Politics

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The UK government is preparing to take a significant step toward banning social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer increasingly expected to support the measure. Ministers plan to launch a public consultation next week, which will explore potential approaches including a strict age limit and alternative measures such as restricting infinite scrolling. The consultation, led by...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The Spanish government has declassified hundreds of previously sealed government files relating to the 1981 attempted coup, known as 23‑F, in a bid to shed light on one of the most controversial episodes in modern Spanish history and counter persistent conspiracy theories about what actually occurred. On 23 February 1981, Lieutenant‑Colonel Antonio Tejero and armed civil guards stormed...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Peter Mandelson is facing an inquiry by the European Union following claims about his Brussels trade role. The EU anti-fraud office, known as Olaf, has been asked to examine his activities after new documents emerged suggesting possible misconduct during his time as trade commissioner. These revelations reportedly link Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, raising serious...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The Gorton and Denton byelection closed with voters choosing between Greens, Labour, and Reform UK. Voters in Gorton and Denton, south-east Manchester, turned out amid one of the most unpredictable byelections in recent British political history. Polls closed after a campaign defined by sharp attacks and high stakes, with Labour defending a majority of over thirteen thousand votes....

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is poised to become the parliamentary leader of Your Party, the fledgling left‑wing political movement he co‑founded with fellow ex‑Labour MP Zarah Sultana, after his supporters secured a majority in the party’s internal leadership election. Party members voted earlier this week in an election for the central executive committee (CEC), with Corbyn‑aligned...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The UK government has confirmed that No 10 Downing Street will not have the final authority over the publication of sensitive documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the United States, after Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) secured control of the release process. The move marks a significant shift in how politically sensitive material will be handled...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Election observers have raised serious concerns about secret ballot breaches during the Gorton and Denton byelection. Democracy Volunteers, an organisation founded by Dr John Ault and supported by the Conservative peer and psephologist Prof Robert Haywood, deployed four accredited election observers across the constituency. Their team visited 22 out of 45 polling stations while polls were open, spending...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. In a historic upset, the Green party has claimed victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, delivering a crushing blow to Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership. Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green party councillor, overturned Labour’s 13,000-vote majority to become the party’s first MP in northern England. The result has shocked political commentators, establishing the Greens as a...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The UK government is facing fresh questions over how the rapid expansion of data centres — facilities that house computing infrastructure for digital services and artificial intelligence (AI) — could affect the country’s climate and net zero emissions targets, after Energy Secretary Ed Miliband acknowledged the “inherently uncertain” nature of their environmental impact. In a letter to the...

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The Jacinda Ardern move to Australia has stirred emotion across New Zealand and beyond. News that the former prime minister is relocating to Sydney surfaced in an unusually candid way. It happened not through an official statement, but on a festival dancefloor at 2am. Her husband, Clarke Gayford, shared the news while dressed as a giant toadstool. The...