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The Guardian Politics1 Apr 2026

UK needs ‘ambitious’ new EU ties amid Iran war, Starmer says

PM to focus on European defence and economic partnership for ‘dangerous world’ in pivot away from US Britain’s long-term national interest requires closer partnership with the EU, Keir Starmer has said, citing the war in the Gulf and the increasingly “volatile” international situation. The prime minister indicated that the conflict had re-focused the government on “ambitious” new ties with Europe, economically and in defence, and said that how Britain emerged from the crisis “would define us for

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics1 Apr 2026

Tony Blair says the left is in ‘unholy alliance’ with Islamists. It’s a desperate last ploy to quell the anger over Gaza | Owen Jones

The former PM has no valid response when progressives raise a voice over war crimes, so he seeks to mute them. But we’ll take no moral lectures from him The left, claims Tony Blair, has forged an “alliance with Islamists”. He goes further: this is simply the latest mutation of antisemitism. Extraordinary accusations require extraordinary evidence. Yet unlike with his illegal war on Iraq, our former prime minister has not even troubled himself to assemble a dodgy dossier. This latest tirade was p

DefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics1 Apr 2026

Rachel Reeves signals that support package for household energy bills won’t kick in until autumn – UK politics live

Chancellor says the government is looking at ways they can support people based on household income Good morning. Keir Starmer is giving a press conference this morning where, according to No 10, he will discuss the Iran war, and how the government is supporting people at home. Now we are in April, the new financial year is starting, and the government is highlighting measures it has introduced that will help people with the cost of living. The Conservatives have an alternative list, and they a

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics1 Apr 2026

Energy crisis: why ‘keep calm but cut down’ may be a better message for Labour

Government keen to avoid panic as oil price surges, but perhaps households need advice on reducing consumption Labour ministers sent out in recent days to respond to the looming energy crisis sparked by the Iran war have essentially stuck to that reassuring wartime slogan: keep calm and carry on. “I think people should go about their lives as normal, knowing that the government is taking action to bring energy bills down,” James Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told BBC Radio 4’s Tod

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

Nigel Farage’s biggest problem? Donald Trump

Nearly a quarter of voters site the Reform leader’s support for the US president as the primary reason for not voting for his party By day 31 of the war in the Middle East, Nigel Farage had become somewhat less vocal about the closeness of his relationship with Donald Trump. “Trying to read what’s really in the minds of people in the White House right at the moment is a mug’s game,” said the MP, as he unveiled his party’s latest “pledge” to cut the cost of living on Tuesday. Continue reading...

EconomyDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

UK sends more troops to Gulf amid Donald Trump jibes over British military involvement

John Healey says extra deployment is response to ‘expanding threat’ from Iran Middle East crisis – live updates UK politics live – latest updates The UK is sending more military support to the Gulf taking the total deployment to 1,000 troops, amid more jibes from Donald Trump about Britain’s refusal to get involved in offensive operations against Iran. Speaking from Qatar where he met UK troops, the defence secretary, John Healey, said the extra deployment was in response to an “expanding thr

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

Steel bosses warn ‘back door’ loophole in UK trade rules could lead to job cuts and closures

New measures will protect Tata and British Steel but allow foreign pre-made parts into the UK, say industry bosses Steel bosses have warned ministers that a “back door” in new trade rules could hit British manufacturers and lead to job cuts and factory closures by allowing a vast array of foreign products to still enter the UK tax-free. The loophole means pre-made steel parts ranging from bridge sections, columns and door frames, all the way to smaller rods and tubes used in buildings, will esca

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

King Charles’s state visit to US to go ahead, Buckingham Palace confirms

Visit with Camilla to take place in late April despite calls for it to be delayed because of US war against Iran UK politics live – latest updates The king’s state visit to the US is to go ahead next month as planned, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. Charles and the queen’s long-expected trip to see Donald Trump will take place in late April, despite calls for it to be postponed because of the ongoing war in the Middle East. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

BMA dismisses Starmer’s 48-hour warning over resident doctors’ strike plan – UK politics live

Prime minister threatens to withdraw NHS training posts for residents doctors if they don’t call off strike The grooming gangs inquiry will directly examine whether ethnicity, culture or religion influenced offending and whether they shaped the institutional response, the Press Association reports. Good morning. Keir Starmer is chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee later to discuss the Iran war, but domestic issues don’t go away and he (or, to be more accurate, his sta

PoliticsDefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

The toughest job facing the new head of Ofcom: tackling the blatantly partisan GB News | Polly Toynbee

It will take a regulator with grit and guts to enforce the UK’s impartiality laws. This is Labour’s chance to remedy our twisted media landscape Labour feels more sure-footed. A stronger sense of its own identity flows from standing up to Donald Trump, his war and his insults. MPs are less often looking over their shoulders at the right and its media. Here comes one test. Selecting a new chair of the media regulator Ofcom is in its final phase: which of two reported frontrunners is appointed w

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics30 Mar 2026

Kemi the attention-seeker somehow always makes two plus two equal five | John Crace

The looming oil crisis caused by the Iran war gives the Conservative leader a platform from which to jump to the wrong conclusions Losing sleep over the war in Iran? Worried sick about the cost of living? Can’t pay your energy bills? Then relax. Because Kemi Badenoch has a displacement activity for you. It’s becoming increasingly easier to understand the Conservative leader by viewing her as a hyperactive five-year old at the back of the class who is constantly disruptive. Who can’t get through

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics30 Mar 2026

May elections come at time of war on two fronts, Starmer says

At campaign launch, PM acknowledges concern over events in Ukraine and Iran as well as over rising cost of living UK politics live – latest updates The 7 May elections are taking place against a backdrop of “war on two fronts”, Keir Starmer has said, as he pledged action to tackle the resurgent cost of living crisis. Launching Labour’s English local elections campaign in Wolverhampton on Monday, the prime minister said: “We’re facing a war on two fronts – the Ukraine war, now four and a bit ye

PoliticsEconomyDefence