The prime minister sought to rally his cabinet on Tuesday, telling them to ignore the polls and to prepare to take on Nigel Farage's Reform UK. But sources said that in a presentation by chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, ministers were told the government needed to gain back voters' trust with three Es, emotion, empathy and evidence. One source said McSweeney warned that the government had a deficit in emotion, though a No 10 source denied he had used that phrase.
Labour has appointed FourOneOne, a digital marketing agency set up by figures behind the party's 2024 general election campaign, to provide MPs with social media training and access to influencers. The firm has been tasked with helping Labour politicians sharpen their presence on platforms such as TikTok, which the party increasingly sees as critical to reaching younger voters. FourOneOne's work for Labour has included arranging influencer access to press briefings and high-profile events such as the party conference, in return for social media coverage.
Lord Hayward has warned that Labour will face a humiliating results and will be hit with a "battering in the Scottish Parliament," defeat in the Welsh Senedd and across England. Lord Haward said there will be a "cacophony of winners," and that the Tories will also lose seats and warned that Labour could well be on course for "one hell of a battering" in Scotland and the Greens, SNP and Reform could do well, including pro-Gaza Independent.
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said the British public recognised the need for a vastly improved trading arrangement and said it had become more urgent than ever because of the fickle nature of the relationship with Donald Trump's United States. In an interview with the Guardian, Nowak said Starmer must relentlessly focus on the cost of living to improve Labour's standing in the polls, saying it was little surprise there was leadership chatter when the party was doing so badly.
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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. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
Netanyahu said - antisemitism spreads when leaders stay silent. "Nothing to do with Isreal committing genocide in Palestine then. Netanyahu wants antisemitism to be a thing, it validates him - he acts to make it so."
Allies of Burnham were reported on Sunday to have identified a shortlist of seats to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Westminster in the new year. One of these seats is said to be that of Gwynne, who was suspended by the Labour party in February after a leak of offensive WhatsApp messages. One source was quoted as saying that Burnham allies had found a nailed on constituency,
It was that sentiment that convinced Lammy's predecessor, Shabana Mahmood, now home secretary, that the UK should join the push to seek a declaration to change how the European convention of human rights should be interpreted. It was Mahmood who has made the determined argument from inside government that Labour must act to prevent the perceived overreach of human rights law or risk far worse if they lose the next election to the hard right.
When Rachel Reeves urged Labour MPs at a half-empty private meeting on Monday night to back her high stakes budget, she told them that while they might not like everything in it, she was convinced that overall it was fair. After weeks of anxiety on the backbenches over manifesto breaches and speculation over Keir Starmer's leadership, she was determined to reassure them that her plans were Labour through and through and would give them plenty to offer voters on the doorstep.
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. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.