UK approves total smoking ban for people born after 2008
The UK Parliament has approved legislation that will prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January first, 2009, creating what the government…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
EU rejects suspension of Israel Agreement amid internal divisions
The European Union has rejected a push by several member states to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.
ECR warns of population replacement in Europe
At a presentation hosted by Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers, of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) in the European Parliament, by the political…
Vox defends ‘national priority’ as Extremadura regional coalition takes office
Spain's Vox party has taken its "nationals first" welfare policy from the negotiating table to the regional assembly floor, with spokesman Óscar Fernández defending…
French conservative media mogul Bolloré builds intellectual arsenal ahead of elections
Vincent Bolloré, the French conservative and Christian media magnate, is once again expanding his influence, this time with the launch of a Christian-inspired think-tank…
Greek parliament to lift immunity of MPs probed in EU farm scandal
Greece's parliament on Wednesday will vote on lifting the immunity of 13 lawmakers, a move demanded by European and Greek prosecutors investigating a multi-million…
US broadcaster Newsmax launches in Poland, against PM Tusk allies wishes
A Polish language service run by US broadcaster Newsmax has launched its news website, which is soon to be followed by a fully fledged TV news channel.
Is Berlusconi’s Forza Italia moving away from conservatism?
Two prominent Mediaset journalists have challenged the Berlusconi family, adding momentum to an ongoing debate about a possible strategic shift in their political…
Polish opposition split averted as Morawiecki and Kaczyński reach compromise
Appearing at a joint press conference the leader of the main Polish opposition Conservatives (PiS) and the former PiS prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki have announced…
EC proposes full revival of EU-Syria co-operation agreement
Von der Leyen travelled to Damascus in January, alongside European Council President António Costa.
‘Will not suffice to maintain standard of living’: Germany’s Merz urges pension reform
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) has spoken out in favour of far-reaching reforms of the country’s creaking public pension system.
Brussels prepares to engage with Taliban on Afghan deportations
The European Commission is moving toward opening a direct channel of communication with the Taliban.
New Hungary PM Magyar invites Netanyahu but says he must be arrested if he comes
Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar has stated that his country would be legally obliged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters…
Hungary ‘violated EU Law’ by banning LGBTI+ content for minors, EU court rules
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that Hungary violated EU law after it banned the display and promotion of LGBT content to minors under…
Germany wants reservists up to 70 as troop shortage bites
The Reservist Association of the German Armed Forces has called for the government to raise the age limit for army reservists from 65 to 70 years.
Starmer is sinking, borrow the Bismarck!
The British Prime Minister awoke before dawn, this morning, April 21, 2026, sensing a strange presence nearby. He turned on the bedside light. No, nothing there.
Macron avoids meeting Polish President Nawrocki during Gdańsk visit
He did so yesterday, after Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who heads Poland’s centre-left coalition government, made it clear he did not wish the French head of state…
Spanish PM Sánchez launches global Left alliance in Barcelona, bypassing Brussels
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has used a two-day summit in Barcelona to launch a global Left alliance that turned its back on the European Union's main capitals,…
RN chiefs write to French business leaders amid concerns over economic programme
Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, the co-leaders of France’s Rassemblement National (RN), have sent a joint letter to business executives offering dialogue and…
Wife of Spanish PM risks up to 24 years in jail over alleged corruption
The popular prosecution in the long-running investigation into Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has requested a prison sentence of…
Milan rally shows European Right seeking unity amid Orbán setback
In Italian, there is a saying: “The elephant in the china shop” — something obvious and problematic that everyone can see but no one addresses for fear of…
‘Build Chinese cars in Volkswagen plants,’ says Lower Saxony’s PM
The Minister-President of Lower Saxony has suggested that Volkswagen should consider allowing Chinese manufacturers to produce vehicles in underutilised German plants…
Germany sees record number of ‘criminal’ insults against politicians
German police have registered a record number of unlawful insults against politicians in 2025.
Hungary’s election was clean. The campaign was not
I have just returned from Budapest.
Ex-council president Charles Michel slams EC chiefs ‘authoritarian governance’
Former European council president Charles Michel attacked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accusing her of running an "authoritarian" leadership,…
Polish PM Tusk’s coalition government may lose its parliamentary majority
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned a coalition partner that he will remove it from the government if it votes to dismiss a cabinet minister in a no-confidence…
Spanish region to apply ‘national priority’ in welfare and housing for first time in the country
Extremadura is set to become the first Spanish region to govern under the principle of "national priority", after Partido Popular (PP) accepted a long-standing Vox…
German survey finds Greens voters least tolerant of differing opinions
Supporters of Germany’s Alliance 90/The Greens are the most likely among the country’s main political groups to say they become annoyed when confronted with…
Top taxes, broken services: Spaniards pay the price of Sánchez’s mass regularisation
The Spanish government has opened a mass regularisation that will hand residence and work permits, together with immediate access to Social Security and regional…
French energy giant Engie HQ searched in fresh twist to Dati EP alleged corruption probe
French anti-corruption police have searched the headquarters of energy group Engie, formerly GDF Suez, as part of an ongoing investigation into suspicions that the…