World elections
Updated
UK election
King Charles asks Starmer to form government after Labour election landslide
Rishi Sunak has stood down as leader of the Conservatives after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party swept to power, all but wiping out the ruling Tories.
- by Rob Harris
Latest
Three years ago Keir Starmer considered quitting politics. Now he’s Britain’s PM
The Labour Party has swept to power, ousting the Tories after 14 years. But Starmer will have a lot of work getting voters to believe in his leadership.
- by Rob Harris
Emmanuel Macron’s election gamble failed. Now he’s nowhere to be seen
In the lead-up to the campaign, Macron’s aides wanted him to keep a low profile given the depth of his unpopularity. But the president couldn’t help himself.
- by Ania Nussbaum and Samy Adghirni
Updated
France
French voters slap Macron, propel far-right to strong lead in election first round
French polling agencies indicated that President Emmanuel Macron’s grouping of centrist parties could finish a distant third in the first-round ballot.
- by Barbara Surk and Helena Alves
After debate debacle, Jill Biden tries to convince us Joe is fit to lead
Jill Biden was right at her husband’s side as they exited Air Force One to head for a pair of campaign stops. She is doing all she can to convince donors that Joe Biden can win.
- by Josh Boak
Opinion
Government debt
Macron’s snap election could trigger the next debt crisis
This weekend’s elections have the potential to blow out France’s debt and threaten the stability of the eurozone and its single currency.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Explainer
Emmanuel Macron
‘Le TikTok king’: How a 28-year-old could be France’s new prime minister
Snap elections in France have put a spotlight on the leader of its major far-right party. Who is he? And why is French politics in turmoil?
- by Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Analysis
France
Can a national hero like Kylian Mbappe stop the rise of the far-right in France?
Before President Emmanuel Macron’s stunning decision to dissolve parliament and call a snap poll, France’s reckoning with the hard right was scheduled for 2027.
- by Rob Harris
Russia v the Olympics: How hacks, bedbug scares and a fake Tom Cruise could disrupt the Games
Total meltdown or death by a thousand hacks? The Paris Games face the biggest cyber threat so far. And the fallout could reach well beyond cyberspace.
- by Sherryn Groch and Marta Pascual Juanola
Updated
UK election
Spike in bets on day before Rishi Sunak called election prompts probe of PM’s campaign
The allegations are another hammer blow for the 14-year-old government that polls predict is facing a catastrophic defeat on July 4.
- by Rob Harris
Tories look to a million Brits in Australia to save them from oblivion
British expats have until 10am on Wednesday (AEST) to register to vote, and Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are counting on them to do so.
- by Rob Harris