The Labour Party is now more popular than the Conservatives among readers of papers generally considered as sympathetic to the governing party.  A new poll conducted by Survation on behalf of the campaigning organisation Best for Britain showed that 37 per cent of voters who get receive their news mostly from Conservative-leaning outlets plan to vote Labour at the next election compared to 22 per cent who plan to vote for the Tories. The poll of 15,029 adults found that readers of The Sun are most likely of these outlets to back Labour, with almost four in ten planning to cast their vote ..read more

The below content first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch newsletter, subscribe here and never miss this daily briefing. First minister Humza Yousaf has declared a “new beginning for the SNP” after sensationally kicking the Scottish Greens out of his government this morning. The move has brought to an end the Bute House agreement, the Green-SNP coalition’s foundational deal negotiated by former FM Nicola Sturgeon in 2021. Read our full story here. One observation, espoused by the first minister’s many critics, is that Yousaf has pushed the Greens out of government before they ju ..read more

First minister Humza Yousaf has scrapped the SNP’s coalition deal with the Scottish Greens. According to reports, the first minister called time on the partnership after a meeting with Green leaders. Yousaf’s administration will now run a minority government. Yousaf intervened after the Scottish Greens announced plans for a vote of their own members on the deal. The SNP’s coalition partners were furious that Scotland’s climate change targets were dumped and forced a vote that was set to take place next month. Last week, the Scottish government scrapped its commitment to cut emissions by 75 per ..read more

Britain’s railways will be renationalised within the first five years of a Labour government, the party will announce today.  Under new plans, one of Labour’s first major acts in government will bring all passenger rail into national ownership under Great British Railways, a new body, as contracts with private operators expire. Labour also plans to use mobile phone apps to automate the existing delay repay scheme, which lets passengers claim refunds for rail journeys delayed by more than 15 minutes. ***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website, providing comprehens ..read more

The below content first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch newsletter, subscribe here and never miss this daily briefing. With the prime minister in Germany hoping to deepen defence ties with chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, it was left to the B-team — composed of Oliver Dowden and Angela Rayner — to man the domestic front at PMQs today. As far as the Conservative Party was concerned, this meant an opportunity to pin down Rayner on her tax affairs — having persistently pilloried her boss about the matter in recent sessions. The deputy Labour leader, who is under investigation ..read more

Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81, his family has announced. According to statement from Lord Field of Birkenhead’s family, he passed away after a period of illness. “He will be mourned by admirers across politics but above all he will be greatly missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship”, the statement said. Field was a member of parliament for Birkenhead between 1979 and 2019, during which time he served as minister for welfare reform. He also chaired the commons work and pensions select committee. ***Politics.co.uk is the ..read more

Sadiq Khan has called Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for the upcoming London mayoral election, “the most dangerous candidate I’ve fought against”. Speaking in an LBC radio debate, the Labour mayor was asked whether he would “feel safe in a London run by” Hall. Khan responded: “I’ve thought long and hard about this. I’ve fought three council elections. I’ve fought three parliamentary elections. This is my third mayoral election. The Tory candidate is the most dangerous candidate I’ve fought against”. The question was raised after the Conservative candidate defended herself against criti ..read more

Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland. Sunak said: “We will increase defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5 per cent of GDP, by 2030. That starts today, and rises steadily in each and every year. “Over the next six years, we’ll invest an additional £75 billion in our defence”, he added. Speaking alongside the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister also declared that European security is at a “turning point”. Sunak’s spending pledge comes on the heels of an announcement ..read more

The below content first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch newsletter, subscribe here and never miss this daily briefing. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill finally cleared parliament just after midnight, ending a lengthy showdown between the House of Commons and House of Lords. The bill will now go for royal assent — the final step before it becomes law. You can relive the late-night action with my blow-by-blow live blog, which wrapped up not before time at 12.10 am. ***A message from Polimapper*** The 2024 general election represents the best opportunity to infl ..read more

It has been a fruitful few years for the Greens. Where back in 2011, just 7% of voters listed the environment amongst their top three concerns, YouGov polling now shows the figure to have reached 20% and rising. Against this background, the Green Party in England and Wales has seen its councillor base quadruple from 166 in 2015 to some 737 in 2023.   Where the party polled just 2.7% of the vote in 2019, opinion polls now repeatedly record Green support at around 8%.  In this year’s impending general election, for the first time, the Greens are talking about the prospect of field ..read more