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☆ UK needs new plan to reverse hit to living standards, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People walk alongside the City of London financial district in London, Britain, October 25, 2023. REUTERS/ Susannah Ireland/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain needs a new economic strategy to reverse 15 years of falling living standards and worsening inequality, a leading think tank and an academic research centre said on Monday. "There is no excuse for fatalism," Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said. "Closing the gap with peers like Australia, France and Germany would deliver huge living standards gains, with typical households over 8,000 pounds better off." ($1 = 0.7881 pounds)Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Susannah Ireland, Jeremy Hunt, Keir Starmer, Torsten Bell, William Schomberg, Daniel Wallis Organizations: City, REUTERS, Foundation, London School of Economics, Centre for Economic, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Starmer's Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Birmingham, Manchester

☆ UK's Hunt says he hopes to reverse public investment freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt speaks at the Resolution Foundation, in London, Britain December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Monday that he hoped in future to reverse the decline in public investment which is forecast in the government's latest budget plans. "I don't think you want declining public investment. And I very much hope we'll be able to get back into a place where we don't have to do that," Hunt said at an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation think tank. In government budget forecasts published last month, British public sector net investment is forecast to fall steadily from 2.6% of gross domestic product in the current financial year to 1.8% in the 2028/29 financial year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hollie Adams, we'll, Hunt, Keir Starmer, David Milliken, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year. Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the UK press at the time, was Britain's Conservative leader from 1979 to 1990. "Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them," Starmer wrote in an article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. After hailing Thatcher, Starmer wrote that Labour had "changed dramatically in the last three years".

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Britain's, Margaret Thatcher, Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Thatcher, Tony Blair, Clement Attlee, Jeremy Corbyn, Victoria Atkins, Margaret Thatcher's, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Sunday Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Majority of Britons support rejoining the EU single market - poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A majority of Britons support rejoining the European Union's single market even though that would mean the restoration of the free movement of workers from the bloc, according to a poll published on Wednesday. Curbing immigration was a key reason Britons voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Support for joining the single market, which also guarantees the free movement of goods and services, was divided along political lines. For those respondents who voted to leave the EU and who would back the opposition Labour Party in an election tomorrow, 53% support single market membership, with 31% opposed. For those who voted for Brexit and intend to vote for the governing Conservatives, only 29% would support a return to the single market, with 54% opposed.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brexit, Keir Starmer, YouGov, Farouq Suleiman, Kate Holton, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, EU, Labour Party, Brexit, Conservatives, Labour, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, Britain

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak escalated his war of words with the leader of Greece on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of trying to “grandstand” over the disputed Parthenon Marbles and breaking a promise to the U.K. government. Athens wants them returned so they can be displayed alongside the rest of the Parthenon sculptures at a purpose-built museum in Athens. Sunak said Mitsotakis had reneged on a promise not to talk publicly about the marbles during his visit. The leader of the U.K. opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, met with Mitsotakis in London on Monday. It’s not that difficult, prime minister.”___Associated Press writers Nicholas Paphitis and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Lord Elgin, Sunak, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa ”, ” Sunak, “, Critics, Keir Starmer, Starmer, ”, ” Starmer, It’s, Nicholas Paphitis, Derek Gatopoulos Organizations: British, British Museum, ”, “, European Union, Conservative, National Health Service, Labour Party, Mitsotakis, Associated Press Locations: Greece, Athens, loggerheads, United Kingdom, ” Greece, Brexit, London

Williams, a former federal prosecutor and former U.S. Marine Corps pilot and prosecutor, is the third Republican to declare his candidacy. In an announcement video, Williams says, “I'm running for attorney general because I know how to deal with violence. As a freshman lawmaker, he became one of two House Republicans tapped to lead the impeachment of Philadelphia's progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner. The two other Republicans who have announced their candidacies are York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and former federal prosecutor Katayoun Copeland. Josh Shapiro 's second term as attorney general and doesn't plan to run for the office.

