Starmer must call energy summit akin to 2008 crisis response, Labour MP says

Keir Starmer should convene a global energy summit of the same order as Gordon Brown’s response to the 2008 financial crisis and put Britain on a “war footing” to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels, a Labour MP and former government adviser has said.Polly Billington, who was an aide in Brown’s government, warned that economic pain was “hurtling down the tracks” and a bigger response was needed to protect the British people from the consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran.The MP for East Thanet said the impending energy crisis caused by the war was “as big as the financial crash” and required “a response of equal magnitude”. She said the increase in prices would not be temporary or regional, and that “economic pain, falling living standards and social anger create fertile ground for extremist politics”.While she said the government’s convening of 35 countries to discuss the reopening of the strait of Hormuz was a good step, a bigger global response was needed on energy

Drip-feed of Reform UK controversies puts party’s policy drive in shade

It was a week that started with a candid admission from Nigel Farage. When asked if Reform UK’s vetting process was finally up to scratch, the party leader said: “I accept that at the last general election basically there was no vetting really.” He was speaking after the latest of what a senior colleague had described as a “series of abhorrent incidents”.That latest incident had involved a Welsh Senedd candidate, Corey Edwards, who was forced to step down last Friday after a picture of him appearing to do a Nazi salute surfaced online.Yet while Farage went on to tell reporters at a Heathrow press conference on Tuesday that they would find Reform was “doing pretty well now”, just two days later another frontline party member was in hot water

UK politics Q&A, as it happened: Andrew Sparrow answers your questions on Starmer, Reform and more

Reform UK’s housing spokesperson has been sacked from his role after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a “tragedy” but said that “everyone dies in the end”.The NHS is bracing for the longest strike yet by resident doctors after last-ditch talks failed, prompting Wes Streeting to accuse the medics of suffering from “delusion”.Nick Candy, the honorary treasurer of Reform UK and a major donor, has sold his mansion in the Chelsea district of London for a reported £275m.Thank you for the questions everone. Happy Easter

Reform donor Nick Candy sells Chelsea mansion for reported £275m

Nick Candy, the honorary treasurer of Reform UK and a major donor, has sold his mansion in the Chelsea district of London for a reported £275m.The property developer declined to comment on the transaction, which was first reported by Bloomberg, but it is believed to be the most expensive on record in London and one of the biggest in the world.Providence House was the location of a fundraising event for Donald Trump in 2024, attended by the US president’s son Donald Trump Jr.The buyer of the Grade II-listed mansion, located in the grounds of Royal Chelsea Hospital with a lake and a swimming pool, has not been made public.The Land Registry records its current owner as Providence House LLP, a partnership controlled by Candy

Reform housing spokesperson sacked after Grenfell ‘everyone dies’ remarks

Reform UK’s housing spokesperson has been sacked from his role after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a “tragedy” but said that “everyone dies in the end”.Keir Starmer had called on Nigel Farage to sack Simon Dudley, a former head of Homes England, after comments which were condemned by Grenfell families and others.Dudley announced in February that he was joining Reform, as Nigel Farage said he was planning to bring more “experts” onboard to advise the party.He was embroiled in controversy on Wednesday night after he gave an interview to Inside Housing magazine in which he described building safety regulations introduced after the 2017 Grenfell tragedy as “regulation which is not working”.After Reform initially appeared to stand by Dudley, Farage said at a press conference to announce Reform policy on pensions that Dudley had “gone” as a result of his “deeply shocking” comments

Starmer calls on Reform to sack Simon Dudley after ‘everyone dies’ Grenfell comments

Keir Starmer has called on Nigel Farage to sack Reform’s new housing spokesperson after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a “tragedy” but added that “everyone dies in the end”.Simon Dudley, a former head of Homes England, announced in February that he was joining Reform, as Nigel Farage said he was planning to bring more “experts” onboard to advise the party.However, the new Reform housing spokesperson was embroiled in controversy overnight after he gave an interview to Inside Housing magazine in which he described building safety regulations introduced after the 2017 Grenfell tragedy as “regulation which is not working”.“That was a tragedy. It was a failure,” Dudley was quoted as saying, when asked if the fire was a warning

‘People need hope’: Greens court voters in battle for north-east council seats

“Thank you very much to all you would-be penguins huddling together for warmth,” said Jamie Driscoll to the dozen supporters braving bitingly cold, blustery weather to begin knocking on doors and delivering leaflets.The former Labour North of Tyne mayor is one of the Green party’s highest-profile recruits. Standing for Newcastle city council in the central Monument ward, he was giving a pep talk to a group that would probably have been even bigger, were some not in London for a demonstration against the far right.Driscoll is standing for election to a council with a minority Labour-led administration. The Greens, the Liberal Democrats and Reform expect to do well

Your Party to focus local election efforts on backing independent candidates

Your Party is to focus its local election efforts on a number of urban areas with large Muslim populations where Labour support has weakened, throwing its support behind supporting independent candidates and community groups.Party insiders have intentionally narrowed their focus to key targets including the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge, where locally rooted independent campaigns are already braced to challenge Labour.Jeremy Corbyn’s allies will back 250 candidates, the majority of them standing under independent or local banners rather than the Your Party brand.At the seemingly chaotic party conference in November, the party appeared to accept a targeted approach was necessary rather than standing everywhere. One insider said the approach was to “focus on particular areas and bastions” where the party could build durable local bases, rather than compete everywhere at once

Starmer calls for ‘ambitious’ new UK-EU ties as Trump threatens to quit Nato

The UK will seek an even deeper partnership with the EU because of the instability wreaked by Donald Trump’s war with Iran, Keir Starmer has said, adding that the moment called for a more ambitious deal with Brussels to strengthen trade and defence.His comments came as the US president again said he was considering pulling the US out of Nato, which he described as a “paper tiger”. Trump has frequently lambasted the UK and European nations for failing to support the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and criticised their militaries.In another barb at the prime minister, Trump told the Daily Telegraph he believed King Charles would have backed his strikes on Iran. The king is scheduled to visit the US later this month, and will address Congress on 28 April