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Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks on during a visit to Acorn Nursery, in Brighton, England, Tuesday May 26, 2026. (Gareth Fuller/Pool Photo via AP)
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urges TNT Sports to make Champions League final free-to-air
Sir Keir Starmer has urged broadcaster TNT Sports to allow football fans to watch Arsenal's Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain for free.
Starmer asks TNT Sports to make Champion League final free to view
Match between PM’s favourite Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain marks first time British fans will be unable to watch final free of charge
Champions League: Keir Starmer urges TNT Sports to make final free-to-air
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calls on TNT Sports to make next Saturday's Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris St-Germain free-to-air.
Keir Starmer urges TNT Sports to make Arsenal’s Champions League final free to watch
For the first time in 30 years, UK viewers will have to pay to watch the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
As politics fragments, the worldwide center-left must rally
Governing parties that brought stability and coherence to electoral competition after World War II are imploding.
APTOPIX Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children's activity centre in Essex, England, Thursday, May 21, 2026 to support families and help ease pressures on household budgets.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool)
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visit a children's activity centre in Essex, England, Thursday, May 21, 2026 to support families and help ease
UK Businesses Shrink as Starmer Crisis Creates Perfect Storm
British businesses posted the first decline in output in over a year as the Iran shock and a mounting rebellion against Prime Minister Keir Starmer hit activity in the services sector, a survey showed.
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions in London, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions in London, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair
Britain Business
Small business representatives, British Business Secretary Peter Kyle, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, centre right, pose for a group photo as Starmer hosts a reception to mark the introduction
What to know about the political chaos engulfing the UK's Labour Party and efforts to unseat Starmer
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried to strengthen his grip on office Monday, saying he was getting on with the job after taking blame for the Labour Party’s disastrous election results that have put his leadership in jeopardy.
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to Kris Parker, co-owner of Home Cafe and Kitchen, during a visit to Home Cafe and Kitchen in London, Monday, May 18, 2026, as
The ungovernable country? Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers
May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak, and now perhaps Starmer: each one was brought low for a reason. But what if the deeper problem is the office itself?
UK ex-health minister says will run to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Pressure mounts on Starmer's government, as Labour rivals including recently resigned Wes Streeting circle.
U.K. health secretary will run for prime minister after challenging Starmer's leadership in scathing resignation letter
It’s Been a Wild Week in British Politics. What Happens Next?
Nobody has yet challenged Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership, but his leading rival, Andy Burnham, finally has a route to Downing Street.
British Politics Is About to Get Even Messier
The looming contest between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and left-wing mayor Andy Burnham is spooking markets worried about Britain’s finances.
Starmer, Burnham, Farage, Polanski: they make a week in politics feel like an eternity in Hades
It’s your life in their hands, but what kind of life is that? No wonder a wearied, confused public has mobilised into tribes – or just tuned out, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
Britain Politics
From left, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Commander Clair Haynes, and Commissioner Mark Rowley meet police officers to discuss operational planning, in London, Friday, May 15,
Britain Politics
From left, Commander Clair Haynes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan meet police officers to discuss operational planning, in London, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Peter Nicholls/Pool
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet with police officers to discuss operational planning ahead of this weekend's protests in London, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain Politics
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Commander Clair Haynes meet with police officers to discuss operational planning ahead of this weekend's protests in London, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Peter Nicholls/Pool
Gilts Slump as Investors Brace for Burnham Challenge to Starmer
Gilts tumbled after Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham secured a pathway to potentially challenge Keir Starmer for the UK prime minister’s job, threatening a fresh bout of political instability that investors fear could result in more expansive fiscal policy.
Chartbook 449: Voldemort on Threadneedle street. The Bank of England and the "haunted house" of English politics.
