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The Guardian Politics31 May 2026

‘Labour have lost their way’: voters in Makerfield say it’s time for a change

Andy Burnham and the Reform candidate lead the polls, but issues such as flooding and the state of the high street are main concerns locally The roads that connect the collection of towns and villages that make up this constituency in England are studded with turquoise banners declaring: “Makerfield needs Reform.” Once at the heart of Wigan’s coal-mining industry, and represented by a Labour MP continuously since the 1900s, Farage’s party has gained a foothold here, and with any other Labour can

Reform
The Guardian Politics31 May 2026

Nicola Sturgeon: I feel as if I’m serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit

Former Scottish first minister says she will not apologise for actions of her ex- husband found guilty of embezzlement Nicola Sturgeon has said feels like she is “serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit” after her former husband and former Scottish National party chief executive, Peter Murrell, admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling the sum from the SNP between 2010 and 2022 to fund a lavish personal lifestyle. Continue read

Crime
The Guardian Politics31 May 2026

‘One day I thought, that’s enough’: the people fighting back against pothole-riddled roads

The dire state of roads has provoked pothole vigilantes and become a political flashpoint from Manchester to Manhattan. How did we get here? Sitting in St Albans crown court, waiting for his case to be called, Derek Bennett’s anger momentarily gave way to a sense of disbelief. “I mean, there’s rape and murder cases going on,” he says. “I couldn’t believe I was there, with this stupid subject.” Initially, neither could the judge, whom Bennett says remarked that such issues were surely a matter fo

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics30 May 2026

Green leaders warn party it must listen to Reform voters’ concerns to tackle inequality

Zack Polanski and Caroline Lucas say party must seek to understand why disenfranchised electorate were attracted to Nigel Farage’s party The current and former leaders of the Green party have warned that the party should listen to the concerns of Reform UK voters in order to tackle inequality. Zack Polanski and Caroline Lucas said on Saturday that the Greens needed to understand why voters affected by the cost of living crisis were attracted to Nigel Farage’s party. Continue reading...

EconomyDefenceEnvironmentReformHousing
The Guardian Politics30 May 2026

Sajid Javid says backing Liz Truss to lead Tories was his ‘biggest political mistake’

Former chancellor also tells Hay festival ‘good riddance’ to Tory MPs defecting to Reform Sajid Javid said that supporting Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership contest that ultimately made her prime minister was his “biggest mistake in politics”. Speaking at the Hay festival in Wales while promoting his memoir, the former chancellor, who is no longer an MP, said there were friends in the Conservative party he remained in contact with. Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics30 May 2026

Victims of sexual offences denied justice for sake of child perpetrators, says Jess Phillips

Former safeguarding minister calls for sentencing guidelines review and fears crime now seen as ‘content for an eyeball economy’ The former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has said victims of sexual offences committed by children are being asked to “suck it up” for the sake of their attackers’ rehabilitation and called for a review into sentencing guidelines. In the past month, cases of teenage boys given lenient sentences after being convicted of rape and sexual assault have provoked public

EconomyReformCrime
The Guardian Politics30 May 2026

Rise in youth unemployment driving more to homelessness, UK charities say

Centrepoint warns young people facing ‘huge scarcity of work opportunities’ after Alan Milburn’s report on crisis The growing number of young people not in work or education is driving more into unstable housing or homelessness, charities have warned. A government-commissioned review into the crisis facing young people in the UK said there could be a 25% rise in young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without intervention. Continue reading

DefenceEducationHousing
The Guardian Politics29 May 2026

UK government divided over minimum wage increase in face of youth jobs crisis

Exclusive: Some fear raising rate for people aged 18-20 will exacerbate unemployment while others point to lack of evidence Rising rates of youth unemployment have created a split at the top of government over how fast it should meet its promise to give young people the full minimum wage. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, is understood to believe now is not the time to give 18- to 20-year-olds the full minimum wage, which Labour promised to do in its manifesto. Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics29 May 2026

The Guardian view on Peter Mandelson: the government must come clean on vetting | Editorial

The first mistake was appointing the peer despite his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The next would be claiming his security risks were properly managed It is telling that the person who first floated the idea of Peter Mandelson as the next UK ambassador to America was probably himself. He seems to have looked at his global contacts and thought: this is why I’m useful. Whitehall’s security vetters, UKSV, looked at the same contacts and thought: this is why he’s not. The latest revelations illustrate

The Guardian Politics29 May 2026

Tony Blair says he is all about the future – but his vision is woefully stuck in the past | Jonathan Freedland

He insists he is so right but gets so much badly wrong, not least the absurdity that the UK should have joined Donald Trump in the quagmire that is Iran Give the man credit. Tony Blair has achieved a goal that even a week ago seemed impossible, and which he scarcely managed in office: he has brought the Labour party together in sweet, harmonious unity. Thanks to him, Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and the man they hope to replace, Keir Starmer, are singing in unison, joined in a chorus of denunciat

The Guardian Politics29 May 2026

Martin Rowson on Tony Blair’s prescription for young people – cartoon

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The Guardian Politics29 May 2026

Conservationists alarmed by drastic cuts to key UK fund for global nature protection

Conservation groups warn slashing Darwin Initiative will put species and habitats in jeopardy, and set back efforts to halt decline in nature One of the UK’s longest-standing funds for global nature protection is being drastically cut back, the Guardian has learned. At least 89 countries will lose eligibility for funding for biodiversity projects under the Darwin Initiative, in a round of cuts that conservationists warned would put species and habitats in jeopardy, and set back global efforts to

Defence