‘Absolute fear’: UK’s planned benefit cuts alarm vulnerable people in Northern Ireland
Labour’s proposed ‘shake-up’ of the welfare system raises the prospect of people with disabilities losing supports for their personal independence
Labour Party (UK)
Stories related to the British Labour Party
‘What’s the point of Labour?’ Starmer in backlash over £5bn in benefits cuts
SDLP MP Colum Eastwood criticises British prime minister in House of Commons
Westminster MPs prepare for another showdown vote on the right to die
Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying Bill is nearing the end of committee stage
David McWilliams: We witnessed in the White House the ‘Doonbegisation’ of Irish foreign policy
We know it’s a fantasy but let’s take it and move on, because the battles ahead will change our world in ways we have not yet contemplated
‘Philomena’s Law’: Labour MP introduces Bill to end penalty on compensation from Irish mother and baby homes
Grandson of Irish immigrants wants to combat the ‘stigma and shame’ some survivors feel
Last of the Irish Lords: ‘There’s a love-hate relationship between Irish people and Anglo titles’
Some 92 hereditary peers’ seats will be abolished under legislation UK’s Labour government pledges to push through
England is mired in self-doubt and disillusionment - but Ireland can’t afford to gloat
Keir Starmer is walking a very tricky tightrope. Figures close to Trump, including Elon Musk, openly speak of reversing the 2024 UK election outcome by removing him from office
Sinn Féin reshuffles Stormont front bench following Conor Murphy’s election to Seanad
Labour is ‘more engaged’ with devolved institutions than Tories, Stormont’s First Minister says
Nicola Sturgeon derides Humza Yousaf’s ‘catastrophic’ handling of Scottish government deal
SNP may be back on top of the polls but it can’t escape the internal squabbles of recent years
Rachel Reeves banks on long-term gain but is getting short-term pain
The UK chancellor has looked to the future with a plan for a third runway at London’s Heathrow
London’s ‘toast rack’ Holocaust memorial unites British leaders but divides the city
A Bill to facilitate the building of a controversial new memorial and education centre is inching its way through parliament
Brian Eno: ‘I don’t like being admired, being revered. That makes me feel very uncomfortable’
Eno, who has worked with everyone from Bowie to Coldplay, discusses his new book with Bette Adriaanse, the use of AI in art and his idea of ‘scenius’
Starmer’s political image increasingly at odds with a public mood turning against liberal causes
He seems himself as less ideological than Blair, but he might benefit from adopting the New Labour master’s Machiavellian streak
Rachel Reeves returns to fiscal storm in UK
UK chancellor jets in from China amid financial controversy
How Britain’s prison system is teetering on the brink of collapse
New Labour government was rocked in autumn by images of unexpectedly-freed criminals popping champagne corks in prison car parks
Shocking crimes, royal illness and Labour’s landslide: The eight big moments that defined 2024 for Britain
Winds of change howled across Britain in a year when a Labour election victory ended 14 years of Tory rule
A year of devastating climate firsts, a dispiriting outcome to Cop29 and elections where climate was off the radar
Ireland heard plenty of ‘eco rhetoric’ in 2024 but there was a clear sense that political leaders have not grasped the reality of the climate emergency
Gig economy is coming to a shop near you
Apps that let retailers hire freelance staff by the shift are increasing in popularity
Brian Cox on costars, politics and death: ‘I feel I’ve upset a few people over the years’
Succession star Cox, who recently found out he’s 88% Irish, is often betrayed as grumpy, but he may be one of life’s great enthusiasts
Keir Starmer waters down UK clean power target in policy reset
British prime minister redefines economic growth goals as he sets out ‘milestones’ for government
Louise Haigh a casualty of the Westminster power machine
Sheffield MP and UK transport secretary was destined to implement a core Labour policy by nationalising railways but she quit suddenly last week
John Prescott obituary: Plain-speaking former UK deputy prime minister
In an age when politics became increasingly managed by media advisers known as spin doctors, Prescott stood out as an authentic, if unorthodox, communicator
MPs vote to give terminally ill in England and Wales the right to assisted death
Bill on assisted dying passes in House of Commons by wider margin than anticipated
‘Starmer the Farmer Harmer’ the target of ire as British farmers mobilise in London
Planet Business: Infowars auction saga, Howard Lutnick’s thoughts on Ireland and a brief history of the Observer
Former UK deputy prime minister John Prescott dies aged 86
Ex-US vice-president Al Gore says he ‘never worked with anyone in politics’ like Labour politician
Ire of farmers and pensioners mounts as British Labour faces possibility of new ‘winter of discontent’
Protest this week by farmers over inheritance tax raid sounds alarm bells for Labour’s rural prospects
Vote on assisted dying Bill due to be a cliffhanger as Britain’s Labour opposition mounts
Wes Streeting, health secretary and potential future Labour leader, is against the plan
Tories shout ‘we told you so’ after Rachel Reeves’ tax-and-spend Labour budget
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who could have been an MI6 spy, muses whether to accept any Tory defectors there might be after a new leader is announced on Saturday to replace Rishi Sunak