Imagine the scene: In some Harry Potter version of 21st-century London, a group of deathless UK Treasury officials gathered from across the last century huddle over warm pints and glasses of Chardonnay. Around the table there are officials from the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1970s, 2022 and today. Inevitably, in May 2026, the subject of conversation is the disintegration of the current Labour government. Despite its huge majority in parliament, it has been reduced to tatters by catastrophic local election result. These exposed the fact that rather than having a government with a clear popular majority, the UK is like most other modern societies divided into 5 segments each of which commands between 26 and 16 percent of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leadership at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street - where the Prime Minister and the Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) work - seem paralyzed. They are caught between mounting discontent over unfairness and the cost of living, and tough fiscal strictures that push them into making unpopular spending decisions. In the London pub, the Treasury officials from across the ages, can barely hide their satisfaction at the latest display of democratic politics caught in the vice-grip of financial logic. “Remember the mur d’argent and the banker’s ramp?” “Just like yesterday!” There are smirks around the table. Then the representative of 2026 pipes up: “One thing you have to say about the current lot (referring to the latest hapless Labour government), you don’t have to teach them about the bond market!” There is a murmur of ascent from the Treasury Mandarins. The trauma of the fiscal crisis of September-October 2022 sits deep. Back then, in the final stages of Tory decay, a ‘mini budget’ that challenged fiscal orthodoxy led to a brief but fierce panic in one of the oldest government bond markets in the world (aka gilt market). Now all you have to do is to mention the “bond market” to hush debate. [ Paul Mason@paulmasonnews In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/ 3:57 PM · May 12, 2026 · 466K Views 224 Replies · 674 Reposts · 3.93K Likes ](https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2054229532404519082?s=20) “And the funny thing is”, the young man in the huddle continues, “they don’t even want to talk about … ”. There is a sudden hush. Significant looks are exchanged around the table. About? One of the senior figures puts down his glass with a decisive “clink”. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has entered their thoughts. Meanwhile, a few miles away in a grubby pub in Bloomsbury, two conspirators from the camp of Critical Macrofinance huddle over cans of low-alcohol IPA. They look at each other and blurt out loud: “The Bank!” “Everyone in the bloody Labour party is talking about the bond market. But why aren’t they even mentioning … the Bank of England!?” “Why is no one talking about Voldemort?” In Paul Mason’s blogpost, after much chest-thumping about basic fiscal logic, the basic point about the Bank of England is buried in the fine print at #3 in his list of suggestions as to what a radical Labour government might actually be able to do! [ Conflict & Democracy Down with the bond market! Down with gravity! It may seem unfair to focus on Labour MP Paula Barker for her off-the-cuff assertion that the bond market would have to “fall in line” with Andy Burnham, should he replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. But Burnham himself told the New Statesman that Labour had to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets… Read more 2 days ago · 100 likes · 3 comments · Paul Mason ](https://htsf.substack.com/p/down-with-the-bond-market-down-with?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Back in Bloomsbury they shake their heads and ask: “Didn’t we learn anything from the Eurozone crisis?” Meanwhile, as if summoned to the conversation by some higher force, the “pink pages” announce: “The days of ultra-cheap government borrowing have come to an end” and Martin “Whizzard” Wolf publishes the graph of the season Look at the UK in 2026, perilously positioned on the upper edge of the pack. No wonder no one in London needs any lessons about the “bond market”. But, look again. Imagine how they feel in Rome. What is London’s nightmare in 2026? The nightmare is that you end up like Italy in the early 2010s during the Eurozone crisis. Once comfortably situated in the middle of the pack, watching with horror as your ten-year yields explode to 7 percent and “spreads” become a national nightmare. One of the largest economies in Europe, a founding member of the euro, stigmatized. But the message of the Italian experience is ambiguous. After all, the stigma didn’t last. In 2026, Italy borrows at rates lower not only than the UK but the US. The US, which, as everyone knows, enjoys the “exorbitant privilege” of being the issuer of reserve, safe asets. What kind of magic is this? How did Italy, in the space of fifteen years, go from being good, to bad and back again? Which brings us back to our dissident friends in their Bloombury boozer and their memories of the Eurozone crisis. Italy never was Britain - with its ongoing fiscal deficits. Without interest payments, on primary balance, from 2000 to 2020 Italy ran a tight fiscal ship. Even in 2008 it barely went into deficit and when it was being put on the rack in the early 20210s its primary surplus matched that of austere Germany. So, what happened? How did it end up stigmatized? Of course Italian politics didn’t help. Berlusconi was at the helm and he