#conservative-party

#conservative-party

“They have both chosen their focus areas. [The Liberals] are leaning more towards macro issues, which is exactly what they did in the election, and the electorate rewarded them at the ballot box, while the other side is still sticking with micro, bread-and-butter concerns like affordability,” explained Singh, managing principal with EOK Consults.

The Tories kept the same number of seats held in 2022, while Labour made notable inroads, increasing its representation from seven to 13 seats. The Liberal Democrats also saw a modest gain, securing three seats. However, the election proved less fruitful for other contenders with no wins for Reform or the Green Party.

There are no councillors from any other parties and no independent candidates were elected either. Westminster, a borough considered one of the most high-profile wards in Thursday's local elections, has historically been a Tory stronghold. It shifted to Labour control in 2022, but political experts had widely predicted the Conservatives would win the council back. Conservative Westminster Group Leader, Paul Swaddle, described the result as fantastic, adding that he had been hopeful walking into the count tonight.

The biggest winners from the Conservatives' help to buy scheme were high-earners who were already likely to buy a house, with the top 10% of earners receiving the largest cash benefit.

In 2025, the political landscape was transformed when Mark Carney took the helm of the Liberals, leading to a surprising electoral turnaround that few predicted.

But the words coming from the White House are completely wrong. I think it's actually quite childish. There is a lot that can be said behind closed doors. We have got President Zelenskyy in our country today. The western alliance having an argument with itself, I think, sends the wrong signal to our opponents, in Iran or in Russia.

she was "very happy to hear from people who have different views".

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The Birmingham reggae band UB40 began as a quintessential product of the troubled era when Margaret Thatcher was the UK's prime minister, archly taking their name from the attendance card needed to claim unemployment benefit, and singing songs about life at the sharp end of her rule. Their peak period lasted until the early- to mid-1990s. In 2008, there came a rupture due to management and business disputes rather than anything musical which opened the way to the choice that now confronts