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Government rift Frustration at life in coalition gives common cause to the band of rebels, say George Parker and Alex Barker The casus belli was university tuition fees, but the [...]

Soaking up the adoration of young activists, David Cameron strode into the Birmingham Symphony Hall in the glare of the flashbulbs on the first day of his Conservative party conference. [...]

Plans to reclassify energy projects DfID priorities face funding squeeze Labour has accused the coalition of plotting to redirect funds from Britain's overseas aid budget to pay for international climate [...]

A wealthy property investor hand-picked by David Cameron to become Conservative party treasurer yesterday tendered his resignation - weeks before even starting the job. David Rowland's sudden decision to withdraw [...]

Liberal Democrats voted overwhelmingly in favour of the party's ruling coalition with the Conservatives at a special conference in Birmingham yesterday, reflecting their joy at participating in government after decades [...]

The era of the 'special adviser' in Westminster reached its zenith this week, as David Cameron became the first prime minister in British history to rise from within the staff [...]

Protocol The agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats is likely to prove tougher and more binding than a traditional manifesto, leading constitutional experts said yesterday. 'This is a programme [...]

Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrat party is brimming with former leaders who dream of uniting Britain's 'progressive forces'. But at the crucial moment it was Nick Clegg, an MP for [...]

Coalition deal The Lib Dems have persuaded the new chancellor to dilute Tory bank regulation plans, say George Parker and Alex Barker George Osborne, the new Tory chancellor, has been [...]

Party negotiations Liberal Democrat MPs yesterday urged Nick Clegg to take as much time as markets allow, test all options to the limit and push for a 'full-blown coalition' in [...]

Campaign review Britain's political infatuation with Nick Clegg evaporated on Thursday night as suddenly as it had appe-ared, but the poor election showing still anointed the Liberal Democrat leader as [...]

Hung parliament Informal alliances will be vital to push through parts of the manifesto, write Jean Eaglesham and Alex Barker A minority Conservative government could struggle to implement David Cameron's [...]

Matchmaking The Labour leader's passion for an alliance is not shared by many, say George Parker and Jim Pickard Gordon Brown's strategy of trying to forge an antiConservative alliance with [...]

UK's third party targets more seats Labour and Tories try to regain ground Liberal Democracy is blooming in Brentford. When Lord Mandelson, the ruling Labour party's election supremo, yesterday admitted [...]

Man in the News NICK CLEGG Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats have had only a passing acquaintance with power in Britain since the days when politicians turned up to work in [...]

The Conservatives have spent millions of pounds turning their electoral database into a formidable campaigning tool, but technological glitches and suspicion over modern campaign methods mean some party activists are [...]

Turmoil is boon for opposition Tories Ballot call stuns Westminster The relief was palpable on the faces of two British ministers, both supporters of Gordon Brown, prime minister. 'Call that [...]

Former ministers challenge Brown Ballot call stuns Westminster Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, yesterday faced a grave challenge to his premiership, delivering a serious blow to his preparations for the [...]

Gordon Brown yesterday paraded Labour's election armoury as he unveiled [pounds sterling]2.25m worth of donations and ratcheted up the rhetoric on the 'dangers' of a Conservative government. The prime minister [...]

Gordon Brown should drop Tony Blair as a candidate for the European Union presidency in favour of a drive to secure a top economic job in the European Commission, William [...]

Campaign stepped up as party leads polls The foreign affairs chief of the UK's opposition Conservatives has warned European ambassadors privately that backing Tony Blair as European Union president would [...]

Campaign stepped up as party leads polls The foreign affairs chief of the UK's opposition Conservatives has warned European ambassadors privately that backing Tony Blair as European Union president would [...]

Hague warning on 'hostile gesture' US Jewish groups attack Latvian link The foreign affairs chief of Britain's opposition Conservatives has privately warned Europe that backing Tony Blair as European Union [...]

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British army, is to join the opposition Conservative party as an adviser, just days after publicly attacking the conduct of Gordon [...]

Defence General Sir Richard Dannatt was last night accused of acting as a 'political stooge' after the former head of the army joined the Conservatives as a defence adviser, just [...]

