Downstairs are heading Upstairs: It will be a shock to the drawing room
How do you keep the help down in the scullery and well away from the drawing room where they might upset their betters?
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
EU swaps UAE for Monaco on list of financial high-risk countries
The European Commission swapped the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) for Monaco, in its recently updated list of third countries with "strategic deficiencies" in their…
EU and UK sign ‘historic’ deal on Gibraltar ‘reset’
The European Union and Britain sealed an agreement on the status of the territory of Gibraltar, in what was billed as a "historic" breakthrough five years after…
Wilders vs the rest
Last week, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof's government resigned. As in many Western European countries, the stumbling block was immigration.
Polish PM Tusk says he has renewed mandate despite presidential election loss
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk on June 11 won a confidence vote in parliament arguing that his party’s candidate narrow loss in the presidential election…
Polish PM Tusk wins confidence vote in parliament
Poland's pro-European Union government won a confidence vote in parliament on June 11, securing its hold on power.
Workers’ rights ‘deteriorating’, EU bodies warn
Labour rights have been coming under strain across the European Union, according to warnings issued by several groups including EU bodies citing what they said was…
Germany’s SPD revolts against Merz’s rearmament blitz
A revolt has been brewing within the German government's coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD), as prominent figures openly criticised Chancellor Friedrich…
ECB signs co-operation pact with China, pushing for policy reforms
The European Central Bank (ECB) signed a non-binding co-operation agreement with the People’s Bank of China and ECB President Christine Lagarde used the occasion…
Polish court rules some EU energy policy laws ‘unconstitutional’
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, a court (TK), has ruled some European Union regulations on energy policy to be incompatible with the Polish Constitution on the…
‘Strict anti-tobacco legislation has backfired,’ KPMG study indicates
European countries have been struggling with illicit tobacco trade but their own policies were making matters worse, a study has shown.
Germany’s Die Linke demands ‘heat holidays’ for workers
German left-wing party Die Linke has demanded a reduction in working hours when workplace temperatures rise above certain levels.
Farage’s Reform doesn’t collapse, it mutates, surprises and grows claws
Reform UK’s saga is a kaleidoscope of ambition, chaos, and sheer bloody-mindedness.
EU defence ‘not enough to deter’ potential adversaries, summit told
Europe's defence capacities and its planned improvements were not enough to scare away its armed adversaries, military experts warned.
Polish president-elect opposes Ukraine’s proposed EU membership
Poland’s president-elect Karol Nawrocki has voiced opposition to Ukraine’s proposed accession to the European Union in his first interview with foreign media…
Wilders and PVV jump in Dutch polls after leaving coalition
Geert Wilders and his Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) jumped in the election polls after leaving the Netherlands' ruling coalition.
Much-needed critical minerals require ‘investments, not commitment’, IEA warns
Investment in critical minerals has started to fall, just as global demand accelerates, warned the International Energy Agency.
Flawed methods or right-wing tilt? TikTok’s ‘political influence’ under NGO’s scrutiny
NGO Global Witness has alleged that TikTok’s algorithm disproportionately promoted "far-right political content".
Italy PM Meloni makes parental consent mandatory for pupils’ sex education
No school in Italy would now be able to include a pupil in a workshop or educational programme on sexuality without the prior and explicit agreement of the student's…
ECHR to national governments: You can talk but we won’t listen
A “disquieting” and “troubling” letter is circulating in Europe. It is “chilling” and aims to “scare and pressure”.
EC funding fuelled ‘green’ NGOs’ litigation against European companies
The European Commission paid activists to target private companies in the courts, expanding Europe's shadow lobbying scandal, according to German news reports.
Polish PM Tusk’s coalition partner polls members on joining opposition
The Polish People's Party (PSL), Poland's ruling centre-left coalition member, has polled its members on whether it should consider teaming up with the current opposition…
Tens of thousands protest against Spanish PM Sánchez’s government
Spain's main opposition party, the centre-right People's Party's (PP), held a protest in Madrid under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy" that organisers said attracted…
What is the state for, welfare or defence? It is no longer possible to have both
While the entire world has been enthralled by the public feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, the world has also continued to move on.
Black Hawks down: Poland back-pedals on purchase of US helicopters
Poland has cancelled the procurement procedure for the purchase of 32 Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the Polish Army.
Vote losers allege electoral fraud as Polish justice minister casts doubt on result
The campaign manager of the losing Polish presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski has encouraged people to submit reports of irregularities during vote counting…
Poland’s young swing right and reject Tusk’s government
Young Polish voters turned out en masse to reject PM Donald Tusk's centre-left government in the June 1 presidential election, according to exit polling by OGB polling…
Europe, are half the voters now fascist? England’s metropolitan Left thinks so
The British playwright David Hare writing in the usually conservative magazine The Spectator last week presented a sixteen-point checklist for fascism.
‘Economic liberalism no longer working,’ international officials warn
Japan’s economy minister Minoru Kiuchi has warned that the risks of economic liberalism now rivalled its benefits as a growing number of governments have been…
‘Europe overestimates Ukraine,’ says its ambassador
The European Union has grown accustomed to the war in Ukraine and was overestimating the country’s resilience, Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU in Brussels said.