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Diane Abbott

Abbott suspended by Labour Party after comments about racism

MP Diane Abbott is suspended by the Labour Party pending an investigation, the BBC understands.

8 mins ago
Politics
GB British soldiers (troops) A3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines search a known Taliban firing position in No Mans Land, Now Zad
LIVE

Personal details of UK special forces and spies were included in Afghan data breach

Details of more than 100 British officials were in the data, which may have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

Two young women outside a polling station with their dogs.

Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election

Other planned changes include expanding voter ID to include bank cards and moving to automatic registration.

3 hrs ago
Politics

Starmer says he had to 'deal with' rebel Labour MPs

The PM argues MPs "elected on a Labour manifesto" should back the government's plans.

1 hr ago
Politics

Starmer stamps authority with MP suspensions, but risks appearing vindictive

Senior officials say the sackings came after repeated organising against the government.

12 hrs ago
Politics
GB British soldiers (troops) A3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines search a known Taliban firing position in No Mans Land, Now Zad
LIVE

Personal details of UK special forces and spies were included in Afghan data breach

Details of more than 100 British officials were in the data, which may have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) shakes hands with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz upon their arrival at Downing Street, in London

Plans for direct train to Berlin in new UK-Germany treaty

It comes as Friedrich Merz makes his first official visit to the UK as German chancellor.

1 hr ago
Europe
A young woman wearing a red and black tartan skirt leaves a polling station in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the 2014 independence referendum. A sign reading: Polling place is attached to black railings.

Which parties could benefit from lower voting age?

Young people are more likely to vote for left-wing parties - but how could this translate to a real election?

9 mins ago
Politics
Two young women outside a polling station with their dogs.

Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election

Other planned changes include expanding voter ID to include bank cards and moving to automatic registration.

3 hrs ago
Politics
A woman looking out a window in between partially drawn curtains with her arms folded.

Government spends £53m on domestic violence programme

The money will expand an existing pilot which works with perpetrators to help them resolve personal issues.

Zia Yusuf with Council Leader Mark Arnull, Deputy Leader James Petter and the Reform UK cabinet on West Northamptonshire Council

Reform council agrees plan to share data with savings unit

The Doge cost-cutting team is seeking data-sharing agreements with all of the councils Reform UK controls.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey speaks in front of campaigners. He wears a dark suit and a pale blue tie with silhouettes of dinosaurs.

Lib Dems back 'pot zero' plan to cut energy bills

Leader Sir Ed Davey says the UK must break the link between gas prices and electricity costs.

British soldiers in uniform walk across a dusty, desert landscape towards a military helicopter near the Pimon military camp in Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province in March 2010

Serious questions for Tories over Afghan data breach - PM

Details of thousands of Afghans who supported UK forces were mistakenly leaked under the last government.

British troops leaving Camp Bastion in Helmand Provice, Afghanistan, in 2014

MoD offered to speed up resettlement case of Afghan who posted data breach names on Facebook

The BBC understands the individual, an Afghan national, is now living in the UK.


Features and analysis

A young woman wearing a headscarf walks past a polling station on 4 July 2024. She has a brown shoulder bag and holds a mobile phone in her hand.

How will votes at 16 and changes to voter ID work?

The minimum voting age will fall to 16 across the UK as part of a package of election reforms.

Afghans scaling a wall to access Kabul airport during the evacuation in 2021

What we know so far about Afghan data breach

The revelation of a major data leak and subsequent relocation of thousands of Afghans to the UK has raised serious questions.

A monument inscribed with the word Afghanistan outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in London

Three key questions after Afghan data breach sparked unprecedented secret evacuation

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner analyses the leak of Afghan citizens' data and the fallout.

US President Donald Trump holding a red baseball cap with the slogan Make America Great Again on it

Is there a secret formula for election-winning slogans?

Political strategist Chris Bruni-Lowe claims in a new book that eight words hold the key to electoral success.

Close up shot of a person looking at bills and receipts on a table next to a calculator in their kitchen. They are wearing a blue jumper and the kitchen sink is in the background.

Welfare cuts: What are the Pip and universal credit changes?

The government watered down its welfare reform plans to get MPs to vote for the benefits bill.


From our Political Editor Chris Mason

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks in the House of Commons.

Starmer stamps authority with MP suspensions, but risks appearing vindictive

Senior officials say the sackings came after repeated organising against the government.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands during a press conference.

Starmer and Macron plead for patience in an impatient world

The UK and France have agreed a "one in, one out" deal for migrants crossing the Channel.

People thought to be migrants wade through the sea to board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel.

Migrant deal will be seen as failure if numbers don't fall

The "one-in-one-out" deal with France to be announced later will have to deter people from getting in small boats.

A lone man crosses Whitehall and Parliament street during the middle of the day towards the Cabinet Office in Westminster

What happens inside the government's crisis room

Cobra is where senior ministers and officials gather to coordinate the emergency response to a crisis.

Rachel Reeve with tears visible on her cheeks sits in the House of commons - she has shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a dark blazer over a white blouse. Other members are visible in the background, some holding documents or electronic devices, in a formal parliamentary setting.

Rachel Reeves' tears raise big questions at top of Labour

Whatever the cause, Labour must soon start projecting direction, confidence and grip.


BBC InDepth

Image of Reeves and Starmer hugging, with another image of Laura K to the side

Labour might be down, but it's not necessarily out - voters reflect on a year in power

What’s gone wrong for Labour? 2024 voters delve into it, writes Laura Kuenssberg.

A treated image of Keir Starmer in front of number 10

Starmer's stormy first year: Why his political honeymoon was so short-lived

As the PM marks a year in office next week - which he will spend grappling with crises - British politics finds itself at an inflection point

Index pic

Crisis - which crisis? Israel-Iran another huge challenge for government

As buildings burn in Tehran and Tel Aviv, the UK government is facing another crisis, writes Laura Kuenssberg.

Faisal Islam in front of an image of Rachel Reeves walking past a black door, holding a red folder

Labour tiptoed cautiously through its first year - will it now decide to escape its own shadow?

This week's Spending Review may be an opportunity for the UK government show investors its vision

A montage image showing Mette Frederiksen and Danish homes in black and white behind

The country where the left (not the far right) made hardline immigration laws

Denmark has come under international attention for its tough approach. And its Social Democrat prime minister is leading the charge


Watch/Listen

Young person being interviewed, smiling to camera in front of a microphone, with black hair.

Votes for 16-year-olds? Teenagers react

The government has announced that 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the next general election.

Reporter Reads

A political strategist says there are eight words that resonate with all voters.

Reporter Reads

BBC Political Editor Chris Mason on the latest defection from Tory to Reform.

Sir Keir Starmer

Watch: PM talks about his 'good personal relationship' with Trump

Watch: PM talks about his 'good personal relationship' with Trump

Rachel Reeves

Chancellor Rachel Reeves: 'I had a tough day'

Rachel Reeves said she had had 'a tough day' in her first interview since teary PMQs.


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