The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905,emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson,it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movement. Following the partition of Ireland,it was the governing party of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. It was supported by most unionist voters throughout the conflict known as the Troubles,during which time it was often referred to as the Official Unionist Party (OUP).
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist,loyalist,British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley,who led the party for the next 37 years. It is currently led by Gavin Robinson,who initially stepped in as an interim after the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson. It is the second largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly,and was the fifth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom prior to its dissolution. The party has been described as centre-right to right-wing and socially conservative,being anti-abortion and opposing same-sex marriage. The DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and republicanism. It is also Eurosceptic and supported Brexit.
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London,running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to the north,with Soho and Mayfair to its immediate south. It is Europe's busiest shopping street,with around half a million daily visitors,and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops. It is designated as part of the A40,a major road between London and Fishguard,though it is not signed as such,and traffic is regularly restricted to buses and taxis.
The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London,England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 as the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace;it stood near the site of what is today the three-bayed,central projection of the palace containing the well-known balcony. In 1851,on the initiative of architect and urban planner Decimus Burton,a one-time pupil of John Nash,the arch was relocated to its current site,near the northeast corner of Hyde Park,so that expansion of Buckingham Palace could proceed.
Dame Shirley,Lady Porter DBE,is a British politician who led Westminster City Council in London from 1983 to 1991,representing the Conservative Party. She is the daughter and heiress of Sir Jack Cohen,the founder of Tesco supermarkets. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 by John Major after delivering victory in Westminster for the Conservatives in the 1990 local elections. While leader of Westminster City Council,Porter oversaw the "Building Stable Communities" policy —later described as the "homes for votes scandal" —and was consequently accused of gerrymandering. The policy was judged illegal by the district auditor,and a surcharge of £27m levied on her in 1996. This was later raised to £42 million with interest and costs. She eventually settled in 2004,paying a final settlement of £12.3 million.
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London,England. It is a London borough council,one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings are generally held at Westminster Council House,also known as Marylebone Town Hall,and the council has its main offices at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street.
Christopher Laurie "Kit" Malthouse is a British politician and businessman who served as Secretary of State for Education from 6 September to 25 October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party,he previously served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from July to September 2022. He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Hampshire since 2015.
Craig Mackinlay is a Conservative Party politician and businessman. From 2015 to 2024,he was the last Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet.
Melvyn John Stride is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since October 2022. He previously served in the May Government as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General from 2017 to 2019 and as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from May to July 2019. He also served as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party,he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Devon from 2010 to 2024.
The homes for votes scandal was a gerrymandering controversy involving the Conservative-led Westminster City Council in London. Having narrowly maintained their control of the council in the 1986 local elections,Conservative councillors initiated a programme of selling off council homes in eight marginal wards,in the belief that owner-occupiers were more likely to vote Conservative than council tenants. Hostels in the marginal wards were closed,with some homeless people moved into condemned accommodation. The policy came to an end after it was exposed on the BBC current affairs programme Panorama in 1989. On investigation,the policy was ruled to be illegal. Former leader of the Council Dame Shirley Porter was found guilty of wilful misconduct and ordered to repay £36.1m. She eventually settled with the council for a sum of £12.3 million.
James Palmer is a former politician who was the first Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough between 2017 and 2021. As a councillor,he was previously leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council between May 2013 and May 2017. He was also a county councillor for the Soham and Fordham Villages electoral division of Cambridgeshire County Council between 2009 and 2017. Palmer was elected as the Conservative candidate on 4 May,2017,however lost the subsequent 6 May 2021 election to Labour Party candidate Nik Johnson and announced his retirement from politics.
Robert Jonathan Davis is a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician. He was deputy leader of the Westminster City Council,and chairman of its planning committee for 17 years. He served as Lord Mayor of Westminster 1996-1997 and also chaired the London Mayors' Association between 1998 and 2016.
The 2018 Westminster City Council election was held on 3 May 2018,the same day as other London Boroughs. All 60 seats were up for election along with the 12 seats of Queen's Park Community Council,the parish council in the north west of the city. Despite initial expectations of Labour gains across the borough,the Conservative party were able to hold the council and only lost 3 seats. The Conservatives won the popular vote across the borough by a small margin of 923 votes (1.7%),but nonetheless won a decisive victory in terms of seats,winning 41 councillors to Labour's 19.
Nicola Jane Aiken is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cities of London and Westminster from 2019 to 2024. She was the leader of Westminster City Council from 2017 to 2020.
The 2021 Oxfordshire County Council election took place on 6 May 2021 alongside the other local elections. All 63 seats of the Oxfordshire County Council were contested. The council is composed of 61 divisions,each electing either one or two councillors,all elected by FPTP.
The Marble Arch Mound or Marble Arch Hill was a temporary,25-metre-high (82 ft) artificial hill located next to Marble Arch in London,England. It had a viewing platform on the summit and an events space inside. The hill opened to the public on 26 July 2021,with a charge,but shortly afterwards it was briefly closed after complaints from the first visitors. It re-opened in August without an entrance fee. It remained open to the public until 9 January 2022,and was subsequently dismantled.
The 2022 Westminster City Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 54 members of Westminster City Council have been elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.
Little Venice is an electoral ward of the City of Westminster. The population at the 2011 Census was 10,633. The ward covers the area south of Maida Vale and north of Paddington,bound by the Westway,Edgware Road and Grand Union Canal. The Regent's Canal runs through the ward to Little Venice basin,and it is served by Warwick Avenue station on the Bakerloo line,in addition to several bus routes running through the area. There are three primary schools,St Joseph's RC Primary School,St Saviour's CofE Primary School and Ark Paddington Green Primary Academy,and one GP surgery in the ward.
The 2023 Colchester City Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Colchester City Council in Essex,England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. There were 17 of the 51 seats on the council up for election,being the usual third of the council,with one seat available for each ward. This set of seats were last contested at the 2019 election.