Persons: Philadelphia's, Joe Biden’s, Craig Williams, Williams, “, Joe Sestak, Larry Krasner, Krasner, Donald Trump’s, Dave Sunday, Katayoun Copeland, Jack Stollsteimer, Jared Solomon of Philadelphia, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Kahn, Keir Bradford, Michelle Henry, Josh Shapiro, Shapiro, Henry, Marc Levy Organizations: Republican, U.S . Marine Corps, U.S . Rep, Peco Energy Co, Exelon Corp, Republicans, University of Florida, York, Gov Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Philadelphia, Alabama, York County, Delaware County, Montgomery, Alaska

☆ Parthenon Sculptures spat: Britain’s Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, of canceling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic spat over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. “I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place,” Mitsotakis said in a statement. “Greece’s positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak’s office said. A law prevents the British Museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, ” Mitsotakis, “, ”, George Osborne, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Daniel Leal, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer Organizations: Reuters, Greek, British Museum, British, BBC, Elgin, Getty, Financial, Labour Party Locations: London, Greece, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

Stollsteimer joins a Democratic primary field that is already four-deep in which he will be the only elected prosecutor. In his campaign for attorney general, Stollsteimer will lean heavily on his experience as the twice-elected district attorney of Delaware County, Pennsylvania's fifth-most populous county sitting between Philadelphia and Delaware. In 2019, he won his race for district attorney, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in Delaware County, once a Republican bastion that Democrats now control. On the Republican side, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and former federal prosecutor Katayoun Copeland have announced their candidacies. Attorney General Michelle Henry does not plan to run to keep the office.

Persons: Jack Stollsteimer, Joe Biden’s, ” Stollsteimer, Stollsteimer, Donald Trump’s, ”, Fanta Bility, Jared Solomon of Philadelphia, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Kahn, Keir Bradford, Dave Sunday, Katayoun Copeland, Michelle Henry, Marc Levy Organizations: Democratic, Treasury Department, Democrats, Temple University, Republican, of Education, Philadelphia Inquirer Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Delaware, “, Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, York County

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. "I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mitsotakis said in a statement. "Greece's positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak's office said. A law prevents the British museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, George Osborne, Mona Lisa, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Renee Maltezou, Angus MacSwan, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, British Museum, British, BBC, Financial, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, LONDON, London, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

☆ Greece PM laments lack of progress with UK on Parthenon Sculptures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] An employee views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. Athens has long campaigned for the return of the Elgin Marbles, as they are often described. The 75 metres of Parthenon frieze, 15 metopes and 17 sculptures were removed by diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire then ruling Greece. "We have not made as much progress as I would like in the negotiations," Mitsotakis told BBC television on Sunday. The Financial Times last week reported that Starmer would not block a "mutually acceptable" loan deal for the sculptures.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, we've, George Osborne, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, William Schomberg, Lefteris Papadimas, David Goodman Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, British, BBC, Museum, Labour Party, Financial, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Greece, British

☆ Greece PM Laments Lack of Progress With UK on Parthenon Sculptures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Talks over a possible return of the British Museum's Parthenon Sculptures to Athens are not advancing quickly enough, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday as he prepared to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week. Athens has long campaigned for the return of the Elgin Marbles, as they are often described. The 75 metres of Parthenon frieze, 15 metopes and 17 sculptures were removed by diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire then ruling Greece. "We have not made as much progress as I would like in the negotiations," Mitsotakis told BBC television on Sunday. The Financial Times last week reported that Starmer would not block a "mutually acceptable" loan deal for the sculptures.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, we've, George Osborne, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, William Schomberg, Lefteris Papadimas, David Goodman Organizations: British, Elgin, BBC, Museum, Labour Party, Financial Locations: Athens, Ottoman Empire, Greece, British

☆ Fact Check: SNP’s Westminster leader held his Remembrance Sunday wreath correctly
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Comparison online of the way Britain’s party leaders held their poppy wreaths on Remembrance Sunday has sparked a false claim that the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) Westminster leader Stephen Flynn held his garland upside down. In an X post (archived) on Nov. 14, Flynn said his wreath was made by Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, Scotland. Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory told Reuters that the card was placed at the bottom of the wreath. There are also differences in the designs of poppies, the Scottish National War Memorial spokesperson said. Stephen Flynn held his wreath the correct way up on Remembrance Sunday, according to the wreath maker, who said the card was deliberately placed at the bottom.

