EU institutions, UK-EU relations, and Brexit aftermath
EU negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on modernising the bloc’s return system for irregular migrants, introducing harmonised detention limits and recognition procedures in what officials are calling the most comprehensive reform of return policy in over a decade. Parliament and Council representatives struck the deal on 22 May following intensive trilogue negotiations on the…
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, according to a new poll of party members that underscores growing unease with the current leadership just months after Labour’s general election victory. The Survation poll, released on 22 May, shows Burnham commanding 34% support among Labour…
Kemi Badenoch’s net favourability of -17 is the highest recorded by any Conservative leader in over five years, suggesting a slow but discernible Tory recovery beneath the surface of Reform UK’s headline-grabbing surge. The trend has implications for UK-EU relations, where the Conservative posture differs sharply from both Labour and Reform.
Andy Burnham remains the most popular potential successor to Sir Keir Starmer among the British public, with a net favourability score of +4 — the only major political figure currently in positive territory. His Manchester mayoralty makes him a viable but procedurally complicated candidate in any Labour leadership contest.
Sir Keir Starmer’s net favourability has fallen to -46 in the latest YouGov tracker, with 69% of Britons viewing the Prime Minister unfavourably. As Labour grapples with the aftermath of local-election losses, the question of his leadership has moved decisively from speculation to open political debate.
MEPs in Strasbourg have moved this week to delay certain high-risk provisions of the AI Act and adopt a new ban on so-called ‘AI nudifier’ systems, in a vote that signals a recalibration of how the Union balances innovation incentives against the most acute risks of generative AI.
Members of the European Parliament engaged in heated debate on 21 May over the cybersecurity risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence systems, with lawmakers divided over whether to impose mandatory security testing requirements on developers of frontier AI models or maintain a more flexible, risk-based approach. The plenary session saw MEPs grapple with how to…
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s approval rating has plummeted to minus 46 in a YouGov poll released on 21 May, marking the lowest point since he entered Downing Street last July. The dramatic decline signals mounting public frustration with Labour’s handling of key domestic challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis, NHS waiting times, and channel crossings,…
The European Parliament and Commission convened on 21 May to evaluate the EU’s health emergency response capabilities following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius in late April 2026, with lawmakers pressing officials on the adequacy of cross-border coordination mechanisms and surveillance infrastructure designed to prevent similar incidents. The session, which brought together MEPs from…
The European Parliament will vote in Strasbourg on Thursday 21 May 2026 on a resolution demanding an urgent EU response to democratic backsliding in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico, citing the dismantling of anti-corruption bodies and compromised judicial independence.