Big tax and spending hikes, but little growth from the UK budget
Rachel Reeves's first budget as Britain’s chancellor was monumental in every way except for the one she wanted
Rachel Reeves increases taxes by £40bn in budget to address ‘black hole’ in UK’s public finances
Labour’s first UK budget in more than 14 years was a tax-and-spend bonanza with huge new outlays on health, transport and education
Rachel Reeves: the UK chancellor with the ‘toughest job since WW2′
London Letter: Reeves will deliver a difficult budget in the House of Commons on Wednesday
Housing shortage sends property prices rocketing in east London’s hipster heaven
London Letter: Tech workers pay big sums to rent small houses built in the shadows of Guinness Trust blocks of affordable homes
UK has grudgingly closed a long chapter in its inglorious history of African colonial conquest
Worldview: The UK leaves the Chagos Islands much as it governed them, with a total disregard for the feelings or aspirations of its displaced indigenous people
Keir Starmer’s first 100 days: after a ‘good start’, his Labour government has lost its shine at an alarming speed
The UK’s budget this month takes on near-totemic importance for Labour as it tries to reset the narrative
‘I may not be as lucky as my dog’: Britain gets ready to consider whether there is a right to an assisted death
Campaigners such as Esther Rantzen, who has lung cancer, welcome the news that Westminster will debate a proposal to give terminally ill people to right to seek help ending their lives
Who is Morgan McSweeney, the Irishman heading up Keir Starmer’s Downing Street operation?
Political strategist Mr McSweeney has been named chief of staff
Sue Gray quits as Starmer’s chief of staff amid reported tensions in Downing Street
It was leaked to the BBC that Gray was earning more than the UK prime minister in a series of briefings against her
How Northern Ireland’s supermarket aisles have become another Brexit battleground
Brexit and the sea border have dragged all aspects of trade with Northern Ireland into the zero-sum game of traditional politics
The heaving of Liverpool: A crushing journey shows Britons’ love, and hate, for their train service
I began to suspect that many were thinking the same as me: that this wasn’t going to end well
‘Britain is no longer sure of itself’: Keir Starmer tries to steady his troops as he promises hard work will deliver
In his conference speech at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, the new Labour prime minister tells racist rioters and their supporters: ' We see you and we reject you.’
Rachel Reeves accentuates positives as she seeks to puncture gloomy economic mood at conference
Heckler interrupts the new chancellor’s speech in Liverpool
Schisms and sleaze plague Keir Starmer’s first Labour conference, risking long-term damage
Party’s first event after 14 years in opposition was meant to be a celebration of election victory but risks being overshadowed
Keir Starmer prepares for his first Labour conference as prime minister as infighting breaks out among his team
Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is targeted by anonymous internal critics
British chancellor Rachel Reeves needs a credible growth plan
The UK chancellor should explain how her programme is going to work
A ball of smoke and not much fire as Labour backbench rebellion over winter fuel cut burns out
The row had a little bit for everybody in the audience as Westminster gets back to business
Keir Starmer delays appointing Washington ambassador until after US presidential race
London Letter: Former Labour heavyweights David Miliband, Peter Mandelson are said to be contenders for the role of UK ambassador to Washington, along with Belfast Agreement negotiator Jonathan Powell
Cities need to be run in new ways, and not just by officials, or councillors, says former British mayor
Voters must take more ‘than 10 seconds’ of interest in politics, says Marvin Rees, or live with the consequences
‘Inadequate’: One-word school ratings abolished in England after tragedy involving distraught headteacher
London Letter: Labour has scrapped controversial gradings that unions say placed intolerable strain on teachers
Northern Ireland businesses see ‘steady’ performance in second quarter
Fewer firms north of Border reporting concerns about inflation
An Irishman in London celebrates the UK becoming a ‘nation once again’
Living in the UK almost 40 years, Peter Benson is thrilled about Labour’s election victory. ‘We have grown-ups in 10 Downing Street now,’ he writes
‘The adults are back in the room in London’: how far will Starmer’s reset of UK-EU relations go?
New Labour government could open door to future talks with EU on defence, trade checks and youth movement, but it will have to face down the right-wing domestic press
Troubles Legacy Act: repeal commitment from Labour government made in King Charles speech
UK government acknowledges controversial legislation ‘denies justice to families and victims’
Labour promises to ‘take brakes off Britain’ with up to 40 Bills promised in king’s speech
‘Fiscal lock’ tax and spending Bill promised, as well as ban on smoking and a new regulator for football clubs
Keir Starmer’s Labour may be about to show Ireland how it’s done
The risk is that by the time there is a wider acceptance of the need to move more quickly on vital infrastructure projects, it will be too late
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices