Vote

Leon Botstein announced his retirement on the day the results of the inquiry into his connections with Epstein were releasedBard College’s board of trustees “voted to end” the 51-year tenure of Leon Botstein, the school’s president, last month after board members were presented with the results of an independent review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails seen by the Guardian. Botstein framed his departure as a long-planned retirement in a statement on 1 May.The move appears to have created a rift within the liberal arts college’s board of trustees. Continue reading...

• The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on legislation providing military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues with ongoing Russian drone and ballistic missile strikes. • Russia conducted fresh attacks on Kyiv, injuring at least 4 people, underscoring the urgency of US support discussions in Congress. • The vote represents a critical moment for US commitment to Ukrainian defense as negotiations continue regarding the scope and nature of American assistance.

Butterfly Conservation poll is open until 7 June with choice of 60 species from small tortoiseshells to purple emperorsWill it be the rapidly disappearing former garden favourite, the small tortoiseshell? Or the poet John Masefield’s “oakwood haunting thing”, the charismatic purple emperor? Or perhaps the brimstone, the ultimate harbinger of spring?The question of which is Britain’s favourite butterfly is being put to a popular vote for the first time. The charity Butterfly Conservation is running the poll, which runs until 7 June, giving people the chance to choose their favourite from the 60 species that fly around Britain every summer. Continue reading...

Jim Chalmers’ budget tips the scales in favour of younger and less well-off households – but it’s middle-class gen X that are turning to the rightwing partyExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageLabor’s fifth budget will do what it says on the tin: it will benefit the young and the poor at the expense of the older and the rich.This is the most obvious takeaway from distributional analysis conducted by Ben Phillips, an associate professor at the ANU’s Centre for Social Policy Research. Continue reading...

Angus Taylor to give budget reply speech tonight. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will take the helm (with Krishani Dhanji ready to take over this afternoon in the lead-up to tonight’s budget reply speech from Angus Taylor).Anthony Albanese has denied that the additional 700,000 gen Z voters being added to the electoral roll by the time of the next federal election was a factor in deciding on the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes in Tuesday’s federal budget. More coming up. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Where parties fielded multiple candidates in last week’s vote, those at top of list were more likely to be pickedFancy your chances in politics? Then perhaps you should change your name to Aaron Aaronson or Aaliyah Aardvark, figures from last week’s local elections in England suggest.A Guardian analysis of election results compiled by the website Democracy Club points to a striking alphabet effect. In wards where a party fielded three candidates, those listed nearer the top of the ballot paper – with a surname nearer the start of the alphabet – finished ahead of their party colleagues in 2,200 cases, or 65% of the time. Continue reading...

Candidates jostle to represent the second congressional district, and a Republican’s Senate seat looks ripe to flipUS politics live – latest updatesNebraska Democrats are bullish about Republican losses in the right-leaning Plains state – but their prospects depend on today’s Democratic primaries, which include accusations of planted candidates and inadvertently depriving Democrats of power.A crowded Democratic primary in the state’s second congressional district, referred to as its “blue dot”, has focused around concerns that if a state senator wins, the Republican governor will replace him with a Republican who would help overturn Nebraska’s divided electoral college vote system. Continue reading...

Appointment confirmed by plenary vote in Senedd after party ended 100 years of Labour rule in last week’s electionRhun ap Iorwerth has been voted first minister of Wales after Plaid Cymru’s Senedd electoral victory ended 100 years of Labour hegemony and held off Reform UK.Ap Iorwerth was confirmed after a plenary vote on Tuesday with the support of the 43 Senedd members of his party and two Greens. Continue reading...

New voting maps flipped four Republican-held seats to give Democrats an edge in redistricting race sparked by TrumpVirginia Democrats asked the US supreme court on Monday to revive a congressional map designed to boost their party’s chances in November’s midterm elections, turning to the court as Republicans – including allies of Donald Trump – seek to preserve narrow control of Congress.The case thrusts Virginia into an unusual, mid-decade redistricting showdown, as courts weigh whether lawmakers can remake House districts outside the normal post-census cycle – with control of a narrowly divided Congress potentially hanging in the balance. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Push to register unaffiliated party with identical name to grassroots group follows Avi Yemini’s plan to use ‘Free Palestine party’ to funnel votes to One NationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMuslim Votes Matter (MVM) has complained to the Victorian Electoral Commission over an anonymous bid to register a political party under the same name ahead of the state election, accusing it of deliberately misleading voters.MVM was established before the 2025 federal election as a grassroots advocacy and lobbying movement, responding to concerns about the lack of political representation for Muslim and minority groups in Australia. Continue reading...

