Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim expressed hope for "100% development" under the new BJP administration led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, signaling a potential shift in stance amid a major Trinamool Congress rebellion. Hakim stated the need to rise above party politics and work together for the state's progress.
A Cardiff University study found UK TV news coverage of recent elections prioritized breadth over depth, relying heavily on "vox pops" and failing to scrutinize political claims, potentially due to strict impartiality rules.
The Green Party's surge in elections prompts concerns about the future of horse racing, with some party members advocating for its abolition due to animal welfare concerns.
Senior Labour MPs urge prime minister to step down within year as party suffers loss of hundreds of English council seats and humbling in WalesElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesKeir Starmer is under pressure to set out a timeline for his departure after a crushing defeat in elections across Britain prompted senior Labour MPs to call for him to step down within a year.In a disastrous set of results, Labour lost hundreds of council seats in England, many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made big gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the South.Nigel Farage said a “truly historic shift in British politics” had occurred after Reform UK won hundreds of seats and control of more councils in England. The gains included Essex where the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, has her constituency and which the Conservatives held for 25 years.Plaid Cymru became the largest party in Wales, beating Reform into second place, after Labour admitted it was on course to lose control of the Senedd for the first time since devolution. Morgan, the first woman to lead the Welsh government, became the highest-profile casualty and called on Labour to “go back to being the party of the working class”.The SNP leader, John Swinney, declared victory in the Holyrood elections – though was expected to fall short of an outright majority. The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, conceded defeat saying his party had failed to counter “national dissatisfaction” with Starmer.The Greens gained their first two directly elected mayors – in Hackney and Lewisham – although they missed out on some more ambitious targets in London, as their leader, Zack Polanski, declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried”. They also won three councils: Norwich, Hastings and Waltham Forest.The Tories were on course to lose hundreds of seats – both to Reform and the Liberal Democrats – across the south of England. However, they won back the flagship Westminster council in central London, with Badenoch announcing it meant the party was “coming back”.Labour appeared to be struggling in its London stronghold, despite early indications that its vote was holding up, unexpectedly losing control of Brent. Party insiders were closely watching councils including Lambeth, Lewisham and Haringey. Continue reading...
Greens leader celebrates his party’s first ever elected mayor, and winning three councils outrightElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesZack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first ever mayoral election and gained councillors across England, including winning three councils outright.As Labour losses piled up across the country and the Conservatives endured another disappointing set of results, Polanski sought to present his party as emerging from the results as the most viable option for opponents of Reform. Continue reading...
Greens leader celebrates victory over Labour for Zoë Garbett, his party’s first ever elected mayor Election 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesZack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first ever mayoral election.The Greens unseated Labour from mayoral power in the east London borough of Hackney after 24 years. The new mayor, Zoë Garbett, told reporters she was “elated” and promised it was just the beginning, after the party won with 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Continue reading...
Greens leader celebrates victory over Labour for Zoë Garbett, his party’s first ever elected mayor Election 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesZack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first ever mayoral election.The Greens unseated Labour from mayoral power in the east London borough of Hackney after 24 years. The new mayor, Zoë Garbett, told reporters she was “elated” and promised it was just the beginning, after the party won with 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Continue reading...
Greens leader celebrates victory over Labour for Zoë Garbett, who will be his party’s first ever elected mayor Election 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesZack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first ever mayoral election.The Greens unseated Labour from mayoral power in the east London borough of Hackney after 24 years. The new mayor, Zoë Garbett, told reporters she was “elated” and promised it was just the beginning, after the party won with 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Continue reading...
Zoë Garbett says ousting of Labour mayor in east London borough after 24 years is just the beginning for partyElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesZack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as the party claimed its first ever elected mayor post in the country.The Green party unseated Labour from mayoral power in the east London borough of Hackney after 24 years. The new mayor, Zoë Garbett, told reporters she was “elated” and promised it was just the beginning after the party won with 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Continue reading...
While Labour losses and Reform gains are obvious, the nature of how people actually voted is much more nuancedElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesEnglish local election results require careful interpretation. Not all places have them at the same time, a relatively small proportion complete their counts overnight and the early headlines may not reflect outcomes later in the day.But the headline number on Friday morning – that Labour has lost more than 250 councillors - will only grow as the day progresses. While Labour will want to stress that these “mid-term” elections often go badly for the incumbent Westminster government, they rarely go quite as badly as this. Continue reading...
Voters in England face five main party contenders next week (six in Scotland and Wales), reflecting deep discontent with Labour and Conservatives. Both Greens and Reform UK benefit from voter desperation that radical parties are worth trying. However, the article argues the real power lies with bond markets, which have pushed UK government bond yields above 5% – levels not seen since 2008 and higher than any other G7 country. The markets are making clear they don't want any successor to Starmer who wants to borrow more, potentially saving Starmer's position. Tax rises have already reached post-WWII highs, yet growth remains sluggish and the economy faces new pressures from the Iran war inflation.
