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295 headlines found — Page 13 of 25

The Guardian Politics27 Apr 2026

Rachel Reeves considering rent freeze to limit Iran war fallout

Exclusive: Sources say chancellor is examining exceptional measures to protect household budgets Rachel Reeves is considering imposing a one-year rent freeze on private sector homes amid growing alarm in government about the impact of the Iran war on voters’ budgets. Landlords in England would be banned from raising rents for a limited period of time under the proposals, which are being debated within government as part of a major cost of living package to be launched in the coming weeks. Conti

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics27 Apr 2026

What the parties promise Welsh voters on the NHS, schools, childcare and tax

Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform, the Greens, the Tories and the Lib Dems set out competing plans but offer little detail on how they would pay for them The parties most likely to win the Senedd election next month offer radically different futures for Wales, but all six are facing criticism for not being “upfront” in their manifestos about the fiscal challenges the next Welsh government will face. Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK, the Green party, the Conservative party, and the Liberal Democrats are

PoliticsEconomyEducationEnvironmentReformHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Apr 2026

UK urged to deploy EU-style ‘trade bazooka’ against Trump’s tariffs

‘Inadequate economic security’ is putting growth and jobs at risk, says British Chambers of Commerce UK business leaders have called on the government to build an EU-style “trade bazooka” to protect Britain’s economic interests in response to the latest tariff threats from Donald Trump. As transatlantic tensions rise, the British Chambers of Commerce said the UK’s “inadequate economic security” was putting growth and jobs at risk. Continue reading...

Economy
The Guardian Politics26 Apr 2026

UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres

Discrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zero One vision of the UK’s future involves a decarbonised economy powered by clean, renewable energy. Another involves making the UK an AI superpower. The government departments responsible for these two visions do not appear to have agreed on their numbers. Continue reading...

EconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics25 Apr 2026

Unlucky chancellor? Iran shock hits Reeves just as UK seemed to turn corner

The economy and public finances were on the right path, bond yields were falling, interest rates likely to drop further … then came the US-Israeli attack Donald Trump’s war on Iran is “folly”; shadow chancellor Mel Stride should be “lined up for the sack”; and the Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper’s plan for managing fuel shortages is “fundamentally economically illiterate”. Rachel Reeves has always relished a political fight, but in recent days she has been swinging at her opponents with what looks

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Britain should seek to rejoin EU, says civil servant who led Brexit department

Philip Rycroft says promises on issues from economics to immigration have not lived up to expectations Britain should start talking about rejoining the EU, according to a former senior civil servant who ran the Brexit department. Philip Rycroft, who was permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU, said the “argument was there to be won” about going back into Europe, adding that a “clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country’s best interests” was needed. However, he said rejoini

EconomyImmigration
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Trump says he will ‘probably put a big tariff on the UK’ if it doesn’t drop digital services tax

US president accuses UK of thinking it can ‘make an easy buck’ from US tech companies, weeks after warning that UK–US trade deal can be changed Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms. The digital services tax, introduced in 2020, imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of several major US tech companies. Continue reading...

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on help to buy: entrenching housing inequalities, rather than helping | Editorial

The Tories’ flagship scheme has aided higher earners most. The latest analysis of its flaws should lead to a rethink The results are in. The biggest winners from the Conservatives’ help to buy scheme were high-earners who were already likely to buy a house. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examined who benefited from the policy, and concluded that the top 10% of earners received the largest cash benefit. Rather than helping people to buy, it more likely helped the already fortunate to accu

EconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facing Confidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock. Highlighting the knock-on effect of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blame

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200 Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200. HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between Septem

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Cat Little’s evidence to MPs is destined for civil service textbooks | John Crace

The Cabinet Office permanent secretary’s 100 minutes before the foreign affairs committee are required viewing UK politics live – latest updates Here we go again. Some of the public may have had enough of the Peter Mandelson scandal by now, and would rather the focus returned to things such as the Iran war and the cost of living crisis. But Westminster has barely started on Mandy. Can’t get enough of him. This one will run and run. You can almost hear the groans from No 10. By now it has final

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Top Cabinet Office official to give evidence to MPs about Peter Mandelson’s vetting – UK politics live

Permanent secretary, Cat Little, to give evidence to foreign affairs committee as pressure increases on Keir Starmer The UK government budget came in below its annual borrowing target by £700m, official figures show – but the Iran war is likely to blow a hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully calculated fiscal “headroom” over the coming months. Tom Knowles has the story. Good morning. As Kiran Stacey, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot report in the Guardian’s splash, “Keir Starmer is looking increasing

PoliticsEconomyDefence