Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies resigns after controversies

The leader of the Welsh Tories, Andrew RT Davies, has resigned after dismal UK general election results and concern over comments he has made on subjects ranging from halal meat to the country’s divisive 20mph speed limit law.Nine members of the Welsh parliament’s Tory group, including Davies himself, backed Davies in a confidence vote on Tuesday while seven were against him.However, in a letter to the chair of the Welsh Conservative party, Bernard Gentry, Davies wrote that a group of Senedd members had threatened to resign from the shadow cabinet if he did not step down, making his position untenable.Davies wrote that he had hoped to unite the centre-right vote in Wales. He said campaigns against expanding the Senedd, the Welsh parliament, the 20mph speed limit law, and backing “Welsh farmers against Labour’s ideologically motivated policies” had won strong public support

MPs back proportional representation system for UK elections in symbolic vote

MPs have voted narrowly in favour of introducing a proportional representation electoral system, in a move that will almost certainly not change the law but is nonetheless a symbolically significant moment for UK politics.The vote on a Liberal Democrat bill calling for a PR system for UK parliamentary elections and for local elections in England was passed by 137 votes to 135. It is believed to be the first time the Westminster parliament has backed such a plan.The measure was introduced as a so-called 10-minute rule bill, which gives MPs that amount of time to make the case for a bill before a vote. Even when these are supported, they almost never become law because they are not allocated more time in the Commons

Scottish ministers mull tax rise for wealthy amid tricky budget decisions

Scottish ministers are contemplating modest tax increases for the better off and plan to scrap the freeze in council tax rates as they search for extra money in this week’s budget.Shona Robison, the Scottish finance secretary, is under pressure to provide a vote-winning budget on Wednesday after being given a record amount of funding from the Treasury for next year.She is expected to increase spending on health, confirm up to £160m in spending on a new universal winter fuel payment for pensioners and promise no fresh cuts to public services.Meanwhile, opposition parties are clamouring for extra spending on their policy priorities as they broker deals with Robison to provide votes the minority government needs to get her £47bn budget passed.Robison has been given an additional £1

Rachel Reeves appoints Covid corruption commissioner

Rachel Reeves is to appoint a health service and regulatory veteran, Tom Hayhoe, a former Conservative cabinet adviser, as her Covid corruption commissioner with the remit of clawing back billions in fraudulent contracts.The chancellor is understood to believe the Treasury can recoup £2.6bn from waste, fraud and flawed contracts signed during the pandemic.The Treasury has previously said the commissioner will work with HMRC, the Serious Fraud Office and the National Crime Agency to examine an estimated £7.6bn worth of Covid-related fraud

Starmer rejects false choice between Trump’s US and EU in key speech

Keir Starmer has “utterly rejected” the idea that the UK must choose between the United States and Europe when Donald Trump comes to power, arguing that it is in the national interest to work with both.The prime minister said the UK would “never turn away” from its relationship with the US, despite the difficulties the new administration could pose, as it had been the “cornerstone” of security and prosperity for over a century.Yet he would also continue to “reset” Britain’s relationship with Europe, the country’s biggest trading partner, he said, after years of neglect post-Brexit, as strong bilateral links were vital for growth and security.“Against the backdrop of these dangerous times, the idea that we must choose between our allies, that somehow we’re with either America or Europe, is plain wrong,” he said.“I reject it utterly

What are the rules on UK political donations and how might Labour change them?

In its manifesto, Labour promised to tighten the rules around political donations. Officials are now examining a slate of ideas including donation caps and further restrictions on foreign cash.Change will take time, as the plans are still at an early stage and ministers are not due to bring forward proposals until at least 2026. But speculation that Elon Musk could donate $100m to Nigel Farage’s party, Reform UK, will trigger a fresh clamour for stricter rules.The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 stipulates that all donations and loans to political parties worth more than £500 must come from “permissible sources”