Reform UK have been accused of a Monty Python-style farce on Kent County Council after two of their expelled councillors formed a rival “Independent Reformers Group” Reform has lost 9 councillors (latest one today) - or 15% of its contingent - since May's local election inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Keir Starmer insists that Digital ID will be “voluntary”. Unless, er, you want to have a job inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Reform's administration on Kent County Council has been rocked by a leaked video of a chaotic internal meeting, with four councillors suspended as a result. I took a look for @theipaper.com on whether the infighting could hurt Nigel Farage's party nationally inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Bridget Phillipson announced today that tuition fees will rise annually in line with inflation (although unis will need to meet quality standards to benefit after two years’ time). @theipaper.com revealed that indexation was coming back in August Our story from then: inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Starmer is facing a challenge from MPs on the Left to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom. MPs, including Labour left-wingers, Jeremy Corbyn and the Westminster leaders of the SNP and Plaid Cymru want Parliament to formally remove Andrew’s titles inews.co.uk/news/politic...

The Home Office is brokering extra police officers from forces outside the West Midlands so the ban on Israeli fans attending next month’s match at Aston Villa can be overturned inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Reform pledged to cut costs and taxes in local government with a 'Doge'-style approach, but instead their council taxes are rising ➡# Read more: trib.al/4eTKWIn

Exclusive @theipaper.com: Ministers are looking at introducing salary sacrifice schemes for rooftop solar panels as part of efforts to cut energy bills inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Rachel Reeves has been warned that making changes in the Budget to the amount of cash people can withdraw tax-free from their pensions is a “high risk strategy” which would create a “political storm” inews.co.uk/news/politic...

The collapse of a case involving two men accused of spying for China is a “mess” which is “damaging” to Keir Starmer, an ex-head of MI6 has said. Sir Richard Dearlove told @theipaper.com that if the Govt had “caved” to Chinese pressure then it was “absolutely outrageous” inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Jenrick is on his best behaviour in Manchester. But Tory insiders think he is playing a long game, knowing that any explicit show of disloyalty could fatally damage his reputation among the membership inews.co.uk/news/politic...

House sellers will be forced to disclose problems with their homes before sale under plans by the Government to cut costs for buyers and speed up purchases inews.co.uk/news/politic...

The Home Office is looking at introducing outright bans on protests which risk intimidating minorities or threaten serious disruption, @theipaper.com understands inews.co.uk/news/politic...

As Kemi Badenoch prepares for the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Tory MPs have warned she is “in the last chance saloon”. Here’s our @theipaper.com weekend long read inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Exclusive @theipaper.com: Sir Ed Davey has been told to raise his game by Liberal Democrat MPs amid growing concerns that the party is failing to cut through with the public inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Some Labour MPs have backed proposals to tax private healthcare, but the industry has hit back 🔴 @whazell.bsky.social reports trib.al/xIjDnqF

EXCLUSIVE: Tory to Reform switcher David Jones has told @theipaper.com he is talking to current Conservative MPs who are thinking about defecting too inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out granting a Bank Holiday if the Lionesses win the Euros in Switzerland on Sunday, @theipaper.com understands inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Our latest @theipaper.com weekend long read is on the fallout from Starmer’s strike against Labour rebels and the apparent refusal of the UK economy to play ball with Reeves’ growth plans inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Labour MPs knew a VIP was imminent in Parliament’s old smoking room because when they turned up Mini Cheddars had been left out in advance. Sure enough, the PM arrived to schmooze them. Our @theipaper.com long read is on Starmer's bid to reset his troubled government inews.co.uk/news/politic...

My latest @theipaper.com read is on Putin’s “shadow fleet” of sanction-dodging oil tankers. Is the fleet being used for sabotage and hybrid warfare operations? How can it be stopped? And could it trigger a clash between Russia & NATO? inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Exclusive: One of the frontrunners to be the next Chancellor of Cambridge has said he fears Reform could launch a Trump-style assault on UK universities. Lord Chris Smith, Blair's first culture secretary, said: “Populism is always driven by a wish to kick the elite" inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Everything you need to know about the British voting public

It is certainly positive news for UK universities. The question is still how substantial it is going to be

Could Trump's decision to go to war with US universities inadvertently save the UK's cash-strapped higher education sector? UK uni sources have told me they are already seeing foreign students who had intended to go to the US coming here instead inews.co.uk/news/politic... My @theipaper.com read:

The case for using "global majority" by institutions should be rejected unless + until it can be shown - most people understand what it means (most don't) - most people it is about would like it used (most don't) I find it a deeply incoherent fiction + a highly regressive term in some many ways

Nigel Farage’s plan to slash tax and increase benefits would cause a market shock up to twice the size of Liz Truss’s mini-budget, independent economists have told @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Can Nigel Farage really become PM? I took a look for @theipaper.com at what he’d need to poll, target seats, what Reform has to do over the next 3-4 years, as well as the obstacles (including his proximity to Trump and tactical voting) inews.co.uk/news/politic...

