https://www.scmp.com/rss/521812/feed The latest news and top stories on Labour Party. A prominent United Kingdom based political party, the Labour Party is dedicated to social justice, economic prosperity and public service. Its main headquarters are in London, with another office in Newcastle upon Tyne. Formed from the trade union movement, its core mission is to give working people a voice and improve lives. Key areas of focus include economic growth, healthcare, clean energy, crime reduction and education. The party is... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party suffered an embarrassing election defeat on Friday in an area of Greater Manchester that it had dominated for almost a century, a loss that underscores the breakdown of Britain’s two-party ‌politics. The loss of one of Labour’s safest seats, in the biggest electoral test in almost a year, puts further pressure on Starmer to prove that he should keep his job following weeks of political turmoil and calls for him to resign. The left-wing Green Party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344829/starmer-reels-greens-seize-labour-stronghold-uk-special-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344829/starmer-reels-greens-seize-labour-stronghold-uk-special-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:31:14 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The expansion of the British National (Overseas) route by the Labour government may appear benevolent at first glance, but I wonder if it is a politically calculated move that prioritises party image over genuine support for migrants. As right-wing parties gain traction, is the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344069/how-sincere-labours-narrative-compassion-bno-pathway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3344069/how-sincere-labours-narrative-compassion-bno-pathway?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow New Zealand’s government has come under fire for keeping its talks with the United States over critical minerals under wraps, as opposition parties level accusations of secrecy amid mounting concern about environmental damage and foreign influence. Analysts say Wellington is reluctant to promote any formal agreement with Washington or invite public debate on the issue, even as both governments have confirmed that they are “exploring further opportunities” on critical minerals cooperation. In a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343516/new-zealand-catches-flak-secret-us-critical-minerals-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343516/new-zealand-catches-flak-secret-us-critical-minerals-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UK’s top civil servant resigned on Thursday, the third senior aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit in a matter of days in fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. “Chris Wormald will stand down as the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service by mutual agreement from today,” said a joint statement released by the government. His departure came after two top aides quit earlier this week over the row triggered by the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343379/uks-top-civil-servant-quits-pm-starmer-tries-calm-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343379/uks-top-civil-servant-quits-pm-starmer-tries-calm-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:10:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A defiant British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to move on Tuesday from fevered speculation about his future after fighting off strident calls to resign over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Following a day of drama on Monday, the Labour leader told a meeting of government ministers that they were “strong and united” after he vowed not to depart office just 19 months into a five-year term. Starmer’s position had looked precarious on Monday when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar demanded his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343103/starmer-claims-uk-government-united-amid-calls-quit-over-epstein-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343103/starmer-claims-uk-government-united-amid-calls-quit-over-epstein-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:48:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s former US ambassador, Peter Mandelson, received money from Jeffrey Epstein and ‍leaked a confidential government briefing to him, newly released files appeared to show, renewing scrutiny of his conduct in public office. Late on Sunday, Mandelson left the Labour Party to prevent “further embarrassment”, after he was fired from his envoy role last year after revelations about his connections to the late convicted sex offender. He said he had no recollection of any payments after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342145/uks-starmer-demands-mandelsons-removal-house-lords-amid-new-epstein-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342145/uks-starmer-demands-mandelsons-removal-house-lords-amid-new-epstein-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:59:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former British ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson quit the Labour Party Sunday, seeking to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” after newly released US documents revived scrutiny of his connection to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, who was sacked as Britain’s ambassador to the United States last year over his ties to Epstein, allegedly received several payments from Epstein in the early 2000s, according to documents released on Friday by the US Department of Justice... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342020/sacked-uk-ambassador-mandelson-has-no-recollection-us75000-payments-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342020/sacked-uk-ambassador-mandelson-has-no-recollection-us75000-payments-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:09:16 +0000 Jianxi Liu Jianxi Liu “I’m often invited to simply choose between countries. I don’t do that,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday ahead of his China trip. The visit – after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Beijing trip drew US tariff threats – is an attempt to drag British foreign policy into alignment with 21st century realities: a world of strategic rivalry but deep economic interdependence. Starmer’s remarks are not diplomatic wordplay, but a declaration the United Kingdom will no longer be a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341443/china-visit-starmer-makes-clear-hes-putting-britain-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341443/china-visit-starmer-makes-clear-hes-putting-britain-first?