Badenoch claims Labour is preparing for a general election in May 2027 – UK politics live

First minister demands 'new deal' for Wales, before Plaid Cymru conference. Rhun ap Iorwerth will address members at Plaid's first conference since winning the Senedd election.

For too long, only the right has expanded the boundaries of what governments can do. Can Burnham change that? | Andy Beckett. The PM might come across as a nice bloke but he is politically ruthless. He will need to be if he is to turn big talk into big changes How much can a Labour government change the country? According to many voters, journalists and politicians, including plenty in the party itself, the answer to that stubbornly recurring question has always been: not that much. Labour governments can’t restructure the economy, radically redistribute wealth, truly empower the disadvantaged or.

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics. Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.

Recent lobbyist for Palantir had key role in helping Andy Burnham become PM. Exclusive: Martha Dalton worked closely with Burnham’s team on byelection that secured his return to parliament A recent lobbyist for the controversial $450bn US tech company Palantir played a senior role in helping Andy Burnham become prime minister, it has emerged. Martha Dalton, whose company Lodestone worked for Palantir in 2024 and 2025, campaigned for Burnham in the Makerfield byelection that secured his return to parliament. She worked closely with his team on strategic communications and rebuttals, and was among supporters who clapped him into Downing Street.

Zack Polanski to call for three-year cap on private rent rises. In his speech to his party's conference, the Green leader will frame housing as a key issue of generational fairness.

Move to stop charges for parents to sit by children on flights. The government says sitting together can currently cost a parent and child up to £104 on a return journey.