Persons: Stephen Flynn, Flynn, Ed Davey, Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Lady Haig’s, Lady Haig’s Poppy, Pam Gosal, Jackson Carlaw, Read Organizations: Scottish National, Facebook, Liberal, Conservative Party, Memorial, Reuters, Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, Scottish, Thomson Locations: Scotland, England, Edinburgh

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 15, 2023. But the backing of so many Labour lawmakers showed the levels of disquiet in the party over the Middle East conflict. Eight members of Starmer's 'shadow' ministerial team left their roles in order to defy the party position. But I wanted to be clear about where I stood, and where I will stand," Starmer said after the vote. A large protest by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign outside parliament demanding lawmakers back a ceasefire took place while the vote was going on.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Maria Unger, Handout, Rishi Sunak, Jess Phillips, Starmer, Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan, Deepa Babington Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS Acquire, Labour, Scottish National Party, European Union, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Israel, United States, Gaza, Britain's, Palestine

☆ Sunak rolls the dice with Cameron resurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rishi Sunak's latest pivot is riskier than it might look. The British prime minister has appointed former leader David Cameron as foreign secretary, part of a reshuffle in which he sacked firebrand Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The move suggests Sunak may be looking to appeal to centrist voters ahead of next year’s national ballot, but that may also make his party more fragile. Cameron, who left parliament in 2016 after proposing a referendum on Brexit he then lost, isn’t an obvious choice for Sunak. Centrist voters may not forgive him for allowing an EU referendum and jumping ship shortly afterwards.

Persons: David Cameron, Suella Braverman, Cameron, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Neil Unmack, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, firebrand, Greensill Capital, Conservative, X, Thomson

☆ Suella Braverman fired as David Cameron returns to UK government
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The hardline Home Secretary Suella Braverman was fired early on Monday morning, after making inflammatory comments about the policing of pro-Palestinian protests in central London over the weekend. Cameron served as prime minister from 2010 to 2016, resigning after Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum that he had called. Unlike Braverman, neither Cleverly nor Cameron are likely to go off script and lash out at the police or protesters. Monday marks the second time in just over a year that Braverman has been sacked as home secretary. Under Sunak, Braverman spearheaded a heavily publicised push to clamp down on small boat crossings made by asylum-seekers.

Persons: London CNN — Britain’s, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Suella Braverman, Sunak, Cameron, Downing, James, Braverman, London’s, Braverman’s, ” Neil Basu, we’ve, King Charles, Alec Douglas, –, Edward Heath’s, “, ”, —, ” Cameron, Tories ’, Carl Court, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Jeremy Hunt, they’d, Liz Truss’s shambolic, lambasting “, Keir Starmer, ” Starmer Organizations: London CNN, Britain, European Union, Downing Street, Times, London, Sunak, BBC, Downing, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Tories, EU, Braverman, Human, Rwanda –, Conservatives, Labour Party Locations: London, Braverman, Downing, Westminster, Cameron, Rwanda, Britain, United Kingdom

☆ UK PM Sunak under pressure to sack interior minister over police criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Home Secretary Suella Braverman with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he hosts a policing roundtable at 10 Downing Street, London, Britain October 12, 2023. Braverman, the home secretary responsible for policing and national security, has a long history of making controversial statements that have alienated her more moderate colleagues. Some Conservative Party politicians called for her to be moved or distanced themselves from her comments on Friday. Since the article was published, Braverman has not apologised. Britain's finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, was the most senior member of the government to distance himself from Braverman's comments on Friday.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Rishi Sunak, James Manning, Braverman, Geoffrey Clifton, Brown, Sunak, Downing, Keir Starmer, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew MacAskill, Jan Harvey Organizations: Downing, British, Conservative Party, BBC, Labour Party, Times, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Braverman, Israel