had legal issues. But amongst friends in the Bloomsbury pub, Berlusconi is a sideshow, the name we whisper to each other is “Trichet”. From 2004 to 2011 the ECB was headed by Jean-Claude Trichet, ex of the French Treasury, more German than the Germans. After 2009 as the news of the Greek fiscal disaster broke, the European bond markets wento into panic mode and Trichet began a brutal game of cat and mouse. Between 2009 and 2011, Trichet intervened in the bond market to help, only when he thought he had compliance with austerity. When he thought they were uncooperative, he withdrew. In the summer of 2011, he even made direct suggestions to his Italian counterparts in Rome, as to how Italy should be governed. It was this cat and mouse game that drove the bond markets crazy and exposed Italy to a violent squeeze. When Mario Draghi took over the ECB at the end of 2011 and declared “whatever it takes”, the pressure on Italy, gradually eased. It is that starring role that has made Draghi into the towering figure in European politics that he remains today. So now you see why voices in London hush when it comes to the Bank of England. “The bond market” isn’t an irresistible objective force like the weather or an avalanche. It can appear like that. But that depends on the way it is being handled, or not handled by the central bank. Which is why the silence about the Bank of England in London right now is so significant. If you think this all sounds a bit fishy, coming from a left-liberal Keynesian like myself, well, let me introduce you to Robin Brooks, who, to put it mildly, plays on a different quidditch team to me. Here, from the position of a fiscal hawk is Robin’s celebratory account of the Bank of England’s role since 2022; In October 2022, at the height of the bond market blow-up in the UK, something incredible happened. Governor Andrew Bailey told British pension funds the Bank of England would end its support program for the country’s fragile gilt market, drawing a line under how much help the central bank was willing to give to exposed pension funds and - implicitly - the government. By the end of that week, Kwasi Kwarteng - the finance minister - had resigned. Prime Minister Liz Truss would soon follow. This episode is so incredible because it contrasts with what happened in the Euro zone earlier that year. Bond markets in Spain and Italy were under pressure amid high inflation and rising interest rates. In the middle of this, Mario Draghi - Italy’s Prime Minister - resigned, compounding pressure on bond markets of high-debt countries on the Euro periphery. Unlike the Bank of England, the ECB caved. It bought Italian and Spanish government bonds in an effort to cap yields and introduced a new tool that signaled to markets it might do such caps more frequently going forward. Faced with pressure on bond markets, the ECB capitulated to political pressure from high-debt countries like Italy and Spain. The Bank of England stood its ground and toppled the Truss government. This kind of thing has long-lasting consequences. It means markets price a higher probability of yield caps in the Euro zone, which keeps Italian and Spanish yields artificially low, while markets feel free to push up UK yields without fear of central bank intervention. As I flagged in yesterday’s post, this means you really can’t compare UK yields to those of other high-debt countries. The UK looks worse, but only because its central bank isn’t interfering with markets. There’s more to this than just that 2022 episode. The Bank of England has also been much more aggressive in its quantitative tightening (QT) than other central banks. If one motivation for quantitative easing (QE) is to lower bond yields - especially longer-dated ones - then it stands to reason QT pushes yields up. The left chart above shows a four-quarter moving average of UK government debt issuance (black line) in percent of GDP and which sectors absorb this issuance, including the Bank of England (blue bars). The right chart above compares the Bank of England’s accumulation or run-off of government bonds (blue line) with that of other central banks, where this blue line is the same as the blue bars in the left chart. The Bank of England was quicker and more aggressive than other central banks in downsizing its bond holdings, so UK yields will have risen more than elsewhere also for this reason, not just because of Governor Andrew Bailey’s remarks in October 2022. Back in October 2025, after a conversation in New York with friends in British politics, my sense of dysphoria was such that I raised the issue of the Bank of England openly in the FT Since 2008, the UK has slid into a deep economic and political predicament. Growth has stagnated to a degree far worse even than in the 1970s. The Tory leadership’s wager on the Brexit referendum spectacularly backfired, leaving the UK isolated from Europe and at the mercy of its special relationship with the US, many of whose political class regard the UK as a basket case. After years of austerity, the Labour party lurched to the left and then back to the centre. The Tory party has been eclipsed by the populist nationalism of Reform. Any British government should be worrying first and foremost about how to restart growth. Instead, Keir Starmer is beset by shades of the gilt market panic triggered by the Liz Truss government in 2022. The debt level is higher than in recent years, but there is no cause for panic. UK debt is at far from critical levels and of long duration. Whether you want to “take back control” or launch progressive economic policy, a democracy dogged by fear of bond market vigilantes is