Author: James Carter

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to sack her migration minister Mike Tapp after he breached the ministerial code by writing an unauthorised newspaper article pushing for migrant care workers to be given special exemptions from her immigration overhaul. Tapp, who serves as the MP for Dover and Deal, penned the piece for The Times without authorisation, arguing it was his “strong belief” that migrants should not face extended periods before being granted permanent settlement in Britain. The article directly contradicted the direction of Mahmood’s immigration reforms and publicly aired internal government policy discussions without permission. A Whitehall insider told…

Savers who keep cash inside stocks and shares ISAs will be hit with a 22 per cent tax charge on any interest earned, under sweeping reforms to the ISA system confirmed by the Treasury — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the savings industry. The plans, details of which were revealed in a document obtained by the Financial Times, form part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s broader overhaul of the ISA system, designed to push more money into investments and away from cash savings. At last year’s Budget, Reeves reduced the annual cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000…

Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party and estranged husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has been jailed for five years and three months after embezzling more than £400,000 of party funds over more than a decade. The 61-year-old pleaded guilty last month to the offence at the High Court in Edinburgh, where he was sentenced today. Murrell stole the funds between August 2010 and October 2022, using the money to purchase a range of personal items including a motorhome, a luxury fountain pen and video games. The case represents one of the most significant…

Andy Burnham is on course to become Britain’s next Prime Minister without a contest after Wes Streeting dramatically withdrew from the Labour leadership race and threw his full weight behind the former Greater Manchester mayor, hours after Sir Keir Starmer’s emotional resignation outside Downing Street. Streeting, the former Health Secretary, said he had “spoken at length with Andy in recent days” and was convinced he “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions and that he can win the fight of our lives against the force of nationalism.” Calling for a coronation…

Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, setting out a timetable for a leadership contest that will see a new Labour leader in place before Parliament returns in September. In a statement, Starmer said he had informed the King of his decision to resign and had asked Labour’s National Executive Committee to establish a timetable for a leadership election. Nominations will open on 9 July and close on 16 July, before the summer parliamentary recess, ensuring a new leader is in place when Parliament returns in the autumn. Before announcing his…

Donald Trump has predicted that Sir Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister, claiming the Labour leader has “failed badly” on immigration and energy policy, in a post on his Truth Social platform. In the message, posted on Sunday, Trump wrote: “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects — IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well! President DJT.” The post had attracted more than 400 likes and over 100 reposts within hours of being published. The intervention is the latest in a series of…

Sir Keir Starmer has declared he “will stand” in any future Labour leadership contest, issuing his most direct response yet to mounting speculation about a challenge from Andy Burnham following the Greater Manchester mayor’s emphatic victory in the Makerfield by-election. Speaking after Burnham secured 54.8 per cent of the vote to return to Westminster, Starmer made clear he had no intention of stepping aside in the face of growing pressure from within his own party. “I’m not going to walk away from that,” he said, when asked directly whether he would contest a leadership election should one be triggered. Burnham’s…

German police are investigating an alleged attack on a regional politician from the right-wing Alternative for Germany party after he was approached and assaulted by two unidentified men in the city of Rostock in the early hours of Thursday morning. Michael Meister, a member of the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, was injured on the arm during the attack and contacted police himself to report the incident. The state security unit of the Rostock criminal investigation department is now leading the inquiry, treating the case as suspected grievous bodily harm. In a statement issued by the state AfD chapter, Meister said:…

Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election with a commanding majority, securing his return to Parliament and immediately fuelling speculation that he is positioning himself for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour Co-op candidate took 24,927 votes, or 54.8 per cent of the total, defeating Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon by a majority of 9,231 votes on a turnout of 58.75 per cent — a solid figure for a by-election. Kenyon finished second with around 15,696 votes, while Restore Britain, the new hard-right party linked to former Reform figures and led by Rupert Lowe, surprised many by finishing…

A van bearing the words “Muslims for Reform” has sparked controversy at the Makerfield by-election after being photographed and filmed near a polling station in Ashton-in-Makerfield, in a constituency where Muslims make up less than one per cent of the population. Images and videos of the grey van, with large white lettering on its side, circulated widely on social media during polling day on Wednesday, with Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe — whose candidate Rebecca Shepherd is standing in the seat — sharing photographs and condemning it as “divisive identity politics” in a constituency that is between 94 and 97…