James Heale

Friday morning brings with it the usual raft of council by-election results. It has been another good night for Reform UK, who polled a very strong second in the centre of Cardiff, despite only running a limited campaign. But the most striking result was in Bromley, where Nigel Farage's party won their first London ward with 34 per cent of the vote. That is despite the Tories fielding a strong candidate and canvassing the area hard, with Kemi Badenoch out door-knocking on polling day. Reform ran a good campaign here, with their candidate Alan Cook, well-versed on the issues and the party's messaging. But the party believe that something more fundamental is going on than simply the electorate's disdain for the Tories.

Kemi Badenoch has saved the biggest news of the Tory reshuffle for last. This morning, the headlines were dominated by news of James Cleverly’s return. But this evening, the only story causing shockwaves is Lee Rowley’s departure as Badenoch’s chief of staff. His importance to the Kemi project cannot be overstated. The pair entered parliament together in 2017 and spent countless hours debating the future of the Tory party. After Rowley lost his seat in July 2024, Badenoch appointed him as her most senior adviser. ‘It’s like having another me out there’, she said of Rowley in an interview with this publication in December. ‘He is pretty much my closest friend in politics.

If you want a sign of how badly things have gone wrong for this government, compare Keir Starmer's third Liaison Committee grilling with his first. Back in December, it was all stonewalling and smiles, as the Prime Minister gently dead-batted questions in front of a (largely) sympathetic crowd. Seven months on, the audience remains the same: 18 of the 26 select committees in the Commons are chaired by Labour MPs. But now the tone has hardened considerably. Today's session focused on poverty and international affairs. Normally, these might be regarded as areas in which a redistributive social democrat premier would excel. But after the benefits U-turn a fortnight ago, Starmer found himself subjected to some hostile grilling.

After a two-year impasse, the future of the Daily Telegraph could be resolved shortly. A £500m deal has been struck for US firm Redbird Capital to take control of the Telegraph Media Group, with state-backed Abu Dhabi investment vehicle IMI among investors. But a fresh challenge has arisen in the House of Lords. Peers are threatening to block minister's efforts to change the law to give foreign companies a greater stake in British media outfits – up from the existing five per cent to 15 cent. This is a necessary legal change to allow the Telegraph sale to go ahead. A 'fatal motion' will be held in the Lords on Tuesday; if passed, it would kill the government's plans. It is a device seldom wielded by peers, having been last used in 2012.

Labour woes mean Tory smiles. The Conservatives have ended the parliamentary session on a (reasonable) high, after last week's benefits debacle. At the shadow cabinet yesterday, frontbenchers were treated to a presentation by Mark McInnes, the new chief executive, and Paul Bristow – the only real success story from May's local elections. This evening, it was the turn of Kemi Badenoch to address the 1922 Committee for their final meeting before the summer recess. Badenoch's speech was an upbeat affair. She pointed to the U-turns secured on welfare, grooming gangs and winter fuel. Progress was highlighted in a number of key areas, after the shambles of the last election. Following the betting scandal, the Tories have now rebuilt their candidates' team.