Category Archives: UK Politics

Liz Truss lettuce songs and jet ski stunts: Britain’s third party is living its best life

BRIGHTON, England — The Liberal Democrats have never been chirpier. Britain’s centrist party has been on an extended high at its seaside conference this week after securing its best ever general election result and giving the Conservatives a kicking. Capturing the mood, more than 400 hyped-up activists and MPs belted out tunes and let off […]

Lib Dem activist arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at Glee Club event

BRIGHTON, England — A Liberal Democrat activist has been arrested over allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted at a sing-a-long event at the party’s annual conference. A woman attending the get-together complained to staff she had been touched on the backside during Glee Club, a three-hour event in which members sing songs parodying British […]

How UK Labour let Nigel Farage win

LONDON — Don’t let your values get in the way of your victory.  That was the ruthless calculation Keir Starmer’s election-winning campaign team made when deciding how to deal with the new hard-right force in British politics: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.  Starmer’s election masterminds knew that Farage’s entry into this year’s contest would do far […]

England reportedly risks Euros football ban over regulator plans

UEFA has warned the British government that England risks being banned from the Euro 2028 football tournament it is co-hosting if plans for a football regulator proceed, British media reported. England could be excluded from the tournament over “concerns” that a planned independent football regulator could lead to “government interference” in the sport, according to […]

Russia kicks out 6 British diplomats over spying claims

Russia expelled six British diplomats on Friday, accusing them of espionage.  News of the expulsions came just hours before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine, among other issues. The U.K.’s Foreign Office confirmed that Moscow withdrew the diplomatic accreditations […]

PMQs: Sunak wins by exploiting Labour’s winter fuel divisions

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through. What they sparred about: Winter fuel payments — again. The final PMQs before MPs pack their bags for party conferences saw the leaders go head-to-head on their big […]

The brave four who think they can save Britain’s terminal Tory party

LONDON — Britain’s once-mighty Conservatives are on life support — but these four hopefuls think they have a way back. After an election that saw their representation in the House of Commons drop by two-thirds, Britain’s Tory MPs have whittled down their potential future leadership hopefuls to four. The lineup will now be further trimmed […]

UK arms-sale ban won’t make any difference to war, says former Israeli PM

LONDON — A former prime minister of Israel believes Britain’s suspension of some of its arms exports is a “mistake” which won’t affect the country’s military campaign in Gaza and may prove a wasted opportunity for Keir Starmer in his ability to influence events in the Middle East. Ehud Olmert told POLITICO’s Power Play podcast that Britain and other […]