Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has officially become the UK’s new prime minister after a meeting with the King. The Labour leader had his meeting in Buckingham Palace after Rishi Sunak stepped down following the worst ever general election result for the Conservatives. Sir Keir now takes over as the first Labour prime minister in 14 years

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “return to politics as public service” in his first appearance since the exit poll predicted a Labour landslide in the general election. Speaking after winning his own seat in north London, the Labour leader said people around the country had “spoken and they’re ready for change, to end the

Ex-DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will face a trial over allegations of historical sex offences. Donaldson, 61, was charged with seven more offences on Tuesday, bringing the total to 18, after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) reviewed the police evidence, as is the normal practice. He was originally charged with 11 sex offences in April.

A Conservative minister has said Labour will get “the largest majority this country has ever seen” if recent polls are correct. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride not only appeared to concede the election to Labour a day before voting begins but said they would gain a record number of seats. He told Sky News:

Finally, after six long weeks, the final 24 hours of campaigning is upon us. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will be dashing around the country as they make their final pitch to voters. The prime minister, who may well be out of that job in less than 48 hours, will be sticking to Tory

Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is facing further sex offence charges, bringing the total to 18. The Northern Ireland politician has been charged with seven more offences after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) reviewed the police evidence, as is the normal practice. When he appeared in court in April, the ex-MP was accused of

A government minister has said there should be “no space” for Nigel Farage in the Conservative Party – as he hinted he may run for Rishi Sunak’s position after the election. Steve Baker, the minister for Northern Ireland, acknowledged the troubles currently facing the Conservative campaign and that he did not want to pre-empt Rishi

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says there’s a conspiracy of silence this election – that all of the major political parties aren’t being honest enough about their fiscal plans this election. And they have a point. Most obviously (and this is the main thing the IFS is complaining about) none of the major manifestos

They came in their droves: thousands of Reform supporters poured into a vast hall in a Birmingham conference centre on Sunday to hear Nigel Farage. His backers brought with them Union Jacks, and brandished Reform placards. There were even one or two red baseball caps emblazoned with the slogan “Make Britain Great Again”, which seemed

Nigel Farage has insisted he is not “fanning the flames of anything” as he defended his handling of the racism row engulfing the Reform UK party. Mr Farage appeared on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips following the controversy over a Reform canvasser who was caught making a racial slur about the prime minister

Leaders and politicians of all parties are coming out swinging today as the general election campaign enters the final days. Rishi Sunak is today saying that Labour would cause “irreversible damage within just 100 days of coming to power”, while his top lieutenants warn of the “danger” of a government led by Sir Keir Starmer.

Was this the day the wheels began to come off for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK bandwagon? Quite possibly. It was a day that began with terrible newspaper headlines and ended with a clash about racism in his party with a hostile TV audience. Election latest: What do we know about Reform UK racism scandal? It

Two Reform UK parliamentary candidates have shared material deemed “vile” and in breach of the internationally-recognised definition of antisemitism. Candidates of the right-wing party have previously shared on social media material defending Adolf Hitler, denying the Holocaust, conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family and Jewish financier George Soros, denial of antisemitism, and comparisons of the

Rishi Sunak has spoken of his hurt and anger at his daughters having to hear Reform activists using a racial slur about him. Responding to the slurs made by supporters of the party led by Nigel Farage, the prime minister said: “Well, my two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for

Britain could soon have its most diverse parliament ever but how will voters from ethnically diverse communities behave at the ballot box? The voting trends of such groups are incredibly complex and varied. There is no single narrative but several themes stick out from YouGov’s exclusive polling for Sky News. Most notably, the handling of

A Conservative donor who gave more than £500,000 to the party has defected to Reform UK. Sir John Hall, former Newcastle United owner, joined Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at an election rally in Durham on Thursday to announce his support for the party. Mr Farage said Sir John, who helped fund Theresa May’s 2017

​​​​​​​The final TV clash of the election campaign was an ill-tempered shouting match, at least from Rishi Sunak. Sir Keir was more measured. More prime ministerial, perhaps? As he had to as the underdog, Mr Sunak went on the attack from the start until the very end and unveiled a new campaign slogan: “Don’t surrender…”

The election betting scandal has deepened as a Welsh Conservative is being investigated and a cabinet minister revealed he placed bets on the general election date. Russell George, a Welsh Conservative member of the Senedd, stepped back from the shadow cabinet after it emerged he was facing a probe by the Gambling Commission over alleged

After days of furore directed at Rishi Sunak for the election betting scandal, now a Labour candidate is under investigation by the Gambling Commission for his own betting activity – and is immediately suspended.  Is this an equaliser in one of the grubbiest electoral sagas of recent elections? Quite possibly not. There is no doubting

Five more police officers are alleged to have placed bets on the timing of the general election, the Met Police has said. The force said the Gambling Commission has passed information to it about the officers after Rishi Sunak’s close protection officer was arrested last week over alleged bets on a July election. The Conservative’s