Latest Politics news, comment and analysis from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice
Nurses, medical experts and green campaigners reject party deputy leader’s dismissal of efforts to reach net zero Reform’s deputy leader has been accused of spreading misinformation after he dismissed efforts to tackle the climate crisis and urged British people to enjoy the warmth of the recent heatwaves. Richard Tice prompted a backlash from nurses, medical experts and green campaigners on…
Move means holders will be able to travel free on local services at any time of day or night from April next year Disabled people across England will be able to use their free bus passes at any time of day from next April, as Andy Burnham expands a policy he introduced as mayor of Greater Manchester. The prime minister has said the current weekday restrictions on when disabled people can use their…
Party wants to cut £50bn from UK welfare bill but charity says proposals would cause ‘horrific levels of destitution’ Hundreds of thousands of children would be tipped into poverty and destitution under plans unveiled by Reform UK to slash £50bn a year from the UK benefits bill, campaigners have warned. The warnings came after Reform published plans to drastically reduce disability payments, ban…
Revelation about security leak follows person pretending to be senior White House aide contacting prime minister At least three UK cabinet ministers have had their personal mobile phone numbers published online, amid mounting concern over the security of senior politicians after Andy Burnham was targeted by an impersonation scam. The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, the justice secretary, Alex…
Government concedes ‘significant opposition’ requires new approach on quotas for medium-sized development sites Ministers have dropped plans to relax affordable housing rules for developers in England after a backlash from housing experts who warned it could drastically cut the number of cheaper homes available in rural areas. The government said on Monday it would not go ahead with proposals to…
Southend East & Rochford’s Bayo Alaba has been suspended while inquiry looks at bounceback loans A Labour MP has been suspended after being questioned about government Covid loans taken out by his businesses. Bayo Alaba, the MP for Southend East & Rochford, has referred himself to the Labour party for investigation after the Times asked about a loan given to one of his businesses during the…
Party’s ‘welfare to work’ policy would force long-term claimants to do community work or face losing benefits Robert Jenrick went on to say that long-term benefits claimants will be made to clean up their local high street and do charity work or face having their benefits taken away. He said as part of the party’s “welfare to work” policy, long-term claimants, who are fit to work, will be forced…
Brexit didn’t create all the problems young people now face, but renewing close ties with Europe will give us so many opportunities I was 14 when the UK voted to leave the EU. Too young to vote, but not too young to understand that a decision was being made that would affect the rest of my life. In many ways, Brexit was my political awakening. It taught me that politics matters, because decisions…
It’s vital that Yvette Cooper’s taskforce acts on the Amos and Ockenden reports – and puts the needs of women and families at the heart of maternity services It is hard to find the words to describe the agony for those who have experienced preventable baby loss, injury or maternal death. Understandably, families who have been through this have campaigned relentlessly for local and national…
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Nurses collapsing, builders with heatstroke, bus drivers in cabs that reach 44C. The new PM wanted to spend the summer talking about the cost of living – he should change his plans I don’t think I have ever written before about a British strike directly related to the climate emergency. But that’s exactly what began late last week in north London, with a zeitgeisty connection to Andy Burnham’s…
Assessment’s finding of a jump in UK productivity emphasises urgent need to appoint a national statistician The keen new chancellor, John Healey, responded to last week’s better-than-expected economic news by claiming the government was “bringing hope back”. Growth did not plunge as feared after Donald Trump unleashed war on Iran – with GDP expanding at a pretty decent 0.4% in the second quarter.…
With questions over Farage’s finances and a new face in No 10, could Barnsley council be a bellwether for changing Labour fortunes? Labour marked its worst performance in more than 50 years when voters went to the polls in Barnsley in May, but 100 days on from those seismic local elections, the political landscape has shifted drastically. Could the South Yorkshire town, where Reform UK reaped the…
Apparent high level of removal orders suggests Sweden is rejecting ‘reasonable grounds’ for failing to apply to stay Back in October 2020, the UK immigration minister stood up in parliament to reassure campaigners concerned about EU citizens who weren’t aware they had to ask the Home Office to stay in the country after Brexit. Using an example of a child in foster care who might not know they were…
The Guardian’s deputy editor of social platforms on the demand from high-profile people and brands for help in harnessing the power of TikTok I didn’t want to work in social media. If you’d asked 15-year-old me my dream job, I might have said foreign correspondent, or maybe travel writer. So you can imagine my surprise to now find myself giving these very colleagues advice on how to get the best…
Reform won a contrived byelection, but scrutiny continues – while the party increasingly attacks the watchdogs and journalists asking awkward questions Nigel Farage didn’t attend the count of the byelection he forced upon Clacton. Instead, Reform UK’s leader celebrated his win with supporters at a “ Farage Fest ”, filmed by a friendly TV channel. For a politician who claims to speak for the…
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The pattern in the US and Britain is clear. They serve up stunt after stunt to mask incompetence and the betrayal of all those who trusted them It’s a shame Nigel Farage ducked the announcement of his victory in the Clacton byelection, which confirmed his return as MP for the seat he had needlessly resigned from just a few weeks earlier. You’d have thought he would have loved it. It was the…
Why bother to improve people’s lives – or even show up – when getting votes is this easy? In many ways, though, the stunt hasn’t paid off What can Clacton possibly have done to deserve this? Is this some cosmic karma for a past existence in which the town executed hundreds of innocent women and children? Surely, even then, enough is enough. For the past few years Clacton seems to have been the…
The Reform UK leader forced a vote that failed to make financial questions disappear, only the man himself Dawn had long broken in the Essex town of Clacton-on-Sea when the results for the byelection came in. After a gruelling count, an atmosphere of deep exhaustion had settled over the room. Even the man with a dustbin on his head looked weary. As it was declared that Nigel Farage had won , as…
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