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1704 headlines found — Page 141 of 142

The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Sarwar gambles on break with Starmer as Holyrood race tightens

Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP’s record, but voters remain unconvinced UK politics live – latest updates “People look at Holyrood and think: ‘Lets give them all a bloody nose’,” says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly disappointed with the Labour government’s early performance, frustrated by the record of the Scottis

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Starmer, Polanski and Farage in final pitch to voters as polls open in Gorton and Denton byelection – UK politics live

Voting begins in one of the most eagerly awaited and fiercely contested byelections of recent years Good morning. In Gorton and Denton, on the outskirts of Manchester, people have started voting in one of the most eagerly awaited, and fiercely contested, byelections of recent years. All the polling suggests the result will be very close. The political scientists argue that, if a party wins a contest like this by just a few hundred votes (or perhaps ever fewer – Reform UK won the Runcorn and Hels

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Home Office denies ‘absurd’ criticism over rule change that could leave dual nationals stranded

MPs raise cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by new passport requirements as minister rejects calls for a grace period The Home Office has dismissed as “absurd” claims that it failed to properly communicate new border rules that left some British dual nationals at risk of being denied boarding flights to the UK. During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office minister Mike Tapp suggested that media coverage in the Guardian and BBC reflected the department’s ef

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Labour must search its conscience if Reform wins Gorton and Denton, says Green leader

Zack Polanski says Labour deliberately splitting left vote as voters head to the polls The polls have opened in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in years. The Green party leader Zack Polanski said his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party has targeted left-leaning voters in the G

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

What a Gorton byelection win would mean for Reform, Greens and Labour

Polls put seat in three-way dead heat with Labour facing threats from Reform and Green party in once safe seat The Gorton and Denton byelection is the biggest electoral test yet for Keir Starmer before what are expected to be disastrous results for Labour in the May local elections. Polls put the race in a three-way dead heat, making it nearly impossible to call. The vote is particularly symbolic because of the threat Labour faces from Reform UK and the Green party in a once safe seat. Should La

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Look to Italy to see how the dangerous idea of ‘remigration’ is taking root in Europe | David Broder

To even be talking about this drastic deportation policy is a sign the far right is winning. In Italy, it’s more than just talk Meeting Tommy Robinson earlier this month, the French anti-immigration politician Éric Zemmour bluntly summed up his mission: “Politics needs to defeat demographics.” Given rising numbers of Muslims, he said, there was perhaps “10 to 20 years” left to save Europe from “disappearing”. Both men placed their hopes in one policy to reverse the “invasion”: remigration. At ro

PoliticsImmigrationRemigration
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Reeves must back defence investment plan or be sacked, says Unite union boss

Sharon Graham tells chancellor she should ‘back British industry’ by increasing military spending The head of Britain’s largest trade union has demanded that Rachel Reeves be sacked as chancellor if the Treasury continues to hold up a multibillion-pound defence investment plan. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said tens of thousands of jobs were at risk from political dithering and called on ministers to “back British industry” by signing off on future defence contracts. Continue

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

The Guardian view on saving Westminster: parliament should leave London | Editorial

The long-overdue refurbishment could be an ideal opportunity for Britain to spread power to other parts of the UK, and send a powerful message MPs and peers face a looming choice: stay put or move out to allow billions of pounds of urgent repairs to the crumbling Palace of Westminster. That was the conclusion of a report from MPs, peers and lay members on the restoration and renewal client board this month. The palace, rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 1834, is falling apart. There have been

Politics
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

‘Future of party lies in balance’: Corbyn and Sultana’s battle for soul of Your Party

After eight months of rows and rifts, leadership election is offering members two ‘fundamentally differing visions’ An increasingly bloody battle for the soul of the leftwing Your Party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana will come to a conclusion on Thursday, when the results of its leadership election will be announced. After almost eight months of public spats, rows over money, accusations of sexism and rifts over policy and direction, Your Party is hoping to turn a page on the manifo

Politics
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Confusion over Chagos Islands deal as Foreign Office denies handover ‘paused’

Minister ‘misspoke’ by telling MPs UK was ‘pausing for discussions with our American counterparts’, officials say UK politics live – latest updates Plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius are still on track, the UK government has insisted, after a minister caused confusion by telling MPs that the deal was “paused”. Hamish Falconer, a Foreign Office minister and former diplomat, was speaking on Wednesday as the deal came under increasing pressure from opposition parties in the UK and

Politics
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Foreign Office denies minister’s claim the Chagos Islands deal has been paused – UK politics live

Minister told MPs the deal had been been paused, but that was immediately denied by the Foreign Office The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published figures showing that local authorities in England dealt with 1.26m flytipping incidents in 2024/25 – 9% increase on the previous year. And there was an 11% increase in incidents involving a “tipper lorry load” amount of rubbish. There were 52,000 of these, up from 47,000 in 2023/24. Defra said these alone cost councils £19.3m.

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Student loan crisis in England and Wales is a scam against graduates, MPs say

Labour backbenchers turn on Rachel Reeves as MP claims former students are stuck in a loans ‘Hotel California’ Angry backbench Labour MPs have attacked ministers over the student loans crisis, saying graduates are being “outrageously scammed”. During a Commons Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, several Labour MPs joined calls for an urgent shake-up of the “unfair” system, with one describing it as “an absolute dog’s dinner” and another likening the terms to something that a “loan shark” would

PoliticsEducation