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The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Balancing UK’s welfare and defence spending ‘not zero-sum game’, minister says

Treasury minister James Murray hits back at George Robertson’s criticism over military budget UK politics live – latest updates A Treasury minister has said balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero-sum game”, amid stark warnings that the UK will have to increase its military budget to ensure national security during global volatility. James Murray, the chancellor’s deputy, said the government was pushing ahead with the biggest sustained increase in defence investments since the co

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

The Brexit delusion is dead – so now Keir Starmer doesn’t need to pretend any more | Rafael Behr

To rebuild relations with Europe in a dangerous world, the prime minister needs to win big arguments, not hide behind outdated red lines In opposition, Keir Starmer pushed Brexit to the margin of debate. In government, he has learned that Europe is central to Britain’s interests whether you talk about it or not. The avoidance of painful arguments from the past turns out to be a handicap when making plans for the future. This was predictable. Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto pretended tha

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Trump warns US-UK trade deal ‘can always be changed’ with relations in ‘sad state’

President says he gave Britain ‘better deal than I had to’ but ally was ‘not there when we needed them’ on Iran Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates Donald Trump has threatened to row back on the trade deal the US signed with the UK last year, in his latest salvo against the British government over sharp differences about the US’s approach to the Middle East. The US president said the economic deal struck with the UK, which cut some of his tariffs on cars, aluminiu

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

How a £2m bitcoin order made Nigel Farage the political face of UK crypto

Promotion of ‘bitcoin treasury’ firm with Kwasi Kwarteng draws new attention to Reform leader’s relations with industry A thumping electronic beat provides the soundtrack to the video as Nigel Farage appears in front of a bank of screens. At first glance, it could be yet another of the Reform UK leader’s “second jobs” – whether promoting gold as a pension fallback or recording Cameo videos. And in a sense, it is: Farage is promoting a £2m cryptocurrency purchase by a company in which he has £215

PoliticsEconomyDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

UK to call for end to Sudan bloodshed at Berlin talks on third anniversary of war

British aid to double as 19m people face acute hunger, but summit unlikely to end conflict amid Saudi-UAE tensions The British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, will urge Sudan’s warring parties to “cease bloodshed” during a major conference on Wednesday, which analysts believe is unlikely to deliver a significant step towards peace. The talks in Berlin – held on the third anniversary of the start of Sudan’s ruinous war – are expected to help address a catastrophic funding shortfall that is com

Defence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

How war in Gulf reveals the ‘cut corners’ on British defence

With the army’s size halved since the cold war, UK ambitions to be globally deployable do not match the reality, experts say Middle East crisis – live updates If Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a wake-up call for Nato, the war in the Gulf has brought some harsh realities home to the British public about the state of the UK’s armed forces. While air defence systems and fighter jets were already in place or deployed relatively swiftly, the time it took to send a single destr

Defence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Hundreds of asylum seekers moved from hotels to army barracks, Home Office announces

Refugee Council criticises Labour’s decision, saying military sites are unsuitable and ‘more expensive than hotels’ Hundreds of asylum seekers have been removed from government-funded hotels while others have been sent to live in army barracks, the Home Office has announced. Eleven “asylum hotels” in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been closed, as first reported by the Guardian, and more will close “in the coming weeks”. About 350 claimants have been moved to the Crowborough military

ImmigrationDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on defence spending: should the UK’s security rest with Donald Trump? | Editorial

A former Nato chief demands more cash while fixing Britain’s global role. Before billions are spent, ministers must define the purpose of its military George Robertson’s claims about the prime minister’s “corrosive complacency” over Britain’s safety made headlines. But it is a howl of pain, not a sober security analysis. The former Nato secretary general and author of the government’s strategic defence review (SDR) wants Downing Street to back his view of Britain’s role in the world – as Robin t

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

UK woman fears being stranded in Spain over new Home Office border rules

Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa was refused boarding on flight to London because she was not aware of the rule change A British woman has told how she fears being stranded in Spain for months after being refused boarding a on flight back home to London because she was not aware of new Home Office border rules. Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa, 26, was born in the UK to a British father and a Spanish mother, but because of archaic laws she was not entitled automatically to British citizenship because her

ImmigrationDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Reeves arrives at IMF with little leeway to prove its UK downgrade wrong

Chancellor faced with fund’s forecast that impact of Iran war will leave Britain as G7’s biggest loser Iran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warns The Iran war is bad news for the global economy. But for some countries, the unfolding conflict is having a bigger impact than for others. The International Monetary Fund’s verdict is that Britain is the G7’s biggest loser. Amid the rising damage from the Middle East war, the Washington-based fund warned UK economic growth rate wou

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Group of Labour MPs proposes new policies to beat rightwing populism

The policies include a Swiss-style EU deal, lower electricity prices and reduced dependence on the US A group of Labour MPs is to propose a series of new policies to defeat rightwing populism, including a Swiss-style deal with the EU, lower electricity prices, a robust defence of climate policies and a reduced dependence on Washington. Among those contributing to a new collection of essays is the former cabinet minister Anneliese Dodds, who calls for a fundamental reappraisal of the UK-US relati

PoliticsDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

‘Bizarre’ lack of urgency in putting UK on war footing, says defence review co-author

Fiona Hill, a former White House chief adviser, joins ex-Nato chief in criticising Starmer’s leadership on defence UK politics live – latest updates A co-author of Britain’s strategic defence review has joined criticism of Keir Starmer’s leadership on military policy, warning of a “bizarre” lack of urgency in defence planning. Fiona Hill, a former chief adviser to the White House on Russia, echoed the concerns of George Robertson, her co-author with Gen Richard Barrons on the strategic defence

PoliticsDefence