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The Guardian Politics23 Aug 2026

Burnham to visit Ukraine with promise of boost for Kyiv’s long-range missiles

PM will use independence day trip to announce sharing of classified information about Storm Shadow components Britain will boost Ukraine’s capacity to make its own long-range missiles, Andy Burnham will announce on Monday, as he travels to Kyiv for the country’s independence day on his first foreign visit as prime minister. Burnham will arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning at a crucial time in the war, with Kyiv braced for another wave of Russian missile attacks and the country’s pr

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Aug 2026

Burnham expected to give mayors new powers over local planning decisions

Move would allow mayors to greenlight large-scale developments and have more say on national housing funding Andy Burnham is expected to give mayors new powers to take control of local planning decisions and greenlight large-scale developments in proposals to be presented next week. The move would allow mayors to “call in” the decisions and direct councils to take them forward or refuse them. Continue reading...

DefenceEnvironmentHousing
The Guardian Politics22 Aug 2026

Former British and French diplomats urge action over Israel’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine

In letter to Macron and Burnham, more than 100 senior figures accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and call for measures including trade ban More than 100 French and British former diplomats have said Palestine is being erased in front of the world’s eyes and called for urgent action including trade and arms sales bans to press Israel to accept a Palestinian state. An unprecedented joint letter dispenses with diplomatic language by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and warning that the world no l

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Aug 2026

Unions worry Labour’s plan for zero-hours contracts may break manifesto pledge

Leaders claim scaremongering from business figures may cause key legislation to become ‘meaningless’ Trades unions are warning Andy Burnham that Labour’s policy on cutting zero-hours contracts risks failing to live up to the party’s manifesto. Union leaders are seeking reassurances from the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, amid what the TUC has condemned as “scaremongering” from business groups. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics21 Aug 2026

MPs ‘failing to learn lesson’ over freebies after accepting £400,000 of hospitality

Cost of tickets included £858 to a Harry Styles concert at Wembley; £1,839 to the Chelsea flower show and £3,432 of hospitality at the Brit Awards MPs have been accused of failing to learn their lesson over freebies after taking almost £400,000 of hospitality to concerts, sport matches and other events this year, with Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Wes Streeting among those accepting tickets. Despite the previous outcry in 2024 over Keir Starmer accepting football tickets and gifts of clothing, M

PoliticsDefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics21 Aug 2026

Home Office could be blocked from deporting trafficking victims to Albania

Many males are returned even if they are trafficking victims but Home Office must now consider new legal guidance The Home Office could be blocked from deporting many young male trafficking victims to Albania after a major court ruling. Thousands of Albanian males have been identified as potential trafficking victims in the UK in recent years. Many are sent back to their country even if they are potential or confirmed victims of trafficking, as the Home Office contends they will be safe there.

DefenceCrimeRemigration
The Guardian Politics20 Aug 2026

Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, says equalities minister

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson says politicians have helped fuel hatred and that police are not taking violence against women and girls seriously enough UK politics live – latest updates Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media. Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by onli

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics20 Aug 2026

Farage using Christianity ‘to stir anti-Muslim feeling’, says Rowan Williams

Former archbishop of Canterbury also has ‘awkward questions’ for activist Tommy Robinson on his claimed faith A former archbishop of Canterbury has accused Nigel Farage of misusing the UK’s Christianity “to channel anti-Muslim feeling” and said he also had “some awkward questions” for the far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Dr Rowan Williams, who was the archbishop of Canterbury for 10 years until 2012, said there was an “inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction”

DefenceReform
The Guardian Politics20 Aug 2026

Drill Andy drill? Burnham’s North Sea dilemma – podcast

Helena Horton on why the government may decide to allow more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea The government is considering whether to allow new oil and gas drilling at two sites in the North Sea, a move environmental activists warn will accelerate climate chaos. Helen Pidd speaks to reporter Helena Horton about the government’s dilemma – and what it tells us about Andy Burnham’s approach to the green energy transition Continue reading...

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics19 Aug 2026

Compulsory GCSE resits in England harm teenagers’ mental wellbeing, study finds

UCL researchers warn repeated exam attempts may dent students’ confidence and raise risk of dropping out Forcing teenagers who fail GCSEs into multiple resits has a negative impact on their mental health, according to research to be published as pupils receive their grades on Thursday. The study by academics at University College London (UCL) compared the mental wellbeing of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who failed to reach a grade 4 or equivalent in maths or English GCSEs – an

DefenceEducationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics19 Aug 2026

The Guardian view on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC: a case study in why international aid matters | Editorial

The Trump administration’s ‘America first’ approach has contributed to the scale of the crisis now unfolding in one of the world’s poorest countries For months health experts have warned that the scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could surpass the one that swept west Africa in 2014-16. This week, the authorities in the DRC announced that a grim milestone has already been passed: at least 2,325 people have died from the virus, making it the deadliest of the

Defence
The Guardian Politics19 Aug 2026

All power to the UK competition watchdog’s war on ‘drip pricing’

CMA on message with new PM’s planned purge of hidden fees and add-on charges Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School face investigation The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is on-message with Andy Burnham’s declaration of war on the small – and sometimes not-so-small – hassles and expenses of everyday consumer life created by companies’ underhand and misleading pricing tactics. Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School found themselves under investigation on Wednesday

Defence