As a Paris court prepares to rule on Marine Le Pen's appeal on 7 July, her protégé Jordan Bardella has overtaken her in the polls and is positioned to carry France's far right into the 2027 presidential race.
Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for leading a scheme that rigged COVID-19 mask contracts. His aide Koldo García received 19 years. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was not charged, but the verdict — the first in a wider run of graft cases — sharpens questions about the stability of his fragile coalition.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on 22 June 2026 that he will resign as Labour leader, bowing to a party revolt less than two years after a landslide win. He will stay on as caretaker until a successor is chosen, with nominations opening on 9 July and a new prime minister expected by September. The trigger was rival Andy Burnham's by-election return to Parliament; the change reshuffles a key EU partner at a sensitive moment for Ukraine policy.