News

Original reporting and the latest political headlines from across the UK.

Our Articles

Mainstream Headlines

Filtering by:Tag: politics×Source: The Guardian Politics×Clear all

1708 headlines found — Page 12 of 143

The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

Brave New World or Groundhog Day? Burnham revisits old ground in speech on social care

Right-wing media hostility helped sink his reform plans in 2010, but the new PM’s passionate speech suggests there is now clear political will for change For campaigners perpetually disappointed by the failure of England’s political classes to fix England’s creaking adult social care system, the fear was that Andy Burnham’s long-trailed speech would be less Brave New World, more Groundhog Day. Burnham acknowledged he had been here before. Back in 2010, as health and social care secretary, he unv

Politics
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

‘It hurts’: Starmer loyalist Phillipson fights on despite cabinet demotion

Exclusive: The minister for women and equalities has also been handed the role of Labour chair, in a not-so subtle bid to restore unity to Burnham’s government If Bridget Phillipson is angry at losing a job – which, in the brief honeymoon period at the start of Keir Starmer’s Labour government, she called the “honour of my life” – she is doing a good job of hiding it. “It hurts to lose a job you love,” she says on Tuesday. “Being education secretary was amazing … and I’m really proud of what we

PoliticsEducation
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

Assisted dying debate should come after end-of-life care reform, says Burnham

Introducing legislation would be ‘very challenging’ before improvement of care system, says prime minister UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said the assisted dying debate needs to wait until palliative care and social care are fixed, as he delivered a speech to set out his path to resolving one of the most intractable problems in British politics. The prime minister said he was not opposed to having the debate on assisted dying, but told reporters it would be “very challengin

Politics
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

Lib Dem MP calls for investigation into Reform deputy leader’s £80,000 loan

Richard Tice referred to parliament’s standards watchdog over undeclared sum from Farage aide George Cottrell Richard Tice has been referred to parliament’s standards watchdog over an undeclared loan of nearly £80,000 from Nigel Farage’s aide, George Cottrell. The development opens up the prospect of another inquiry into a Reform UK MP by the watchdog, which was investigating Farage after the Guardian’s revelation that he received an undeclared £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Ha

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

Burnham to give speech on social care as Louise Casey plays down cost concerns saying many families ‘already paying’ – UK politics live

PM will not discuss details but will focus on need to find ‘common ground’ and to build political consensus Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has said he made an “inadvertent mistake” by sharing an Instagram post of a man wearing a T-shirt featuring an image of a guillotine and the phrase “we’re only making plans for Nigel”, but he repeatedly said he would not apologise to Nigel Farage. Aletha Adu has the story. Good morning. Andy Burnham is this morning giving a speech on social care. He

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

‘Terminally online’: why frustrated Greens want Polanski to hand over his social media

As Labour enjoy a ‘Burnham bounce’, post by Green leader that appeared to welcome violence against Nigel Farage has left some supporters bemused It is just coincidence that a very public mishap by Zack Polanski arrived at the same time as new polls showed Labour in the lead. But it did neatly illustrate the point that while Andy Burnham is enjoying a political honeymoon, the Green leader’s now seems over. This is not to say the Green party in England and Wales is too worried about the arrival o

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

Suddenly the British right feels a political chill. It’s getting cold in Andy Burnham’s shadow | Rafael Behr

The Tories and Reform had it easy when Keir Starmer was self-destructing – but a new PM with ideas exposes how vacant the opposition has become Andy Burnham’s recollections of Britain in the 1970s must be pretty hazy. He was nine when the decade ended. Kemi Badenoch, born in 1980, can remember nothing. Lacking first-hand experience, the Conservative leader evokes the turmoil of a bygone era with cautionary zeal borrowed from an older generation. In a speech last week, she accused the new prime m

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics29 Jul 2026

‘Farage’s got to come clean or clear off’: what voters on Clacton beach think about their MP – and the country

Nigel Farage’s constituency takes in genteel resorts and one of England’s poorest villages. With a snap byelection approaching, what do the residents want from the Reform UK leader – or the bin who’s challenging him? ‘If it’s the Tin Man, then I suppose I’ll vote for Nigel,” says a Clacton resident, a retiree on a slow stroll towards the seafront, when I ask whom she will vote for in the forthcoming byelection. “I would sooner have Farage than the Tin Man!” As political slogans go, it is as good

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Burnham to seek cross-party consensus over urgent reforms to social care

Prime minister invites Badenoch and Davey – but not Farage – to discuss how to fix decades-old funding crisis Andy Burnham has promised “problem-solving, not point-scoring” before a speech on social care in which he will set out his strategy for resolving one of the most intractable issues in British politics. The prime minister has invited Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, to discuss how to enact urgent reform on social care, as he attempts to fi

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Burnham bounce: Labour overtakes Reform in polls – The Latest

Labour has overtaken Reform UK this week for the first time since March last year, according to polls. The ‘Burnham bounce’ comes two weeks into Andy Burnham’s tenure in No 10, during which he has made major announcements on the cost of living and localised education to reduce youth unemployment, and an announcement on social care is expected soon. Is this a turning point for the beleaguered Labour government – or simply a honeymoon for the new PM? Lucy Hough speaks to senior political correspon

PoliticsEconomyEducationReform
The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Young people ‘expected’ to engage with new work support, says McFadden

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary echoes Andy Burnham as he unveils funds to stop families in England losing benefits UK politics live – latest updates Young people will be expected to engage with new support to seek work, Pat McFadden has said, as he unveiled new funds to stop families losing benefits when teenagers take up apprenticeships. Speaking to the Guardian, the work and pensions secretary echoed the comments of Andy Burnham when he suggested that access to support would be condi

PoliticsReformHousing
The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Led By Donkeys wins compensation over seizure of Gaza protest banner

Waste firm Veolia pays £27k after ‘Yes it’s a Genocide’ banner taken by Greater London Authority was destroyed The campaign group Led By Donkeys has received £27,000 in compensation after a giant banner it displayed in Parliament Square saying “Yes it’s a Genocide” was seized by Greater London Authority officials and destroyed. Representatives of the GLA arrived on the scene in central London and confiscated the 40-metre by 40-metre banner after it was unfurled on 4 December 2024, just over a ye

Politics