unhealthy. In a country that is a monetary sovereign, this climate points to one thing: a disconnect between the government and the central bank. Since 1997, the independence of the Bank of England has become a sacred cow. But independence is what you make of it. And in the wake of the gilt market crisis of September 2022, relations between the Bank of England and the UK government need a reset. In normal times, there is no doubt that an inflation-targeting independent central bank can serve a country well. But since 2008, the UK and other advanced economies have not had the luxury of such simple problems. To their credit, central bankers around the world have not stood on orthodoxy. After 2008, the US Federal Reserve rescued the global banking system and, through quantitative easing, it stabilised the Treasury market in the face of huge deficits. In Europe, things were trickier. Both the Bank of England under Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet’s European Central Bank played cat and mouse with national governments. This was a high stakes wager that between 2010 and 2012 escalated bond market tension and triggered a disastrous turn to austerity. Shaken by the impact of those shocks, their successors, Mark Carney and Mario Draghi adopted a more protective stance (assuming you were not the government of Greece). Recall that Draghi’s legendary slogan, “Whatever it takes”, was uttered to face down the City of London’s bond vigilantes. In 2015, Draghi launched QE — financial repression by another name. In 2016, Carney used the authority of the Bank of England to stabilise markets following the vote for Brexit, an exemplary demonstration of how central banks can underpin democratic choice, even when those choices are wrong headed. All these were independent central bankers steeped in the best practice of the 1990s, who recognised that historic crises demanded radical action. It was the price surge of 2021-2023 that poisoned the atmosphere. Though the shock came mainly from the supply side, central banks ended up in the dock. Nowhere more so than in the UK. The Bank of England reacted with aggressive normalisation. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the governor called for workers to accept real wage cuts. In early 2022, as gas prices were at record levels and Russia’s army was poised to invade Ukraine, the Bank adopted a stringent programme of quantitative tightening, elevating interest rates. When the Truss government got itself in trouble, the Bank took almost a week to come to the rescue. Rather than enacting a charade of normality, it is time to recognise that in 2025 the UK faces a period of historic transition. To meet this challenge, what is needed is a new concordat with the Bank. This should not ignore inflationary pressures or the long-run trajectory of debt, but should affirm the priority of reviving investment-led growth. One could follow Donald Trump in demanding interest rate cuts. The Bank could shadow the ECB in its commitment to capping Eurozone yields. But the top priority should be to lay the ghost of September 2022. The Bank’s slowing of QT last month was a concession. An immediate and complete end would send the right signal. Such a concordat will not by itself restore sanity to politics, solve the housing problem or rebuild the NHS. But it would help to lift the fear of bond market crisis, which is paralysing the effort by democratic politicians to answer the fundamental questions facing the nation. Now, that call for a new concordat between government and Bank of Englands seems more urgent than ever. The problem is that in October 2025, Starmer still had some authority. Today the government is in tatters. And when you are the “under the harrow” - to echo a phrase of Montagu Norman’s from the 1920s - it is the worst possible time to consider institutional change. To make general arguments at a time of crisis can only seem like special pleading rather than a general argument for long-term change. The same, unfortunately, is also true for the other basic institutional reform that Britain urgently needs i.e. the abolition of the out-dated first past the post electoral system and its replacement by a moderated form of proportional representation. And thirdly - whilst we are saying the quiet parts out loud - Britain needs to reopen the question of EU membership. What the local election results of 2026 show is that this remains a key issue. And what they also show is that there is a clear majority that would favor a return. Until these basic features of Britain’s political economy are addressed the country will carry on its politics as though in a haunted house, governed by governments that lack actual majorities, conjuring up false constraints whilst ignoring the real ones. This one is for DG and MI. I love writing the newsletter. If you enjoy it too and fancy buying me a coffee once a month, you know what to do. Click below! Subscribe
Opinion | Keir Starmer and the End of Britain’s Old Certainties
The decade since Brexit has been one long, painful process of trying — and failing — to make sense of this new reality.
Britain Politics
Eva Pavlova, First Lady of the Czech Republic, arrives for a reception for the delegation from the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform, hosted by Victoria Starmer, wife
U.K. health secretary resigns in scathing letter, setting up challenge to Starmer's leadership
UK health secretary resigns, creating a potential power struggle with PM Keir Starmer
Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Starmer ’s Cabinet on Thursday in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership.
