Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Trump and Lula Discuss Trade, Sanctions, and Security in “Productive” Phone Call 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Honduras Election Turmoil Deepens as Nasralla Alleges Fraud in Tight Presidential Race 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
Former British health minister Matt Hancock said this week that he would not be running again for parliament in the next general election. Hancock is also among the growing number of Conservative lawmakers that will not be running again in the next election cycle.
Hancock said Wednesday that he would not be running for parliament again in the next election. In his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Hancock said that the Conservative Party made it clear that he would be re-admitted in time after getting suspended by the party back in November for participating in the reality show “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” where he finished third. However, Hancock said that running again for parliament was no longer necessary.
“It has been a huge honor to serve as Member of Parliament for West Suffolk over the past twelve years,” wrote Hancock in the letter he also posted on Twitter.
“The Conservative Party must now reconnect with the public we serve. There was a time I thought the only way to influence the public debate was in Parliament, but I realized there’s far more to it than that. I have increasingly come to believe that for a healthy democracy we must find new ways to reach people – especially those disengaged with politics,” wrote Hancock.
Hancock was forced to resign in 2021 after violating social distancing rules. During his time as the country’s health minister, Hancock was criticized for his response at the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hancock is among the growing number of Conservative lawmakers who will not be seeking re-election in the coming general elections in 2024. The governing party is predicted to lose power as the opposition Labour appears to be ahead by 20 percentage points in opinion polls.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer pledged that the party would cooperate with businesses to boost economic growth, as he criticized the current Conservative government for failing the public with its “sticking plaster politics.”
The pledge comes as the Labour Party is framing itself to be the government in waiting, anticipating to take power by 2024 from the Conservatives that Starmer described as having overseen 10 years of chaos and an inability to tackle major issues in the country.
