Prime Minister

Péter Magyar’s draft amendment would prevent Viktor Orbán from returning to the roleEurope live – latest updatesHungary’s new government, led by Péter Magyar, has put forward a constitutional amendment that would limit prime ministers to a maximum of eight years in office, effectively barring Viktor Orbán from returning to the role.The draft amendment was submitted on Wednesday, just over a week after the new government took office. It marked Magyar and his Tisza party’s first step in dismantling a constitution that was unilaterally rewritten and amended more than a dozen times as Orbán and his Fidesz party worked to turn Hungary into a “petri dish for illiberalism”. Continue reading...

Manchester mayor and Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate wants to make politics ‘less point-scoring, more problem-solving’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has said he will back sweeping changes to the electoral system to make politics “less point-scoring, more problem-solving” if he becomes prime minister.The Greater Manchester mayor has previously called for the introduction of proportional representations for UK general elections, handing more power to minority parties like the Greens. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Potential investors fear Andy Burnham could push to bring utility companies into public ownershipA rescue deal for Thames Water is under threat because of a potential change in prime minister, government insiders have said.Ministers are negotiating a takeover deal for the stricken water company with a consortium of creditors led by American investment firm Elliott Management. Continue reading...

Pressure is intensifying on Keir Starmer after Andy Burnham was given a route back to parliamentGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.Housing secretary Steve Reed has been on the media round this morning urging Labour colleagues to put the “country first, party second”, even as he admits Keir Starmer is “unpopular”. Continue reading...

Evika Siliņa stands down after coalition collapses following sacking of defence ministerEurope live – latest updatesLatvia’s centre-right prime minister has resigned over her government’s handling of Ukrainian drones that strayed into Latvian territory from Russia, bringing down her coalition government months before elections, due in October.Evika Siliņa announced her resignation on Thursday, a day after the Progressives party, her left-leaning coalition partner, withdrew its support over her decision to fire the defence minister, Andris Sprūds, a Progressives member. Continue reading...

Davis is the country’s first leader to serve a second consecutive term in nearly 30 yearsThe Bahamas prime minister, Philip Davis, and his ruling Progressive Liberal party (PLP) have been re-elected, making him the country’s first leader to serve a second consecutive term in nearly 30 years.“The Bahamian people have spoken, and I receive their verdict with humility and gratitude,” Davis told Reuters. Continue reading...

• Japanese Prime Minister is eyeing a visit to South Korea around May 19-20, 2026, for summit talks, according to sources cited in Asia Daily on May 11. • The trip aims to strengthen Japan-South Korea relations amid regional security challenges in East Asia. • This follows recent joint military drills involving Japan, U.S., and U.K. paratroopers, signaling deeper defense cooperation.

• Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani departed Miami on Sunday morning after meetings with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio focused on ending the Iran war. • The delegation discussed latest regional developments and Pakistani mediation efforts aimed at deescalation, while the month-long ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran remains fragile but intact. • President Trump stated Saturday he "expects to hear very soon" from Iranian officials regarding the latest U.S. peace proposal, with negotiations ongoing.

Jubilation in Budapest as Péter Magyar becomes leader and invites people to ‘step through gate of regime change’• Europe live – latest updatesThe pro-European centre-right leader Péter Magyar has been sworn in as prime minister of Hungary, marking the official end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.Saturday’s ceremony – during which Magyar had invited people to join him to “write Hungarian history” together and “step through the gate of regime change” – comes a month after his opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. Continue reading...

Gaston Browne is on course to win 15 of the 17 seats in parliament after calling snap electionGaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, is set to win a fourth term in the country’s snap general election with preliminary results showing his party on course to win 15 of the 17 seats in parliament.Addressing supporters early on Friday morning, Browne said: “You have spoken, you have spoken clearly. You have indicated that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour party (ABLP) is the best institution to run this country.” Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As questions mount over transparency and accountability in the ambassadorial appointment process, the political fallout continues to spread across ​Keir Starmer’s government Good morning. Today the prime minister will face parliament in the wake of the Guardian’s exclusive revelation that during the process of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, the former New Labour “prince of darkness” failed UK security vetting – something Keir Starmer says he was not told about.On Friday, Starmer said he was “absolutely furious” and described the situation as “totally unacceptable”. But the episode has once again raised questions about his political judgment, with opposition parties – and some of his own MPs – calling for his resignation.Iran | Tehran is not planning to take part in new talks with the US in Islamabad, Iranian state media reported, as its military accused America of violating a fragile ceasefire by attacking a cargo ship.US news | At least eight children were killed and two adults wounded in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police said the suspect, who died after a police pursuit, killed seven of his own children and wounded their mother, as well as killing another child.UK politics | Keir Starmer will deliver a high-stakes statement to MPs on Monday setting out how Peter Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting.Protest | Seven people from an activist group calling for higher taxes on the super-rich have been arrested by police on suspicion of conspiracy to steal after a plot to steal from high-end stores was uncovered.Crime | A woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car hit pedestrians in central London in the early hours of yesterday morning. A woman in her 30s was in hospital in a critical condition and a man in his 50s suffered life-changing injuries. Continue reading...

Péter Magyar compares media coverage to Nazi-era Germany and aims to ‘restore its public service character’Hungary’s prime minister-elect has vowed to suspend state media news coverage, describing it as a “propaganda machine,” when his government takes office around mid-May.Péter Magyar, whose landslide election victory on Sunday brought an end to leader Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, detailed his plans for the suspension as he gave two tense interviews to public radio and television on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, and two others charged after investigation triggered by group with far-right linksBegoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds at the end of a two-year investigation by a judge in Madrid.Gómez, 55, has been accused of using her influence as the wife of the socialist prime minister to secure and manage a post at Madrid’s Complutense University, and of using public resources and personal connections to further her private interests. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump and his administration actively promoted Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during his reelection campaign through social media and an election-eve trip to Budapest. • Trump demonstrated his willingness to publicly intervene in foreign elections, marking a significant exercise of political influence abroad. • The move reflects Trump's pattern of backing allied leaders globally and raises questions about U.S. diplomatic norms regarding foreign electoral involvement.

At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal’s former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, was taken into custody on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during Gen Z protests last September.This week, a Nepali panel which investigated violence during the anti-corruption protests recommended that Oli, 74, be prosecuted for failing to prevent the crackdown on the protests. Continue reading...