Debates over secession overshadowed by revelations separatist-linked group gained access to list of electorsThe illegal use of voter information by rightwing separatists in the province of Alberta has raised fresh fears over Canada’s electoral integrity by making valuable and “incredibly confidential” personal data easily accessible to malicious actors, security experts have warned.The data breach, one of the largest in Canadian history, has prompted warnings of a “truly terrifying” new battleground over information, persuasion and foreign interference in already weakened democratic systems. Continue reading...

SS and Glass Lewis back shareholder resolution amid fears over power wielded by Jamie Dimon, who holds both rolesInvestors in JP Morgan have been urged to vote in favour of splitting the role of chief executive and chair at America’s largest bank, amid concerns over the power wielded by its billionaire boss Jamie Dimon.ISS and Glass Lewis, which issue advice to some of the world’s biggest fund managers on how to vote at annual investor meetings, have thrown their weight behind a shareholder resolution that would ensure two separate people hold the office of chair and chief executive “as soon as possible”. Investors are due to vote on the resolution at the bank’s annual general meeting on 19 May. Continue reading...

Focus group sceptical that replacing Keir Starmer would improve party’s fortunes, with some drawn to Reform or the GreensUK politics – liveAs Keir Starmer faces the prospect of a leadership challenge, former Labour voters in a Birmingham constituency were last week feeling nervous about what could come next.A month ago, the group from Birmingham Yardley had very little good to say about the prime minister, comparing him to a rat or a donkey. They said they felt he had let them down. Continue reading...

Former Liberal party leader resigned as member for Farrer after she was dumped as opposition leader. Follow updates liveThe upcoming federal budget will include an extra $2bn over four years to fund infrastructure like roads, water, power and sewerage that will help build up to 65,000 new homes, the Albanese government announced on Saturday night.The new funding, to be formally announced on Tuesday, will help fund necessary infrastructure to finish housing projects that would otherwise face expensive hurdles. It will be provided to local governments and state utility providers, and a quarter of those funds, some $500m, will be reserved exclusively for regional Australia.Building more homes is a big focus of this Budget and a big focus of the Albanese Government. …Right now, it’s too hard for too many Australians to get into their own home and get ahead and that’s why we’re investing in supply. Our housing plan is pro-aspiration and it’s pro-investment.We are considering options for the safe repatriation of the four Australians and permanent resident. Our priority is the safety of the community. Continue reading...

Disregard from UK Labour and struggling public services are just some of reasons behind ‘astonishing’ collapseUK politics live – latest updatesBy Friday night, Keir Starmer and much of the Westminster Labour group were quietly relieved that the local election results in England hadn’t been quite as bad as feared. In Wales, however, Labour’s collapse in the Senedd was even more total than the most pessimistic predictions.For more than 100 years, Welsh Labour was the democratic world’s most successful election-winning machine, but the political behemoth limped into third place this week with just nine seats in a 96-seat parliament. A new chapter in Wales’s political and cultural history has opened: pro-independence Plaid Cymru is set to form a minority government. Continue reading...

• Virginia's Supreme Court invalidated a voter-approved congressional redistricting map on Friday that would have given Democrats significant gains in the 2026 midterm elections. • The map would have provided Democrats an advantage in 10 House districts while leaving only one safe Republican seat, potentially delivering Democrats as many as four additional congressional seats. • The ruling represents a major setback for House Democrats and a significant victory for Republicans as the midterm elections approach, with implications for control of Congress.

• Virginia's Supreme Court ruled on Friday to invalidate a new congressional map passed by voters in April that favored Democrats, handing a major win to Republicans ahead of midterm elections. • The rejected map would have created 10 House districts advantageous to Democrats, leaving only one safe Republican seat, according to CBS News analysis. • The decision reverses a voter initiative and bolsters Republican chances in Virginia's congressional races, as noted by Fox News legal correspondent Shannon Bream and CBS election law expert David Becker.

Jeremiah Manele toppled after months of political upheaval in the nation seen as one of China’s closest partners in the Pacific Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele lost power in a no-confidence vote in the South Pacific country’s parliament, ending months of political uncertainty.Parliament was adjourned to allow the governor general to make arrangements for the election of a new prime minister. Continue reading...

From devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales to councils and mayoralties in England, find out what happened in your area. The first results are expected at around midnightLatest reporting and analysis Continue reading...