Tories would freeze pay in some sectors Plans to cut [pounds sterling]7bn from state spending The man who may be running Britain's finances after next year's election pulled no punches [...]

UK Conservatives David Cameron remains a puzzle despite being seen as the man to end 12 wilderness years, writes Alex Barker When David Cameron struts on to the stage to [...]

Lisbon treaty Rows over Europe yesterday overshadowed the build-up to the Conservatives' conference, which starts on Monday, as the French called the party's stance ridiculous and the Tories attacked Labour's [...]

Europe's dwindling band of centre-left prime ministers put on a defiant show at the UK Labour party conference yesterday, refusing to be cowed by a 'bad' German election result. On [...]

Annual conference Supporters expect Gordon Brown's speech to be a funeral address, write Alex Barker and Jim Pickard When Gordon Brown first addressed his party's conference as UK prime minister [...]

Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, yesterday vowed to press ahead with the country's 'vital'' mission in Afghanistan as the death toll of British troops in the country rose past the [...]

FSA to be replaced by consumer body Bank of England to gain more powers The opposition George Osborne put the City on warning yesterday that a Conservative government would overturn [...]

Tory proposals George Osborne put the City on warning yesterday that a Conservative government would overturn the government's proposed reforms of financial regulation. The shadow chancellor committed the Tories to [...]

Labour crisis Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, last night faced down critics in his governing Labour party after a humiliating night at the polls. At a private meeting of Labour [...]

Eurosceptics The UK Independence party was celebrating strong advances last night, as early results suggested the eurosceptics could emerge as the big beneficiaries from the expenses scandal. Strong preliminary signs [...]

European poll share falls below 20% Ukip running second behind the Tories Gordon Brown faces a showdown with his MPs today after a humiliating night at the polls, as a [...]

The Eurosceptic Conservative party was last night set to emerge in Britain as the big winner in the European elections, delivering another heavy blow to Gordon Brown, the Labour prime [...]

Party forecast to drop to third place Ministers prepare to lose 250 seats Psephology Labour is tonight forecast to become the third party of local government in England, as its [...]

Losses likely in EU and local elections PM plans reshuffle to assert authority Britain's ruling Labour party yesterday went through a temporary lull in hostilities as Gordon Brown, prime minister, [...]

Losses likely in EU and local elections PM plans reshuffle to assert authority Britain's ruling Labour party yesterday saw a temporary lull in hostilities as Gordon Brown, prime minister, braced [...]

Power politics Gordon Brown has one advantage over opponents in his attempt to remain as leader of the Labour party and prime minister: institutional inertia. 'Gordon's critics have to go [...]

Europe votes A voter in Oxfordshire neatly summed up the British attitude to next month's elections. While backing the opposition Conservative party, in local elections they were unlikely to vote [...]

The Financial Services Authority must declare the terms of 'stress tests' for UK banks in order to avoid 'undermining confidence in the sector', the Liberal Democrats have warned. Vince Cable, [...]

Commons ambush for government Loss underlines backbench anger Gordon Brown yesterday suffered his first House of Commons defeat as opposition party leaders exploited the prime minister's waning authority to ambush [...]

Gordon Brown yesterday suffered his first House of Commons defeat, as opposition party leaders exploited the prime minister's waning authority to ambush the government over immigration restrictions on former Gurkhas. [...]

Party wary over revealing targets Cameron promises 'culture change' David Cameron yesterday promised a 'massive culture change' to tackle Britain's rising debt mountain. His challenge between now and the election [...]

Gordon Brown's plans to reform MPs' expenses were in turmoil last night after the Conservatives joined the Liberal Democrats in deciding to vote against the prime minister's 'weak' proposal for [...]

Labour strategists believe the party could lose control of all of Britain's county councils at the local elections this summer for the first time since 1977. MPs were warned by [...]

PM to promote social mobility Professions to be made less elitist The UK government yesterday launched its latest attempt to tackle the country's enduring class divide, unveiling a raft of [...]

British single mothers, drug addicts and the workshy face having their state benefits docked unless they look for jobs under ambitious UK government proposals to tackle 'welfare dependency'. More than [...]