LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new Labour Party government promised to calm the country’s febrile politics and ease its cost-of-living crisis as it set out its plans for “national renewal” at the grand State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday. Stabilizing the U.K.’s public finances and spurring economic growth were at the center of Prime Minister Keir...
Tag: Conservatism
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Hundreds of new UK lawmakers are sworn in as Parliament returns after a dramatic election
LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of newly elected lawmakers trooped excitedly into Parliament on Tuesday after the U.K.’s transformative election brought a Labour government to power. The halls of the labyrinthine building echoed with excited chatter of the 650 members of the House of Commons — 335 of them arriving for the first time. That compares...
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Rishi Sunak’s campaign in the UK election showed his lack of political touch
LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak’s campaign to remain Britain’s prime minister showed a lack of political touch. The Conservative Party’s problems were grave before Friday’s resounding election defeat but missteps by Britain’s richest prime minister contributed to its defeat. Predecessors such as Tony Blair and Boris Johnson were more politically astute and able to connect...
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He’s derided as dull but Keir Starmer becomes UK prime minister with a sensational victory
LONDON (AP) — For someone often derided as dull, Keir Starmer has delivered a sensational election result. Starmer led Britain’s Labour Party to a landslide election victory, and on Friday became the country’s 58th prime minister — the first leader from the center-left party to win a U.K. national election since Tony Blair, who won...
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Starmer vows ‘government of service’ for national renewal as he takes power after Labour landslide
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would lead a “government of service” on a mission of national renewal in his first official remarks Friday after his Labour Party swept to power in a landslide victory after more than a decade in opposition. Starmer acknowledged in his first speech outside 10 Downing...
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In the UK election campaign’s final hours, Sunak battles to the end as Labour’s Starmer eyes victory
LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak has covered thousands of miles in the past few weeks, but he hasn’t outrun the expectation that his time as Britain’s prime minister is in its final hours. United Kingdom voters will cast ballots in a national election Thursday, passing judgment on Sunak’s 20 months in office, and on the...
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Who are the main players in the UK’s upcoming national election?
LONDON (AP) — Millions of voters in Britain are going to the polls Thursday to choose a new House of Commons and a new government. Voters will elect 650 lawmakers representing as many constituencies, or local areas, and the leader of the party that returns the most lawmakers will become prime minister. Prime Minister Rishi...
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The UK will hold its first election in almost 5 years. Here’s what to know
LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom will hold its first national election in almost five years on Thursday, with opinion polls suggesting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party will be punished for failing to deliver on promises made during 14 years in power. The center-right Conservatives took power during the depths of the global...
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In a proud and troubled UK town, voters wonder whether their election choice will make a difference
HARTLEPOOL, England (AP) — A lot of politicians have promised change to voters in Hartlepool, a wind-whipped port town in northeast England. For decades, Labour Party representatives said they would fight for working people, even as well-paid industrial jobs disappeared. Later, Conservatives under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to bring new money and opportunities on...
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American and British voters share deep roots. In 2024, they distrust their own leaders, too
DARTFORD, England (AP) — Distrust has settled over the campaign trails in the United States and United Kingdom ahead of July 4 like a soggy summer haze. On that day, British voters will choose a new Parliament in an election expected to finish with a Labour government after 14 years under the Conservatives. Americans across...
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Bather, beware: British beaches and rivers have a sewage problem. It has seeped into election talk
HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England (AP) — Endurance swimmer Joan Fennelly is undaunted by frigid water and long distances, swimming year-round in the wild. But she takes extra precautions in her own backyard. The River Thames is one of Britain’s many waterways contaminated with sewage and agricultural pollution. “If it looks right, if it smells right, I’ll go...
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UK watchdog investigating a second candidate over election betting, reports say
LONDON — A senior Conservative Party lawmaker said Thursday it would be “reprehensible” for someone to use inside information to bet on the date of Britain’s national election amid growing allegations that politicians or people close to them used their positions to profit on the vote. Asked Thursday about reports that the U.K.’s Gambling Commission...