UK Politics

A Reform UK general election candidate who said Hitler was “brilliant” at inspiring people and described Bashar al-Assad as “gentle by nature” is now in charge of the party’s vetting process.

Wes Streeting Thinks Mental Health is Over Diagnosed.

Two British diplomats expelled in a spying row. A blistering statement from Russia's foreign intelligence service calling Britain "a warmonger." And a threat from a top ally of Vladimir Putin to seize U.K. assets inside Russia.

The UK has invited its ally the United Arab Emirates to a London conference on Sudan's war in April, but not the Sudanese army-aligned government, according to a document shared with Middle East Eye on Friday.

Ed Miliband, the UK’s energy and net zero secretary, arrived in Beijing on Friday for three days of talks with top Chinese officials, including discussions on green technology supply chains, coal and the critical minerals needed for clean energy. The UK’s green economy is growing three times faster than the rest of the economy, but access to components and materials will be crucial for that to continue.

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales will stand trial next year, accused of accepting bribes to make statements in the European Parliament that would benefit Russia.

This is a pretty broad spectrum of the cabinet! The article says that Shabana Mahmood, Ed Miliband and Lucy Powell also spoke up, with Lammy somewhat backing them.

The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in January, dealing a blow to Rachel Reeves before the spring statement later this month.

Honestly not sure where to put this. I think this is political but it's also environmental. Either way, at these times when more and more are struggling, this is welcome news and should help some of the most in need.

Part of “fundamental reset” package to address £6.6bn deficit Redundancy schemes also expected in NHSE and DHSC Integrated care boards have been told to cut their running costs in half by December.

After reading this Reddit thread I had a look to see if there were any petitions to prevent this and found the petition I have linked in this post, doesn't seem to have a lot of signatures.

The UK has tumbled down the league of affluent nations after almost a decade of welfare cuts and stagnant incomes, according to a report that found the poorest districts in Britain now rank below the lowest-income areas of Malta and Slovenia.

A senior Labour MP has condemned the secret filming of a UK parliamentary delegation's visit to Israel after private conversations were shared online by Israel’s deputy foreign minister.

By Areeb Ullah Published date: 12 March 2025 16:53 GMT

Keir Starmer’s Government has pledged to tackle loopholes in Britain’s political funding system, amid growing concerns over foreign interference in UK political parties.

Emergency services have cordoned off the area surrounding Big Ben after a man scaled one of the buildings in the Palace of Westminster.

Josh is 24 years old and works as a carer. It’s not easy work, but he prefers it to his old job in a supermarket: most of his clients are elderly and “just want someone there with them, because they’re lonely”. In his spare time Josh used to be into boxing. But lately he’s got into politics instead.

In the early hours of this morning, a group of autonomous students took direct action at Cambridge University in solidarity with Palestine. The action, carried out in collaboration with Palestine Action, involved painting the Old Schools building – the office that manages the University’s Endowment Fund – in blood-red paint.

So Reform have managed to last less than a year before infighting started between about 5 people. As the man says, it looks very much like the chairman has set the police on him in revenge only a few days after he criticised Farage because its very obvious the whole worldview the party is based on is coming apart.

While many people may have had Tesla orders with non-refundable deposits before the salute incident, there is no excuse for buying a Tesla now and supporting an actual Nazi.

I found this interesting. I always thought Sarkar was leagues ahead of the rest of the Novara crowd and now I'm quite tempted to read her book! She's right to cite Lula as a model for the left - he's a... complicated guy, shall we say, but also one of the most successful leftist politicians in the world.

The UK government Thursday lifted sanctions imposed during the rule of the former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad against 24 entities including Syria's Central Bank, a statement said.

The fun police were out in full force

In recent weeks, Abdullah has found himself at the centre of a national row in Britain, triggered by his role narrating a BBC documentary on Gaza’s children, Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone.

YA THINK?!?!

Labour backs unions, ignores business:

The Press Recognition Panel (PRP), an independent body which oversees the only official independent press regulator Impress (as opposed to the larger self-regulator Ipso), has just published its ninth annual report on the effectiveness of the press regulation system set up in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry into misconduct in the press.

The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla has said he has been summoned to attend a “formal interview” by the Metropolitan police in connection with a pro-Palestine protest. Abdalla, who played Dodi Fayed in the Netflix series based on the royal family, said on social media he had received the letter in relation to a Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest on 18 January.

Three years ago, the UK entered what was supposed to be a new era - one where we had learned from the pandemic, adapted, and built a future where health and safety coexisted with normal life. Instead, '*Learning to Live with Covid'* became a euphemism for abandoning any real learning at all.

The leadership of both main parties seem to think the only thing Reform supporters get worked up about is immigration. They may be right, but the conclusion that they can only win them over by out Reforming Reform is based on some alarmingly naive assumptions about the people they are trying to convert.

“The inquest into my daughter’s death showed me that the system is almost entirely broken

The UK and Ukraine have agreed a £2.26bn loan to support Ukraine's defence capabilities, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko says.

In Donald Trump's White House the vibes really matter. The personal relationships he develops with other leaders can affect how those nations are treated.

Two of Britain’s best-loved museums have been forced to defend their financial ties to BP after the company announced this week that it was abandoning its climate targets to focus on growing fossil fuel production.

A United Nations rapporteur has criticised the University of Cambridge for seeking a High Court injunction to ban pro-Palestinian protesters from entering or interfering with access to key university sites.

The UK is in talks with Mauritius about handing over the territory but continuing to lease one of the islands, Diego Garcia, which contains a UK-US military airbase.

The BBC have consistently been on the wrong side when it comes to Palestine.

Downing Street is consulting Boris Johnson's former policy chief, who described institutional racism as a myth and defended the former prime minister likening Muslim women who wear veils to "letterboxes", on multiculturalism.

Poorer families are being denied millions of pounds in compensation from the NHS for maternity care failings compared with wealthier families, The Independent can reveal.

Campaigners say the retailer’s decision to advertise on the channel, contradicts its claims to be “celebrating the LGBTQ+ community” and “making M&S a place where all LGBTQ+ people feel they belong.”

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has appeared in court accused of accepting bribes for making statements in the European Parliament that would benefit Russia.

Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street.

It’s much the same pattern observed in the US, with conservative administrations moving the goal posts and democratic administrations (at least) keeping them, thus steadily moving the country towards authoritarianism.

Source is here: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2025/02/20/c33bd/1

Nigel Farage has given up ownership of Reform UK, with the party saying it wants to give more control to its members.

The Guardian says: "Foreign secretary’s speech comes as UK continues to tread fine diplomatic line between supporting Ukraine and not offending Trump"

Should've been jailed

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/39370190

The UK hopes to act as a bridge between Europe and Donald Trump’s US, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has said before what could be a crucial week of diplomacy in deciding Ukraine’s future.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson sees the provision of free breakfast clubs in all primary schools as vital to breaking what she calls the “unfair link between background and success” in education. Numerous academic studies show that a good breakfast improves attendance and pupil performance.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, was on Saturday night seeking to convene an emergency meeting of European leaders, including the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, as concerns grew over Donald Trump’s attempts to seize control of the Ukraine peace process. […] The meeting, likely to be held on Monday, is expected to discuss US efforts to exclude European leaders from the peace talks, the position Europe should adopt on Ukraine’s future membership of Nato and how Ukraine can be offered security guarantees, either through Nato or some European force.

Blackburn with Darwen borough currently has seven rough sleepers on its streets the council's leader has revealed.

Well she stole from a bank, so I suppose that's ok eh?

Archive link Written by Josiah Mortimer