☆ Turmoil in UK government after key minister slams police ahead of pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday, the UK will mark Armistice Day – the date commemorating the de-facto end of World War I. Also on Saturday, pro-Palestinian protesters will march through central London demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Every living UK Prime Minister lays a wreath at the monument, along with other senior politicians, visiting dignitaries and members of the royal family. Banning such a protest in the name of those who died for precisely these sorts of freedoms is not the best look on Armistice Day. The Conservative Party’s poll ratings are poor and Sunak is already barely holding together a fragile coalition of parliamentarians.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Leon Neal, Banning, Sunak’s, Braverman, ” Braverman, Keir Starmer, Downing, Mark Kerrison, ” Sunak, Brexit, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, – Organizations: London CNN, Getty, London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Conservative, National Conservatism Conference, Emmanuel Centre, Conservative Party Locations: London, Israel, Downing, Times, England, Gaza, Northern Irish, Charing, Westminster

☆ UK's interior minister accuses police of pro-Palestinian bias over marches
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Critics in opposing parties and her own have accused her of stoking division and undermining the police. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described Saturday's planned march as disrespectful and said he would hold Rowley to account that the remembrance events are safeguarded. Braverman, seen as a possible future Conservative party leader, often takes a harder line than her party as a whole on issues such as crime and immigration. Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Sunak was too weak to challenge her. In a separate incident, two men were arrested over damage to the Cenotaph war memorial in the northern English town of Rochdale.

Persons: Braverman, Suella Braverman, Mark Rowley, Rishi Sunak, Saturday's, Rowley, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Neil Basu, King Charles, Sarah Young, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Sharon Singleton, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: The, Hamas, British, Conservative, Opposition Labour Party, British Loyalist, London, LBC Radio, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, London, The Times, Northern Ireland, Britain, British, Braverman, Rochdale

☆ The laws British PM Sunak wants to pass before the next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The King's Speech - given by the monarch but written by government ministers - opens the new session of parliament. This is likely to be the last one before the election, which must be held by January 2025, and many policies were aimed at appealing to voters. CIGARETTES AND VAPESThe Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver on Sunak's promise made last month to phase out all tobacco sales in England. SOCCER REGULATORThe government plans to set up an independent football regulator, who will be responsible for scrutinising club owners and their financial resources. The new legislation will require owners to ensure fans are consulted on changes to club's badges, names and shirt colours.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Hannah McKay, King Charles, Bill, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Elizabeth Piper, Alex Richardson, Barbara Lewis Organizations: British, Labour Party, REUTERS, Conservatives, Petroleum, Markets, Competition, Consumers, SOCCER, Super League, Trans, Pacific, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, North, Freehold, Wales, Pacific, Australia, Japan

☆ UK Labour's Starmer seeks to reunite party over Israel/Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kier Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks as he attends a by-election victory event for Sarah Edwards, newly elected MP for Tamworth, at Tamworth football stadium, Tamworth in central Britain, October 20, 2023. In a hastily arranged speech, Starmer was keen to restore unity to the party after senior figures, such as its London and Manchester mayors and the Scottish Labour leader, called for a ceasefire to ease Gaza's growing humanitarian crisis. He said what was needed now was an immediate pause to allow aid to be delivered and for people to seek safety, but that nations should be pushing for a resumption of peace and renewed talks for a two-state solution. "My Labour Party will fight for that cause, we will work with international partners towards the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated just and lasting peace," he said. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kier Starmer, Sarah Edwards, Toby Melville, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn, Elizabeth Piper, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, Tamworth, REUTERS, British Labour, Palestinian, Labour, Chatham House, Scottish Labour, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Tamworth, Britain, Israel, Gaza, London, Manchester

☆ Rishi Sunak, Britain’s Prime Minister, Is Probably Doomed - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Katy Balls | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When Rishi Sunak became prime minister of Britain a year ago, there was little sense of celebration. Mr. Sunak, who had been rejected by Conservative Party members earlier in the year, was inserted by lawmakers in the desperate hope he could calm the crisis. But that’s where the good news stops for the prime minister. While Mr. Sunak has moved his party out of crisis mode, he is yet to win over voters. Mr. Sunak may be doing his best, in trying circumstances.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Sunak, Keir Starmer, — Organizations: Conservative Party, European Union, Conservatives, Labour Party Locations: Britain, It’s

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak suffers two historic by-election defeats as Labour opposition surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Labour party candidate Sarah Edwards, centre, after polls closed in the Tamworth by-election on October 20, 2023 in Tamworth, England. LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered two historic by-election defeats on Thursday, with the main opposition Labour Party overturning huge majorities to win both seats. Labour overcame a 24,664 majority to win Mid Bedfordshire for the first time since the constituency's inception in 1931 in a 20.5% swing. In the process, it pulled off the largest Conservative numerical majority overturned in the U.K. by the main opposition party since 1945. The opposition party took on what was a 66% Conservative majority at the 2019 General Election.

