Elizabeth Piper

Britain's Reform UK has surged in popularity on the back of fiery rhetoric against illegal immigrants, the European Union and the country's traditional ruling parties.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged his Labour Party on Sunday to stop "navel gazing" and unite against Reform UK, accusing the rising populist party of planning a "racist policy" of mass deportation if it wins power.

Donald Trump's comments backing Kyiv to regain all of its territory from Russia have sparked a mixture of relief and suspicion that the U.S. president is ready to leave Europe more to its own devices in supporting Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump was due to arrive in Britain late on Tuesday for a second state visit at which the two nations will seal deals worth more than $10 billion, a renewal of a "special relationship" Prime Minister Keir Starmer is keen to champion.

Peter Mandelson, Britain's urbane ambassador to the U.S., was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday after a trove of emails revealed the depth of his ties with the late convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed a major treaty to deepen ties in areas ranging from defence to immigration on Thursday, the latest step in Britain's push to reset UK relations with the European Union.

Groups like IRC that relied on U.S. funding are reeling. Other leading donors, including Britain, are also paring back humanitarian aid as they seek savings to boost defence spending.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply scaled back planned welfare cuts on Friday to quell a rebellion by lawmakers in his governing Labour Party, the latest U-turn to dent his authority just a year after winning power.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was asked in parliament on Thursday why he had not appeared in front of lawmakers for the past two weeks. His answer was simple - he had been busy with international affairs.

Britain is set to split the top job at the country's statistics office to create a second role focused on overseeing the running of the organisation, which has been criticised for economic data failures, a person familiar with the situation said.

Britain is monitoring the situation in the Middle East but has no update on staffing in the region, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday after the United States announced it was moving some personnel due to security concerns.

Yet with more money going to health and defense, other areas likely will be squeezed.

Britain and four other nations imposed sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Britain said on Monday it would radically change its approach to defence to address threats from Russia, nuclear risks and cyber-attacks by investing in drones and digital warfare rather than relying on a much larger army to engage in modern combat.

Ukraine and European leaders agreed on Saturday to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on May 12 with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, threatening President Vladimir Putin with new "massive" sanctions if he failed to comply.

Voters across parts of England on Thursday will choose a new lawmaker, mayors and councillors in local elections expected to favour the right-wing populist Reform UK party and deal a blow to Britain's two main parties.

U.S., Ukrainian and European officials held "substantive" meetings in London on Wednesday to try to revive peace talks after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled his trip, raising questions over how much progress was being made.

British police said they charged actor-comedian Russell Brand on Friday with rape and multiple counts of assault in cases relating to four separate women between 1999 and 2005.

It's in hospital corridors that votes for Starmer's Labour Party could be won or lost as his health reform agenda is tested in local elections.