Annabelle Dickson

United Kingdom

Senior Political Correspondent at POLITICO Europe

Inhabits Westminster for @PoliticoEurope. Senior political correspondent and Sunday Cruncher. https://t.co/OXmC22mq0D…

Articles

UK Supreme Court rules ‘woman’ means biological female

1 week ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Andrew McDonald

The long-running legal challenge was brought by the For Women Scotland campaign group — who argue sex is biological, binary and can’t be changed — against the Scottish government. The case dates back to 2018 when the Scottish administration, led by then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, passed legislation to establish gender quotas to get more women serving on public boards.
Why Keir Starmer’s British Steel sugar rush threatens a hangover

1 week ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Dan Bloom

The same person said focusing on homegrown heavy industry really will help Labour fight Farage, but argued it is “not a political decision” in itself — rather “a reaction to the geopolitical realities” of a looming global trade war. The direction Britain’s industrial policy should now take has been a live discussion at the highest levels of the Labour Party.
UK Labour’s newest split? Town vs. city

1 week ago | politico.eu | Esther Webber |Annabelle Dickson

LONDON — Keir Starmer leads a Labour Party that appears too big to fail. But nine months after it stormed to victory with an overwhelming majority, dividing lines in his army are beginning to emerge. First apparent was a clash between upstart new MPs and longer-serving stalwarts, both of whom thought they were entitled to a bigger stake in Starmer’s government.
Britain’s lawmakers are obsessing about European courts … again

2 weeks ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Dan Bloom

LONDON — Bashing European laws used to be a favored pastime of right-wing British lawmakers. It’s now going mainstream. Months after inheriting responsibility for Britain’s borders, the U.K.’s center-left Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking aim at the application of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which he says is being wrongly used to circumvent Britain’s own immigration rules.
UK wants investigation into Israel’s killing of Gaza aid workers

2 weeks ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson

LONDON — The Israeli army’s killing of 15 humanitarian workers in Gaza last month must be investigated, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday. Asked about the deaths of the emergency workers in south Gaza on March 23, Starmer told members of parliament: “There’s got to be an investigation into that.”The Israeli military has been criticized for killing the medics and for changing its story around the incident.
Labour’s welfare reform headache is now a migraine

4 weeks ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Esther Webber

LONDON — Rachel Reeves was already facing a hard sell on welfare reform. Her job just got a whole lot more difficult. Britain’s top finance minister was on Wednesday forced to set out social security cuts which will go further, and ultimately save less, than billed just a week ago, after the U.K.’s independent spending watchdog cast a skeptical eye over the government’s initial plans.
No Plan B? Labour’s Project Growth still isn’t paying off

1 month ago | politico.eu | Dan Bloom |Annabelle Dickson

LONDON — Rachel Reeves bangs the “growth, growth, growth” drum again Wednesday. But her Labour colleagues are starting to wonder what happens if the music dies. Reeves, Britain's top finance minister, is banking on an economic turnaround to hand her the space to improve straining public services. But forecasts released alongside the chancellor’s spring statement Wednesday are set to halve projected U.K. GDP growth in 2025 to around 1 percent.
Keir Starmer pulled the pin on steep welfare cuts. Now for the hard part.

1 month ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Dan Bloom

An impact assessment may reveal how many people fall into this category — but it’s not expected until next week, making it hard for Starmer’s MPs to judge the expected toll of the changes. Confirmation that a previously rumored freeze to daily living payments would not be part of the plan softened the immediate reaction to Tuesday’s announcement.
Farage and Tories spy an opening as small businesses turn on Labour

1 month ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson

LONDON — Margaret Thatcher hugged her “nation of shopkeepers” close. Labour is struggling to emulate her success — leaving rivals rubbing their hands. Months after winning power off the back of a pre-election charm offensive designed to burnish the party’s business credentials, the Labour government is leaking hard-won support from small business owners blindsided by some of its first moves — including a surprise hike in employment taxes.
‘Not why I joined the party:’ Keir Starmer’s MPs agonize about welfare cuts

1 month ago | politico.eu | Annabelle Dickson |Esther Webber |Dan Bloom

LONDON — Few Labour MPs got into politics to cut social security. But with a cash-strapped center-left government promising sweeping reform, they’re facing a major test of loyalty to the man whose victory guided them back into power. Eight months after Keir Starmer won a landslide in part on a promise to break with 14 years of austere Conservative rule, Britain’s prime minister is planning a fresh overhaul of the country’s ballooning welfare budget — including slashing benefits for the disabled.