Conservative Party

Kemi Badenoch elected new Conservative Party chief, UK opposition leader

Kemi Badenoch on Saturday became the first Black woman to lead Britain's Conservative Party as she succeeded Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons as the Leader of Opposition. The 44-year-old Nigerian-heritage parliamentarian defeated former Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick after a three-month-long leadership election following Sunak's resignation after the Tories suffered a bruising general election defeat on July 4. The shadow secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government began by thanking her predecessor who was the first British Indian leader of the party. I want to thank Rishi, no one could have worked harder in such difficult times. Rishi, thank you for everything you did. We all wish you and your wonderful family the very best for the future, said Badenoch in her acceptance speech. Sunak took to social media to extend his support. Congratulations to Kemi Badenoch on being elected Conservative Party leader. I know that she will be a superb leader of our great

UK PM Starmer says owners of shares don't count as 'working people'

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggests he's willing to raise taxes on investors

UK PM Keir Starmer prepares for his first Downing Street keynote speech

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing for his first Downing Street keynote speech since being elected last month and ahead of Parliament resuming after its summer recess. According to The Sunday Times', some members of the public will be invited to the Rose Garden speech on Tuesday in a signal that the Labour Party leader intends to do things differently from his Conservative Party predecessors. In keeping with a theme the government has already struck amid major announcements since the July 4 general election, Starmer will caution the public that things will get worse before they can get better due to the state of things his government has inherited after 14 years of Tory leadership. Excerpts of the speech, which is scheduled a week before the House of Commons resumes, refer to Labour inheriting not just an economic black hole but a societal black hole. And that is why we have to take action and do things differently. Part of that is being honest with people - about the

UK's new finance minister accuses last govt of multi-bn pound 'cover-up'

On becoming finance minister, Reeves ordered officials to conduct a fresh assessment of public funding needs which she will present to Parliament on Monday

Newly-elected British Indian MPs swear oath on Bhagavad Gita, Gutka, Bible

Newly elected Indian-origin MPs to the House of Commons have been pledging their allegiance to the British Crown as a symbol of loyalty to the country, choosing to swear on holy texts or to affirm their oath during the first week of a new Parliament. A new copy of the Bhagavad Gita' presented to Speaker Lindsay Hoyle by Shailesh Vara, former Conservative Party member of Parliament who lost his Cambridgeshire seat in last week's general election, featured early on as Rishi Sunak was among the first British Indian MPs to take his oath as Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday. Holding the text in his right hand, the former prime minister read out the customary text: I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God. First-time MP Kanishka Narayan, who is the first Indian-origin member of Parliament to represent Wales in the Westminster Parliament after winning the Vale of ...

UK elections: Interim UK Oppn leader Rishi Sunak names shadow Cabinet

Rishi Sunak, the interim UK Opposition Leader until his Conservative Party finalises the process to choose his successor, has named a shadow Cabinet who will take their place in the House of Commons as the new members of Parliament begin being sworn in on Tuesday. The 44-year-old British Indian leader had to contend with some high-profile resignations and missing Tory MPs who lost their seats in the party's worst electoral defeat in last week's general election, which the Labour Party won with a landslide. David Cameron, a former prime minister who was parachuted into the House of Lords by Sunak to become his foreign secretary last year, has resigned and the portfolio will now be shadowed by his former deputy Andrew Mitchell. "It's been a huge honour to serve as foreign secretary, but clearly the Conservative Party in Opposition will need to shadow the new foreign secretary from the Commons," said Cameron in a social media post. "As a committed Conservative I will continue to suppo

Who is Keir Starmer, the man on course to become new British Prime Minister

The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, has won 360 seats and crossed the majority mark of 326 seats to form the government in the UK

UK election: Exit polls predict bruising defeat for Rishi Sunak-led Tories

According to the exit poll, which is often quite close to the final tally, Labour could win as many as 410 seats, comfortably crossing the half way 326 mark and notching up a 170-seat majority

UK polls to deliver a diverse Parliament, high number of British Indian MPs

The UK general election on Thursday is expected to deliver the most diverse Parliament in the country's history, including in the number of parliamentarians of Indian heritage likely to be elected from across the nation. According to an analysis by the British Future think tank, the Labour Party is set to have by far the largest number of ethnic minority MPs if the party wins an overall majority and even more in a landslide scenario. With around 14 per cent of MPs coming from an ethnic minority background this time, the analysis finds that the new Parliament will be closer than ever to reflecting the diversity of the British electorate. This election will see the biggest rise in ethnic minority representation and the most diverse Parliament ever, said Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future. In the space of 40 years, we'll have gone from zero to one in seven MPs being from an ethnic minority background. Britain is closing the gap between the diversity of Parliament and the ...

Frontrunners trade barbs on economy as UK poll campaign enters final day

Opinion polls show Starmer's Labour Party is set for a big win that would end 14 years of Conservative government

UK elections: Voters wonder if their votes will make a difference

A lot of politicians have promised change to voters in Hartlepool, a wind-whipped port town in northeast England. For decades, Labour Party representatives said they would fight for working people, even as well-paid industrial jobs disappeared. Later, Conservatives under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to bring new money and opportunities on the back of Brexit. But as British voters prepare to elect a new government Thursday, Hartlepool's many problems persist. It has higher unemployment, lower pay, shorter life expectancy, more drug deaths and higher crime rates than the country as a whole. Opinion polls put centre-left Labour well ahead of the governing Conservatives nationwide, but many voters remain undecided and even more are jaded. To regain power after 14 years, Labour must win back disillusioned voters in Hartlepool and other northern towns where decades of economic decline have spawned health and social problems, and a deep sense of disillusionment. At the last .

Tax burden in UK highest since 1949; election pledges won't bring relief

Election pledges not to raise tax have been common since 1997, when Tony Blair promised not to raise income tax or VAT

Super-wealthy may quit UK over Labour plans for inheritance taxes on trusts

Economists say overall tax levels are likely to approach an all-time high whoever wins the election, despite promises by both main parties not to increase major tax rates

Rishi Sunak faces pre-election turmoil as 78 Tory MPs, key ministers resign

UK faces political shakeup: 78 Conservative Party MPs, including key ministers, announced their exit ahead of snap elections which are slated to be held on July 4

Nothing will stand in way of Rwanda flights: Sunak after key bill passes

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's latest effort to send some migrants to Rwanda finally won approval from Parliament early Tuesday, hours after he pledged deportation flights would begin in July. The parliamentary logjam that had stalled the legislation for two months was finally broken just after midnight when the unelected House of Lords recognised the primacy of the elected House of Commons and dropped the last of its proposed amendments, clearing the way for the bill to become law. Earlier in the day, Sunak held a rare morning press conference to demand that the Lords stop blocking his key proposal for ending the tide of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, promising that both houses of Parliament would remain in session until it was approved. The legislative stalemate was just the latest hurdle to delay implementation of a plan that has been repeatedly blocked by a series of court rulings and opposition from human rights activists who say it is illegal and .

UK PM Sunak resists call to set election date amid leadership threat

A general election must be held by the end of January and Sunak has said his "working assumption" is it will be in the second half of 2024

Defeat predicted for Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party in UK polls: Survey

Public survey conducted by YouGov shows that the Opposition Labour Party is heading towards a landslide victory

UK PM Sunak forced to defend Conservative Party after 'racist' remarks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on Wednesday forced to defend the governing Conservative Party even as he admitted one of the party's biggest donor's comments targeted at an Opposition Labour Party MP were racist. During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Sunak referenced his Indian heritage as he defended his government amid intense pressure over wealthy businessman Frank Hester's reported remarks in a 2019 meeting that Labour MP Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women. In a separate meeting, Hester who has donated GBP 10 million to the Tories in the past year said Abbott should be shot. The alleged comments were wrong, they were racist and he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted, Sunak told members of Parliament. There is no place for racism in Britain and the government that I lead is living proof of that, he said. While Labour Leader Keir Starmer sought to capitalise on the controversy as he said it wa

UK's ruling party chairman hints at tax cuts in March and later in year

Finance minister Jeremy Hunt is due to set out his fiscal plans in an annual budget statement scheduled for March 6

UK PM Sunak battles to unite divided Conservative Party in pivotal week

For Sunak, struggling to revive a weak UK economy and heavily trailing the main opposition party in opinion polls, the Rwanda policy has become the defining issue