Lead News

Sir Ed Davey has called for a review of betting laws, following revelations that parliamentary candidates are being investigated by the Gambling Commission for alleged bets on the election. The Liberal Democrat leader said he had previously bet on the outcome of elections but drew a distinction between what he described as “having a flutter” and having inside knowledge before ...

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, faced strong criticism Saturday after saying that the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP. In an interview with the BBC on Friday, Farage said “we’ve provoked this war”, while adding that “of course” it was Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “fault”. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters that Farage’s claim ...

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday he was “incredibly angry” after more Conservative Party figures were put under investigation over alleged bets placed on the UK general election date. Facing questions on the growing scandal from an audience of voters on live television, the beleaguered leader said any election candidates or officials found to have broken rules would be kicked ...

Labour will lift “the Conservatives’ onshore wind ban in England” within days of coming to power, Ed Miliband told an industry conference in Manchester earlier. It is part of a massive deregulation of the UK’s planning system that lies at the heart of Labour’s growth strategy. At the top of the list of the projects Labour wants to usher through ...

Millions of people not yet registered to vote are being urged to sign up ahead of the deadline later. Tuesday is the last day for voters to register in time for the general election, with the deadline 23:59 BST on 18 June. Just over 2.1 million people have registered since the election was called in May, government data shows. Registering takes ...

Except for some torrential downpours, King Charles III’s highly choreographed offical birthday parade passed off successfully on Saturday, as Catherine, Princess of Wales, made a well-received partial return to public duties. But a small band of anti-monarchists did not keep to the meticulously planned script, booing the royals as they appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, waving their protest placards ...

The moods of the two main parties’ general election campaigns do not tell us what will happen on 4 July. But as we pass the halfway stage in the long slog to polling day, they do give us a strong flavour of how candidates, strategists and officials think this election is going for them. And right now, the moods of ...

Conservative candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns has defended her decision to feature a picture of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on an election leaflet. The picture of a grinning Mr Farage next to Dame Andrea was taken at the Reform UK leader’s 60th birthday party in April. It features on an A5 leaflet sent to voters in the Leeds South West ...

The Green Party has pledged to raise taxes on top earners in its manifesto, claiming the plans will generate £70bn a year to mend “broken Britain”. The plans include raising the National Insurance (NI) rate to 8% on annual wages above £50,270 – equivalent to an extra £283.74 per year in tax for someone earning £55,000. They will also introduce ...

Labour has promised to create 100,000 extra dental appointments for children, in a bid to clear backlogs in England. The new appointments will be for urgent and emergency care and on evenings and weekends, according to Labour’s plan if they win the general election. Access to an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult in many areas – with tooth decay ...