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1223 headlines found — Page 36 of 102

The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Politics has tossed friendship out of the window – as Keir Starmer is realising | Simon Jenkins

Britain’s embattled PM is beset by enemies. One reason is that Westminster has ceased to be a club and turned into a shambles The Tories took years of Westminster turmoil to reach their Liz Truss moment. It has taken Labour only two. Britain has a weakened prime minister, a fatally divided government and a shambolic House of Commons. No one beyond Keir Starmer’s looming rivals can seriously believe the cure lies in his immediate toppling. There is no leader in waiting obviously superior to Starm

Politics
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Digested week: Starmer’s day of reckoning was foreseen – just not the level of drama | John Crace

While Tories are quite ruthless about removing a leader, Labour MPs can’t decide whether their regicide is a tragedy or comedy No one can say they weren’t warned. Last week’s elections had always been marked out as a time of maximum danger for Keir Starmer if the results were as bad as feared. And so it proved. Only no one had anticipated quite the level of drama that would go with it. While the Tories have always been quite ruthless about getting rid of a leader they deem surplus to requirement

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Greens suggest they will properly contest byelection in blow for Burnham

Statement follows speculation party would not field candidate in Makerfield or barely fight seat UK politics live – latest updates The Greens are going to campaign for the upcoming Makerfield byelection, complicating Andy Burnham’s potential route back to parliament against what is expected to be a strong Reform UK challenge. A statement from the Greens said candidate selection was in process, and that the party had learned from its win in another Greater Manchester seat in February, when the

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Christopher Harborne, tycoon who gave £5m to Farage, enters UK rich list at No 6

Crypto billionaire goes straight into top 10 on Sunday Times list, with Noel and Liam Gallagher among other first-timers Business live – latest updates UK politics live – latest updates Christopher Harborne, the crypto billionaire who controversially gifted Nigel Farage £5m, has been named in the list of the UK’s wealthiest people for the first time. Other first-timers include Noel and Liam Gallagher and Emily Eavis, the daughter ofte Glastonbury festival founder, Michael Eavis, according to

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Starmer ally admits prime minister is ‘unpopular’ but warns of ‘chaos’ if leadership contest triggered – UK politics live

Pressure is intensifying on Keir Starmer after Andy Burnham was given a route back to parliament Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. Housing secretary Steve Reed has been on the media round this morning urging Labour colleagues to put the “country first, party second”, even as he admits Keir Starmer is “unpopular”. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Starmer loyalist warns against ‘copying Tories’ but admits PM is unpopular

Housing secretary Steve Reed says no one has numbers for challenge and Labour should row in behind prime minister One of Keir Starmer’s closest allies in the cabinet has conceded that the prime minister is “unpopular” but has insisted Labour should not repeat the same pattern of changing leaders that damaged the Conservatives. The housing secretary, Steve Reed, one of Starmer’s most loyal ministers and staunch defenders, told broadcasters on Friday that no one had the numbers to challenge him an

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

UK ministers accused of weakening legal protections for torture victims seeking asylum

Council of Europe members plan to change interpretation of rights laws to make it easier to deport people Keir Starmer’s government has been accused of trying to water down legal protections for torture victims as ministers from 46 countries including the UK prepare to make it easier to deport refused asylum seekers and foreign criminals. Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, is expected to agree a “political declaration” on Friday with other members of the Council of Europe, which oversees the

PoliticsImmigrationCrimeRemigration
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Is Andy Burnham about to return to Westminster? - podcast

Andy Burnham has announced he will attempt to return to Westminster after the Labour MP Josh Simons said he will vacate his Makerfield seat in order for Burnham to run in a byelection. It follows a day of breaking news in which the health secretary, Wes Streeting, resigned, saying he has lost confidence in the prime minister, and Angela Rayner announced she had been cleared by the HMRC. Where does this leave Keir Starmer, the leadership of the Labour party, and the country? Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Who is Josh Simons, the Labour MP who quit for Andy Burnham?

Makerfield MP is an ambitious Labour figure who only won the seat two years ago UK politics live – latest updates “He’s burned bright and briefly,” says one MP of Josh Simons. At the age of 32, the Makerfield MP has already run a thinktank, held a ministerial job, resigned that position in a scandal, and now quit parliament to make way for Andy Burnham. Simons has been supporting Burnham as a potential successor to Keir Starmer for some time. But few expected the ambitious Labour figure to giv

Politics
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

The Guardian view on a cabinet resignation: Labour’s leadership crisis is really an identity crisis | Editorial

The prospect of a contest exposes a deeper truth: the party’s problems go far beyond Keir Starmer In politics, opportunities for supreme power are rare and fleeting. Yet rather than making challengers to Sir Keir Starmer more ruthless, this truth seems to have made them more cautious. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, resigned from the cabinet but did not launch a leadership bid. Rather than provoke a contest, Mr Streeting’s message to Sir Keir was that since his authority was gone, his duty

Politics
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Westminster waits in frenzied limbo before Wes jumpstarts day of drama | John Crace

Everything was in place for a move against the PM but for a moment Labour seemed to have forgotten the final act UK politics live – latest updates Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. The sun rose in the west. Hailstones the size of footballs battered the pavements from cloudless skies. Dogs miaowed and cats barked. Political journalists positioned outside Downing Street were in a frenzy of madness. The BBC political editor, Chris Mason, ran down Whitehall, accosting strangers, demanding to know if they

Politics
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

What would potential Labour leadership candidates do differently to Starmer?

We look at Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham’s stances on key issues UK politics live – latest updates Wes Streeting’s resignation as health secretary, and the resignation of former minister Josh Simons as an MP to clear a path for Andy Burnham to return to parliament, has brought the prospect of a Labour leadership race one step closer, even if he has not triggered a contest himself. Almost every critic of Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not being suffi

PoliticsHousing