voters in some parts of the UK will be heading to the ballot box for the local elections. Polling stations will open for residents to select local councillors – in what’s often seen as a key test for the government’s popularity, particularly after the turbulence of recent months. It’s also [...]
Rishi Sunak’s popularity soars in Tory league table with ‘big jump’ before local elections April 3, 2023 Prime minister Rishi Sunak has seen his popularity soar among the Tory grassroots, a poll has shown. The Conservative Home website’s survey of party membership shows Sunak’s approval ratings have risen from sixth from bottom to sixth from top, in the cabinet league table. In the end of February’s poll, the PM was at just [...]
UK housing model is ‘broken’, says Michael Gove April 3, 2023 The UK’s housing model is “broken”, housing secretary Michael Gove has said. The comments by the senior cabinet minister come in a foreword to a collection of essays by liberal conservative think tank Bright Blue. First reported by the Times newspaper, Mr Gove writes: “We desperately need more homes to bring ownership within reach of [...]
MPs should ‘put public service first’ after second jobs sting, Michael Gove says March 26, 2023 Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove said today that MPs must “put public service first” after undercover reporting revealed a handful of MPs were willing to provide advice to a foreign company in return for sizeable fees. Politicians Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng were left red-faced after anti-Brexit campaign group Led By Donkeys released footage of them [...]
Defiant Boris Johnson insists ‘I did not lie’ and claimed boozy leaving do was ‘essential’ March 22, 2023 A defiant Boris Johnson insisted he “did not lie to the House” and claimed a boozy leaving do was “essential for work” in a fiery evidence session set to determine his political future. Johnson underwent a fierce grilling by the cross-party privileges committee, as MPs aimed to decide if he misled – intentionally or recklessly [...]
Boris Johnson claims reason for partygate fines ‘remains unclear’ March 21, 2023 Boris Johnson has claimed it “remains unclear” to him – and possibly to Rishi Sunak – why they were fined for breaching lockdown laws after the Met Police investigation into partygate. The former prime minister has released his defence dossier ahead of a marathon evidence session before the cross-party parliamentary privileges committee tomorrow. In the [...]
Sadiq Khan: Climate deniers will be ’emboldened’ if ULEZ expansion fails March 20, 2023 London’s ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) expansion is now a “key frontier” in the global fight against climate change, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor of London has called on the environmental lobby to come out more strongly in favour of the controversial policy, saying climate change deniers will be “emboldened” if it fails. Speaking at [...]
Allies fear Boris Johnson walking into a partygate ‘witch hunt’ – with a comeback at risk March 19, 2023 Former prime minister Boris Johnson could face a “witch hunt” before MPs at a grilling over his involvement in the lockdown-busting partygate scandal, a key ally has warned. Lord Greenhalgh, who was a deputy mayor during Johnson’s tenure at City Hall, said he was “concerned it will be a witch hunt” and hoped he would [...]