Green

Plaid Cymru set to take power in Wales and SNP to retain it in Scotland, but Reform made big gains in both nationsElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesThe polls had been terrible, the predictions dire and even one of his predecessors as Labour leader, Ed Miliband, had reportedly told Keir Starmer he should set a timetable for his resignation if the results were as bad as they looked.But for the prime minister, as polling stations closed in Wales, Scotland and many parts of England, there would be no consideration of such a course. “To all the Labour members and volunteers who have supported local campaigns across the country: thank you,” he posted on X late on Thursday. “Together we will build a stronger and fairer Britain.” Continue reading...

Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Green party made substantial gains. So is the era of two-party politics over? And can the prime minister survive?Lucy Hough speaks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping Continue reading...

Party makes gains in Portsmouth and Richmond upon Thames in local elections but loses a Scottish strongholdElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesEd Davey has sought to cast Liberal Democrat wins in England’s local elections as proof his party is best positioned to confront what he described as the “extreme populist change” offered by Reform UK and the Greens.As Labour assessed a disastrous set of results, the Lib Dems could claim they had been able to fend off Reform challenges in areas including Portsmouth, where they made gains to seize the city council, which had been under no overall control. Continue reading...

Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s daughter Zammi was forcibly removed from her when she was two hours oldA Greenlandic woman whose newborn baby was forcibly removed by Danish authorities as a result of controversial parenting competency tests has won a landmark case in the high court ruling that their actions were illegal.Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s daughter Zammi was taken away from her when she was two hours old and placed in foster care in November 2024 after Kronvold was subjected to so-called FKU (parental competence) psychometric tests. At the time she was told that the test was to see if she was “civilised enough”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Co-chair Vula Tsetsi says it is time to trigger debate, as statement is agreed at annual leadership meeting in BrusselsThe European Green party has urged the UK to consider rejoining the EU and draw a line under the “political and economic failure” of Brexit.A text declaring that “the United Kingdom’s future lies in the European Union” was adopted by a large majority of European green parties at the movement’s annual leadership meeting on Friday, the day before Europe Day. Continue reading...

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...

In inner London boroughs such as Camden, home to PM’s constituency, Greens hope to capitalise on collapse in Labour supportMay elections: What’s at stake across England, Wales and Scotland?In Highgate New Town, a north London housing estate whose brutalist architecture has been a fixture of film shoots, the enormous scale of the challenge Labour faces in the capital from the Greens was starkly evident.“I’ve always voted Labour. My entire family has, but it feels like a time for a change,” said Cynthia Boampong after opening her door to Lorna Jane Russell, for now the only Green member on the local Camden council but who could be returned after 7 May at the head of a much larger group. With support for Zack Polanski’s party expected to surge across the capital, nearby Hackney council is tipped to be the centre of a realignment of progressive voters, with polling suggesting the Greens could take the mayoralty and end up the largest party. The Labour bastions of Lambeth and Lewisham are also under siege. Continue reading...

Some MPs accuse Greater Manchester mayor of undermining local election campaign message over Change:Now event Politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham’s decision to appear at a progressive rally alongside prominent Green and Liberal Democrat figures has sparked anger among some Labour MPs, who have accused him of undermining their local election message.The Greater Manchester mayor, who is seen as one of the most likely challengers to Keir Starmer, will be speaking at the Change:Now event this month organised by the left-wing group Compass. Continue reading...

Pledge ahead of local elections dismissed as ‘not a serious policy’ and ‘profoundly un-British’Coming just days before millions go to the polls, Zia Yusuf’s announcement that a Reform government would ‘prioritise’ the citing of migrant detention centres in areas with Green MPs or councils was certainly eye-catching.“That means areas like right here in Brighton,” Reform’s shadow home secretary said with barely concealed relish in a video in which he paced the beachfront at the constituency which elected Britain’s first Green MP. Continue reading...

Former leader says antisemitic comments by some election candidates are unacceptableUK politics live – latest updatesThe former Green leader Caroline Lucas has called for the party to take immediate action against candidates who have made antisemitic comments or posts, following a series of cases before Thursday’s elections.Lucas, who led or co-led the party for six years and served as its first MP, said that while the number of such cases was limited, they could not be ignored. Continue reading...

Plans to install traffic lights on Clachan Bridge will ruin tourist attraction and endanger pedestrians, critics warnTraffic lights are to be installed beside the scenic Clachan Bridge on Scotland’s wild Argyll coast despite fears it will be a “desecration” of a nationally-significant heritage site.Known since the early 19th century as the “Bridge over the Atlantic” the 233-year-old crossing from the mainland to the Isle of Seil attracts visitors eager to boast of their trans-oceanic journey, but there are concerns motorists on green will soon act aggressively towards pedestrians on what is a much-photographed landmark. Continue reading...

Sarah Sackman says response to rising antisemitic violence in UK has been ‘muted’ after stabbings in her constituencyThere has been a “lack of vocal solidarity” from parts of the liberal left in the face of rising antisemitism against the Jewish community, the Labour MP for Golders Green has said.Sarah Sackman said the response to antisemitic violence across the UK from parts of the “moderate majority”, including some anti-racist organisations, had been “muted”. Her comments follow a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in her constituency last week. Continue reading...

Sabine Mairey, who was arrested on Thursday over social media posts, pictured with party activists in ClaphamA Green council candidate arrested this week over alleged antisemitic social media posts has been seen canvassing subsequently alongside other party members, with Labour saying it showed the issue was not being taken seriously by Zack Polanski’s party.Sabine Mairey was among two Green candidates in Lambeth, south London, arrested by the Metropolitan police on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

Carriers examining which flights can be cancelled with least disruption under plans to avoid summer travel chaosUK airlines will be able to cancel or consolidate flights this summer under new plans to conserve jet fuel as the war in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies.The measures are being taken to avoid major disruption as Britons jet off on their summer holidays. Airlines are looking carefully at their timetables to see which flights can be cancelled in advance and cause the least delays. Continue reading...

