As the dust settles on another wild one, let POLITICO help you reminisce by rattling through, in no particular order, the 37 words on every extremely-online political type’s lips this year. TWO-TIER JUSTICE: A big talking point of comeback kid Nigel Farage and his fans. They argued that the British justice system treated white and … Read more
LONDON — There wasn’t a great deal of time for reading in Westminster this year. Labour’s election supermajority, dramas over freebies and staff, war everywhere, a tax-hiking budget, and a heap of missions, milestones, foundations, pillars and steps kept Britain’s politicians on their toes. But, thankfully, some of Westminster’s finest still managed to steal a … Read more
Open goal: The Tory leader pressed the PM on whether Foreign Secretary David Lammy — Britain’s top diplomat, no less — had apologized to Trump for labeling him a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer” before he joined Labour’s frontbench in 2020. He has since been more diplomatic. Badenoch pressed: “If the … Read more
Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson told journalists Thursday: “We will continue to challenge China on issues that are in the U.K.’s national interest … whilst also seeking to build a pragmatic and strategic approach with China, looking for areas of cooperation where they exist.” However, Reynolds’ comments on the sidelines of Monday’s international investment summit will … Read more
Polling suggests the public has mixed views on extending the franchise. In June, Conservative pollster Michael Ashcroft found 52 percent of voters were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed to lowering the voting age, compared to 38 percent in favor. And some democracy-watchers argue that boosting the franchise may be ineffective without better civic education. “I don’t … Read more
Instead of seeking an electoral route, Britain’s largely atomized far right uses social media to organize — and its most prominent figures, and outriders from abroad, leapt on and contributed to the initial disinformation spread in the aftermath of the Southport attack. There appears to be little formal organization behind the rioting — with social … Read more
To try and woo the members, whose “loyalty and dedication” she marveled at, the backbench Essex MP pledged to give them a “much greater voice and role” in policy making, offering a democratically elected party chairman. Internally, Patel emphasized the need for rebuttal units and professional party agents to help win seats. Having spent the … Read more
Patel spent the last two years on the backbenches after serving as home secretary when Boris Johnson was in No. 10. A prominent figure on the right, she’s dubbed a “dark horse” of the campaign who can keep the right wing on side while potentially winning over One Nation centrist MPs averse to a harder-right … Read more
The 2005 Gambling Act makes it a criminal offense to cheat, or assist another to do so, while placing a bet. In the lead up to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise announcement of a snap July 4 ballot, there was an unusual uptick in the number of bets on a July vote. Craig Williams, a … Read more
“The organizers of these marches could do everything in their power to stop that. They don’t,” Gove will add. Since the October 7 attacks on Israel last year, London has seen large-scale protest marches against Israel’s reprisal campaign against Hamas. The main London marches currently take place every fortnight, amid a mounting civilian death toll … Read more
