House of Lords member Richard Balfe states UK public shows little interest in Ukraine conflict, despite new PM Andy Burnham's pledge to continue Ukraine support.
Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, is expected to resign his Holyrood seat and leadership to become a business minister in Andy Burnham's new UK government, despite previous pledges to remain in Scotland. The move has surprised Scottish Labour parliamentarians and drawn strong criticism from opposition parties.
Organised crime is increasingly involved in match-fixing across various sports, including chess, to launder money from drug and human trafficking. Authorities are struggling to keep pace with new technologies and prediction markets, leading to a rise in younger offenders and outdated solutions.
A former US official claims democracy is broken, citing research that governments favor the wealthy. The tech lobby in the UK is accused of thwarting accountability and embedding services into the state, leading to policy shifts and loss of national control over critical infrastructure and data.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards is reintroducing the assisted dying bill to the Commons, aiming to bypass potential obstruction in the House of Lords. Disability rights campaigner Marie Tidball and former minister Alex Davies-Jones will co-sponsor the bill, which previously ran out of time in the Lords.
As the 10th anniversary of Brexit approaches, Britain debates rejoining the EU, focusing on economic benefits and political feasibility. However, the discussion largely ignores the perspectives of other European nations and the EU's own priorities, such as Ukraine and global economic challenges. While some UK politicians advocate for rejoining, the EU has other candidates and a minority who may not welcome Britain back.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards will use her private member's bill to bring the assisted dying bill back to the Commons after it was blocked by the House of Lords. The move aims to give Parliament another chance to decide on the issue, potentially using the Parliament Acts to bypass the Lords if necessary.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards will use her private member's bill to reintroduce the assisted dying legislation to the Commons after it was blocked by the House of Lords. The move aims to give supporters a chance to use the Parliament Act to bypass the Lords if it is blocked again, ensuring a final decision on end-of-life choice.
Over 100 UK lawmakers have urged the government to cancel an Israeli real estate event in London, citing its promotion of land sales in illegal West Bank settlements. Organizers deny these claims, stating properties are within the Green Line, but event details mentioning settlements have been removed.
Prominent MPs, including former ministers Louise Haigh, Ian Murray, and Jeremy Hunt, have indicated they do not expect the assisted dying bill to be resurrected using the Parliament Acts, which could bypass the House of Lords. The bill previously fell in the Lords after extensive amendments prevented a vote. While some MPs are considering reintroducing it, invoking the Parliament Acts faces significant opposition due to ethical concerns and procedural complexities.
A UK House of Lords committee has advised the Bank of England to reconsider proposed stablecoin caps and reserve requirements, arguing they could stifle the development of a pound-denominated stablecoin market before it even begins.
A UK House of Lords committee urged the government to proceed with stablecoin regulation but cautioned against rules that could make pound sterling stablecoins commercially unworkable, warning the UK lags behind the US and EU.
Former Ofcom chair Michael Grade defended GB News, stating broadcasters are 'embarrassed' by its coverage of the 'majority agenda.' Critics, including former Ofcom director Chris Banatvala, dispute his claims, arguing Ofcom failed to apply consistent regulatory standards to GB News.
A new bill in England will allow social housing landlords to evict domestic abuse perpetrators, protecting victims. It also extends the right-to-buy tenancy requirement from 3 to 10 years and aims to fix the decline in social housing.
The UK government has granted life peerages to 26 hereditary peers (15 Conservative, 2 Labour, 9 crossbenchers) whose seats were abolished, in a bid to end opposition to plans for removing the remaining hereditary peers' right to sit in the House of Lords. The move comes after 92 hereditary peers lost their seats this week, with the government offering concessions to accelerate Lords reform. The Conservative party has agreed to speed up the retirement of about half its existing life peers. The SNP has criticized the government for focusing on 'saving hereditary Lords' rather than the cost-of-living crisis.
The last 92 hereditary peers have been removed from the House of Lords after a law took effect marking the end of nearly a thousand years of British parliamentary history. The change implements a Labour manifesto commitment, completing reforms that began in 1999 when Tony Blair's government reduced hereditary peers from 759 to 92 in a Conservative compromise. Lord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean thanked hereditaries for their service, while departing peer Lord Strathclyde condemned the move as shifting too far toward political appointees.
Additional confidential health records of UK Biobank volunteers have appeared on Alibaba since last week's reported breach. The UK government is working with Chinese authorities to remove the listings while acknowledging the growing risk of re-identification from de-identified datasets.
The UK government has confirmed further confidential health records of UK Biobank volunteers have been listed on Alibaba since the breach reported last week. Science minister Patrick Vallance said the government is working with Chinese officials to remove additional postings, warning there will likely be more leaks. The data of 500,000 participants was put up for sale on the Chinese marketplace. While the data is de-identified, experts warn there is a real risk of re-identification through triangulation of large datasets.
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Lord Peter Ricketts, a member of the House of Lords and a former British diplomat, about King Charles' visit to the U.S. during a tumultuous time.
A House of Lords committee has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to aim for a significantly larger fiscal buffer, warning that the UK's public debt is on an unsustainable trajectory. The committee's report says the current £22bn headroom remains at historically low levels compared with the £30bn average between 2010-2022, and calls for larger buffers to become the norm to avoid destabilising policy changes.
Chief property and security officer Ian Collard set to submit written answers to foreign affairs committee questionsA key figure in the row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington will not appear before a parliamentary committee of MPs to give evidence.Dame Emily Thornberry had requested that Ian Collard speak to the foreign affairs committee (FAC) on Tuesday, but confirmed on Saturday that he would submit written answers instead.Whether he felt under pressure to deliver Lord Mandelson’s clearance, after Sir Olly said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Downing Street.Whether he had seen the cover form for Lord Mandelson’s vetting by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency responsible for checks on candidates for sensitive posts, in which it had ticked two red boxes – meaning they had “high concern” and recommended “clearance denied or withdrawn”.If he was asked by anyone in the Foreign Office, Downing Street or the Cabinet Office for advice about whether Lord Mandelson required vetting for the post given he was a member of the House of Lords.If he advised on how Lord Mandelson should be treated during the period between his appointment being announced and his clearance coming through. Continue reading...
The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which passed the House of Commons in June last year, has fallen in the House of Lords after more than 1,200 amendments were tabled. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has promised to reintroduce an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, exploiting a procedural rule that prevents peers blocking the same bill twice. Supporters called the Lords' actions a denial of democracy, while opponents said the bill had fundamental flaws.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed on Friday as parliamentary time ran out, nearly a year after the House of Commons passed it. The House of Lords blocked the bill by filing a record 1,200+ amendments, preventing debate. Campaigners blame unelected lords for overriding the elected chamber's will and vow to bring the bill back after King Charles's speech on May 13.
MPs voted 314-291 to pass Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill in the Commons, comparing it to historic conscience votes on abortion and gay rights. After months of Lords debate, time ran out without a final vote. Supporters accuse peers of frustrating democratic will; opponents say thorough scrutiny is Parliament's role. The Private Members' Bill cannot be easily reintroduced.
