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UK MP: 'I've Hurt People by Being Weak'

William Wragg says he revealed colleagues' phone numbers after getting caught up in sexting scam

(Newser) - British lawmakers who may have been targeted in a sexting scam were urged Friday to go to police, after a senior Conservative admitted disclosing the personal phone numbers of some colleagues to an unknown individual who held "compromising" material on him. William Wragg, who chairs the Public Administration and...

Dissolve Parliament Over Expense Flap: UK Opposition

(Newser) - The improper-expenses scandal roiling the British government is so crippling that the entire parliament ought to be dissolved, and an emergency general election held, opposition leader David Cameron said today. The “political system is paralyzed,” said Cameron, who could push for a June vote, the Telegraph reports. “...

30 Years On, Thatcher Still Divides

Britain's first female PM polarized during her rule, and after

(Newser) - Thirty years ago today British voters elected Margaret Thatcher in a landmark election, ushering in 18 years of Conservative rule. She remains a polarizing figure: her enemies still regard her as nearly diabolical, while her admirers speak of her as a saint. The Telegraph looks back on her tumultuous 11-year...

UK Conservative Leader's Son Dies at Age 6

Cameron's eldest child suffered from rare neurological condition

(Newser) - The eldest son of David Cameron, leader of Britain's Conservative Party and the country's possible next prime minister, died early this morning at age 6. Ivan Cameron suffered from severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy and required constant care, reports the Times of London. He was born with Ohtohara syndrome, a...

New Election Loss Could Be Knock-Out Punch for Brown

Tory takes vacancy in industrial district

(Newser) - The crushing defeat for the Labor Party yesterday in an election in a working class district of England could spell disaster for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, reports the Guardian. The opposition Tory candidate beat the ruling party choice in a by-election to fill a death vacancy by a whopping margin...

Outlook Dark for Britain's Brown
Outlook Dark for Britain's Brown

Outlook Dark for Britain's Brown

PM's ratings tank in new poll, prompting Labour worries party could go down with him

(Newser) - British PM Gordon Brown suffered his worst ratings yet today, falling behind Conservative Party leader David Cameron in every category in a new survey. The Labour leader is scrambling to win back public favor after three in four people said he was doing a bad job, with almost half calling...

Poll Confirms: Brown Bubble Has Burst
Poll Confirms: Brown Bubble Has Burst

Poll Confirms: Brown Bubble Has Burst

Party support lowest since Blair left office, worrying Labour

(Newser) - The "Brown Bounce" is over, says the Guardian. A sobering new poll puts Labour five points behind the Tories, the lowest showing for the party since Gordon Brown entered No. 10. Based on the distribution of seats, Labour would have remained the largest party in the Commons but lost...

Tories Try to Fight Off Early UK Election

Conservatives prepare for disaster, and some prefer Brown anyway

(Newser) - Britain's Conservatives are having their annual meeting this week, and the party is desperate to put on a brave face and scare Gordon Brown away from an early election. But as David Cameron, the Tories' 40-year-old modernizing leader, prepares for his make-or-break speech tomorrow, one columnist reports that in private...

Brown Proposes Significant Power Shift

PM seeks new role for Parliament, bill of rights, lower voting age

(Newser) - Gordon Brown used his first appearance before the House of Commons as PM yesterday to unveil a surprising slate of power-shifting reforms, including limiting his right to declare war and lowering the voting age to 16. The initiatives, which also include development of a bill of rights, could radically alter...

Brown Outlines Post-Blair Era
Brown Outlines Post-Blair Era

Brown Outlines Post-Blair Era

Proposes major initiatives - including transfer of war powers to Parliament

(Newser) - Gordon Brown is about to put some distance between himself and his former boss with a series of proposals laying out his vision, including giving Parliament the right to approve war powers, reports The Observer. With Blair pilloried for pusuing a profoundly unpopualr war almost single-handedly from Number 10, Brown...

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