Books by Irish author Sally Rooney will stop being supplied to British bookshops. Publisher Faber decided to withdraw her works from the market after...
United Kingdom
What is happening there and why it matters.
So it makes sense
Five years after Brexit the United Kingdom is a country looking for a new role — and doing so at a time when its public finances cannot carry everything politicians promise. It is worth watching because it tests things that reach the rest of Europe later: the rise of an anti-establishment party, the fight over Channel migration, and the question of how much defence a state can still afford.
- Who governs
- The prime minister is Andy Burnham (Labour), who replaced Keir Starmer — Starmer has since given up his seat and is leaving parliament altogether. Burnham moved early on relations with France, discussing Ukraine and Channel crossings with Macron. At home the budget numbers press on him: the army has been told to suspend non-essential training exercises to save money.
- Who opposes
- The Conservatives are led by Kemi Badenoch, who accuses Burnham of kicking defence spending into the long grass and is calling on him to hold an election. To the right, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is growing; in September 2026 it was reported to police over suspected illegal foreign donations following an undercover investigation. Green leader Zack Polanski wants to contest Starmer’s vacated seat.
- Next election
- The next general election is expected in 2029, though the opposition is pushing for an earlier one.
Context verified 4. 9. 2026. We update it when the government changes or an election comes — the news below is live.
What happened
5 reports over 14 days in 5 eventsBritish PM Andy Burnham will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street in London on Wednesday, following US criticism of Zelensky.
British PM Andy Burnham said on Monday that a planned September attack on RAF Fairford airbase was almost certainly directed by Iran's Revolutionary Gu...
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum. This is the first public admission by a British PM that Moscow in…
Britain's Labour Party held onto the vacant parliamentary seat in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras. Sagal Abdi-Wali won the by-elect...