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Right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro wins first round of Brazil election
Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, narrowly finishing ahead of incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva but without the majority needed to avoid a run-off on 25 October. The result exceeded expectations and sets up a closely watched contest over whether Latin America’s largest country and economy will elect another right-wing…
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Badenoch pledges £10bn air defence system amid Russian missile fears
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged a £10 billion “Iron Dome” air defence system to protect British cities and Army bases from missile attacks. The proposal is framed as a response to threats from countries including Russia and Iran, and the article invites readers to say how concerned they are about a possible Russian attack.…
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Greens for Palestine-backed candidates win places on nearly every contested party committee
Greens for Palestine-backed candidates won places on nearly every Green Party committee they contested after the group urged members to support its recommended slate at the party conference in Brighton. Critics said the results showed growing factional influence and raised concerns about antisemitism; the group said its campaigning was ordinary party activity and that the…
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Conservatives pledge to abolish Labour’s high-value property surcharge if elected
The Conservative Party has pledged to abolish Labour’s mansion tax – officially the High Value Council Tax Surcharge – if they return to power, Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith announced at the Conservative conference in Birmingham. The tax, due to take effect in April 2028, will charge up to £7,500 annually on properties valued above £2…
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One Nation leads Labor on primary vote as Albanese’s favourability falls
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has edged ahead of Labor in primary vote polling, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s net favourability has fallen to its lowest level as prime minister. The results point to mounting pressure on the government amid voter concerns about the economy and cost of living. In a poll of 1,000 people, One…
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Sánchez calls snap vote, hoping housing crisis sways Spanish voters
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election for 29 November after his coalition lost a parliamentary vote on housing measures, confirming it no longer had a majority. The housing crisis gives Sánchez a prominent campaign issue and a chance to rally left-wing voters, while shifting attention from corruption allegations and the government’s…
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Tories unite behind Badenoch as MPs urge economic focus to win voters
Kemi Badenoch has consolidated her leadership of the Conservative Party, which displays unprecedented unity more than two years into her tenure. Much of this cohesion stems from a shared enemy: Tory defectors such as Robert Jenrick, whose departure has been met with barely concealed relief across party ranks. The relative stability marks a striking contrast…
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Badenoch’s rightward shift risks losing the Tory voters needed to regain power
Polly Toynbee argues that Kemi Badenoch’s effort to win back Reform UK voters by moving the Conservatives further right risks alienating the moderate voters the party needs to regain. She says the party has little chance of returning to power without winning back the “blue wall” across southern England, and that its conference presents little…
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We love Badenoch’s Kemistry but not the Tories: Leader’s challenge laid bare as poll shows just a third of her fans also back ‘M&S’ Conservatives
A More in Common poll suggests Kemi Badenoch’s growing personal appeal has yet to translate into broad Conservative support: only about a third of people who say they like her would vote for the party. The findings point to a challenge for the Conservatives in expanding beyond a base concentrated among affluent older voters, although…
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Glasgow council deal protects staff pay and averts mass rehiring plan
Glasgow City Council has reached a revised pay and grading agreement with Unison, removing the immediate threat of a large fire-and-rehire exercise. The deal matters because the proposed system aims to address historic equal pay issues, but the original offer would have cut wages for some staff. The council had warned all 23,000 non-teaching employees…