The first results in England are expected between midnight and 2am BST; Scottish and Welsh parliament results are due from midday2026 election results: latest from local, Scottish and Welsh votesAletha Adu is a Guardian political correspondentThe early hours of Friday morning will produce only a handful of declarations but they could shape the mood of the entire elections. Continue reading...

European observers have seen incidents of confusion over ID requirements but problem is not regarded as widespreadInstances of voters being turned away from polling stations due to confusion over photo ID requirements have been recorded by European election observers watching voting in England on Thursday.While the problem is not regarded as widespread, it has been noted by the delegation from the Council of Europe, which will issue a report on the local elections in England as well as the Scottish and Welsh government elections. Continue reading...

Such a move could reshape the electoral map ahead of the midterms by carving up a majority-Black congressional districtSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are poised to push through a plan later today that would carve up a majority-Black congressional district.Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide note was released Wednesday. A federal judge has unsealed an alleged suicide note by Jeffrey Epstein, the first time the document has been made public.The Trump administration has claimed that migration has made Europe an “incubator” for terrorism, according to a recently published report on counter-terrorism strategies. The administration will focus counter-terrorism efforts on drug cartels.Republican politicians in Tennessee released a new congressional voting map that could go into effect before the midterm elections this November. The proposed map would eliminate the state’s only Democratic-controlled district by carving up a majority-Black voting bloc based in Memphis.More information was released on the suspect charged in connection to Monday’s shooting near JD Vance’s motorcade. The Texas man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers near the Washington monument this week was walking along the path of JD Vance’s motorcade before the shooting and made a vulgar remark about the White House after the confrontation, according to a court filing on Wednesday.The FBI’s director, Kash Patel, has allegedly given out customized bottles of bourbon at events, including ones where he is working in a official capacity, according to a report from the Atlantic.Donald Trump will be hosting the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for a visit, a White House source confirmed to the Guardian. Trump and Lula, who was elected in 2023, will discuss “economic and security matters of shared importance”, the source said. The meeting is expected to take place this Thursday. Continue reading...

Report using research from senior Blair and Clinton pollster comes as Labour braces for dismal election resultsMay elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland?UK politics live – latest updatesProgressive voters have been driven away from Labour by a lack of argument and vision from Keir Starmer, according to a report using research from a senior pollster to Tony Blair and Bill Clinton.Downing Street is understood to have been briefed on the research, which has also been handed to allies of the potential leadership candidates Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner. Continue reading...

About 5,000 councillors and six mayors up for election in England, while Scotland chooses 129 MSPs, and Wales selects 96 members of the SeneddHere is Nigel Farage’s overnight eve-of-poll statement. The Reform UK leader said:The Tories tried to remove the gutless Keir Starmer and failed.The only way to finally remove the most unpopular and unpatriotic prime minister in our lifetime is to back Reform. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Voters remain split on issues critical to EU, such as support for Ukraine and dependence on Russian energyMore than three-quarters of Hungarians who voted for Péter Magyar in last month’s election want his government to do more to address the climate crisis, and more than 70% want him to protect LGBTQ+ rights, a poll has found.Magyar’s opposition Tisza party won a supermajority in the vote, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power. The new prime minister will be sworn in on Saturday, weeks after the results set off celebrations in Budapest and Brussels. Continue reading...

• Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) defeated the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala assembly elections, unseating the Communist government that had ruled since 2016. • LDF, in power continuously since 2016, lost key seats amid anti-incumbency, marking India's first Communist-free state landscape since 1977. • The shift eliminates the last Communist-led state government in India, reshaping southern politics and boosting opposition momentum post other regional upsets.

As Labour faces record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections, prime minister says rivals are unfit to leadLabour is braced for record-breaking losses in Thursday’s local elections in England, which could be decisive for Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister.In a message to voters on Thursday, Starmer said Reform’s Nigel Farage and the Greens’ Zack Polanski were “not fit to meet this moment of great global instability” and that only Labour was putting the national interest first. Continue reading...

As Reform vows to block solar and windfarms, energy leaders say renewables offer most secure future, insulating UK from hostile forcesUK politics live – latest updates• May elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland?The defining issue of Thursday’s local elections, feedback from doorsteps suggests, will be the UK’s soaring cost of living. But voters should be told about the links between inflation and the affects of fossil fuels and the climate crisis – or the remedies they choose – may make the situation worse, green campaigners have warned.Ami McCarthy, the head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said: “With people’s bills and prices soaring from yet another fossil fuel crisis, these local elections have a global context – driven by the Iran war. Continue reading...