
Makerfield goes to the polls in a by-election that could decide Starmer's future
Andy Burnham is seeking a return to the Commons on 18 June, and victory would clear his path to challenge the Prime Minister for the Labour leadership.
Westminster, the devolved nations, policy and power.

Andy Burnham is seeking a return to the Commons on 18 June, and victory would clear his path to challenge the Prime Minister for the Labour leadership.

Voters in Aberdeen South and in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry go to the polls on the same day as Makerfield, in contests watched closely at Holyrood and Westminster.

An Opinium survey put Nigel Farage's party on 29 per cent, well ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, underlining the fragmentation of British politics.

Nigel Farage's party has reversed course on the two-child benefit limit, sharpening the contest with Labour over welfare policy.

A by-election engineered to give Andy Burnham a seat in the Commons could prove decisive for both his ambitions and Starmer's survival.

Rhun ap Iorwerth's minority administration faces the challenge of passing its programme in a transformed and crowded Senedd.

John Healey accused the Prime Minister and Treasury of failing to fund the armed forces adequately, in a resignation that deepened Labour's crisis.

The former Parachute Regiment officer takes over a department engulfed in a funding row as the Prime Minister moves to steady his government.

The Chancellor set departmental budgets for the rest of the decade, prioritising health and security while conceding that some areas would feel the squeeze.

Wes Streeting's resignation has become the focal point of a widening revolt, with dozens of MPs urging the Prime Minister to set a departure date.

MPs approved the legislation that will fold most train operators and Network Rail into a single public body, sending it on to the House of Lords.

Ministers say removing the cap, alongside an expansion of free school meals, will deliver the largest fall in child poverty in a single parliament for decades.

The Prime Minister is poised to restrict social media access for under-16s within days, warning technology companies to act on harmful content or face legislation.

The government's flagship democracy legislation, lowering the voting age and reshaping party funding rules, has been carried over into the new session.

Ministers have launched a review and call for evidence on the future of in-person banking, as bank branch closures continue to spread across the UK.

John Swinney's party will govern as a minority after the 2026 Holyrood election, while Reform UK won its first seats and Labour slumped to a record low.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has pressed the Technology Secretary over the spread of harmful content after fresh unrest linked to a fatal stabbing.

A new survey puts Nigel Farage's party clear at the top, with the Conservative leader recovering even as Labour languishes in second place.

A new consultation proposes automatic inheritance rights and stronger financial protections for cohabiting partners when relationships end or a partner dies.