The Greens were doing a lot of stuff with the mosques, persuading people there they were best placed to defeat Reform. When progressive voters were looking for a party to coalesce around, persuading the networks in the Muslim community that you were the party best placed to win made a huge difference.
There has been a factional antagonism towards anyone who might wave a Palestinian flag in solidarity with Gaza or yearns to rejoin the European Union, as well as to those who worry a lot about climate change or display too much sympathy for asylum seekers. For much of the past six years under Keir Starmer, his advisers have been dismissive of such viewpoints, which they thought would alienate the older, whiter and more traditionally working-class voters widely regarded as vital to electoral success.
Labour strategists were desperate to say the party was on course to win, but the party's trouncing at the hands of the Greens has made this look laughable in hindsight. Hollie Ridley, Labour's general secretary, sent a note to No 10 at the end of January saying it was clearly a two-horse race with Reform UK, and only 3% of voters saying they would stick with the Greens.
Shabana Mahmood herself has said that illegal immigration was putting immense strain on the country and undermining the contract between the government and its citizens. This week, Mahmood visited reception and removal centres for asylum seekers near Copenhagen, the Danish capital, to examine how a tougher set of policies were working in practice.
Recent trends indicate that parties like the Green Party of England and Wales and Reform UK have been making significant inroads in areas that have traditionally leaned toward Labour. Political analysts suggest that this shift reflects a fragmentation of the centre-left and right-wing protest voting dynamics in urban constituencies.
Incumbent governments quite often get results like that mid-term, but I do understand that voters are frustrated, they're impatient for change. I came into politics late in life, as it happens, to fight for change for those people need it. The people who need an NHS that works for them, to be able to doctors appointment when they need it, to get the money they need in their pockets to pay their bills, and to have decent and better life.
Labour simply refused to acknowledge it. Until very recently, No 10 strategy, as defined by Morgan McSweeney, was built around neglecting, even insulting, progressive voters, and seeking to win back defections to Reform. Come the next general election, so the argument went, progressives would sheepishly have to back Labour, just as leftwing voters in France got behind Emmanuel Macron when push came to shove.
I think I might have to cancel the work that you had booked in, because I'm heading to Parliament. And when I get there, I will make space for everyone doing jobs like mine, we will finally get a seat at the table.
Reform has today reported the many cases of 'family voting' to the electoral commission and the police. What was witnessed yesterday is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas. If this is what was happening at polling stations, just imagine the potential for coercion with postal votes.
Church House has provided a veneer of spiritual legitimacy to Reform's anti-migrant and anti-Muslim politics, and their cynical scapegoating. As followers of Jesus, we must refuse to let the architecture of [the venue be used as a moral backdrop for policies that contradict the very heart of the Christian faith].
For two months, news desks on both sides of the Atlantic have been trawling through the Epstein files, daily releasing sensational details. This one story now years old is crushing out many others. The name of Jeffrey Epstein this past week has claimed precedence over Donald Trump, China, Iran and Ukraine. Each night's BBC television news has demoted Keir Starmer, the NHS, tax reform and student loans.
As a political statement, it is very much A Deliberate Choice and a sign that Spencer is plugged into the taste of the high street and younger voters. A brief moment in popular culture that informs a political campaign? We've been here before. Someone on Kamala Harris's campaign team adopted the Brat aesthetic on social media and she caught the attention of the younger voter by successfully meme-ing a colour into a political symbol.
Britain once ruled over the largest empire in history. For many Britons, it remains a source of pride. Others argue its power was built on a legacy of brutality, colonial conquest and the enslavement of millions. Can Britain reckon with that past and make amends?
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal proceedings. Recognising this helps the UK public understand the notice's significance and potential influence on international cooperation.
Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission has alleged Siddiq used her relationship with her aunt, the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to influence the allocation of a plot of state-owned land in Dhaka's Gulshan district to a private company. Siddiq has rejected the claim as baseless and politically motivated.
With these confirmed arrivals on Wednesday, the 2026 total for crossings will exceed 2,000, surpassing numbers recorded at the same point in 2024 and 2025. This surge in crossings is likely to intensify political pressure on the Government to take decisive action regarding border control and asylum processing.
Lord Mandelson's lawyers said police officers arrested the former ambassador to the US at his London home on Monday because of a "baseless" suggestion he was planning to "take up permanent residence abroad".