Pound dips as political crisis engulfs Britain
The pound dropped on Thursday, as a political crisis in the UK escalated with the resignation of health minister Wes Streeting turning up the heat on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
UK health minister Wes Streeting resigns
British health minister Wes Streeting resigned from government on Thursday, saying he had lost confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership.
APTOPIX Britain Politics King's Speech
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and wife Victoria leave 10 Downing Street to attend the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.(AP
Britain Politics
Britain's Health Secretary Wes Streeting arrives in Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Wes Streeting set to meet Keir Starmer ahead of King’s speech
A number of the health secretary’s allies called for the prime minister’s resignation but Streeting has yet to call for a formal leadership challenge
Labour-supporting unions predict Starmer will not lead party into next election
Exclusive: Leaked draft statement says party ‘cannot continue on its current path’ under PM
Online safety campaigners reveal Starmer frustrations after Phillips exit
PM accused of dragging heels on forcing tech firms to block transmission of nude photos on children’s phones
Jamie Dimon: JP Morgan could scrap new £3bn HQ if Starmer is replaced by PM ‘hostile to banks’
Bank greenlit construction of the Canary Wharf tower last November after Rachel Reeves’ budget spared lenders tax hikes
What is happening with Keir Starmer’s leadership: at-a-glance
The prime minister is fighting to stay on in No 10 as heavy election losses trigger a Labour revolt.
UK Bond Yields Rise With Starmer’s Future as Prime Minister in Doubt
The yields on British debt pushed higher as the country’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, confronted a rebellion from members of his party.
The Latest: Starmer fights for political survival as calls for his resignation grow in UK
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival after a disastrous set of results in local elections for his Labour Party last week. Dozens of Labour lawmakers are calling on...
Five moments it all went wrong for Starmer
Winter fuel and welfare U-turns, national insurance hikes, Peter Mandelson’s appointment and disastrous local elections have brought PM to the brink
Britain Politics
TV presenters report from Downing Street in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing
The Latest: Starmer fights for political survival as calls for his resignation grow in UK
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival after a disastrous set of results in local elections for his Labour Party last week. Dozens of Labour lawmakers are calling on Starmer to resign. A resignation announcement could possibly come after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesd...
Britain Politics
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy leaves after a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is
Britain Politics Starmer
FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Wes Streeting in Liverpool, Sept. 30, 2025, Angela Rayner in Shoreditch, London, June 5, 2025, Andy Burnham in Liverpool, Sept. 29, 2025,
The Latest: Starmer Fights for Political Survival as Calls for His Resignation Grow in UK
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival after a disastrous set of results in local elections for his Labour Party last week. Dozens of Labour lawmakers are calling on Starmer to resign. A resignation announcement could possibly come after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday,
Starmer tells cabinet he will not quit without leadership challenge
Prime minister says process for challenging a leader has not been triggered and Labour should get on with governing
Live: First UK minister resigns amid calls for PM Starmer’s resignation
The British premier is under pressure to quit after his Labour Party suffered election losses.
Britain Politics
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Britain Politics
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Sterling drops as markets watch UK politics, PM Starmer's future
Sterling slid against the dollar and the euro on Tuesday as markets kept a close watch on political developments, amid growing concern that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could step down.
UK bonds under pressure, and pound falls, amid ‘political uncertainty’ over Starmer’s future
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
UK bonds under pressure, and pound falls, amid ‘political uncertainty’ over Starmer’s future
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Keir Starmer to face crucial cabinet meeting as ministers and MPs urge him to resign
PM on the brink with Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood believed to be among those urging him to set out a timetable for departure
Starmer to face key cabinet meeting with ministers split over his future
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among a minority of ministers calling for the PM to set out a timetable for his resignation.
It’s Deja Coup All Over Again for Starmer as Political Instability Returns
British politics is back to peak pandemonium after Starmer’s underwhelming speech and so too is the potential damage to debt repayment costs
Seven people barred from coming to UK for far-right rally
Keir Starmer says ‘agitators’ will be blocked from attending Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom event
UK PM Starmer battles for political survival in pivotal speech as gilt yields rise
Starmer is expected to say that key issues of growth, defense, the U.K.'s relationship with Europe and energy must be urgently addressed.
