Jon Craig

The Tory grandee has launched a three-pronged attack on the current Conservative Party leader's policies.

Despite Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson winning 175 nominations from Labour MPs to Lucy Powell's 117, bookmakers StarSports this weekend made Ms Powell 4/6 favourite with Ms Phillipson at 5/4.

Boris Johnson loyalist Ms Dorries, who resigned from the House of Commons in 2023, said she made the decision to join Reform because the Conservative Party was now "dead".

Labour's homelessness minister Rushanara Ali has resigned having reportedly hiked the rent on a property she owns by hundreds of pounds - something which was described by one of her tenants as "extortion".

In a massive cover-up, the Tory government of Rishi Sunak took out a superinjunction to gag the media from reporting a data breach that put 20,000 Afghans in danger.

The health secretary's tough warning to Labour MPs came ahead of a showdown with the British Medical Association (BMA) this week in which he will call on the doctors to call off the strikes.

City editor Mark Kleinman reported on Wednesday that a deal had been reached nearly two years after the closure of Mr Farage's accounts, which led to the resignation of the bank's boss.

The jailing of MP Mike Amesbury has sparked enormous pressure for a by-election in his constituency, which he won for Labour at the 2024 general election. But Reform came second, and since then have surged into the lead in the national polls.

Sadiq Khan also appeared to strike a less hostile tone in his opposition to Heathrow expansion, after previously threatening a legal challenge against a third runway.

It's been a difficult first three months for the Conservative leader, who has had to deal with the rising popularity of Reform UK, some difficult PMQ moments and a former rival for her role snapping at her heels.

The government, having seen Reform UK's popularity rise largely due to its hard immigration and borders policies, is looking to show that it can be tough, too.

After Dame Priti Patel defended the post-Brexit immigration system she implemented while in government, Kemi Badenoch issued a statement disavowing the comments and admitting the Tories "did not deliver" on reducing arrivals to the UK.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle brings 'Order' to TV soap Emmerdale

Lord Mandelson was a New Labour stalwart, serving in the cabinets of both former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. But he was also a hugely divisive figure, and returns to frontline politics after well over a decade away.

Labour has said Mel Stride's remarks are proof the Tories are "planning to betray pensioners" if they win the next election.

While he was never one of the Labour Party's big financial backers, Timothy West was one of the "luvvies of Labour" who backed Sir Tony Blair and was among the most high profile backers of New Labour.

Born in Wimbledon and raised in Nigeria, Kemi Badenoch became leader of the opposition on Saturday. Sir Keir Starmer could face a rough time.

Unlike Robert Jenrick, who appeared to be fighting a single-issue campaign on immigration, Kemi Badenoch widened her appeal by talking about public spending, welfare policy and the NHS.

On the evidence of a confident, swaggering performance, Mr Cleverly may be muscling his way into the final two candidates who will contest the leadership in the final ballot of Tory members.

Sir Oliver Dowden follows Rishi Sunak's former parliamentary aide Craig Williams and former Downing Street chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith in being interviewed by the Gambling Commission.