Nigel Farage is under scrutiny for allegedly failing to declare benefits from an ally, George Cottrell, who has a US fraud conviction. The undeclared support reportedly included social media staff and a property near Buckingham Palace. Farage denies wrongdoing, calling it an 'establishment hit job'.
Japan saw a 70% surge in business manager visa holders to 46,000 by mid-2025, with Chinese nationals forming about half. However, new visa rules introduced by the ruling LDP in late 2025 are causing concern among immigrant entrepreneurs like Nepalese national Budhathoki Samjhana, who fears expulsion despite contributing to the economy.
Liberal Democrat MP Cameron Thomas has been arrested by Gloucestershire police on suspicion of controlling and coercive behaviour and assault. The 43-year-old MP for Tewkesbury had his party whip and membership suspended following the arrest.
Liberal Democrat MP Cameron Thomas has had the party whip suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation. Thomas was reportedly arrested by Gloucestershire police on Wednesday night. His party membership is also understood to have been suspended.
Sir Ed Davey calls for Britain to rejoin the EU single market, arguing Brexit has failed and the world has changed since 2016. Public opinion has shifted, with polls showing a majority would reverse the outcome. The Lib Dem leader's stance faces political hurdles, particularly anti-immigration sentiment, but highlights a growing debate on reconnecting with Europe.
Tactical voting is key for Labour's Andy Burnham in Makerfield, with Green and Lib Dem supporters backing him. Reform's rival, Restore Britain, faces a challenge as its voters are less willing to switch, potentially splitting the right-wing vote.
The Liberal Democrats are preparing for the UK's next general election (due by 2029) by selecting 28 prospective parliamentary candidates, restructuring their press operation, and adopting a more offensive strategy to potentially return to government, leveraging their 72 MPs as a kingmaker in a likely hung parliament.
Japanese PM Takaichi denies allegations of using anonymous social media accounts to smear opponents during the LDP election, where she became the first female PM and appointed Koizumi as defence minister.
Conservative leader Adam Kent suspended for forming coalition with Greens, Lib Dems, and independents to oust Reform UK from Worcestershire council, ending their controversial minority rule.
Japan's LDP considers increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP, in line with many NATO members, due to US pressure and Indo-Pacific security concerns.
Statues commemorating WWII 'comfort women' force Japan to reassert its position amid global memorial removals and ongoing disputes with South Korea.
Alleged dirty tricks in Japan's LDP leadership contest raise stakes beyond internal party politics
Conservative and Reform leaders cheered as they address crowd, while Labour’s Pat McFadden met with boos and shouts of ‘where is Starmer?’Thousands of people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday to protest an increase in antisemitic hate crimes and violence, as senior politicians and interfaith leaders called for unity.The Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism rally, backed by more than 30 Jewish groups, drew thousands of people to Whitehall, as Conservative and Liberal Democrat party leaders, alongside Labour and Reform representatives, addressed a crowd studded with Israeli and union jack flags, and ‘Where is Keir?’ placards. Continue reading...
Significant gains this week lay bare an increasingly fragmented political systemFull results from England, Scotland and WalesLocal elections have fundamentally reshaped the political landscape in England. Labour suffered heavy losses, losing ground to the Green party and Reform UK, while the Conservatives also sustained significant losses to Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.Reform and the Green party made significant gains, in results that laid bare an increasingly fragmented political system. Reform gained 1,349 council seats and control of 14 councils, while the Green party won 376 council seats, control of five councils, and took two mayoralties. Continue reading...
Open letter criticising invitation to Nigel Farage warns of association with ‘racism and inflammatory rhetoric’Political leaders have been invited to a rally opposing antisemitism on Sunday, with British Jews hoping the “silent majority” will join them for a “million mensch march” across central London.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, is considering attending the Standing Strong: Extinguish Antisemitism rally, which is backed by more than 30 Jewish groups, while the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to speak. The Liberal Democrats’ leader, Ed Davey, has also been invited. Continue reading...
Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat with party pushed into third place behind Plaid Cymru and ReformThis liveblog is now closed. Read the Guardian’s report on the elections here and find all our election coverage here.2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votes2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directionsWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
The Tories had a grim night at the polls, losing seats to both Reform and the Liberal Democrats.
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...
Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat with party pushed into third place behind Plaid Cymru and Reform2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat; John Swinney declares victory for SNP in Scotland2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat; John Swinney declares victory for SNP in Scotland2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
Welsh Labour leader and first minister Eluned Morgan loses seat; John Swinney declares victory for SNP in Scotland2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
Party makes gains in Portsmouth and Richmond-upon-Thames in local elections but loses a Scottish strongholdElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesEd Davey has sought to cast Liberal Democrat wins in England’s local elections as proof his party is best positioned to confront what he described as the “extreme populist change” offered by Reform UK and the Greens.As Labour assessed a disastrous set of results, the Lib Dems were able to claim they had been able to fend off Reform challenges in areas including Portsmouth, where they made gains to seize the city council, which had been under no overall control. Continue reading...
Farage says Labour being ‘wiped out by Reform in many of their traditional areas’; Greens win first mayoralty in Hackney2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesWe’re getting statements from some of the political parties now as we wait for results.For the Conservatives, party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said:We have run an energetic and positive campaign, showcasing that we have a clear plan to get Britain working again and that we have the team to deliver it... We know that so soon after a historic general election defeat and contesting wards won during the Party’s polling highs, that this will be a difficult set of elections for us. But we will continue to rebuild and to show the public that we have changed, to demonstrate that only this new Conservative party is a credible alternative.People are deeply disappointed with a Labour government that has been too timid to fix the country, but they are also appalled by the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s Trump-style politics. While those on the extremes of the right and the left want to burn everything down, Liberal Democrats want to fix what’s broken. Every Liberal Democrat local champion elected today will fight tirelessly for the communities they serve.I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before. The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country. Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.Throughout this election, we have heard a clear appetite for change. People want a government that will stand up for Wales and focus relentlessly on the key issues affecting their lives. People have told us they have been inspired by Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership and driven by a desire for a positive alternative to Reform UK’s chaos and division. Continue reading...
