Labour news stories on Newser

Cameron, Clegg Scramble to Form UK Government

Kevin Spak — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:50:13 CDT

Britain's winner-less election has left both the Conservatives and the Labour Party furiously negotiating with and sucking up to Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrat party, with papers just as furiously live-blogging the comings and goings. Though they actually lost seats, the Liberal Dems have the power to determine who becomes prime...

BBC Journo Stuns Brown with Pill-Popping Question

Jason Farago — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:53:00 CDT

Gordon Brown's office and the British Labor Party are furious with the BBC after the host of the channel's flagship political program asked the prime minister if he took prescription painkillers. Downing Street had already denied the rumor, which began on the Internet. A shocked Brown responded: "No! I think...

As 4th Minister Quits, Brown's Outlook Bleak

Jason Farago — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:28:45 CDT

With one day to go before clutch British elections, another minister resigned from Gordon Brown's Cabinet today, dealing the beleaguered PM another devastating blow. Hazel Blears, an arch-Blairite who was exposed for avoiding $21,000 in capital gains tax, refused to praise Brown in her resignation statement. She is the...

Brown to Purge Cabinet After Expenses Flap

Jason Farago — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:16:00 CDT

Gordon Brown has been dropping hints of a major reshuffle and possible constitutional reform as the crisis over British MPs' expenses continues. The Telegraph alleged today that two ministers fiddled with the rules to avoid paying capital gains tax after selling their homes. The PM is said to be preparing...

UK Minister Denies He Bet Governing Party Would Falter

Kevin Spak — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:17:00 CDT

Lord Alan West, the UK’s colorful security minister, today denied he’d bet on the Labour party’s defeat in the next election, the Times of London reports. The Telegraph yesterday alleged that West placed the bet when Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister, grabbing 66-1 odds. West refuted that,...

Lost Contact Lens Delays Brown Speech

Jason Farago — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:00:00 CDT

Gordon Brown was forced to delay a speech to a Labour Party conference last week after he accidentally washed a contact lens down the sink, reports the Times of London. The British PM had no extra pair, and a staff worker had to detach the pipe beneath the sink to...

Downturn 'Worst for 100 Years': UK Minister

Jason Farago — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:53:00 CST

The current economic crisis will be the worst in a century, surpassing even the Great Depression, according to Gordon Brown's closest political ally. Ed Balls, a minister sometimes tipped as a future British leader, said that the downturn would be "more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s....

'War on Terror' Approach a Big Mistake: UK Official

Jason Farago — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:37:57 CST

The notion of a "war on terror" is ill-conceived and may have done more harm than good in the fight against extremism, according to the British foreign secretary. There is no "unified transnational enemy," and the phrase coined by President Bush led officials to believe that the West could "kill...

Brown Surges 11 Points in Latest Poll

Jason Farago — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:42:13 CDT

A new poll for the Independent shows that Gordon Brown, Britain's once seemingly doomed prime minister, has surged 11 points as the financial crisis continues. The poll put support for the opposition Tories at 39%, Labour at 31%, and the third-party Liberal Democrats at 16%. Where once the Tories were...