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 13 of 143

The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Tories’ Philp accuses French navy of firing shots near him in Channel incident

Chris Philp says patrol vessel may have been trying to stop him highlighting the small boats crisis UK politics live – latest updates A Conservative MP has claimed a French warship fired warning shots near a boat he was on in the Channel in an attempt to stop him covering the small boats crisis. Chris Philp, who is his party’s home affairs spokesperson, was being interviewed by the BBC a couple of miles off Boulogne on Tuesday when the warship Flamant passed by. As it did so, a French navy off

PoliticsDefenceRestoreRemigration
The Guardian Politics28 Jul 2026

Burnham’s education plan directly contradicts Labour’s Schools Act, Tories claim – UK politics live

The new prime minister is linking the need for better vocational education in school with his belief in localism Good morning. In his last speech to Labour’s annual conference as party leader, Keir Starmer called for a fundamental shift in the way education in England operates. While saying he would never “denigrate the aspiration to go to university”, he said that aiming to get 50% of pupils into university was wrong and that it was finally time to show equivalent respect to apprenticeships and

PoliticsEducationReformHousing
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Social care reform in England: how could we pay to fix a ‘broken system’?

Many across the political spectrum agree the system needs fixing – but there is no consensus on how to fund reform The prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said the adult social care system in England is broken and needs fixing. This is a view commonly shared by policymakers across the political spectrum, though there are sharper differences on how to pay for reform to what is widely seen as an outdated, fragile system held together by “sticking plasters and glue” and propped up by an army of unpai

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Burnham brings members of Socialist Campaign Group into government

Appointment of three ministerial aides is first time members of Labour’s most leftwing faction have held government positions Andy Burnham has appointed three new ministerial aides from Labour’s most leftwing faction, the first time members of the Socialist Campaign Group have been part of the government. The new chief whip, Anneliese Midgley, has also promised MPs that the government will beef up the role of ministerial aides – known as parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) – who traditional

Politics
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

GB News pundit Matthew Torbitt pleads guilty to fraud while Labour aide

Torbitt admits to two counts of fraud by false representation in relation to his parliamentary expenses A GB News pundit has admitted fraud in relation to his parliamentary expenses when he was a Labour aide. Matthew Torbitt, a prominent political commentator who once described himself as “Britain’s favourite lefty”, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at a hearing at Thames magistrates court on Monday. Continue reading...

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

When it comes to predicting the future, why are TV writers better than politicians? | Zoe Williams

From BBC drama The Rapture on the climate crisis to Apple’s Criminal Record on the rise of the far right, culture often sees what politics fails to In the BBC’s new apocalypse drama, The Rapture, the UK is engulfed in a terrifying heatwave. I watched a preview of the programme in May, while preparing to interview the lead actor Ruth Madeley. I thought at the time: “This will be much more frightening when it chimes with the real life weather, bad luck for them that it’s not coming out for a coupl

PoliticsEnvironmentCrime
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Labour overtakes Reform in voter poll for first time since March 2025

Labour up four points to 28% while Reform falls to 24% as Andy Burnham apparently wins favour for cost of living focus UK politics live – latest updates Labour has knocked Reform off a voter intention poll for the first time in more than a year as Andy Burnham benefits from the momentum built in his first week as prime minister. The weekly tracker of voting intention by the non-profit agency More in Common also comes after weeks of negative headlines for Reform UK and its leader, Nigel Farage,

PoliticsEconomyReformHousing
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

German officials call for tighter extremism laws after Berlin Pride attack

Alternative für Deutschland, topping polls ahead of state elections, accuses government of failing to tackle Islamist radicalism Europe live – latest updates German officials have called for a tightening of laws for known extremists after a deadly attack in Berlin on one of Europe’s biggest Pride parades, as the far right seeks to mobilise outraged voters before three key state elections. The anti-migration, anti-Islam Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the top party in national opinion polls,

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Alarm over NHS patients records being placed in hands of US private equity firm

Doctors and MPs urge more scrutiny of £300m deal for company behind system used by most GPs in England A US private equity firm will take control of NHS patient records in a deal experts say should “ring alarm bells” amid concerns sensitive health data is increasingly being handed to private companies. The investment firm TPG has bought Optum UK, the healthcare technology business behind the electronic patient record system used by most GP practices in England, in a deal worth about $400m (£300m

PoliticsReformHealthcare
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Tories and Reform UK tell Burnham they will fight any plan to reform adult social care involving tax rises – UK politics live

Defence secretary Wes Streeting says the country will see a prime minister that ‘runs towards big and difficult issues’ Good morning. Yesterday Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, told Sky News that, while Andy Burnham spent his first week as PM focusing on cost of living issues, this week the public would see “a prime minister that runs towards big and difficult issues rather than runs away from [them]”. Those challenges include reforming social care and, as Peter Walker reports, Burnham has

PoliticsEconomyDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Burnham is master of his message for now. But he should know this: media foes will offer no respite | Tom Baldwin

While the new PM’s slick social media operation can help him bypass the hostile press that devoured Starmer, he will still need friends in the fourth estate Andy Burnham has been in politics long enough to know that the largely friendly media coverage he’s received so far would turn hostile once he was inside Downing Street. And, within hours of becoming prime minister, some familiar predators were circling as they tried to decide whether to attack him for being too leftwing, too insubstantial o

Politics
The Guardian Politics27 Jul 2026

Andy Burnham vows to use his ‘political capital’ to fix social care system

PM says that without rapid action the NHS could effectively collapse, in first full interview since entering No 10 Andy Burnham has pledged to use “whatever political capital I have” to finally fix the crumbling social care system in England, saying that without rapid action the NHS could effectively collapse. In his first full interview since becoming prime minister last week, Burnham said he could not put a timetable on the arrival of a new system for social care but that its creation would ta

PoliticsHealthcare