How the British Council changed my life | Letters

It was with great dismay and a sense of urgency that I read Patrick Wintour’s piece about the decline of the British Council (Why the financial crisis at the British Council matters as UK pushes soft power, 25 January).I was 13 when I discovered the tiny British Council outpost in what used to be my hometown in the east of Slovakia. I still remember my excitement at finding Roald Dahl books in English and Harry Potter audiobooks on cassette. Having access to a treasure trove of British books played a vital role in fuelling my passion for learning English and, a few years later, in securing a scholarship to go to study in the UK.Today I live in Paris, but the subtle effects of British soft power from two decades ago still haven’t worn out

More Labour figures may be suspended as party investigates WhatsApp group

Labour has launched an urgent investigation into a WhatsApp group in which the Labour MP Andrew Gwynne posted “completely unacceptable” messages, a minister has said.Gwynne, 50, was sacked as a health minister after reports he shared racist remarks about Diane Abbott and sexist comments about Angela Rayner, and joked about an elderly woman dying before the next election.The MP for Gorton and Denton, in Greater Manchester, apologised and said he regretted his “badly misjudged comments”.The remarks were posted in a WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers, which reportedly included more than a dozen Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP.The housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, said on Sunday there would be an investigation into the matter – which could result in the suspension of other Labour figures

‘Kemi hates doing media’: Tory anxiety after 100 days of Badenoch leadership

On Monday, it will be 100 days since Kemi Badenoch became the leader of a demoralised rump of 121 Conservative MPs. So, at this traditional moment for gauging initial success, how well is she doing? It depends, perhaps inevitably, on how you measure it.“What you have to remember is that for the first 18 or so months after you lose an election, especially as badly as we did, no one cares what you do,” one Tory MP said. “From that point of view, Kemi’s caution in not rushing into policies makes sense. No one is listening yet

Reform UK bearing down on Labour as voters back harder line on migration

Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is now neck and neck with Labour largely because its stance on immigration is proving attractive to floating voters, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.The rise of the populist rightwing party is causing increasing concern in the Labour high command and among the many Labour MPs who hold seats where Reform came a close second at last summer’s general election.The poll shows Labour on 27%, Reform UK on 26% and the Tories on 22%. The Liberal Democrats are on 11% and the Greens 8%. Reform has risen from about 20% in Opinium’s polling shortly after the general election, while the other two main parties have fallen back

Health minister Andrew Gwynne sacked over offensive WhatsApp comments

A Labour minister has been sacked and suspended from the party after messages were exposed in which he said he hoped a pensioner who did not support him would die before the next set of elections.Andrew Gwynne, who was a health minister, was also accused of writing a series of other messages containing racist and sexist comments. They included apparent antisemitic remarks and demeaning comments about Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister.Gwynne, 50, is alleged to have made the comments in a WhatsApp messaging group with other local party figures.Keir Starmer sacked Gwynne on Saturday after his party was presented with the messages by the Mail on Sunday

Labour to ‘fix benefit system to get people back into work’

Britain’s broken welfare system is fuelling the “greatest unemployment challenge of a generation”, ministers have concluded as they draw up a root-and-branch overhaul designed to counter the spiralling numbers deemed too unwell to work.Rules that force benefit claimants into an “all or nothing” choice between working and being deemed too sick to work are set to be redrawn, the Observer understands. It follows new evidence that thousands of people who want to work are worried about taking steps to return to the workplace out of fear that their benefits will be withdrawn.“The Tories promised to get people off benefits and into work,” said a government source. “But instead they created a system that trapped and wrote people off and left them without help and support