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The Guardian Politics17 Apr 2026

Cuts to overseas aid will worsen shocks to global economy, David Miliband says

Exclusive: Former UK foreign secretary says poor and rich countries alike will be hit amid humanitarian crisis sparked by Iran war Cuts to overseas aid by countries including the US and the UK risk stoking global economic instability amid the humanitarian crisis resulting from the Iran war, David Miliband has said. The former British foreign secretary and head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said the US “abandoning” of its aid programme under Donald Trump would worsen shocks to the g

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

Rachel Reeves warns other budgets may be cut to lift defence spending

Chancellor says she is ‘working through a range of options’ to boost the armed forces but does not want to put up taxes UK politics live – latest updates Rachel Reeves has warned “difficult choices” are required to increase defence spending and other budgets may have to be cut, including welfare. Under pressure for a faster rise in military spending amid the Iran conflict and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the chancellor said she was “working through a range of options” but preferred not to increase

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland’s parliamentary elections

John Swinney unveils his party’s manifesto, saying cost of living is the ‘defining issue’ for voters on 7 May The SNP will cap supermarket prices for essential goods like bread and milk if it retains power, John Swinney has pledged, after describing the cost of living as “the defining issue of this election”. With polls pointing to a fifth Holyrood term for the Scottish National party, its leader said he would use devolved public health powers to fix prices on 20 to 50 items such as bread, milk,

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Boosting military spending by slashing welfare is not the answer, senior Labour figures warn Reeves

MPs and peers say pitting defence and welfare against each other risks losing public support for increased spending on the military Senior Labour figures have warned that Rachel Reeves must find alternative ways to increase military spending rather than slashing welfare, saying it risks public support for investment in defence. Pressure has been mounting from Labour backbenchers for the Treasury to urgently agree the defence investment plan (Dip) after George Robertson, a former Nato secretary g

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reeves steps up criticism of Trump’s Iran war, branding it a ‘mistake’

UK chancellor tells US audience she is ‘not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place’ Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates Rachel Reeves has stepped up her criticism of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing it as a “mistake” that has destabilised the global economy and damaged living standards around the world. In a marked fraying of the transatlantic relationship, the UK chancellor said Trump breaking off from diplomatic talks with Iran and l

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Balancing UK’s welfare and defence spending ‘not zero-sum game’, minister says

Treasury minister James Murray hits back at George Robertson’s criticism over military budget UK politics live – latest updates A Treasury minister has said balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero-sum game”, amid stark warnings that the UK will have to increase its military budget to ensure national security during global volatility. James Murray, the chancellor’s deputy, said the government was pushing ahead with the biggest sustained increase in defence investments since the co

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Trump warns US-UK trade deal ‘can always be changed’ with relations in ‘sad state’

President says he gave Britain ‘better deal than I had to’ but ally was ‘not there when we needed them’ on Iran Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates Donald Trump has threatened to row back on the trade deal the US signed with the UK last year, in his latest salvo against the British government over sharp differences about the US’s approach to the Middle East. The US president said the economic deal struck with the UK, which cut some of his tariffs on cars, aluminiu

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

How a £2m bitcoin order made Nigel Farage the political face of UK crypto

Promotion of ‘bitcoin treasury’ firm with Kwasi Kwarteng draws new attention to Reform leader’s relations with industry A thumping electronic beat provides the soundtrack to the video as Nigel Farage appears in front of a bank of screens. At first glance, it could be yet another of the Reform UK leader’s “second jobs” – whether promoting gold as a pension fallback or recording Cameo videos. And in a sense, it is: Farage is promoting a £2m cryptocurrency purchase by a company in which he has £215

PoliticsEconomyDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Reeves arrives at IMF with little leeway to prove its UK downgrade wrong

Chancellor faced with fund’s forecast that impact of Iran war will leave Britain as G7’s biggest loser Iran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warns The Iran war is bad news for the global economy. But for some countries, the unfolding conflict is having a bigger impact than for others. The International Monetary Fund’s verdict is that Britain is the G7’s biggest loser. Amid the rising damage from the Middle East war, the Washington-based fund warned UK economic growth rate wou

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

UK’s armed forces are in a sad state – and they have only themselves to blame

The MoD shows little sign of learning from its mistakes – no wonder the Treasury is reluctant to agree to its demands George Robertson, Tony Blair’s first defence secretary, a former Nato secretary general and an author last year of the latest in a series of evasive strategic defence reviews, accused Keir Starmer on Tuesday of a “corrosive complacency towards defence”. He said the prime minister was not willing to make the “necessary investment”. Lord Robertson could have directed his fire elsew

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Scottish Greens pledge free bus travel and basic income in election manifesto

Party says plan for ‘radical change’ will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlords UK politics live – latest updates The Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted manifesto pledges. The party is enjoying a bounce in Scottish opinion polls, with some putting it ahead of Labour, driven partly by the surging support for the Green party of England and Wales under

PoliticsEconomyEducationEnvironmentHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics13 Apr 2026

Anas Sarwar asks voters in Scotland to give Labour five years to ‘fix SNP’s mess’

Scottish Labour leader pledges more homes and tax cuts as party tries to reverse slump in support before May elections UK politics live – latest updates Anas Sarwar has appealed to voters to give Labour five years “to fix the Scottish National party’s mess” as he pledged more homes, tax cuts and a smaller public sector. The Scottish Labour leader is fighting a last-ditch attempt to reverse a steep slump in support. Recent polls put Sarwar’s party third or fourth behind Reform and the Scottish

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHousing