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Greater Manchester Mayor ​Andy Burnham is ‌considering holding a snap ​general election ​if he becomes ⁠British prime ​minister, the ​Sun newspaper reported on Saturday. He is ​also lining ​up British interior ‌minister ⁠Shabana Mahmood to be his chancellor, the ​newspaper ​reported, ⁠citing Labour insiders. Reuters ​could not ​immediately ⁠verify the report.

Tony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election. In a scathing 5,700-word attack on the prime minister and his would-be successors published on Tuesday night, Blair argued for the government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon restrictions on oil and gas and smooth relations with Donald Trump. His essay, a highly unusual intervention for a past Labour prime minister, is likely to draw a furious response from...

The Prime Minister sought to reassure the Ukrainian leader as questions remain about UK sanctions on Russian oil, which critics say have been watered down. Downing Street said the Prime Minister had “reaffirmed the UK’s steadfast support for Ukraine” in his call with Mr Zelensky and “set out our ongoing commitment to do everything possible to debilitate and degrade Putin’s war machine”. Sir Keir told Mr Zelensky that the UK’s efforts meant there would be “less Russian oil on the market, with Russia weaker as a result”, a spokesperson added. The call followed criticism of a “short-term” trade licence issued...

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed not to "walk away" from Number 10 and insisted that he will stay to "fight the next election". The Prime Minister refused to set out a transition timetable on Monday amid mounting pressure, with growing suggestions that he could face Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting in any potential future leadership battle. Asked if his time as prime minister had effectively come to an end, Starmer said: "No, we've got a lot of work to do. "I'm very focused on what I consider to be my responsibility, my duty, and that is to the country." It...

Wes Streeting has called for a “proper contest” to replace Sir Keir Starmer and confirmed he would stand if the race is triggered, as he and other senior Labour figures make their pitch to replace the Prime Minister. In his first public appearance since resigning as health secretary, Mr Streeting set out a fledgling policy platform for a run at the Labour leadership. He said Britain must pursue a “new special relationship” with the European Union and signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future. Mr Streeting is among the senior Labour figures to...

The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the king’s speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner. The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, came under government control last April amid fears that its owner, Jingye, was planning to shut down the site. British Steel operates the last two remaining blast furnaces in the UK, but its economic control remains with the Chinese company, which bought it out of insolvency in early 2020. An announcement confirming the plans...

Starmer made a speech to his party and cabinet, rambling all over the place, didn't wait for questions, went straight for 10 Downing, and won't come out, the press waiting outside. His cabinet members are resigning all day, including senior members. Keir allegedly sitting alone in the shower at #10, crying. I leave it to Mahyar to tell the rest.

Keir Starmer’s grip on power appeared to be slipping away on Monday as more than 70 Labour MPs publicly urged him to set out a timetable for his departure, despite his pledging to fight any challenge. The prime minister warned the country would “never forgive” Labour for plunging into the chaos of a leadership election – and that he intended to prove his doubters inside and outside the party wrong.

More than a hundred Labour Party politicians have called on Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer to set out plans to resign from his post following this week’s disastrous defeat in the local elections to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. The knives are out for Prime Minister Starmer, who is now embroiled in a desperate fight to extend his political life after a historically poor performance in the rough British equivalent of a midterm election this week. Starmer’s Labour suffered heavy losses in councils across England, losing control of traditional “red wall” seats to Farage’s Reform party, while losing power in...

A NEW poll has put Keir Starmer's Labour Party in fourth place behind Reform, the Greens and Conservatives. The Find Out Now survey carried out this week put Labour on just 15%, a staggering three points behind the Greens as Zack Polanski's party continues to surge in popularity with voters. The poll of 2717 people put Reform UK on 33%, the Greens on 18%, the Conservatives on 16% and the LibDems on 11%. Labour came just 12% ahead of the SNP, who voters can only opt for in Scotland. Translated into seats, it means Reform would win a General Election...

