Timothy Sumer

During another heated session at prime minister’s questions, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, clashed with Rishi Sunak on the issue of housebuilding, telling MPs that the government was falling short of its own housebuilding targets. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► Starmer said: ‘The ambitions of families across the country have been crushed by his failing Tory government.’ He added that housebuilding was at its lowest rate since the war because the prime minister ‘can’t stand up to his own party’. Sunak responded by arguing that the Labour leader’s shadow cabinet didn’t support his position on increasing the housing supply and said that housing starts are double the number they were under Labour. He also added that there is a 20-year high for first-time buyers. The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► Website ► Faceb

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered his prime minister to wield a special constitutional power on Thursday that skirts parliament to force through a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote. His calculated risk set off a clamor among lawmakers, who began singing the national anthem even before Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived in the lower chamber. She spoke forcefully over their shouts, acknowledging that Macron's unilateral move will trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government. The fury of opposition lawmakers echoed the anger of citizens and workers' unions. Thousands gathered at the Place de la Concorde facing the National Assembly, lighting a bonfire. As night fell, police charged against the demonstrators in waves to clear the elegant Place, but hundreds remained nearly an hour later. For more on the ensuing 'constitutional crisis,' FRANCE 24 is joined by Eric Fassin, Professor of Sociology in t