Lead News

The British parliament dissolved on Thursday ahead of a July 4 general election, which looks set to bring Labour to power after 14 years of Conservative rule. Five weeks of campaigning officially began as 650 seats of members of parliament (MPs) became vacant at one minute past midnight (2301 GMT) in line with the electoral schedule. The first week of ...

Keir Starmer has denied that Diane Abbott has been banned from standing as a Labour MP at the next election, as the saga over the potential end to her 40-year career in the party risked descending into chaos. The Labour leader’s comments directly contradicted newspaper briefings that the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, who was suspended from the party ...

The Conservatives have promised to scrap some university courses in England to help fund 100,000 apprenticeships per year if they win the July election. The party says it would replace the “worst-performing” degrees that it considers a “rip-off” because of high drop-out rates and “poor” job prospects. Labour criticised the government over a decline in the number of new apprentices. ...

Sir Keir Starmer has promised voters he will “fight for you” and put “country first, party second”. In his first major speech since the general election was called, the Labour leader said he could be trusted because he had “changed this party permanently”. And he urged people to trust him to deliver economic stability and protect national security. Rishi Sunak ...

Young people who take up a full-time armed forces placement under a national service scheme could get better work or study opportunities as a result, the Conservatives have said. They suggest it could lead to fast-tracked interviews for graduate schemes in the civil service or private sector. Rishi Sunak said national service in other countries showed “just how fulfilling it ...

Wales has been held back by Conservative UK ministers and needs a Keir Starmer government to deliver for its population, Labour’s deputy leader has said. Angela Rayner was launching Labour’s Welsh general election campaign at Llandudno, Conwy. There were no media interviews with Welsh Labour leader Vaughan Gething at the event, with rival parties accusing him of “hiding” or being ...

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he will stand against the party he led from 2015 to 2020. He will contest the Islington North seat, which he has held since 1983, as an independent candidate in the general election on 4 July. Speaking to his local Islington Tribune newspaper, he said he would be “a voice for equality, democracy ...

The prime minister has insisted the government will make a “significant contribution” to the redevelopment of Casement Park. Rishi Sunak refused to say how much more money the government would be willing to put up or if it would happen in time for Euro 2028. He was asked about the issue by BBC News NI during a visit to Belfast ...

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to make Scotland “central to the mission” of a Labour government. The Labour leader outlined his vision at a Scottish campaign launch event in Glasgow ahead of the general election on 4 July. Sir Keir said Scotland needed to be a “leading voice” at a time of “chaos and division”. During his first campaign visit ...

The Labour leader has responded to the prime minister calling a general election on 4 July. Sir Keir Starmer said his party, which has been ahead in the polls for months, was ready to fight an election campaign. He said the election was the “moment the country needs and has been waiting for”. Follow the latest on this story here.