Starmer, fighting for his political life, pledges to bring Britain closer to Europe
The prime minister plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he will “face up to the big challenges” and restore “hope” to the country.
UK's Starmer launches political fightback, putting Europe ties at heart of reset
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will begin a political fightback on Monday in a speech that says rebuilding relations with the rest of Europe will be his government's defining mission, as he moves to quell growing calls to quit.
Can Starmer survive as PM? Seven scenarios for what might happen next
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite growing calls for him stand down from his own MPs and the threat of a leadership contest.
UK politics descends into chaos: Is there a lesson for Democrats?
Two years after the British Labour Party’s “landslide” win, a crushing defeat threatens its future
'We need to move quickly,' says Labour MP seeking to challenge PM
Catherine West says she is ready to challenge Keir Starmer but minister Bridget Phillipson backs the PM and warns against infighting.
Local elections reveal the deep fracturing of UK politics and put the writing on the wall for Keir Starmer
Another British prime minister is in deep trouble – but simply replacing him won’t fix what is ailing the United Kingdom.
Pressure grows on Starmer as more Labour MPs call for resignation
Several frontbenchers told the Guardian they agreed the prime minister’s time in office should not go beyond the end of the year
The Chaotic New Era of British Politics
Keir Starmer’s unpopularity has led Labour to a humiliating defeat in local elections. Now, with five major parties competing for votes, the far right could be well positioned for a general-election victory.
Many Labour MPs are blaming the boss for elections body blow
Sir Keir Starmer is facing what looks like a coordinated attempt to get him to set a timetable for his departure.
U.K. election results: Starmer’s Labour suffer huge losses as hard-right Reform gains
Early results Friday suggested sweeping losses that will heap pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He said the results were “very tough,” but signaled he had no plans to step aside.
Starmer Braces for Local Election Losses Amid New Era of UK Politics
Polls predict historic losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party on Thursday as anti-immigrant Reform U.K. makes gains, and a new era of multiparty politics takes shape.
‘Starmer’s referendum’: How local elections could expose a fractured UK
Thursday’s polls could deliver a sharp setback for Labour, with Reform UK and the Greens expected to gain, analysts say.
Starmer calls antisemitism ‘crisis for all of us’ ahead of Downing Street summit
The prime minister said the attack in Golders Green is ‘part of a pattern of rising antisemitism’ in the country
Starmer says UK opening talks with EU on joining €90bn loan scheme for Ukraine
The prime minister is backing the deal as it would allow British firms to access the contracts funded by the loan
Labour MPs say ‘endless drama’ of leadership speculation must stop
Downing Street begins fightback against predictions of imminent challenge to Keir Starmer
UK to enter talks to join £78bn EU loan scheme for Ukraine
Sir Keir Starmer will meet leaders at the European Political Community summit in Armenia on Monday.
Key Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses
Exclusive: Varun Chandra’s talks with Google, Meta, Apple and others raise fears of ‘lobbying behind closed doors’
Business Lookahead: Eyeing oil, US jobs, and European earnings
STORY: From high oil prices and the conflict in the Middle East to U.S. jobs data and corporate earnings, here’s what you need to watch in business and finance in the week ahead.:: Crude and currencyOil prices briefly topped $120 a barrel this week to hit their highest level since 2022 as the war with Iran enters a third month.While the U.S. and Iran face pressure to end a conflict that has shut the Strait of Hormuz, the world watches anxiously as the biggest-ever disruption to energy supplies unfolds.For each week the Strait is closed, keeping oil elevated, the greater the economic risks via higher inflation or weak growth or, for some, both. Oil importer Japan just intervened to prop up a yen that has been weakened by the conflict.A new month is now underway and some traders will be mindful of that old adage, "Sell in May and go away.":: Jobs gyrationsAs the U.S. economy grapples with fallout from the Middle East war, Wall Street's radar turns to Friday's April monthly payrolls report.The U.S. economy likely created 73,000 new jobs, economists polled by Reuters forecast. In March, payrolls increased by 178,000, the most since December 2024, but that followed a sharp decline in February.The U.S. employment data comes amid signs of hawkishness at the Federal Reserve, as Donald Trump pick Kevin Warsh prepares to take over as chair with the U.S. president keen on rate cuts.:: Starmer’s statusThursday's local elections in Britain, usually a non-event for investors, could move markets in a big way, with opinion polls pointing to a heavy defeat for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party.A heavy defeat could spark more widespread demands for his dismissal among his own lawmakers and stoke expectations of a successor more willing to run looser budgets. That would bring more bad news for British bonds.::European earningsIt's a big week for European earnings with Shell and Commerzbank among those reporting.On aggregate, profits are expected to grow 3.2% in Q1, according to LSEG I/B/E/S. Under the surface, it's a little bit more complicated. Growth is expected to be driven by just three sectors: financials, tech and energy. The latter is seen as the biggest beneficiary of the Iran war due to higher oil and gas prices.But if the war, and energy surge, persist, the overall outlook for Europe's earnings could turn.
