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The Guardian Politics20 Jul 2026

Retired UK civil servants failed by pension outsourcing, government says

Chaos of Capita-run scheme has left some people waiting up to a year for payments and in financial hardship Retired civil servants have been failed by the decision to outsource their pension scheme, the government has admitted, and the maladministration meant some were left waiting up to a year for payments. Multiple members of the civil service pension scheme, run by the private company Capita since December, have come forward to say they are unable to afford rent and have been forced to use fo

DefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Burnham’s vow to end Labour briefing wars will test his grip on the party

Tensions between his aims are already there, including disputes over key appointments such as chancellor Andy Burnham’s vision for cleaning up Westminster politics is a utopian one: ending the dominance of the whipping system, Whitehall power hoarding and the “insidious briefing culture” of the bubble. In his first speech on becoming Labour leader, he warned his party it “won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions”. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Burnham to warn UK must be honest about its challenges as he prepares to become PM

Labour leader will visit king to accept role on Monday and will start making cabinet appointments that afternoon Andy Burnham will warn that Britain must be honest about the challenges it faces as he becomes its sixth prime minister in a decade and prepares to appoint his first cabinet. The Labour leader is set to start making appointments in the afternoon on Monday after going to Buckingham Palace to accept the role of prime minister from the king. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

‘Good growth in every postcode’: Burnham’s economic to-do list in seven charts

From industrial strategy and defence to housing and living costs, we lay out the challenges facing the new PM Andy Burnham becomes prime minister as Britain contends with a series of global economic shocks and years of weak growth in living standards, fuelled by underinvestment and deep regional divisions. Before his arrival in Downing Street, the Labour leader pledged to deliver “good growth in every postcode” by transferring power from Westminster to local communities. But with the public fina

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics18 Jul 2026

Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’

Incoming PM will reallocate unspecified resources from unpopular plan to helping with cost of living Andy Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer’s plans for digital ID cards in a “reset of priorities” when he enters Downing Street on Monday. The new Labour leader plans to redirect the resources earmarked for the scheme towards tackling the cost of living, his team indicated on Saturday. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics18 Jul 2026

Poultry sector growth plan risks UK national security, campaigners warn

Government’s food security push is said to rely on animal feed imports with vulnerability to supply chain shocks The government’s planned poultry sector growth plan is a risk to national security, campaigners have warned. Earlier this month, the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, told the Groundswell agriculture festival that the key to improving food security was consuming more homegrown produce, and said this was why the government had set up the Farming and Food Partnership Board, whose me

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics17 Jul 2026

Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader in final step towards becoming UK PM

Former Greater Manchester mayor expected to take reins as prime minister and appoint new cabinet on Monday Andy Burnham has become the leader of the Labour party, paving the way for him to take over as British prime minister on Monday. The former mayor of Greater Manchester won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, making him the only choice to take over from Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics17 Jul 2026

Andy Burnham’s difficult first cabinet – a visual guide to the options and dilemmas

The Makerfield MP enters No 10 as prime minister on Monday. But who will he choose to join him at the table? Keir Starmer is expected formally to resign as prime minister on Monday morning at Buckingham Palace, with Andy Burnham being invited to take on the role shortly afterwards. Once back in Downing Street mid-morning, Burnham will begin assembling his cabinet. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics17 Jul 2026

The Manchester years: how Burnham’s rebirth as ‘king of the north’ set him on road to No 10

In the second part of a two-part profile, Josh Halliday charts PM-in-waiting’s journey northward, where as mayor he revelled in his Covid-era popularity – and changed his approach to politics Part one: From Cambridge ‘impostor’ to New Labour star Andy Burnham was a broken man. In a pub a short walk from parliament, which he had taken to calling “the madhouse”, he plotted his escape over beers with three trusted colleagues. It was late March in 2016. Burnham, the MP for Leigh in Greater Manches

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics17 Jul 2026

Ann Widdecombe’s death should make Britain ask itself: what sort of political culture do we want? | Gaby Hinsliff

Dehumanising politicians is the first step towards justifying their elimination. It matters more than ever to keep putting the person back into the picture Ann Widdecombe was never one to hide from an argument. And she wasn’t afraid for her safety either. She scoffed at friends’ suggestions that she should get electric gates, as an elderly woman with a public profile living alone on Dartmoor, just as she dismissed concerns about her health at 78. Having lost friends in the Brighton hotel bombing

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Jul 2026

If you have been listening to Suella Braverman and think Britain has gone bonkers, let me explain | Nels Abbey

The idea that former colonies should pay reparations makes perfect sense through the lens of the new right. But have they got the telescope the right way round? Dearest World, Britain, that small yet once highly influential nation that once proudly ruled over much of you, that “gifted” you the English language as well as William Shakespeare and Mark Morrison, that kindly bestowed upon you industrialisation as well as industrialised slavery, the proud nation that won two world wars and created fo

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Jul 2026

Starmer nationalises British Steel and visits Ukraine on last full day as Labour leader – UK politics live

Outgoing PM moves to cements his legacy before his replacement by Andy Burnham as party leader tomorrow Good morning. Conventional wisdom has it that, once a PM announces they are going to stand down, all their power vanishes faster than water down a clear plughole. Broadly that’s correct. But in the last week or so Keir Starmer seems to have been acting with a decisiveness that eluded him for most of his time in office: finalising the defence investment plan; delivering the long-awaited apology

PoliticsDefence