Politics (Page 60)

T he Ukrainian prime minister has thanked the King for his solidarity after the pair met during a reception on the eve of the coronation on Friday. Charles offered Ukraine his “unwavering support” when he met with the country’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and prime minister Denys Shmyhal. Mr Shmyhal said on Twitter: “It is a special honour to attend the reception of His Majesty King Charles III ahead of coronation. “We received assurances from His Majesty that (Ukrainian) people will have unwavering support until the final victory. Grateful for the solidarity.” Charles hosted heads of state from around the world at a Buckingham Palace reception on the eve of the coronation. The Prince and Princess of Wales, the DukeContinue Reading

L abour said the Tories’ dire local election results marked a “clear rejection” of Rishi Sunak in his first electoral test as Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer was celebrating wins in key battlegrounds as an indication his party was on course to win the next general election. Mr Sunak was under pressure as Conservative losses neared the 1,000 worst-case prediction senior Tories had floated to manage expectations ahead of the poll. The British public has sent a clear rejection of a prime minister who never had a mandate to begin with With almost all authorities having declared, Mr Sunak’s party shed 48 local authorities and 962 councillors. Labour gained 632 seats and seized 22 councils, including ones that would beContinue Reading

The Women of Honour group, which represents female members of the Defence Forces, has called for Government appointees to an independent oversight board to be vetted by an Oireachtas committee. In a statement, the group said it had not received “satisfactory” answers about the oversight board from Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin. The proposed board follows a recommendation in a report by the independent review group (IRG) into the Defence Forces, which the Women of Honour said did not include an assessment of the Department of Defence. The report recommended that the membership of the external oversight body of the Defence Forces should include the secretary general of the department, a suggestion criticised by Women of Honour. “SurelyContinue Reading

T he leader of the Labour group in Derby has said that he is “absolutely delighted” with the local election results which he says shows the party is “firing on all cylinders”. The city council remains under no overall control but Labour gained eight seats to take its total to 23, putting it in a prime position to organise a minority leadership before the council AGM on May 24. The biggest losers of the day were the Liberal Democrats, who were wiped out by Labour in Blagreaves ward and suffered losses elsewhere to end up with just half of the eight seats that they had at the start of Friday. People are seeing that we’re ready for this change now,Continue Reading

T he Tories have lost more than 320 councillors and key strongholds such as Swindon and Medway, local election results on Friday showed, as Labour and the Lib Dems made significant gains. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the party is “going to bottle this feeling we have today” and “turn it into a General Election win next year”. The Lib Dems said that they are “exceeding all expectations in the capital’s commuter belt” but leader Sir Ed Davey would not be drawn on whether his party would seek to enter a coalition with Labour at the General Election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was“disappointed” at losing some councillors but sought to highlight where his party was doing better.Continue Reading

T he Conservative Party’s chairman has said it was a “difficult night for the party,” with the Tories losing council seats in the local elections. Labour has made gains nationwide which could reflect the nation’s mood as well as issues that affect voters more locally. Tory chairman Greg Hands told GB News: “We always said it would be a difficult night for the party, the independent projections were all that we were going to lose 1,000 seats.” Local elections are often seen as a bellwether as to how a generation election will pan out and these results may discourage Rishi Sunak from calling one early. So when is the next UK general election, what are the rules about calling one,Continue Reading

Ireland could get cooler, wetter and stormier due to climate change. A new report into Ireland’s ocean climate found the Gulf Stream, which gives Ireland its temperate climate, could decrease by 30 per cent. The research warns the country will still experience other consequences of a warming planet, with sea levels rising between 2 and 3 millimetres per year since the 1990s. Co-author of that report, Dr Gerard McCarthy, said Irish waters are attracting fish that thrive in colder water. Dr McCarthy told Newstalk radio: “We also see things like blue whiting. Blue whiting is a small but mid-water column fish… a little like the mackerel or herring… and we’ve seen an increase in those close to the Irish shore.Continue Reading

R ishi Sunak’s Tories were on course for heavy losses in the Prime Minister’s first electoral test as Labour and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in elections across England. The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said “regrettably” some people were turned away from polling stations as a result. Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration – a result branded “terrible” by Government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer –  then did the same in Stoke-on-Trent, another general election battleground. In Hertsmere, where Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is MP, the Tories lost control of the council, with 13Continue Reading

R ishi Sunak’s Tories are braced for a bruising set of local election results as votes continue to be counted across England. The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said “regrettably” some people were turned away from polling stations as a result. The Electoral Commission said that overall the elections were “well run” but the requirement to carry photo ID posed a challenge and some people were unable to vote as a result, although detailed work will be needed to understand the scale of the problem. An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge forContinue Reading

The Government is to explore paying social welfare to Ukrainians as a way of encouraging them to return home when the temporary protection directive ends. As the Irish Examiner reports, a paper by the Department of Justice put forward at the Cabinet committee on Ukraine outlined a number of policies for consideration by EU states. Protection has been given to Ukrainians until March 2024, but there may be a further extension of temporary protection until March 2025. Another option to be examined by the Government is whether to offer residency to some Ukrainians including those in employment or education. The EU Commission has said it will engage in discussions with all members on how best to exit temporary protection, andContinue Reading