Investigation

COVID ‘VIP Lane’: A WhatsApp tango between Matt Hancock and Tory donors

— WhatsApp messages reveal VIP COVID testing contracts awarded to Tory donors. Conversations expose lobbying efforts and raise concerns about political donations influencing government decisions during the pandemic.

UK Politics

Why a Labour-Lib Dem coalition wouldn’t cause electoral annihilation like their deal with the Tories

— Labour and Lib Dem leaders deny potential coalition for the next general election. However, ideological proximity favours a Lib Dem-Labour partnership.

OPINION

Starmer’s transforming Labour into the Tories’ Mini-Me

— Wee Ginger Dug argues that Labour leader Keir Starmer aims to adopt conservative policies and move the party further right, targeting English nationalist Brexit voters and that Scotland’s interests aren’t his priority as he focuses on winning in England to secure power.

UK Politics

Tories cry foul as Starmer says EU citizens should vote in UK elections

— Labour is currently reviewing voting issues. Keir Starmer wants to give EU citizens in UK voting rights, saying it is unfair to exclude long-term migrants who pay taxes. The Tories oppose the idea and accuse Labour of pro-EU agenda.

UK Politics

Rees-Mogg changes tune on voter ID: It was gerrymandering all along

— Former Tory minister Rees-Mogg calls voter ID law “gerrymandering”, saying it hurt elderly Conservative voters in the recent local elections. Government ministers have denied partisan motives.

UK Politics

A painful picture for the Tories: Forecasting the general election from the local results

— Electoral forecasting is a difficult science that relies on past data. Different techniques produce different outcomes for the next UK general election. Looking back at the relationship between local elections and subsequent general elections puts Labour on course for a House of Commons majority.

Accountability

The not-so-blind trust: How ministers see their investments without looking

— What if Rishi Sunak has invested his wealth in Oil and Gas shares? This is worth considering because if he has, his reluctance to impose a substantial windfall tax on Oil companies’ excessive profits would have a new significance.

UK Politics

Helicopter rides and electoral annihilation: Rishi Sunak’s expensive commute

— Rishi Sunak’s use of a taxpayer-funded helicopter to Southampton on Tuesday, costing around £6,000 to the taxpayers, has been criticised as wasteful and environmentally damaging. Number 10 defends it as necessary for effective time management.

OPINION

From crown to clowns: King Charles III’s coronation and the Tory distraction parade

— The lavish crowning of King Charles III has triggered backlash over privilege, police response against peaceful demonstrators, and assault on civil rights by a Tory Government that gained much from the distraction from their defeat at the local polls.

UK Local Elections

Labour gains in local elections suggest the tide has turned in many marginal constituencies

— Labour has gained control of crucial areas during the local elections but still has work to do to win outright. It's not yet clear if the swing from the Conservatives would be enough for Labour to win outright in a general election.

Right to Protest

Scotland Yard shows contempt for peaceful protest, arresting republicans hours before coronation

— Scotland Yard is accused of violating the right to protest after arresting the head of a republican movement and other organisers of a peaceful demonstration before the coronation.

UK Politics

Can Rishi Sunak save the Tories? Voting behaviour over time suggests it will take more than personal appeal to win the next election

— The prime minister is popular, his party is not. Which is more important as we head towards the next election?

UK Local Elections

What does a good night look like for Keir Starmer’s Labour or Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives?

— There’s a lot to play for in the final big electoral test before the next national vote, especially in northern regions where Labour hopes to make a comeback.

Education

Labour’s “Nick Clegg moment”? Keir Starmer ditches tuition fee pledge

— Labour is ready to abandon its long-held pledge to scrap university tuition fees in England.

UK Politics

Revealed: Government to legalise ‘hazardous’ accommodation for asylum seekers

— Housing and migrants charities blast ‘shameful’ plan to relax licensing rules around HMOs for people fleeing danger.

Voting Rights

The Good Law Project takes on the Government’s ID requirements

— The Good Law Project has expressed concern over the new voting rules, which they fear may lead to the disenfranchisement of certain groups, especially young people.