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The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

Trump rebukes Starmer over UK refusal to back strikes on Iran

US president says ‘relationship is not what it was’ after PM defends decision not to allow use of British bases Middle East crisis – live updates US-Israel war on Iran: what we know on day four Donald Trump has criticised Keir Starmer again over the UK’s refusal to aid the offensive strikes on Iran, saying the “relationship is obviously not what it was”. Starmer had issued his strongest rebuke yet of Trump’s action in Iran, saying the UK did not believe in “regime change from the skies” and d

Defence
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

Spring forecast: Rachel Reeves to insist government has ‘right economic plan’, as Middle East crisis threatens inflation spike – live updates

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including the UK’s spring forecast Rachel Reeves’s plans could be hit by Middle East conflict, say economists Soaring global energy prices as a result of the widening Middle East conflict will jeopardise Rachel Reeves’s plan to conquer inflation and rekindle growth, economists have warned as she prepares to deliver her spring forecast later today. Responding to the latest projections from the independent Office for Budget Responsibili

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

Starmer’s position on Iran pleases no one, but that is because there are no good options | Rafael Behr

None of the prime minister’s critics engages with the hard strategic dilemmas arising from Britain’s perilous dependency on US power It is not easy being a friend of Donald Trump, but it is a lot less dangerous than being his enemy. There isn’t a huge range of options in between. War in the Middle East is exposing how limited the choices are for a British prime minister. The US president doesn’t see alliances as long-term relationships based on mutual advantage, but as rolling transactions on a

Defence
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

Rachel Reeves’s plans could be hit by Middle East conflict, say economists

Warning comes as OBR projections in the spring forecast are expected to show public finances moving in the right direction Soaring global energy prices as a result of the widening Middle East conflict will jeopardise Rachel Reeves’s plan to conquer inflation and rekindle growth, economists have warned as she prepares to deliver her spring forecast later today. Responding to the latest projections from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the chancellor will insist she has “the

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

Starmer vows to avoid ‘mistakes of Iraq’ that have haunted Labour for decades

Prime minister does not believe US has a plan beyond ‘shock and awe’ stage, as some MPs dread what lies ahead • US-Israel war on Iran – live updates • What we know so far on day three of the Iran war • A visual guide to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s response Tony Blair’s support for the US invasion of Iraq has long loomed like a spectre over the Labour party. It was present in 2013 when Ed Miliband as opposition leader voted to block UK military action against the Syrian regime. Cont

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

More than 100,000 Britons stranded in Gulf, with airspace closed to most flights

UK considering all evacuation options, including charter and military flights and bus trips across land borders More than 100,000 Britons were stranded in the Gulf on Monday, with airspace in the region still closed to most flights and overland evacuation regarded as risky while Iran continues to launch missile and drone strikes across the region. Downing Street said UK officials were considering all options to get citizens home safely, including using commercial, charter and military flights an

PoliticsImmigrationDefence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

After failing to win the peace prize, Trump turns his focus to Nobel prize for war | John Crace

As for Keir Starmer, even when he tries to make a reasonably sound judgment he somehow ends up losing both sides of the argument Maybe we should have just had done with it back in December. Instead of offering a polite reservation, every western country should have sent a full, state delegation to Norway. Begging, imploring the Nobel Committee to award Donald Trump the peace prize. We could all have chipped in a couple of billion just to make it even more worth winning. And if that wasn’t enough

Defence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on parliament’s role in war on Iran: MPs should vote before Britain gets sucked in | Editorial

Sir Keir Starmer draws a narrow legal distinction. But if British bases enable a wider US-Israeli campaign, the UK risks sliding into an unlawful conflict In the Commons on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer was clear that Britain will not join offensive action against Tehran. It is wise not to join an illegal attempt at “regime change from the skies”. Sir Keir will, however, permit US use of British bases for limited defensive strikes aimed at stopping Iranian missile attacks. That is a legally clear lin

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

How is Britain supporting US airstrikes in Iran? – podcast

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss Keir Starmer’s announcement that British bases in the UK and in the Chagos Islands would be used by the US in their strikes in Iran. Their use is for ‘limited defensive purposes’ but is that enough to stop Britain being dragged further into war? What is the extent of the UK’s involvement in the Middle East war? Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

What is the legality of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran?

Legal experts give their views on the lawfulness of the countries’ actions, including the UK’s ‘defensive’ operation US-Israel war on Iran – live updates What we know so far on day three of the Iran war The US and Israeli attacks on Iran have lit the touchpaper in the region once more. The UK did not take part in the initial strikes but said on Sunday that it would take part in “defensive action”. With the shadow of the 2003 Iraq invasion looming large, the Guardian examines the lawfulness o

Defence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

UK will not join offensive strikes against Iran, says Keir Starmer

PM defends use of UK bases for defensive action but says he does not believe in ‘regime change from the skies’ US-Israel war on Iran – live updates Keir Starmer has said the UK will not join offensive strikes by Israel and the US on Iran, saying the UK did not believe in “regime change from the skies”. But the prime minister defended the use of UK bases for defensive action, saying that was “the best way to protect British interests and British lives”. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics2 Mar 2026

Why the fightback against Reform must involve the middle-aged, fed-up workers of Britain | Gaby Hinsliff

Millions of people aged 50 to 64 are out of work – sidelined by sickness, care duties or ageism. If Labour can’t convince them they’re a priority, Farage will step in Penny Lancaster was 50 when she retrained as a special constable. Wrangling Saturday night drunks and shoplifters might seem an odd fit for the ex-model and wife of Sir Rod Stewart; she got the idea after making a Channel 4 show in which she temporarily swapped jobs with a police officer. But to Lancaster, who has previously disclo

DefenceReformCrime