🚨NEW: State of the Parties at 11AM Seats declared: 4762/4992 ➡️ REF: 1444 (+1442) 🌹 LAB: 997 (-1406) 🔸 LDM: 834 (+151) 🌳 CON: 773 (-557) 🌍 GRN: 515 (+375) ⚪️ OTH: 199 (+27)

In Barnsley, south Yorkshire, 50 years of Labour rule ended on Friday with Reform UK taking control. Voters in the area said they wanted to see change, with one saying Labour had abandoned the working class. For others, a dislike for Keir Starmer was their main motivation when casting their vote. BBC's UK editor Ed Thomas reports from Barnsley.

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a special envoy on global finance, as he attempts to shore up his position after his party suffered heavy election losses. Downing Street said the prime minister had also hired former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman as an adviser on tackling violence against women and girls. Brown and Harman, two influential and respected figures in the party, met Sir Keir in Downing Street before their roles were announced. The prime minister's authority is tottering after Friday's dire election results piled pressure on him, with some Labour MPs calling...

Sir Keir Starmer has again insisted he will not quit despite calls from dozens of Labour MPs in the wake of the party's local election mauling. The Prime Minister warned that if he left No 10 it would "plunge the country into chaos". Speaking in south London today, Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to walk away from this; that would plunge the country into chaos. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to respond. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to rebuild. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need to set out the path ahead. That’s what I’m going...

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit as prime minister and "plunge the country into chaos", as Labour reels from significant election losses. The results in England, Scotland and Wales have piled pressure on Sir Keir, with some Labour MPs calling for him to set a timetable for his departure, although his cabinet allies have backed him for now. Labour has lost power in Wales, ending its 27-year rule, while the SNP remains the largest party in Scotland. Reform UK has been the big winner in England, picking up more than 1,400 seats and taking control of councils...

People freaking out about the Reform UK win compilation pic.twitter.com/QJIQM4wqLo— ɖʀʊӄքǟ ӄʊռʟɛʏ 🇧🇹🇹🇩 (@kunley_drukpa) May 8, 2026It's amazing. Nigel Farage and Reform UK has a platform that is more or less the same as establishment Republicans in the United States: Lots of bravado about "conservatism" but voting like Democrats going the speed limit. But because they are the only viable right-wing option for the moment, people voted for them in spades in Thursday's local elections. They are estimated to pick up well over 1,500 council seats across the country (they previously had TWO), while the left-wing Labour Party crashes out....

Reform has romped to victory with gains of more than 1,400 council seats across England, while Labour has suffered historic defeats in Wales and Birmingham. Leader Nigel Farage boasted that both Labour and the Conservatives face being 'wiped out' in the local elections, held across England, Wales and Scotland, in what he described as a 'historic shift' in UK politics. Earlier on Friday, Baroness Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, dramatically lost her seat in Ceredigion Penfro, while Birmingham was thrown into uncertainty after debilitating Labour losses led to no overall control. The Greens meanwhile have heaped further misery...

Forget Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister, the story so far of the elections in Britain is Nigel Farage’s apparent future as prime minister. His Reform UK party has surged spectacularly in the 40 local councils that have declared results so far in England. Perhaps most eye-catching of all is the party’s strong performance in the northwest of England and the Greater Manchester area. In Tameside, the backyard of would-be Labour leadership contender Angela Rayner, Reform took 16 of Labour’s 17 seats. In Wigan, the home patch of culture secretary Lisa Nandy, Reform took all 22 of Labour’s seats. Those...

"A truly historic shift in British politics"

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Friday that he will not resign after bruising elections that saw his governing Labour Party suffer big losses and the hard-right party Reform UK make major gains. The local and regional elections are widely seen as unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led Labour to power less than two years ago Voters have grown impatient for economic growth and dramatic change after 14 years of Conservative government, and many Labour lawmakers have become despairing at the government’s failure to deliver. Starmer said he took responsibility for the “very...