Timelines
How the main stories unfold, day after day: each timeline gathers the articles about one event, with a summary.
- Lib Dem MP Charlie Maynard quits front bench in reported bid to oust Sir Ed Davey
Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, quit as the party's Treasury spokesman on Friday 9 October, the party confirmed, according to the Evening Standard. The move is reported to be an effort to trigger Sir Ed Davey's removal as leader, as first reported by the Financial Times, the Evening Standard said, and The Guardian understands that Maynard resigned in an attempt to unseat Davey after months of frustration over concerns that the party is failing to cut through with voters. According to The Guardian, Davey is facing a growing revolt against his leadership as the party slips in the polls, while deputy party leader Daisy Cooper said 'the vast majority of our MPs support Ed... and are furious at this distraction', BBC News reported.
- Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali wins the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, defeating Green leader Zack Polanski
Voters in the north London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras went to the polls on Thursday 8 October in a by-election to replace Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned from the House of Commons last month, choosing among 15 candidates in London's most closely watched political contest of the year. Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali, described by the Evening Standard as the overwhelming favourite, defended a seat that has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983 against Green Party leader Zack Polanski, in a contest The Guardian saw as a test of Andy Burnham's ability to unite Labour voters. After the Greens conceded, saying Polanski had come a 'close second', Abdi-Wali won with a majority of 3,364, with a 13% swing from Labour to the Greens, according to the Evening Standard, in the fourth major by-election of 2026 and the first under Andy Burnham's premiership, the Manchester Evening News noted. Abdi-Wali said her victory was a testament to diversity and that she hoped it meant people 'like her' would feel they belong in Britain, and Polanski vowed to carry on as Greens leader after the defeat.
- Nigel Farage declines to rule out a post-election pact between Reform and the Conservatives
Nigel Farage has declined to rule out a post-election pact between Reform and the Conservatives, just a day after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch rejected the idea, saying: 'We are not uniting with that.' The Clacton MP said a pact before the next election is 'extremely unlikely', but added: 'After an election, who's to say?', The Independent reported.
- Burnham calls on Polanski to reverse the Green Party's 'Zionism is racism' motion
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on Polanski to reverse the Green Party's motion on Zionism, intervening in the row over the motion passed by members at the party's conference. He described it as 'a completely wrong decision', the Manchester Evening News reported, and said the controversial declaration 'shouldn't be supported in any way, shape or form', according to The Independent.
- Two Latvian men arrested inside RAF Molesworth, a Cambridgeshire base used by the US and Nato
Two Latvian men, aged 36 and 32, have been arrested on suspicion of trespass offences after being found inside RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, a base used by the US and Nato according to i News. They were found after Ministry of Defence Police patrols spotted an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter of the base and discovered an alleged breach in its perimeter fence. The Financial Times reported that they were arrested on suspicion of 'entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK'.
- Northern Ireland cannot risk a second crisis on budget, says DUP leader Gavin Robinson
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Northern Ireland cannot risk a second crisis on budget. He pressed Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant over the funding level for the region, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported.
- Royal Navy sailor, 24, appears in court accused of plotting to leak intelligence to Russia
Teddy Young, a 24-year-old serving member of the Royal Navy, has been charged with spying for a foreign power. He was arrested at his home in Bedfordshire on Tuesday before being taken into custody in London, and the charges were described as 'very serious charges against a serving member of the armed forces'. Young, who joined the Navy in April 2024 and was on his first deployment, appeared in court accused of plotting to leak intelligence to Russia, the Evening Standard reports.
- Trump says he 'could have done very bad things' to Clinton, Obama and Biden
Asked during an Oval Office event on Wednesday about the possibility of Democrats moving to impeach him if they retake Congress in November, US president Donald Trump said he 'could have done very bad things' to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but thought it 'inappropriate' because 'you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect', adding: 'I can do whatever I want if I want.' Trump has told Republicans that Democrats will certainly try to remove him from office if they win the midterms, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said an impeachment is all but 'guaranteed' if the Republicans lose their majority in Congress. HuffPost UK notes that while Trump did not weaponise the government against Clinton, Biden or Obama, he and his justice department have set their sights on other perceived political enemies, with indictments of former FBI director James Comey and in investigations into Jack Smith, Gavin Newsom, Jerome Powell and several of Trump's opponents in Congress.
- Trump proposes a Camp David-style presidential retreat at his private Florida golf club
President Donald Trump says he wants to turn part of his private West Palm Beach golf club into a retreat for future presidents and their guests, similar to Camp David near Washington. A letter proposing the golf course compared it to Windsor Castle and the Élysée Palace, The Washington Post revealed. The BBC wrote that Trump's estate would stand in stark contrast to the rustic Camp David and mark another tradition transformed by Trump.