Zombie politics is the new norm and Starmer’s dying premiership is the latest instalment
Distracted, listless and unambitious – the PM’s true form has finally emerged. But whatever comes next must end this ruinous cycle, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
The Guardian view on Starmer’s Mandelson gamble: his political judgment faces scrutiny in pivotal week
Editorial: Conflicting accounts will be tested in parliament. The outcome may not be decisive, but risks reinforcing concerns about PM’s leadership
King Charles, Starmer and Iran: My five-minute interview with Trump
Sarah Smith asked the president about King Charles's upcoming visit, the state of the so-called special relationship and the war with Iran.
Mapped: the elections that could deliver ‘unprecedented’ losses for Labour
All signs point to a record low performance for Labour in May in what will be a moment of high jeopardy for Keir Starmer
No one can look Starmer in the eye … and the Mandy saga is not going away
The PM’s failure was being a spectator as Morgan McSweeney set about finding jobs for his mates
Fired former official says he felt political pressure to approve Mandelson as U.S. ambassador
The testimony by former Foreign Office head Olly Robbins turns up the heat on Starmer, who is facing calls to resign over the appointment of a scandal-tainted former politician and friend of Jeffrey Epstein to one of the U.K.’s most important diplomatic posts.
Starmer’s Political Fate Rests With Top UK Bureaucrat He Fired
Keir Starmer did what he could on Monday to weather a parliamentary showdown on his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal. On Tuesday, it may rest with a bureaucrat little known outside Westminster to decide his fate.
Scotland's papers: Starmer 'fights for his future' and child mental health crisis
A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland.
‘Pure shock’: how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure
Inquiries into who knew what, and when, will be pored over in coming weeks and could ultimately decide Starmer’s fate
Starmer rejects calls to quit as pressure mounts over Mandelson vetting
Top Foreign Office official takes fall for fiasco and resigns; Starmer promises to deliver 'relevant facts' on Monday.
Pressure builds as Starmer rejects calls to resign over Mandelson appointment in Epstein fallout
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has no plans to resign over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington, despite Mandelson failing security checks.
Senior British official resigns over Mandelson appointment, but Starmer insists he won't go
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has no plans to resign over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington, despite Mandelson failing security checks | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
Inside the growing tensions between Donald Trump and Keir Starmer
BBC’s Sarah Smith examines how the Iran war has led to discrepancies between the US president and UK prime minister.
Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz
PM says opening waterway is ‘vital’ as he rules out any UK involvement in US moves to blockade strait
Starmer says he’s ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s actions pushing up energy bills for Britons
Prime minister explicitly blames US president for British consumers’ higher bills as he concludes tour of Gulf states
Starmer says he is ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s impact on UK energy costs
PM appears to draw comparison between Russian and US leaders and calls for plan to restore shipping through strait of Hormuz
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon should not be happening, says Keir Starmer
In article for Guardian, PM also calls for Iran conflict to become watershed moment for future UK security
Iran cannot ‘hijack’ strait of Hormuz with shipping tolls, says Yvette Cooper
As Keir Starmer continues his Gulf visit, foreign secretary says laws of the sea prevent Tehran from charging for passage of ‘international transit route’
Keir Starmer welcomes Iran war ceasefire as he heads to Gulf to meet regional leaders
PM to meet partners in region to discuss effort to ‘support and sustain ceasefire’ and reopening the strait of Hormuz
Will the Iran war reshape Keir Starmer’s political future?
Labour figures point to Gordon Brown’s response to financial crash as a template for embattled prime minister