Who’s John Swinney, the SNP veteran set to run Scotland?
The Scottish National Party’s former leader is going for the top job again. And main rival Kate Forbes has said she’ll back him.
UK Tories pretend they’re not Tories to win
UK local elections: How to watch like a pro
Driving the day
Good afternoon. Millions of people across England and Wales are going to the polls in the latest slate of local elections. Here’s what else you need to know:
- Nerd out with our guide to watching them like a pro.
- John Swinney announced a bid for the SNP leadership. And his biggest potential rival Kate Forbes is rowing in behind him.
- Britain is set to be the worst-performing G7 economy in 2025, according to the OECD.
Poll of polls
Editors’ picks
The Manchester model: The industrial revolution’s ‘shock city’ revives
The city’s startling turnaround has triggered a debate about whether ordinary residents are benefiting, or it’s become a playground for property developers and affluent newcomers.
Is the dream of Scottish independence over?
How the seemingly inexorable journey to an independent Scotland ground to a halt.
UK’s Sunak and Hunt wage war on City watchdog
UK general election polls
Potential Scottish indyref
What’s next
- EU PARLIAMENT
European election polls
June 6-9
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- Lithuania:
May 12
Presidential election -
- Romania:
September 15
Presidential election -
- Lithuania:
October 13
General election
What is Poll of Polls and how does it work? Read more.
Washington
Brussels
EU pledges €1B in aid for Lebanon
Ursula von der Leyen announces aid package to last until 2027.
Croatian president hits out at prospect of EU TikTok ban
“TikTok means nothing to me, but it means freedom for my children to use it if they want,” Zoran Milanović said.
Activists press for EU-wide abortion right
A petition calling for an EU fund to help women access abortion care in countries with more liberal laws gained 100,000 signatures in its first week.
France
Germany
Scholz and Macron to hold secret dinner in Paris ahead of Xi’s visit
The meeting comes days ahead of Chinese leader’s trip to France and tensions over potential EU car tariffs
France tops UK (again) in foreign investment race amid European slowdown
The U.K. bucked a Europe-wide trend of declining investments.
Brussels slams Berlin’s ‘ill-founded’ effort to delay EU satellite project
Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck wants to suspend the IRIS2 satellite project; the EU isn’t giving way.
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Opinion
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Our inaugural energy and climate rendez-vous in the U.K. convening high-level policymakers, industry leaders and pioneers of the green revolution.
In conversation with POLITICO editors: What’s at stake in the European election?
Hear from POLITICO editors on how the election might play out and what implications it will have on the EU political landscape.
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As Russia’s shadow fleet menaces Sweden, here’s how the EU could help