United Kingdom polls: Labour rival eyes win in poll key to Keir Starmer's fate By AFP June 19, 2026 04:56 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives to make a statement fr …
… store Britain leader Rupert Lowe campaigns for his party's candidate ahead of the Makerfield by-election on June 18, west of Manchester, north-west England on June 13, 2026. [AFP] Britain holds a special vote on Thursday that is expected to set in motion an attempt to oust Labour …
… Starmer's centre-left Labour government said technology companies had a "moral responsibility" to "protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion". …
… Starmer's centre-left Labour government said technology companies had a "moral responsibility" to "protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion". …
… The special vote will take place after the area's current Labour MP Josh Simons resigned to make way for long-time Labour politician Andy Burnham to try to return to parliament. …
… Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said he would ask to run for Labour in Makerfield after Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way for him. …
… (Photo by Temilade Adelaja / POOL / AFP) Audio By Vocalize As pressure grows on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand down, discussion centres on his potential successor as leader of the ruling Labour party. …
Outgoing UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned his likely successor Andy Burnham that he will have to spend as much time dealing with global issues as he has during his tenure, insisting it is not possible for a prime minister to reduce time spent on diplomacy. In his first interview since resigning, Starmer described the decision to quit as "intensely personal" and "really tough," undertaken with his family.
Outgoing UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned his likely successor Andy Burnham that he will have to spend as much time dealing with global issues as he has during his tenure, insisting it is not possible for a prime minister to reduce time spent on diplomacy. In his first interview since resigning, Starmer described the decision to quit as "intensely personal" and "really tough," undertaken with his family.
Britain's outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer warned his probable successor Andy Burnham that he cannot ignore international turmoil and must spend significant time on diplomacy, saying the world is "more dangerous and volatile" than for most of his lifetime. Burnham's supporters have pushed for focus on domestic issues like cost of living, but he has pledged the same support to Ukraine as Starmer.
Migrant arrivals to Britain via small boats across the English Channel fell 41 percent in the first six months of 2026, with 11,884 arrivals compared to 19,982 in the same period in 2025, according to UK interior ministry data.
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister following Keir Starmer's resignation, plans to lay out his economic agenda on Monday at a Manchester museum. Burnham is currently the only candidate to replace Starmer and could become prime minister as early as mid-July if he faces no challengers.
Jamila Mohamed argues that Kenya's focus on presidential term limits contrasts sharply with the United Kingdom's experience: within one Kenyan five-year term, Britain has had four Prime Ministers, yet the UK has no constitutional term limits. Unlike Kenya, UK leaders can theoretically serve indefinitely if their party maintains confidence and wins elections.
Keir Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party following internal pressure and dissatisfaction over recent local election results, less than two years after leading Labour to a general election victory. Starmer will remain in office temporarily until the Labour Party elects a new leader.
Sir Keir Starmer is considering his political future as pressure grows for him to resign, following Andy Burnham's by-election victory that has prompted senior ministers to call for a timetable for his departure. US President Donald Trump predicted Starmer will resign, criticising his record on immigration and energy policy.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after less than two years in office, citing a term marked by policy U-turns and deep public unpopularity. He will remain as prime minister until a new Labour Party leader is chosen by September, when parliament returns from summer recess.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after less than two years in office, citing policy U-turns and deep public unpopularity. He will remain as prime minister until a new Labour Party leader is chosen in a process to begin in July, with the successor in place before parliament returns in September.
UK voters went to the polls in a historic local election that could determine the future of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Andy Burnham, a Labour veteran and Greater Manchester mayor, is seeking to win the parliamentary by-election for Makerfield in northwestern England, which could position him to challenge Starmer for the party leadership and ultimately become prime minister.
Britain holds a special by-election on Thursday in the Makerfield constituency near Manchester. Long-time Starmer critic Andy Burnham, a popular metro mayor, is looking to win the seat so he can run for the Labour leadership and premiership, with UK media calling it "the most consequential by-election" in British political history.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a forthcoming total ban on social media platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X for children under 16, citing concerns that these platforms are "making children unhappy" and exposing them to dangerous and addictive content. The government aims to pass the regulation by late December with the ban coming into force in spring.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to "call time" on a social media system failing children, reportedly proposing measures including a total ban for those under 16 and restrictions on late-night use for older teenagers — stricter than Australia's December 2024 under-16 ban.
Jess Asato has filed a High Court claim against Elon Musk'sxAI after its Grok chatbot was used to create fake sexualised images of her. Asato said she is "one of thousands of women and even children" harmed by abusive AI deepfakes created with Grok's image generation feature.
Britain has struck a trade agreement with six Gulf Cooperation Council states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), marking the first such deal between the bloc and a Group of Seven country. The agreement is expected to deliver relatively modest economic benefits for the UK as Britain seeks to strengthen trade ties following its departure from the European Union.
A by-election in Makerfield constituency on June 18 will see Labour's Andy Burnham attempt to return to parliament; if successful, he is widely expected to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the party leadership. Starmer has faced pressure following poor Labour results in recent local elections.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester mayor, will bid to become Labour MP for Makerfield after health secretary Wes Streeting resigned citing lost confidence in PM Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. Streeting's resignation has intensified speculation about Starmer's future following poor election results for Labour, though no formal leadership challenge has been triggered yet.
As pressure grows on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, discussion centres on potential successors to lead the ruling Labour party, with the winner to be decided by party members. Among possible candidates is 43-year-old health minister Wes Streeting, seen as a strong communicator with backing from MPs and positioning himself on the right of the Labour party.
Labour lost 1,498 of 2,566 English council seats and lost control of Wales's Senedd for the first time in 100 years, triggering calls from party MPs and ministers for Starmer to step down.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would continue governing despite mounting pressure to set a timetable for his departure following poor results in local elections. Starmer, who took office less than two years ago, told his cabinet that he takes responsibility for Labour's losses but sees no official move to trigger a leadership contest.
Global stock markets declined Friday following US-Iran military clashes in the Strait of Hormuz that threatened a month-old ceasefire and dampened hopes for an end to the 10-week conflict. The clashes, in which US forces struck Iranian military targets after an attack on American destroyers, prompted fears of escalation despite President Trump's assertion that the truce remains in place.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he took responsibility for "very tough" local election results in which the ruling Labour party lost hundreds of councillors in England and faced bracing for humiliating results in Scottish and Welsh devolved parliament voting, but vowed to remain as prime minister.
Zack Polanski, a 43-year-old self-styled "eco-populist" who became Green Party leader in September 2025, is hoping to lead the party to a landmark breakthrough in British local elections. Since his election, party membership has grown by 100,000, and analysts suggest the Greens now have a serious prospect of winning seats and potentially controlling some councils, driven by voter disillusion with Labour's Keir Starmer.
Wales, a Labour stronghold for over a century, is set to shift political allegiances in upcoming elections as voters abandon the party due to cost of living pressures and move toward anti-establishment candidates. A Labour defeat in Wales would mark a major blow to UK leader Keir Starmer's premiership.
An opinion piece argues that Kenya's opposition is preoccupied with internal power struggles rather than holding President Ruto accountable, allowing his administration to avoid scrutiny despite a poor track record on promises and allegations of ethnic favoritism in public service.