Free Republic

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...

SUMMARY: Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to face pressure from Labour MPs to either resign or set a timeline for his departure following heavy losses in elections earlier this month Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) have said Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be allowed to run in the Makerfield by-election if he's selected as the party's candidate A vacancy in the north-west England seat opened up after Labour MP Josh Simons resigned, saying it would give Burnham the chance to return to Westminster Also this week, Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary - potentially paving the way for a...

-The UK government will introduce legislation banning new North Sea oil and gas exploration licences as part of its Energy Independence Bill. -Critics argue the policy will increase Britain’s reliance on imported fossil fuels while damaging Scotland’s oil and gas industry. -Rising oil prices and disruptions tied to the Iran conflict have intensified political pressure on Labour to reconsider the ban. The government will make it illegal to grant new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, the King said at the state opening of Parliament, in a sign ministers are refusing to buckle in the face of a...

Less than two years after Labour won a landslide majority, Sir Keir Starmer’s prime ministership is on the brink. Sir Keir’s flip-flopping has made him deeply unpopular and caused his party to sink in the polls. A battering in the local elections on May 7th has been the final straw for many of his party colleagues. Nearly 100 of Labour’s 403 MPs have called for the prime minister to stand aside and he has received five resignation letters from ministers, including Wes Streeting, the former health secretary. Sir Keir has vowed to fight on. But a leadership contest—which would be...

Eleven foreign "far-right agitators" have been blocked from entering the country to attend a rally organised by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, the prime minister has said. Tens of thousands are expected to join the Unite the Kingdom event on Saturday, while an annual pro-Palestinian demonstration takes place in another part of London. Sir Keir Starmer has said "we're in a fight for the soul of this country" ahead of the protest. The Metropolitan Police is anticipating one of its busiest days in recent years, and has drafted more than 4,000 officers over fears of clashes if the rival protests coincide....

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.

A “truly historic shift in British politics” has taken place where the national political question is no longer about “left or right”, Brexit pioneer Nigel Farage said as his Reform Party surged in early results in what has been called the “midterm” elections. The first Britain-wide local election results trickled in overnight — and will continue to do so through the day and into the weekend as over 5,000 local races have their votes counted — revealing in its early stages a massive swing to Reform UK. Party leader Nigel Farage hailed the party’s gains so far, and vowed “the...

🚨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...

United Kingdom Keir Starmer Last night, Britain's Labour Party got absolutely trounced in local elections. The BBC has a live tracker with only a portion of the results in as of Friday morning Eastern time. This is what it looked like at time of publishing: The Labour Party, which currently controls Parliament, lost hundreds of seats. Despite being billed as "center-left" by the fake news, it is actually to the left of American Democrats on almost every issue. Voters in the UK just resoundingly rejected them at the polls. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, responded to the voice of the...

LONDON — Early results Friday from nationwide elections in Britain suggested a historic drubbing for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and sweeping gains for hard-right Reform U.K., led by Trump ally Nigel Farage. Though many results were still coming in Friday morning, the overall picture will heap pressure on Starmer, an unpopular leader beset by speculation his colleagues may move against him. “The results are tough, they are very tough, and there’s no sugarcoating it,” Starmer said Friday. But he dismissed calls for him to stand down.