Heidi Alexander criticises Green leader over retweet of post suggesting police used excessive force when arresting suspectGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has said Zack Polanski’s retweeting of a post suggesting the police used excessive force when they arrested the suspect in the Golders Green attack last week was “disgusting” and “absolutely abhorrent” as she claimed he was not “fit to lead a political party”.Polanski retweeted, without comment, a post on X alleging that officers were “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated by a stun gun.I thought it was disgusting what he did and absolutely abhorrent. Those police officers ran towards danger, they were armed only with a Taser that they had already discharged. The guy still had a knife in his hand. They were armed with their courage and their training.And I think for the leader of a political party to jump onto Twitter, start retweeting content criticising those policemen who responded with incredible bravery in what was a very difficult situation. I think it demonstrates that the man is not fit to lead a political party. Continue reading...

From legitimate scrutiny to lurid scare stories, the Green party’s rise has brought a sudden spike in attentionIt is the lot of smaller parties that grow rapidly that they tend to endure something of a trial by the media in the UK. The attention from some of the newspapers and broadcasters to the Green party before this week’s elections has occasionally borne an unlikely resemblance to the height of Clegg-mania in the spring of 2010, when the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, was rewarded for his positive polling with the unlikely Daily Mail headline “Clegg in Nazi slur on Britain”.All manner of colourful tales have emerged about Green policies and personnel as the party has risen up the national opinion polls, making them something of a target for news editors and reporters. That attention has ranged from legitimate questions over the views of members to more eccentric warnings of a dire future for everyone in Britain from exotic animals to members of the clergy. Continue reading...

PM said the repost was ‘disgraceful’ after Green leader apologised and said he had shared tweet ‘in haste’Keir Starmer has condemned Zack Polanski as “disgraceful” and unfit to head a political party after the Greens leader shared a social media post critical of the way police tackled the suspect in the Golders Green stabbings.The prime minister said any criticism of the police involved in the arrest was unfair on officers having to make split-second decisions in a moment of potentially grave danger. Continue reading...

Apology comes after head of Met police said Green party leader risked undermining public confidence in his officersZack Polanski has apologised for sharing a social media post critical of police after the Golders Green stabbings, after the head of the Metropolitan police said the Green leader risked undermining public confidence in his officers.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales, said he was sorry for having shared someone else’s post “in haste”. Continue reading...

Mark Rowley says Zack Polanski’s comments risk undermining officers confronting ‘dangerous’ suspectsThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, thoughtlessly undermined the confidence of officers to deal with dangerous people by sharing a critical social media post after the Golders Green stabbings, according to the head of the Metropolitan police.Officers were filmed detaining the suspect after two Jewish people were stabbed in the north-west London suburb on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Essa Suleiman charged after two men stabbed in north London, say police Essa Suleiman has been charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday, the Metropolitan police has said.The 45-year-old has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place over the incident, police said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Letter sent to government about case of Inuit woman whose baby was removed after now-banned testThe United Nations has warned Denmark that the treatment of a Greenlandic mother whose newborn child was removed by Danish authorities as a result of controversial parenting competency tests “may amount to ethnic discrimination”.Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s daughter, Zammi, was taken away from her when she was two hours old and placed in foster care in November 2024 after Kronvold was subjected to so-called FKU (parental competence) psychometric tests. At the time, she was told that the test was to see if she was “civilised enough”. Continue reading...

Mark Rowley defends officers who arrested suspect in Wednesday’s incident and calls on Green party leader to show solidarity The Metropolitan police chief has said that Green party leader Zack Polanski sharing a post about the arrest of the Golders Green terror suspect will have a “chilling effect”.Met officers arrested a 45-year-old man after two Jewish people were stabbed in the suburb of north-west London on Wednesday. Police said the suspect was shot with a stun gun to subdue him. Continue reading...

Lambeth council candidates Saiqa Ali and Sabine Mairey understood to have been detained over social media postsTwo women standing as Green party candidates in the local elections have been arrested over alleged antisemitic social media posts.The women, running in seats for Lambeth council, south London, were arrested by the Metropolitan police on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s assessment means terror attack ‘highly likely’The UK terrorism threat level has been raised to “severe” by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre after the Golders Green stabbings, meaning a terror attack is thought to be “highly likely”.The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, described Wednesday’s attack as a vile act of terrorism. “Today, the national threat level has increased to ‘severe’, which means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely,” she said. Continue reading...

The prime minister also accused anyone marching alongside Hamas supporters of ‘venerating the murder of Jews’Golders Green attack – latest updatesKeir Starmer has called on people to “open their eyes to Jewish pain” in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack, and accused anyone marching alongside supporters of Hamas of “venerating the murder of Jews”.The prime minister made his strongest ever remarks on antisemitism after visiting the area of the attacks for a meeting with emergency workers and community leaders. Continue reading...

Man, 45, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder after London stabbings, was known to anti-radicalisation schemeGolders Green attack – latest updatesThe suspect in the Golders Green double stabbing was referred to Prevent, the official counter-extremism scheme, in 2020.The Guardian understands his case was closed within six weeks by the deradicalisation scheme, which has faced previous criticism. Continue reading...

The government has announced £25m to increase security for Jewish communitiesMorning. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she understands the fears faced by the Jewish community in the UK as the government announced extra funding to boost police patrols and protections around synagogues, schools and community centres.Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she was pressed on comments made by the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, that people in the UK who are visibly Jewish are no longer safe, after two Jewish men were stabbed in an attack in Golders Green in north-west London. Continue reading...