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Birmingham is awash with local election candidates – but will result be a ‘coalition of chaos’?

Some fear a fragmented field of hopefuls from Labour, the Conservatives, Greens, Reform and independents could leave city ungovernablePaul Tilsley was 23 when he was first elected for the Liberal part...

More than half of Britons support rejoining EU 10 years on from Brexit vote

Experts say Labour’s ‘halfway house’ approach risks losing support from progressives and ‘red wall’ votersSupport for rejoining the EU rather than simply rejoining the single market is growing among B...

Keir Starmer says it is unforgivable he was not told Mandelson failed vetting

PM ‘furious’ as spokesperson insists Downing Street repeatedly sought facts of the case without being toldKeir Starmer has said it was “unforgivable” that he was not told that Peter Mandelson had fail...

Olly Robbins is just the latest: a guide to the high-profile exits under Starmer’s tenure

There has been a steady succession of departures by ministers and senior officials in the past two yearsThe exit of the top civil servant Olly Robbins from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development...

Starmer facing almighty clash as critics look to finish him off

"Absolutely furious", "unforgivable" and "completely unacceptable". Sir Keir Starmer is normally not one to show emotion, but he was near apoplectic on Friday as he insisted he was not told Peter Mand...

Southport inquiry chair to review Peter Mandelson vetting process

Exclusive: Adrian Fulford will also examine wider national security vetting system in review commissioned by No 10A retired court of appeal judge is expected to review Peter Mandelson’s vetting proces...

Labour MP's former aide who downloaded 500 indecent images of children spared jail

A former aide to a Labour MP has been spared jail after downloading more than 500 indecent images of children.

Stage set for an almighty clash as Starmer's critics look to finish him off

Foreign Office’s top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over Mandelson vetting row

Keir Starmer understood to have lost confidence in official over decision to override security vetting failureMandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decisionSir Olly Robbins, the UK For...

Starmer should face Commons inquiry over Mandelson vetting, says Ed Davey

Exclusive: Liberal Democrat leader calls for privileges committee to investigate whether PM misled parliamentUK politics live – latest updatesA powerful Commons committee should investigate whether Ke...

‘No cheeseburgers … they would go bankrupt’: pupils reject plan to cut fatty foods from lunch menus

Though welcomed by chefs and campaigners, many schools say the government’s plan to remove ‘grab and go’ options from the menu is a step too farIt is lunchtime at Richard Challoner school, a Catholic...

‘Starmer in peril’: what the papers say about Mandelson vetting row

Speculation over the prime minister’s future dominates UK front pages after the Guardian revealed Peter Mandelson failed his security vettingOn Thursday, the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson fai...

Woman stranded in Dusseldorf after return UK flight blocked over Home Office admin error

Liza Tobay, who lives in UK, was told her settled status had been ‘red flagged’ after trying to make a connecting flight from Munich to EdinburghA German woman has been separated from her two-year-old...

Liz Kendall urges UK public to embrace AI as government makes first £500m fund investment

Technology secretary plays down fears over jobs and cyber security as stake taken in British startupThe UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears...

Rachel Reeves warns other budgets may be cut to lift defence spending

Chancellor says she is ‘working through a range of options’ to boost the armed forces but does not want to put up taxesRachel Reeves has warned “difficult choices” are required to increase defence spe...

Badenoch calls Farage an ‘opportunist’ after he urges Scottish nationalists to back Reform

Tory leader criticises Farage for saying that holding another independence vote ‘probably quite reasonable’Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opp...

Labour and Lib Dem MPs demand ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contract be scrapped

Spy-tech company and founder Peter Thiel should ‘have their hands ripped off our NHS’, say MPs MPs have queued up to demand the government scraps its £330m NHS contract with the spy-tech company Palan...

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until this week – as it happened

The prime minister was not aware that the former US ambassador had failed the vetting process, according to Downing StreetSwinney says this is a manifesto for the whole of Scotland.He confirms that th...

Orbán’s defeat threatens to halt Hungarian support of populist right

Individuals such as Matt Goodwin and Lord Frost benefited from largesse of self-styled ‘illiberal democracy’UK politics live – latest updatesThe last 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule have been kind to...

Five key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance?

Ministers and civil servants face scrutiny after revelation Foreign Office overruled vetting procedure for US ambassador appointmentRevealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled deci...