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The Reform party took control of councils for the first time yesterday, added an extra MP to their ranks in a byelection and entered government for the first time with mayoral wins. It was a huge night for Nigel Farage, who wasted no time in appointing himself the official opposition.
There are two major takeaways from the results in the local elections. The first is that Reform has refined its campaigning tactics to position itself as a threat to both Labour and the Conservatives. As things currently stand, it’s not unreasonable to predict a major breakthrough at the next general election.
However, the second is that Reform is now an incumbent party, both in mayoralities and councils. It crosses over from being on the attack to being in a position of having to defend a record of its own. This is a test that has been more than a decade in the making. Here’s what they’re up against.
Today is World Press Freedom day and an opportunity to highlight how journalists are blocked from speaking truth to power for fear of reprisal. Our latest long read reveals that in Mexico and Honduras, leftwing governments have been meting out attacks on media professionals seeking to expose wrongdoing, all while purporting to protect them. When their lives are not at risk, journalists are increasingly being undermined by tech barons who can’t handle bad press
and foreign influence campaigns spreading falsehoods. It’s a perfect storm that is already undermining democracy.
The Trump administration has, with little warning, terminated 800 grants being used to fund health research. With plans to make even further cuts at the National Institutes of Health, vital work is at risk. In the latest episode of The Conversation Weekly, we hear from researchers working on Alzheimer’s and HIV about the moment their funding were pulled.
Chinese imports to the US are now dropping as a result of the tariffs being imposed by Donald Trump. But China is out to win the trade war and has been taking steps to make American industry suffer in return. Beijing has been taking its sweet time to renew import licences for US pig and poultry farmers and restricting exports of critical minerals. If Trump thinks Xi Jinping will back down before he does, it’s increasingly evident that he may have miscalculated.
The latest in our series of articles on rethinking the classics positions Wuthering Heights as a story of toxic coercive control. This reading does not centre on the tempestuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. It’s when Heathcliff marries someone else that Emily Brontë’s novel becomes a testament to how freely husbands were once able to control and abuse their families.
And if you’re getting your winter feet out this weekend as the weather takes a sudden turn for the balmy, our expert is on hand. Cracked heels can set in over the darker months and could require your attention now. Here’s how to take care of the feet you’ve been storing in socks since October.
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