Elections

Reform UK has received the largest political donation in British history, MPs have voted down assisted dying legislation, and the ground is shifting ahead of both a Westminster by-election and the American midterms. This hub follows the mechanics and drama of electoral politics on both sides of the Atlantic: who funds campaigns, who gets selected to fight for a vacant seat, and how governments quietly time contentious decisions to avoid handing opponents ammunition before voters go to the polls.

Elections shape who holds power and how that power is exercised, which is why the manoeuvring around them, donor influence, candidate selection rows, delayed rulings, party infighting, often reveals as much as the vote itself. In Britain, attention is turning to a closely watched contest for a former Labour leader's seat, with rival parties jostling for position and local issues such as North Sea drilling becoming entangled in the timing of national announcements. In the United States, both major parties are already framing the narrative around the midterms, trading accusations of foul play and reading the runes for who stands to lose ground.

Expect ongoing coverage of campaign finance, candidate controversies, parliamentary votes with electoral consequences, and the wider jostling between parties as they position themselves for the next test at the ballot box.

  • Meta heads back to court for online safety trial

    {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story Meta youth safety trial kicks off in California The latest kids online safety trial against Meta kicked off Wednesday in a California federal court, where the technology giant is accused of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File Jury selection began Wednesday…

  • Clacton by-election features 34 candidates as Farage favoured

    Nigel Farage triggered a by-election in his Clacton constituency after resigning as MP in July 2026, having framed his departure as a “people versus the establishment” contest but doing so while under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over undeclared financial gifts, including one reported to be worth £5 million from cryptocurrency investor Christopher…

  • Wisconsin Democrats cite electability in Francesca Hong primary defeat

    Francesca Hong suffered a decisive defeat in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, with voters cited by Fox News saying doubts about her general-election electability contributed to the result. The outcome matters because it suggests that, in a battleground state, some Democratic primary voters prioritised perceived viability over more explicitly socialist politics. Some voters also viewed Hong’s…

  • Meta youth safety trial kicks off in California

    The latest kids online safety trial against Meta kicked off Wednesday in a California federal court, where the technology giant is accused of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users. Jury selection began Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., for the case, which consolidates lawsuits from attorneys general across the country….

  • Robert Pollard’s Band Rip Van Winkle Changes Name To The U.S. Rip Van Winkle, Announces New Self-Titled Album

    Robert Pollard’s side project Rip Van Winkle has renamed itself The U.S. Rip Van Winkle and announced a self-titled second album. The change marks the next release from the Dayton-based group, separate from Pollard’s Guided By Voices line-up, and continues his prolific output beyond his main band. The album will be released on 2 October…

  • State Department establishes task force to end ‘birth tourism’

    The State Department on Tuesday announced it has established a task force to end “birth tourism,” or the practice of traveling to a country to give birth there, escalating President Trump’s campaign against birthright citizenship, the constitutional right granting American citizenship to babies born in the United States. “As President Trump has made clear, citizenship…

  • Congress breaks for summer recess with little to show

    As Congress enters its August recess, lawmakers are racing to reconcile different continuing appropriations resolutions to prevent a government shutdown before the Oct. 1 fiscal deadline and subsequent midterm elections.

  • Kilmeade predicts ‘kinetic war’ with Iran before Labor Day

    Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade on Tuesday predicted a “kinetic war” between the U.S. and Iran will take place prior to Labor Day, just two months before the midterm elections. Kilmeade suggested that President Trump will put economic pressure on Iran over the next several weeks, but that in the end, firepower will be necessary. “I…

  • Fetterman says he won’t campaign against McCormick

    Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) said he would not campaign against Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Penn.) in 2030 if the Republican chooses to run for a second term. In remarks made to the Washington Examiner, Fetterman was asked whether he would support or oppose McCormick’s potential run in four years. “Well, I would absolutely never move against…

  • Count Binface would beat Nigel Farage in Clacton if all Britons could vote in by-election, poll finds

    A nationwide poll found that Count Binface would narrowly beat Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in a hypothetical head-to-head contest for Clacton, though the actual by-election is expected to be very different. The result highlights Mr Farage’s weaker standing among the wider British public and the unusual nature of a contest in which major parties…