Aaliyah Carter
Badenoch is braced for heavy losses in the local elections on 1 May, but as Labour stumbles and Greens and Lib Dems surge, the contest is wide openA byelection in a normally safe Labour seat was Keir Starmer’s first big electoral test as Labour leader. A similar scenario now provides his first test as prime minister. The loss of Hartlepool to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2021 provoked the biggest crisis of Starmer’s time as opposition leader, forcing sweeping changes in personnel and approach. The loss of Runcorn and Helsby to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK could be similarly bruising. Labour ought to start as favourites, having won this socially mixed marginal corner of Cheshire by a massive margin less than a year ago. But with polls showing a Labour slump, a Reform surge and a restive, dissatisfied public, all bets are off.The Runcorn result will set the tone for this year’s round of local and mayoral elections. A Labour hold will take the pressure off a harried government; a Reform breakthrough will stoke the heat up further, boosting Farage’s claim to be parking his tanks on Labour’s lawn, and jangling the nerves of anxious Labour MPs in the restored “red wall”. While Farage may hurt Labour in Runcorn, it is the Conservatives who face the most pain in this year’s English local elections. Most are in blue-leaning parts of the Midlands and south, and the Tories swept the board when they were last contested in 2021, with Farage off the scene and the government riding a “vaccine bounce” in the polls. Nearly 1,000 Conservative councillors are up for re-election in May, and with Kemi Badenoch’s party polling below its disastrous showing last July, hundreds look set to lose their jobs. Nearly a year on from their worst ever general election result, the Conservatives still have further to fall. Continue reading...
VATICAN CITY (AP) U.S. Vice President JD Vance is meeting with the Vatican No. 2 official, following a remarkable papal rebuke of the Trump administrations crackdown on migrants and Vances theologica… [+3863 chars]
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F Kennedy Sr, has criticised the release of records related to her father's assassination. She has criticised the Trump administration and her brother, Robert F Kennedy Jr, for releasing the records. The released files included documents, notes by Sirhan Sirhan, and autopsy images. Kerry expressed her pain and linked the release to Trump-era actions.
Foreign minister says unfreezing €210bn of Russian assets would leave Europe footing the bill for loans to Kyiv
Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has sought to kill proposal to expel population while preserving good relations with US president
Following Barbara Lee's victory in Oakland's mayoral race using ranked-choice voting, Donald Trump has strongly criticised the system, labeling it a "fraudulent joke" and a threat to democracy. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference, potentially leading to broader appeal and reduced polarisation, though critics argue it can confuse voters and delay results.
Vice President JD Vance's comment about Chinese people has esclated online tension between the US and China over a back-and-forth trade war. "What has the globalist economy gotten the United States … [+2846 chars]
from the making-the-most-of-a-non-existent-crime-wave dept For most of a half-decade, law enforcement officials and retail execs have been engaged in a “mass crime spree” duet. Despite this hysteria… [+5107 chars]
Han Duck-soo says Seoul owes historical debt and is open to dropping trade barriers ahead of talks with Washington
Thousands protested in London and Edinburgh against a UK Supreme Court ruling defining "woman" as assigned female at birth. Activists fear the decision impacts trans rights and access to single-sex spaces. The ruling stemmed from a dispute between the Scottish government and For Women Scotland over interpreting the Equality Act.
A divided panel of judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily paused an effort by District Court Judge James Boasberg to further investigate whether the Trump administration engaged … [+2333 chars]
Less than an hour after he allegedly firebombed the Pennsylvania governor's mansion, the suspect called 911 and appeared to apologize and confess to the early Sunday attack, according to a newly rele… [+3201 chars]
Opposition says trial was staged to entrench president Kais Saied’s authoritarian ruleA Tunisian court has handed down prison sentences of 13 to 66 years to politicians, businessmen and lawyers in a mass trial that opponents say is fabricated and a symbol of president Kais Saied’s authoritarian rule.Businessman Kamel Ltaif received the longest sentence of 66 years on Saturday, while opposition politician Khayam Turki was given a 48-year jail term, a lawyer for the defendants said. Continue reading...
Alison Holt "A victory for common sense" or "devastating" the contrasting reactions to the statement by five Supreme Court judges that legally the term "woman" means a biological woman. Behind the … [+12462 chars]
An American citizen says he and his wife were detained for hours by US border agents when they returned to the United States after a short trip to Canada. Bachir Atallah told CNN he and his wife, Je… [+3041 chars]
Demonstrations, taking place on the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War, addressed a range of grievances.
Wired reports the database could combine IRS, SSA, and voting records for surveillance targeting undocumented migrants. Wired reports the database could combine IRS, SSA, and voting records for surv… [+4101 chars]
