Politics
UK unemployment rises to 5.2% as payrolls fall and wage growth eases, ONS says
ONS says UK unemployment rose to 5.2% in Oct–Dec 2025, with payrolls down and pay growth easing.
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Government drops plan to postpone 30 English local elections after Reform UK legal challenge
Farage unveils Reform UK “top team”, naming Robert Jenrick as Treasury spokesperson
Study suggests official figures capture as little as 6.5% of UK domestic abuse-linked suicides
Ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe launches Restore Britain national party, pledging “mass deportations”
Jim Ratcliffe apologises for “colonised by immigrants” remark as ministers dispute his migration figures
Parliament to debate petition for automatic by-elections after MPs defect, after it passes 127,000 signatures
UK government introduces bill to restrict foreign-linked political donations and extend voting to 16-year-olds
Politics
MORE →Home Office says removals hit decade high as Mahmood pledges tighter deportation laws
The Home Office said more than 58,500 people were removed or deported from the UK since the July 2024 election, including 15,200 enforced removals and 8,700 foreign national offender deportations. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government will expand removals, introduce legislation to restrict Article 8 arguments and create a one-stop shop appeals route. Ministers also outlined visa sanctions for non-cooperating countries and new enforcement and border-security measures.
Starmer agrees Intelligence and Security Committee will oversee redactions of Mandelson appointment files
Starmer calls on Mandelson and Prince Andrew to cooperate with US after new Epstein emails released
Home Office announces £141m plan for national live facial recognition and ‘Police.AI’ centre
Andrew Gwynne to resign as Labour MP citing health problems, triggering Greater Manchester by-election
Government to propose cutting England and Wales’ 43 police forces in major shake-up
Elections
MORE →Starmer faces huge Labour by-election test in Gorton and Denton as Greens and Reform target seat
Labour will contest a by-election in Gorton and Denton on 26 February, a seat it has held for decades, after MP Andrew Gwynne stepped down. Labour figures say Keir Starmer’s decision to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing has increased vulnerability to challenges from the Greens and Reform UK. The Greens are campaigning under new leader Zack Polanski, and Reform has selected Matt Goodwin as its candidate.
Labour launches anti-Green social media campaign ahead of Gorton and Denton by-election
Andrew Gwynne resignation triggers Gorton and Denton by-election as Labour rule could block Burnham bid
More than 20 England councils seek to delay May 2026 elections until 2027 amid local government reorganisation
Seven Labour select committee chairs urge ministers to ban cryptocurrency donations to political parties
Farage says Reform UK tops 270,000 “paid-up” members as Labour total is reported below 250,000
World
MORE →Email attributed to Ghislaine Maxwell says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor & Virginia Giuffre photo was taken at her London home
A 2015 email attributed to Ghislaine Maxwell, released in a new tranche of US Department of Justice files, says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor visited her London home, met a woman widely reported to be Virginia Giuffre, and that a photograph was taken that day. The thread shows Maxwell drafting a statement denying wrongdoing and rebutting allegations. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing, said he does not recall meeting Giuffre, and previously cited being at Pizza Express in Woking as an alibi.
