Politics

Take a good, hard look at the world and what do you see? It certainly feels unpredictable. Old friends are unreliable, and the rules no longer seem to apply. For many, the global neighbourhood is getting distinctly scary. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the head of UK intelligence agency, MI6. “The…

“Bloody shambles”, a senior minister sighs. “Real question marks over his judgement.” “Still a shitshow”, another texts simply, adding: “Terminal inability to make decisions”. Those blunt verdicts frame Sir Keir Starmer’s march into recess: a leader who has steadied himself enough to stave off immediate crisis, but whose authority and judgement are still being openly…

Sir Keir Starmer should make tackling misogyny the sixth key mission of his government, Harriet Harman has said. The former Labour cabinet minister told our political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that the work so far to tackle it is “just not good enough”, and women’s voices need to be respected in…

👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈

Ministers have so far been unable to strip Wayne Couzens, the former police officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, of his public sector pension and are considering introducing legislation if required, Sky News can reveal. In March 2021, when he was a serving Metropolitan Police officer, Couzens used his police warrant to lure Sarah…

Peter Mandelson’s ministerial assistant sent Jeffrey Epstein a copy of a government speech before it was delivered to the public, just days after the paedophile financier was released from prison, documents uncovered by Sky News appear to show. The assistant signed off the message as executive assistant to the secretary of state on the email…

Lord Peter Mandelson has been asked to testify to the US Congress over his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. A letter from two Democrat members of the House of Representatives called on the former British ambassador to Washington to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee as part of their probe into Epstein….

Palestine Action’s co-founder has won a legal challenge over the group’s ban as a terrorist organisation on two grounds. However, it will remain outlawed for now as the government intends to take the case to the Court of Appeal. Huda Ammori launched the challenge after former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group,…

The UK and its European allies are scrambling to get serious about their own defences as Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin shape a new world order. You can expect to hear multiple declarations from European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, about their respective plans to ramp up spending on defence and security at…

Manchester United have said they “pride” themselves “on being an inclusive and welcoming club” hours after their co-owner described the UK as being “colonised” by immigrants. The club released a statement emphasising the club’s inclusiveness and diversity on a day during which politicians continued to criticise Sir Jim Ratcliffe for his comments. The founder of…