Persons: Sarah Edwards, Rishi, Keir Starmer, Greg Hands, Chris Pincher, Pincher, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Johnson's Organizations: Labour, LONDON, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire, Conservative, Conservatives, BBC Locations: Tamworth, England, Mid Bedfordshire, West Midlands, Bedfordshire

☆ British PM Sunak suffers crushing by-election defeats
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, October 18, 2023. "Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it." The contests in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth were caused by the high-profile resignations of politicians close to former prime minister Boris Johnson. The accusations against him contributed to the collapse of former prime minister Boris Johnson's government. Labour won the Mid-Bedfordshire seat with a majority of over 1,100 overturning a Conservative majority of 24,664 at the last general election in 2019.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Clodagh, Rishi Sunak's, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Chris Pincher, Boris Johnson's, Sarah Edwards, Andrew MacAskill, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: British, REUTERS, Labour Party overturns, LONDON, Conservatives, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Mid, Bedfordshire, Tamworth, England

☆ Another Local Vote, and Another Setback, for Rishi Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Stephen Castle | More About Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Britain’s governing Conservative Party on Friday lost two of its safest parliamentary seats in a significant and ominous setback for the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who must call a general election that will decide his fate within the next 15 months. Voting in the Conservative strongholds of Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth took place on Thursday to replace two of the party’s lawmakers — one of whom quit after an allegation of sexual assault — and came as Britain’s health care system faces acute strain and its economy stagnates amid high inflation. While that was always likely to put the Conservatives under pressure, the double defeat in the party’s heartlands was a stunning blow to Mr. Sunak and a striking success for the opposition Labour Party and its leader, Keir Starmer. In Tamworth, northeast of Birmingham, Labour overturned a majority of almost 20,000 in the last general election to win narrowly, while in Mid Bedfordshire, around 50 miles north of London, the main opposition party overcame an even bigger deficit to seize the seat.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, —, Sunak, Keir Starmer . Organizations: Conservative Party, Conservative, Tamworth, Labour Party, Labour Locations: Mid Bedfordshire, Tamworth, Birmingham, London

☆ The UK Labour Party has a Biden-esque economic plan — but it's very different to Bidenomics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

LIVERPOOL, U.K. - Oct. 11, 2023: Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer applauds a speaker the final day of the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, on October 11, 2023. Paul Ellis | Afp | Getty ImagesLONDON — The U.K.'s main opposition Labour Party last week set out the economic platform it hopes will propel it to power at next year's general election, and the transatlantic parallels were clear. Reeves promised last week to "rebuild Britain" as the party seeks to de-risk business investment in emerging technologies with a new national wealth fund, maintaining an active state while harnessing private investment to drive economic growth. Labour's desired parallels to "Bidenomics" were discussed at a host of fringe events throughout the conference in Liverpool, particularly with regards to the "crowding in" of private investment — a Keynesian economic theory that suggests increased government spending can spur increased private investment. Just because the policies may be oriented towards boosting infrastructure and investment, unless they have that debt finance component, it's not Bidenomics."

Persons: Keir Starmer applauds, Paul Ellis, Keir Starmer, Starmer, they're, Rachel Reeves, Joe Biden's, Reeves, Britain —, Biden, Kallum Pickering, Liz Truss, Truss, Rishi Sunak, Pickering, it's Organizations: LIVERPOOL, Labour Party, Afp, Getty, Labour, U.S, Biden administration's, U.S . Treasury, CNBC, Bank of England, Conservative Party, U.S ., University of Pennsylvania Locations: Liverpool, England, America, Britain, Germany, France

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