UK politics

UK politics

The much-criticised watchdog that scrutinises the jobs UK ministers can take after leaving office will be formally scrapped on Monday as part of a wider shake-up of the ethics structure in government. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), described by critics as fundamentally toothless, has been closed, a Cabinet Office announcement said, with its functions taken over by two existing regulators. At the same time, a new organisation called the Ethics and Integrity Commission will oversee the work of a series of other regulators,

Emmanuel Macron sounded like a man in grief. Not angry, not defiant, just a little triste. Europe, he lamented, was suffering a degeneration of democracy. Many threats emanated from outside, from Russia, from China, from powerful US tech companies and social-media entrepreneurs, France's president said. But we should not be naive. On the inside we are turning on ourselves. We doubt our own democracy We see everywhere that something is happening to our democratic fabric.

Tony Blair and Nick Clegg hosted a private dinner earlier this year at which a select group of technology entrepreneurs were given access to a key minister, official documents have revealed. The former prime minister, who is a champion of the tech industry, held the dinner in an upmarket London hotel in his capacity as the head of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) political consultancy.

When our councillors decide to change parties part way through their term of office, they should resign so that an election is held. Most people intend their vote for a party in the election, rather than for the particular person standing. So, if someone decides to change party part way through their term it's only fair that they should resign and, if they like, stand again in their new colours.

"Liberal Democrats will stand firmly behind Bank of England independence, just as we have stood against recent attacks on the independence of our judiciary. "Trump's threats to sack governors of the Fed if they don't do what he wants are causing economic panic in the United States," Sir Ed said. "That is the last thing we need here at home - we cannot let Trump's America become Farage's Britain."

The key question on which the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, in 2022, reached hard-won scientific consensus was when CO2 emissions need to peak for a realistic chance of keeping global temperature increases below 1.5C, the target set by the 2015 Paris agreement as too dangerous to exceed. The answer, given great prominence in the report and the media coverage of it, was this year, 2025.

News of the new role was announced by Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby, in a speech on Wednesday at the Digital Assets Week conference in London. It's not yet clear who might be in line for the job, but the individual will need to be an industry figure with enough knowledge and connections to get competing agencies - the Bank of England, the UK Treasury, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - to agree to a common framework.

I am really furious about the impact that this is having on our kids. If you are a child in temporary accommodation and you can't do your homework properly because you haven't got the space that is going to have a limit on you for the rest of your life and it cannot go on This urgent money is about trying to help make sure that families don't become homeless.

Speaking to the Guardian, he said: The picture of Welsh politics is changing and Plaid Cymru is the voice of progressive Wales. We have consistent polling showing Plaid Cymru in the lead. Reform is also polling well and Labour is falling further behind. I think it's becoming more and more clear it's a two-horse race - Reform's division versus Plaid's vision.

The number of Liberal Democrat party members has almost halved in the last five years, according to BBC analysis of available figures. The figure has fallen from just under 118,000 in 2020, when Sir Ed Davey became leader, to 60,000. That is despite the Lib Dems having their most successful general election ever last year in terms of seats won.

It's not just a piece of paper, it's a launchpad for growth. With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled. That's why I'll be flying the flag for British business alongside 125 of our biggest household names in Mumbai this week - because growth in India for them means more choice, opportunity and jobs at home for the British people.

From disrupted sleep and shorter attention spans to reduced social skills and exposure to radicalised and extreme views, children and young people are being exploited by big tech executives who are making billions as a result. Parents and teachers see the damage being done on a daily basis. Students are arriving at school exhausted, anxious and already overwhelmed by what they've seen on social media.