Also known as: Labour government
Labour — UK political party experiencing leadership crisis and heavy election losses under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
Sir Keir Starmer is to promise bolder action to tackle “big challenges” facing the country, as he battles to persuade his MPs not to ditch him as Labour leader. …
Starmer to promise bolder action as leadership threats mountJoy Online
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit as prime minister and “plunge the country into chaos”, as Labour reels from significant election losses. …
Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy election lossesJoy Online
… In contrast, both Labour and the Conservatives have suffered a sharp loss of support. …
Sir John Curtice: Election results show politics in the UK has fragmentedJoy Online
… Labour extended the life of the tax to March 2030. However, the levy only applies to profits made from extracting oil and gas in the UK, whereas the bulk of energy giants’ earnings are made overseas. …
Shell latest oil giant to see profits surge due to Iran war impactThe UK economy shrank by 0.1% in April as the Iran war raised business costs and affected turnover, according to the Office for National Statistics, though the three-month growth rate remained positive at 0.7%.
12 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The UK economy shrank by 0.1% in April as the Iran war raised business costs and affected turnover, according to the Office for National Statistics, though the three-month growth rate remained positive at 0.7%.
12 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will argue in a speech that the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies such as schools and hospitals to promote equality, should be scrapped because it has become "a minefield" exposing public decisions to legal challenge. The Labour government meanwhile is promising a new equality and diversity strategy focused on getting working-class people into the civil service.
8 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The UK government has asked tech companies including Apple and Google to activate built-in features or update software to prevent children under 18 from taking, sending or viewing sexually explicit images on smartphones and devices. The government will introduce legislation to require firms to activate the features if they do not do so voluntarily within three months, with potential fines or criminal liability for non-compliance.
8 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Pensions UK warns that more than three-quarters of workers are not on course to save enough for a "moderate" retirement lifestyle, costing £32,700 annually for one person and £45,400 for two, with only 23% projected to reach that level.
3 June 2026 · Joy Online →
An international court has ruled that the UK will not have to pay Rwanda millions of pounds over the collapsed asylum agreement that the UK government cancelled after Labour came to power. Rwanda had sought to sue the UK for more than £100m, claiming the UK breached the terms of the deal, but the Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against it.
1 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The UK government has watered down plans to ban imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil in third countries, instead phasing in sanctions over coming months amid concerns over supplies and price rises following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Ukraine's sanctions commissioner said he understands the rationale but disagrees with the approach, citing concerns that temporary exemptions may generate additional revenues for Russia's war machine.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The International Monetary Fund upgraded the UK's 2026 growth estimate to 1% from 0.8%, citing resilience but warning that a prolonged Middle East conflict and domestic uncertainty could dampen growth through higher energy and food prices. The IMF suggested the Bank of England need not raise interest rates this year to bring inflation back to target by end-2027.
18 May 2026 · Joy Online →
UK government borrowing costs have reached an 18-year high and the pound has fallen as Andy Burnham pursues the Labour leadership, with analysts attributing the market movements to concerns that a Burnham-led government would increase borrowing.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The UK will contribute drones, fighter jets, a warship and autonomous mine-detection systems to a multinational mission protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, announced by Defence Minister John Healey at a virtual summit. More than 40 nations are involved in the effort, which follows months of Iranian control of the waterway in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.
13 May 2026 · Joy Online →
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to rebuild Britain's relationship with Europe following poor local election results, proposing to put Britain "at the heart of Europe" through tighter links with the EU, though analysts called the speech lacking in concrete proposals.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer plans to announce bolder action to address major challenges facing the country in a Monday speech, as he seeks to counter growing pressure from Labour MPs calling for his resignation following heavy election losses. Several potential challengers, including Angela Rayner and Catherine West, have publicly questioned his leadership, with West threatening to trigger a formal leadership contest if his speech fails to outline a credible plan to restore the party's fortunes.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Sir Keir Starmer has resisted calls to resign as prime minister after Labour suffered significant election losses across England, Scotland, and Wales, including ending its 27-year rule in Wales. Reform UK emerged as the big winner, picking up more than 1,400 seats in England and leading polling estimates with 26% of the vote share.
9 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Electoral analyst Sir John Curtice reports that overnight local election results confirm Britain's electoral politics has become highly fragmented, with Reform winning the most seats at 30% of those declared and recording a 26% average vote share across a sample of over 500 wards. The Greens averaged 16% support, representing a seven-point increase from 2022, suggesting their best local election performance ever, though they gained just 25 seats so far.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Shell's first-quarter profits reached $6.92bn, up from $5.58bn a year earlier, driven by sharp increases in oil prices following the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20% of global oil and LNG supplies.
7 May 2026 · Joy Online →