International News
Labour Party Wins Selby And Ainsty Byelections In UK
A 25-year-old was elected to parliament after the Labour party defeated the Conservatives in Selby and Ainsty, overcoming a 20,000-vote Conservative majority.
However, Keir Starmer’s party fell short in Boris Johnson’s former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
The only silver lining in Rishi Sunak’s otherwise gloomy night was the Conservatives’ 495-vote victory in the outer London seat.
Following David Warburton’s resignation due to a controversy, the Liberal Democrats easily won in Somerton and Frome.
Sarah Dyke, the South Somerset district council’s cabinet member for the environment, defeated the Conservatives with a margin of 11,008 votes.
The Green party came a distant third in all three byelections.
Greg Hands, the Conservative chair, said the party was disappointed by the Selby result, arguing this was “driven largely by Conservative voters – previous Conservative voters – staying home”.
While the overall byelection results spell bad news for the Tories – polling expert ProfSir John Curtice said the party was “deep electoral trouble” – Labour’s delight was tempered by its failure to take Uxbridge.
Labour figures blamed the decision of the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to extend the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) pollution scheme to outer areas of the city, including Uxbridge, the key Tory campaign in the area.
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, hinted that the party thought Khan should rethink the policy.
She to BBC Breakfast: “I think one of the things we have to reflect on today is not only the mood against the Tories, but also the decision in Uxbridge was related to Ulez.
“The Uxbridge result shows that when you don’t listen to the voters, you don’t win elections.”
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the party’s win in Somerton and Frome showed it was “firmly back in the West Country”.
Selby’s new MP is 25-year-old Keir Mather, a former researcher for the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, who was named after the first leader of the Labour party, Keir Hardie. Mather won by 4,161 votes.
Mather will become the “baby of the house” as the youngest MP in the Commons. In his victory speech, he said that “thousands of votes were in Labour’s box for the first time” and declared: “In this campaign we have rewritten the rules on where Labour can win.”
Starmer said: “This is a historic result that shows that people are looking at Labour and seeing a changed party that is focused entirely on the priorities of working people with an ambitious, practical plan to deliver.
“Keir Mather will be a fantastic MP who will deliver the fresh start Selby and Ainsty deserves.”
Labour had been expected to comfortably win Uxbridge, where Johnson’s majority had dwindled to 7,210 in the 2019 general election – his first as prime minister.
There was sufficient disbelief in the Labour camp that they had not in fact won the byelection that party officials demanded a recount. The second round delivered the same result: a slim Conservative victory.
Former postman Steve Tuckwell, the local Conservative councillor who will take Johnson’s place in Westminster, had said the vote was a “referendum” on Ulez.
In his victory speech, Tuckwell referenced the mayor of London’s decision to expand the zone, where people have to pay a £12.50 daily fee to drive if their car does not meet emission standards. “Sadiq Khan has lost Labour this election,” said Tuckwell.
Labour has gained two seats in byelections since the 2019 general election, after its 2022 win in Wakefield.
Labour’s win in Selby exceeds both the national 12-point swing the party needs for an overall majority at the next general election and the 16-point swing suggested by recent polls.
According to Dr. Hannah Bunting and Prof. Will Jennings, election analysts for Sky, Gaining Selby establishes a record for the magnitude of majority overturned by Labour during a byelection.
In Mid Staffordshire more than 30 years ago, the party defeated the biggest majority at a byelection by 14,654 votes.
The three byelections saw the largest turnout in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where 46.11% of voters participated. In Selby, it was 44.77%, and in Somerset, it was 44.12%.
The United Kingdom is considering sweeping new restrictions that could limit or completely block children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, as part of a broader push to improve online safety and reduce excessive screen time among young users.
The proposal, currently under government consultation, is being led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and focuses on addressing concerns over how teenagers interact with platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
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Officials say the move is driven by growing evidence and public concern that algorithm-driven feeds and “endless scrolling” features may be negatively affecting children’s sleep patterns, concentration levels, and overall well-being.
The government is also reviewing whether additional measures such as app curfews and time limits should be introduced.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the consultation has already attracted widespread public input, with tens of thousands of responses from parents, teenagers, and advocacy groups.
She noted that the government is particularly interested in feedback on addictive platform design features and the use of AI tools targeting younger users.
The UK is also studying policies already implemented in other countries. Australia has introduced stricter age-based restrictions, while Greece and Indonesia have also moved toward tighter regulation of children’s access to social media.
Authorities emphasize that no final decision has been made, but the consultation process is expected to shape future legislation on how tech companies operate and how young users are protected online in the digital age.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked global reactions following his remarks about Pope Leo XIV after the Pope’s recent anti-war message calling for peace in conflict-hit regions.
The controversy began after Pope Leo XIV delivered a strong appeal at the Vatican, urging world leaders to end ongoing wars and prioritise dialogue over violenceviolence.
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The pontiff warned against the “idolatry of power” and called for global cooperation to restore peace.
Reacting to the message, Trump told reporters he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV, describing him as “very liberal” and questioning his views on crime and international security.
The U.S. President further criticised the Pope’s stance on global conflicts, suggesting his message overlooks serious security challenges linked to rising geopolitical tensions, including nuclear concerns.
In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump intensified his criticism, accusing the Pope of taking a weak position on foreign policy matters and suggesting political factors influenced his leadership position.
The comments have since triggered widespread debate across political and religious circles, adding to ongoing tensions between Washington and the Vatican over issues such as immigration policy, military action, and global diplomacy.
While both sides have previously denied any formal rift, the latest exchange has renewed global attention on their differing positions regarding war and peace efforts.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that Mohammed Wishah, an Al Jazeera journalist killed in a strike in Gaza on Wednesday, was a Hamas operative “operating under the guise of a journalist.”
According to Israeli forces, Wishah was “a key terrorist in Hamas’ rocket and weapons production headquarters” and had been planning attacks against soldiers in the area.
The military said he used his journalist identity to advance Hamas’ operations against Israel.
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Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based broadcaster, strongly condemned the killing. In a statement, the network described the attack as a “heinous crime of targeting and killing” its correspondent and insisted the strike was deliberate, not accidental.
The channel vowed to pursue “all necessary legal action to prosecute those responsible for the killing of its correspondents and staff in Gaza.”
Media rights organization Reporters Without Borders also condemned the incident, stating that Wishah’s name now joins “more than 220 journalists killed in two and a half years by Israeli forces in Gaza, at least 70 of whom were killed while performing their duties.”
The killing occurred despite a US-backed ceasefire in Gaza that has been in effect since October 2025, highlighting ongoing tensions and frequent accusations of truce violations by both Israel and Hamas.
Al Jazeera listed Wishah among 11 of its journalists killed in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Past incidents include the killing of Mohammad Salama in August 2025 and the deaths of four Al Jazeera staff and two freelancers outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City earlier that year, prompting widespread condemnation.
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