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The Guardian Politics10 Apr 2026

Remaining in Nato is in best interests of US, says Keir Starmer

PM pushes back after Trump’s threats to leave alliance and says European members must do more in light of Iran war Keir Starmer has said it is in the best interests of the US to stay in Nato and that Europe must do more to support the alliance in light of the war in Iran. The British prime minister, speaking at the end of a multi-stop trip around the Gulf to discuss the tentative ceasefire and options to fully reopen the commercially vital strait of Hormuz, pushed back against Donald Trump’s thr

Defence
The Guardian Politics10 Apr 2026

Labour MPs propose specialist sexual offences courts to help trials backlog

Rebels put forward amendments to courts bill in attempt to stop government plans to cut back on jury trials Labour MPs are hoping to hijack plans to cut back on jury trials in England and Wales by proposing specialist courts for sexual offences with fixed dates for trial. While those behind the amendment want to block the wider plan to stop thousands of cases being potentially eligible for jury trials, a measure ministers insist is needed to cut court backlogs, they say the specialist courts alo

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics10 Apr 2026

Not just about Gaza: the Muslim voters turning from Labour to the Greens

Campaigning in Newcastle before next month’s local elections shows the rise of the far right, the climate and cost of living are concerning voters as much as the Middle East Mohammed Suleman, a self-described “straight-talking Geordie”, doesn’t love politics. The taxi driver and businessman prefers to focus on community initiatives. But when the time came, he voted Labour as the lesser of two evils. Then came the war in Gaza. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics10 Apr 2026

Starmer says he’s ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s actions pushing up energy bills for Britons – UK politics live

Prime minister explicitly blames US president for British consumers’ higher bills as he concludes tour of Gulf states Good morning. Keir Starmer is wrapping up his three-day tour of Gulf states today, and we are starting some conclusions. What we have not got is any sort of plan for a resolution of the Iran war; Starmer is not one of the main protagonists in this conflict, what he has said publicly about his talks with Gulf leaders has consisted largely of platitudes, we still have no idea about

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

The Iran war is a warning: Britain must build resilience – at home and with our allies in Europe | Keir Starmer

We should not be at the mercy of events abroad. That’s why, from energy to defence to key social policies, we aim to remake our country Britain has been buffeted by crises for nearly two decades now. And from the 2008 financial crash, through austerity, to Brexit, Covid, the Ukraine war and Liz Truss, the response from Westminster has always been the same. Manage the crisis, find a sticking plaster and then desperately try to reassert the status quo. This time, it will be different. The war in I

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

UK spending on foreign aid hits lowest level since 2008

Government allocated 0.43% of national income to aid in 2025, with total spend down £1bn on previous year The UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts warn the cuts are costing lives. Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, a decrease from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

UK navy foiled Russian submarines surveying undersea cables, defence minister says

John Healey says warship and aircraft forced Russia to abandon activity in North Sea in month-long operation A British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines attempting to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they abandoned their mission, the defence secretary, John Healey, has announced. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the UK operation lasted more than a month and saw a Royal Navy warship and P8 marine patrol airc

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

It shouldn’t take a war for Britain to wake up to the need for food security | Tim Lang

Everyone has a part to play in reducing our reliance on imported foods, but ministers must provide incentives Tim Lang is professor emeritus of food policy at the Centre for Food Policy, City St George’s, University of London The British state has form on food security. It ignores it until there’s a crisis – and then it’s forced to do rapidly what could have been done better, if only food had been taken more seriously in the first place. We’re revisiting this truth today as the food system’s o

DefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

‘They will not get my vote this year’: Birmingham focus group shows shift from Labour support

Previous Labour voters in Yardley discuss issues including cost of living, public services and the Iran war Almost two years into Keir Starmer’s government, the polls suggest that many swing voters, including some of those who voted Labour, are unimpressed with how the country is being run. In the constituency of Birmingham Yardley, a focus group of eight previous Labour voters last week found support was now splintering in different directions, with one person considering going to Reform and se

EconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Ministers unveil ‘right to try’ plan to help disabled people find work

Threat of losing benefits will be lifted but campaigners say more help needed to tackle hostile workplaces The government has unveiled its plan to allow disabled people to try work without fear of losing their benefits, but campaigners warn the policy does not go far enough to tackle hostile workplaces. Legislation laid before parliament on Thursday will mean that people who start work or volunteering no longer automatically face a benefit reassessment, a prospect disabled people said was holdi

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

US ignoring evidence Russia is helping Iran because it trusts Putin, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s president tells podcast he has tried to draw White House’s attention to collaboration between Moscow and Tehran over strikes on US bases How the Ukraine and Iran wars are starting to overlap The US has ignored compelling evidence that Russia has been helping Iran to target US bases in the Middle East because it “trusts” Vladimir Putin, according to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking in an interview with Alastair Campbell on The Rest is Politics podcast, Zelenskyy

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Scottish Labour pledges £30m to top up artists’ income to a living wage

Anas Sarwar says scheme would be part of overhaul of arts funding in Scotland Labour has pledged to spend £30m on giving Scottish artists and musicians a living wage, mirroring a similar scheme in Ireland guaranteeing artists a basic income. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the scheme would be part of a deeper shake-up of cultural funding in Scotland by integrating arts and culture into the Scottish government’s economic strategies if his party won power in next month’s Holyrood ele

EconomyDefence