Byline Times

At what point do we stop asking politicians nicely? New Electoral Commission figures show political parties accepted £14.2 million in donations excluding public funds between April and June this year, compared with £8.2 million during the same period last year. That is a staggering 74% increase in a single year. And look at the sums involved. Between April and June alone, crypto billionaire Ben Delo gave another £4 million to Reform UK, having already given the party £4 million in January.

Britain’s sole emergency communications link for sending nuclear retaliation orders to Trident missile submarines has been destroyed in a spectacular disaster unwittingly observed by hundreds of Yorkshire residents and passers-by. During a trial on Friday, the system was seen and filmed breaking up over Topcliffe, north of York, in clear view of travellers on the nearby A1 motorway.

Restore Britain’s pitch to would-be members is clear. If you believe in “free speech, and direct democracy — you’re in the right place.” Unfortunately, that does not seem to apply to the running of the party itself. Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe’s party is now consistently hovering around 3% in the polls. That is substantial for a party that was only formally registered this March. In the Greater Manchester mayoral race it was biting at the heels of the Greens, securing nearly 9% of the vote.

The Government has insisted that Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues to support electoral reform – and has committed to meeting MPs to review proposals for change. The pledge came during the third reading of the Representation of the People Bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening. It followed an amendment, backed by 193 MPs across parties, being ruled out of scope by the Deputy Speaker. It was not called during the debate on the Government’s flagship Representation of the People Bill.

Nathan Cofnas’s reinstatement at Ghent University last month has become a rallying point for a transatlantic network of Trump-supporting campaigners and media, seeking to rehabilitate discredited theories of racial hierarchy under the banner of academic freedom.

The coverage of Nigel Farage and Reform UK by BBC News in recent years has raised some disturbing concerns about the corporation’s commitment to impartiality and its editorial standards.

There are moments that demand we remain measured, thoughtful and nuanced. This isn’t one of those moments. Our communities are seething in righteous indignation and anger at the lynching of Professor Jason Arday. We are raging – and we should be. And we must. But what’s important is that we channel this anger constructively and honour the family of Jason Arday in the wake of his death, after failing to protect him in life. The media hounded Jason to his death.

Senior Reform UK figures, including Nigel Farage, have been filmed in an undercover investigation examining ways in which money originating from a seemingly wealthy American donor could benefit the party without its source appearing in public records, Channel 4 News revealed last night.

Election experts and legal analysts have raised concerns that the Trump administration and Republican leadership will challenge or interfere with the 2026 midterm outcomes. Trump has pushed the SAVE Act, which would make it much more difficult for Americans to register to vote, in the name of preventing non-citizens from illegally participating in elections.

The black van speeds along at 130 km/h on a road lined with sunflower fields. Behind the wheel of the ambulance, Andrey, a volunteer with the Relief organisation, keeps his eyes fixed on the road. Next to him, Sacha, a former soldier who has since switched to evacuating civilians, scans the sky, phone in hand. A message has just popped up on a military app: a Russian reconnaissance drone has been spotted within a radius of two to five kilometres.