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters British ‍lawmaker Suella Braverman, a former home secretary, became the latest prominent Conservative to join Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK on Monday, and she accused her former party of lying to voters over immigration. Opinion polls put Reform UK ahead of both Prime Minister Keir ⁠Starmer’s Labour Party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives, the two parties that have dominated British politics for more than a century, though a national election is not expected until 2029. For now, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341307/ex-conservative-lawmaker-suella-braverman-defects-right-wing-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341307/ex-conservative-lawmaker-suella-braverman-defects-right-wing-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:50:02 +0000 Mark Logan Mark Logan Winston Churchill wrote his four-volume masterpiece, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, at the very moment a new era of world history was taking shape: victory over the Nazis, the birth of the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions. All signalled continuity of Anglo-Saxon leadership in world affairs, the baton passing fairly peacefully from Britain to America. But 80 years on from the end of the second world war, the world is reconfiguring itself once more. And what it means for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters British Labour Party politician Andy Burnham was on Sunday blocked from trying to return to parliament, with lawmakers on the ‍left of the party accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies of a political move to keep out a potential leadership rival. Burnham said he was disappointed at the decision and, while he called for unity in the Labour Party, criticised the way the situation had been handled. One of the party’s most high-profile politicians and an elected mayor in the ⁠northern... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341182/row-erupts-within-uks-labour-party-after-manchester-mayor-blocked-coming-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341182/row-erupts-within-uks-labour-party-after-manchester-mayor-blocked-coming-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:50:50 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma The UK approved China’s controversial plan to build a mega-embassy in London, a move that probably paves the way for Keir Starmer to make the first trip to Beijing by a British prime minister since 2018. The decision, following three delays, moves China closer to constructing the roughly 65,000 square metre (700,000 sq ft) embassy at the site of the former Royal Mint near the Tower of London. Local residents may challenge the decision in court. Starmer is set to visit Beijing and Shanghai from... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/article/3340688/china-mega-embassy-approval-further-boosts-uk-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/article/3340688/china-mega-embassy-approval-further-boosts-uk-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:01:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s former ‍Conservative Party leadership candidate Robert Jenrick became the biggest-name defector to Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK on Thursday, saying the nation was broken and its two mainstream political parties rotten. Sacked by the Conservatives when his potential switch was leaked, Jenrick appeared alongside Farage at a press conference, the latest of 21 current ⁠or former Conservative lawmakers to join Reform. Farage’s anti-immigration party was ahead of both Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340067/uk-conservative-lawmaker-robert-jenrick-defects-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340067/uk-conservative-lawmaker-robert-jenrick-defects-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:34:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former British finance minister Nadhim Zahawi defected to ‌Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK Party from the Conservative Party on ‍Monday, saying the country was broken and needed Farage as prime minister to fix it. Zahawi, who had a short spell in charge of the nation’s finances under former prime minister Boris Johnson ⁠in 2022, becomes the latest in a long line of former Conservatives to switch to Farage’s populist Reform UK. Reform is currently leading the polls in Britain, far ahead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339647/former-uk-finance-minister-nadhim-zahawi-defects-nigel-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339647/former-uk-finance-minister-nadhim-zahawi-defects-nigel-farages-reform-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:32:36 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned his governing Labour Party that removing him in 2026 would plunge Britain into “utter chaos” and open the door to a far-right government. The turmoil wrought by the constant chopping and changing of staff under the previous Conservative administration is “amongst the reasons that the Tories were booted out so effectively at the last election”, Starmer told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Any repeat of that instability “would gift Nigel Farage”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338692/uks-starmer-says-ousting-him-would-lead-chaos-far-right-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338692/uks-starmer-says-ousting-him-would-lead-chaos-far-right-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:21:53 +0000 dpa dpa UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been urged to bring influencer Andrew Tate back to the United Kingdom to face rape charges, as he is due to appear at a celebrity boxing match in Dubai. The 39-year-old self-described misogynist is due to fight in the Misfits Mania bout against American Chase DeMoor in Dubai on Saturday night. He and his brother Tristan are facing a series of 21 charges in the UK, including rape, assault, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution. Bedfordshire Police has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337185/starmer-pressured-intercept-andrew-tate-dubai-face-trial-uk-rape-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337185/starmer-pressured-intercept-andrew-tate-dubai-face-trial-uk-rape-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:13:51 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu A group of Labour Party MPs have urged the British government to ensure changes to permanent residency requirements do not undermine support for Hongkongers on a bespoke visa pathway or others admitted on humanitarian grounds. They have asked the Home Office to consider exempting the BN(O) routes from the government’s proposed overhaul of the wider settlement system as part of four requests to extend support for Hongkongers under the scheme. James Naish and 33 of his Labour colleagues sent a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3337096/labour-mps-urge-uk-protect-hong-kong-bno-migrants-residency-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3337096/labour-mps-urge-uk-protect-hong-kong-bno-migrants-residency-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 10:34:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters The head of Britain’s financial watchdog resigned on Monday after his agency last week inadvertently released the key details of finance minister Rachel Reeves’ annual tax-and-spending budget statement ahead of time. Richard Hughes said he wanted to help the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to recover quickly from the lapse which an investigation linked to IT weaknesses and leadership failures. “I have, therefore, decided it is in the best interest of the OBR for me to resign as its chair... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334817/head-uk-financial-watchdog-quits-after-early-leak-rachel-reeves-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334817/head-uk-financial-watchdog-quits-after-early-leak-rachel-reeves-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:40:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters British finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday denied she misled the public over official forecasts ahead last week’s budget, saying she had been honest about the need to build up a bigger financial buffer. In a speech on November 4, Reeves appeared to lay the groundwork to break the Labour Party’s promise to voters before the 2024 election and raise income tax rates, citing a “weaker than previously thought” productivity performance. In a letter published on Friday, the head of Britain’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334693/uks-rachel-reeves-says-she-did-not-mislead-public-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334693/uks-rachel-reeves-says-she-did-not-mislead-public-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:39:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain will drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, the Labour government announced late on Saturday, under new plans aimed at slashing irregular immigration and countering the hard-right. The measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, were announced as Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes under pressure from surging popularity for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party. “I’ll end the UK’s golden ticket for asylum seekers,” interior... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332956/uk-says-its-ending-golden-ticket-refugees-asylum-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332956/uk-says-its-ending-golden-ticket-refugees-asylum-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 22:32:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters British health minister Wes Streeting denied on Wednesday he was plotting to bring down Keir Starmer, after allies of the prime minister briefed newspapers that they feared an attempted coup could come later this month after the budget. Starmer steered his Labour Party to one of the biggest election victories in British history in 2024, but just 16 months later it is languishing in the polls and poised to break one of its main election pledges to increase income taxes for the first time since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:55:58 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Beijing will leave no room for any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, one of Beijing’s most senior leaders said on Saturday, marking the 80th anniversary of the island’s return from Japanese rule. “We should work together to advance the cause of national reunification and must leave no room for any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Wang Huning, Beijing’s No 4 official and top political adviser, said at an event to commemorate “Taiwan Restoration Day”. “[We]... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330323/beijings-wang-huning-takes-aim-taiwan-independence-restoration-day-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330323/beijings-wang-huning-takes-aim-taiwan-independence-restoration-day-address?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:48:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A pep talk from Australian leader Anthony Albanese kick-started UK Labour’s annual conference on Sunday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer struggling to convince nervous members that he can lead the “fight of our lives” against the surging hard-right. Although the ex-lawyer led Labour back to power in Britain in July last year after 14 years in opposition, scandals and policy missteps have already raised doubts about his future. The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:55:11 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk Politics has always been adversarial. In a healthy democracy, that contest is bounded by rules: elections settle disputes, opponents are rivals not enemies, and losing an argument is not the same as losing one’s country. Break those bonds, and the descent from rhetoric to violence is swift, and we are beginning to see the consequences. Political language in the United States has grown increasingly toxic. Partisans no longer accuse one another of being wrong, but of being enemies and traitors.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3325675/western-society-must-take-firm-stand-against-political-violence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3325675/western-society-must-take-firm-stand-against-political-violence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Norway voted on Monday on the final day of a parliamentary election dominated by concerns over the cost of living and turmoil in international politics, with the ruling Labour Party narrowly favoured to remain in office. A left-wing bloc of Labour and four smaller parties is seen winning 88 seats in parliament, three more than the minimum needed to secure a majority and down from a combined 100 seats in 2021, according to an average of recent opinion polls. Casting his ballot in Oslo, Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324797/norway-votes-tight-election-dominated-cost-living-global-turmoil-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324797/norway-votes-tight-election-dominated-cost-living-global-turmoil-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:42:22 +0000 Reuters Reuters British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought in a new deputy and foreign and interior ministers on Friday in a sweeping reshuffle intended to restore his authority after the resignation of his deputy, Angela Rayner. Starmer moved foreign minister David Lammy to become deputy prime minister and replaced him with interior minister Yvette Cooper. She was in turn replaced by justice secretary Shabana Mahmood. All are loyal, trusted hands. After reshaping his Downing Street team last week to bolster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324535/uks-deputy-pm-rayner-quits-over-property-tax-error?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324535/uks-deputy-pm-rayner-quits-over-property-tax-error?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 11:34:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former leftist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced on Thursday he was forming a new political party alongside another ex-member of Britain’s ruling party, as UK politics continues to splinter. Corbyn, who lost two elections as Labour leader in 2017 and 2019, and fellow independent MP Zarah Sultana said the new left-wing outfit would be called “Your Party”. “It’s time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements,” they said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319497/ex-labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-launches-your-party-shake-uk-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3319497/ex-labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-launches-your-party-shake-uk-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 14:08:02 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Britain is a nation in slow drift, outwardly composed but inwardly unravelling. His resolute backing of Ukraine and vocal commitment to European security have restored a measure of Britain’s standing on the world stage. However, this diplomatic poise conceals a glaring domestic void. Behind the polished speeches and choreographed handshakes lies a country buckling under stagnation. Its economic pulse is weakening, its public services are fraying and its faith in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318155/starmers-statesmanship-abroad-no-substitute-vision-home-britain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318155/starmers-statesmanship-abroad-no-substitute-vision-home-britain?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000