- Badenoch vows to scrap inheritance tax on family homes in 'battle for the soul of the nation' speech
In her main speech to the Conservative conference in Birmingham on Wednesday 7 October, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said the next election will be a 'battle for the soul of the nation' and vowed that the Tories will scrap inheritance tax on family homes if elected and let couples leave an extra £1 million tax-free to their children. She also pledged to cut benefits, pitched the Conservatives as the 'no drama' party to take on Andy Burnham's Labour and rejected calls to 'unite the right'. Her party trails Labour and Reform in the polls, and the Tories were accused of prioritising rich voters.
- Leaked audio: Texas attorney general Paxton says Trump's Iran war and gas prices are plaguing Republicans
In leaked audio, Texas attorney general Paxton, the Republican Senate hopeful in Texas, admitted that President Trump's Iran war and US gas prices are plaguing Republicans, and acknowledged that affordability was his party's 'biggest problem' heading into the midterms. The Independent says the audio reveals him trashing the president, ahead of an awkward showdown between the two in Texas, where a recent poll shows Paxton trailing his Democratic opponent by 6 percentage points.
- Reform internal inquiry says the party did not break electoral law over a foreign donations sting
Reform launched an internal probe after a Channel 4 News report on its funding, in which officials were recorded by undercover journalists discussing a potential way to secure foreign donations to the party. The inquiry found that the party did not breach electoral law.
- Ann Widdecombe murder suspect accused of a terror plot against Nigel Farage
Joshua Kerry, 28, accused of killing Ann Widdecombe with a hammer at her home, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on terror charges and was remanded in custody. Prosecutors allege he tried to break into the home of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage about a year before the murder, in what Metro describes as a firebomb plot, and that he researched prominent people and institutions, including Mr Farage's home address, over more than two years. He is accused of preparing terrorist acts between 31 May 2024 and 8 July 2026.
- Green Party member behind anti-Zionism motion described as 'close friend' of jailed Heathrow bomb plotter
Lubna Speitan, the Green Party member behind an anti-Zionism motion, was described in US court documents as a 'close friend' of Minh Quang Pham, who plotted a suicide bomb attack at Heathrow Airport. She offered to testify on behalf of Pham, who was jailed for 40 years after a Heathrow bomb plot investigation.
- Tories pledge to halve employer national insurance for young people
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives have pledged to halve employer national insurance for workers aged 21 to 24, cutting the flat rate from 15% to 7.5%. The party says the policy would cost an estimated £2.3 billion once extra tax receipts and lower welfare spending are taken into account.
- Three unionist parties back motion of no confidence in First Minister
Three unionist parties have backed a motion of no confidence in First Minister Michelle O'Neill. She has been accused of breaking the law by backing a protest on the Garvaghy Road against an Orange parade.
- Kemi Badenoch says the Conservatives have changed as their party conference begins
The UK Conservative Party, led by Kemi Badenoch, has emphasized a transformation since its defeat in the last election as its annual conference began. Badenoch described the party as a 'new' Conservative outfit and positioned it as a 'common sense' political force. She claimed the party could win the next election and ruled out a coalition with Reform UK in the event of a hung parliament. The conference is taking place as Badenoch enters her second year as leader. The party is currently trailing Labour and Reform UK in opinion polls.
- Kemi Badenoch defends Tory conference amid Jeremy Clarkson's jibe about empty seats
Kemi Badenoch insisted the Conservative conference in Birmingham was 'buzzing' and that the party 'will win' the next general election, amid ridicule over empty seats. Jeremy Clarkson had joked that 'a lot of people have come dressed as seats', and the Guardian's sketch writer John Crace described a conference with no queues and empty seats.
- Badenoch says reinstating the triple lock would be difficult if Labour scraps it
Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to drop the automatic link between the pensions triple lock and increases in average earnings from 2030. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch admitted it would be 'difficult' for her party to reinstate the triple lock if Labour scraps it.
- Suspected RAF Fairford terror plot: seven arrests and US bombers withdrawn
Five British men from London were arrested near RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire base used by the US Air Force, on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences, leading to the evacuation of nearby villagers; they were later released on bail. A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested in London and also bailed, and on 6 October a seventh man, British, was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences as a property in Westminster was searched. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were strong indications that Iran played a part. On 4 October the US withdrew its dozen B-1 bombers from the base: Marco Rubio declined to link the move to the plot, but President Trump said they were pulled in the face of 'some threats'. Downing Street insists the base is safe.