STORY
Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, has been expelled from the Labour Party after he announced that he intended to run against them at the General Election. Corbyn, suspended from the Parliamentary party following comments relating to anti-semitism, will stand as an independent in the Islington North constituency.
STORY
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has called a General Election for 4 July 2024. Making the announcement outside 10 Downing Street he said that he was proud of what the Government had achieved and would be focusing on the theme of “who do you trust?” to run the country.
STORY
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, is expected to call a General Election later today, likely to be held in July 2024. Further announcements are expected shortly.
STORY
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has spoken to Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, speaking on matters of concern to both countries. The two leaders discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and restated their support for the country. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister added:
“They highlighted the importance of international partnerships including the Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO for ensuring global security. Turning to illegal migration, the Prime Minister underlined the need for leadership and collaboration to tackle this shared global challenge. The leaders looked forward to discussing these issues further at the upcoming UK hosted European Political Community in July.”
STORY
An attack was made today on the British Library’s copy of the Magna Carta, with security staff who were unharmed managing to protect the document. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that two individuals have been arrested for the attack and the British Library confirmed that only minimal damage had been done to the glass casing of the document and that no members of the public or staff were injured.
STORY
Natatlie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, has defected to the Labour Party and launched a stinging attack on the Premiership of Rishi Sunak. Elphicke said in a statement:
“Rishi Sunak’s government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure. Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels. It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted.”
Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“What is the point of this failed government staggering on when the Tory MP for Dover on the frontline of the small boats crisis says the prime minister cannot be trusted with our borders and joins Labour?”
RESOURCES
STORY
Andy Street has been beaten in the West Midlands Mayoral elections by Labour’s Richard Parker, in a surprise result which puts pressure on Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister. Parker won by 1,508 votes, beating Street who had served in the role since 2017.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Swing |
| Labour | Richard Parker | 225590 | 37.8 | 1.8 |
| Conservative | Andy Street | 224082 | 37.5 | 1.2 |
| Independent | Akhmed Yakoob | 69621 | 11.7 | NaN |
| Reform UK | Elaine Williams | 34471 | 5.8 | 3.59 |
| Green | Siobhan Harper-Nunes | 31036 | 5.2 | 0.59 |
| Liberal Democrats | Sunny Virk | 12176 | 2 | 1.55 |
STORY
Conservative Ben Houchen has remained as the Mayor of Tees Valley, securing 81,930 against the 61,341 votes for Labour’s Chris McEwan. The victory for the Conservative was one of the few pieces of good news for Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, amidst a wave of losses across local councils. Labour secured a 16.5% swing from the Conservatives, with Houchen saying of his win:
“To be re-elected for a third term in my home, in my community, is absolutely the greatest honour”.
STORY
Chris Webb has won the Blackpool South by-election for the Labour Party, securing a 26.3% swing from the Conservative Party who won the seat at the 2019 General Election. The by-election was caused by the resignation of disgraced Scott Benton who was found guilty of a “very serious breach” of Parliamentary rules. Chris Webb won the seat with 10,825 votes with David Jones from the Conservatives securing 3,218 votes and Mark Butcher from Reform securing 3,101 votes.
STORY
Humza Yousaf has resigned as the leader of the SNP and as Scottish First Minister after ending a power sharing coalition with the Green Party. He apologised for “under-estimating” the hurt that he caused by bringing the power sharing coalition to an end, but said that it was a huge honour to have led Scotland.