Who are Damien Egan and Gen Kitchen? Labour’s new MPs after by-election victories
Damien Egan and Genevieve Kitchen are the Labour Party’s newest MPs after they overturned large majorities in the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections respectively. The by-election in Kingswood took place after former Conservative MP Chris Skidmore stood down in protest at the government’s plan to boost oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Damien Egan […]
Richard Tice hails ‘defining moment’ for Reform UK after best-ever by-election results
Reform UK leader Richard Tice has hailed a “defining moment” for his party after it secured its best-ever by-election results in Wellingborough and Kingswood. The party scored double-digit vote shares in both constituencies, matching the levels it has been polling nationally after months of underperforming at by-elections and the local elections last year. Tice told […]
By-elections: Starmer ‘on course’ to be next PM after victories in Wellingborough and Kingswood
The Labour Party has inflicted two by-election defeats on the government, overturning large majorities to win in Wellingborough and Kingswood. Labour overturned majorities of 11,220 (Kingswood) and 18,540 (Wellingborough), in what amounts to the Conservative Party’s ninth and tenth by-election defeats of the current parliament. Labour candidate Gen Kitchen secured Wellingborough with 45.8 per cent […]
Hunt argues UK economy is ‘turning a corner’ despite falling into recession in 2023
The UK economy entered into a recession at the end of 2023 after contracting by 0.3 per cent in the final three months of the year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The new figures mean the UK has now met the technical definition of a recession, with two quarters of […]
Inflation rate holds as minister pledges to ‘drive it down closer’ to target
Inflation was unchanged last month, confounding the expectations of economists who predicted prices would rise. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the consumer prices index (CPI) remained at 4 per cent in January. Economists had expected prices to rise by 4.1 per cent compared to the same month last year. Reacting to the […]
Labour drastically scales back flagship Green Prosperity Plan as it ditches £28bn target
The Labour Party has today announced its intention to scale back its flagship Green Prosperity Plan, with the previous figure of £28 billion of funding per year now ditched. The party’s clean energy policy has now been downgraded to £4.7 billion a year in a major U-turn. Labour leader Keir Starmer said that the Green […]
Gordon Brown claims welfare state has been ‘systematically shredded’ over last decade
The government has neglected to tackle “obscene” levels of destitution, Gordon Brown has said. He argued Conservative ministers have “systematically shredded” the social security system over the last decade. The former prime minister, who left office in 2010, has said Britain is experiencing a hidden poverty “epidemic”, with some of the worst-affected households going without […]
Conservative MP warns party faces ‘oblivion’ if it continues ‘right wing approach’
A Conservative MP has warned that his party “will move into oblivion” if it continues on a “right wing approach”. Tobias Ellwood, a former minister and defence select committee chair, has suggested his party will move itself “out of British politics” if it heeds the advice of individuals like former PM Liz Truss, who launched […]
HS2 now ‘very poor value for money’ after northern leg scrapped, MPs say
The government’s plan to build HS2 between London and Birmingham will be “very poor value for money” after the northern leg to Manchester was scrapped, according to a report from parliament’s spending watchdog. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises government spending, found there are “many uncertainties” in the assessment that it was better to […]
Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to stand down at next election
Kwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor, has announced that he will leave parliament at the next general election. Kwarteng, who represents the Spelthorne seat in Surrey, said he had told his constituency association yesterday that he would not stand at the next contest. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) today, he said: “Yesterday I informed […]