It's worth emphasising the existential problem for the Tories right now - they no longer lead among older Britons, in the South of England or among the middle classes, while holding a 17pt deficit among Leave voters. Their islands of strength are gone and they're becoming a party for nobody.

Excellent thread. The extent to which explicit racism, antisemitism etc has become ubiquitous on social media (I see it most on X but that’s one of the main platforms I use) is shocking and horrific.

Rachel Reeves is pinning her hopes on planning reforms unlocking extra fiscal headroom to avoid raising taxes again this year, @theipaper.com understands inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Starmer pointedly didn't mention Reform in his immigration speech & the White Paper has been in the works for months, but Farage's rise is of course the context to all this. I took a look here at whether Reform could take Wales next year inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Well worth a read

Farage's 'Boris Johnson-style tactics' could steal the Red wall, Labour fears - by @whazell.bsky.social for @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Ed Miliband has played down the differences with the Trump administration on Net Zero by saying the UK Government want to work with the US on its “nuclear renaissance” @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/politic...

The right-wing challenger party taken over by Ben Habib to outflank Reform clearly needs some work. Visit the Integrity Party's website and you're greeted with this surreal AI-generated vision of Britain's future. My full piece here inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Need Nigel Farage and Reform UK fear a new right-wing challenger party being launched by Reform's ex-deputy leader Ben Habib, which aims to put them out of business? I took a look for @theipaper.com here inews.co.uk/news/politic...

A Labour MP said the Trump state visit showed a "desperate government prepared to sacrifice what little credibility it has left on the mythical altar of GDP growth". "It won’t work and the sooner they understand this the sooner we can start to reverse our dire polling.” inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Farage would follow Trump’s lead in appointing mavericks from outside of politics to key positions in government and the Civil Service 🔎 Big Read by @whazell.bsky.social and Kitty Donaldson ➡️ Read more: trib.al/Lh3Rm21

Does Keir Starmer’s No 10 have a women problem? Our latest @theipaper.com long read unpicks the briefing against female Cabinet ministers inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Frustration at ministers or the unacceptable result of macho No 10 'boys club' briefings? Hostile stories keep appearing about female members of the Cabinet 🔎 Big Read by @whazell.bsky.social

Labour's @blairmcdougall.com said: "When you go to get your frozen fish fingers you’re trying to fuel your kids, not to fuel Putin’s war against Ukraine. "I think people would be horrified to think that their weekly shop would be indirectly hurting the people of Ukraine.”

Major UK supermarkets and food companies like Iceland & Birds Eye are selling products containing Russian fish despite concerns the trade indirectly helps bolster the Kremlin’s war machine against Ukraine inews.co.uk/news/iceland... @theipaper.com exclusive by @cahalmilmo.bsky.social

Labour, the Tories & Reform UK are all currently either unable or unwilling to criticise Trump. Does it create a political opportunity for @libdems.org.uk to claim the mantle of the UK's anti-Trump party, and will it translate into votes? My latest @theipaper.com read inews.co.uk/news/politic...

The UK Government is looking at the idea of deporting failed asylum seekers to ‘return hubs’ - dedicated migrant camps overseas - Keir Starmer has indicated inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Is there an inside-job within Labour ranks to undermine Ed Miliband and water down Net Zero? Some of his allies fear so. Friends have spoken of their “astonishment” at hostile briefing which they say goes “unchecked” by No10. My latest @theipaper.com long read: inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Energy Secretary's camp tell of their 'astonishment' at 'unchecked' hostile briefing from within Government @whazell.bsky.social reports

A Whitehall source told @theipaper.com: “There are certainly cuts coming. “No part of the department has been looking happy.” inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Could the Conservatives weaponise Nigel Farage's association with Donald Trump to overhaul Reform UK in the polls? Some Tories think so. My piece here - which includes the latest @theipaper.com documentary video on the rise of Reform inews.co.uk/news/politic...