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The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

Full nationalisation of British Steel expected in King’s speech

Officials reportedly drafting legislation likely to safeguard Britain’s last blast furnaces and save thousands of jobs The full nationalisation of British Steel is expected to be announced in the King’s speech this week, a year after the government took over the daily running of the loss-making business from its Chinese owner. The steelmaker, which employs 3,500 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, came under government control last April amid fears that its owner Jingye was planning to shut down

Defence
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

Don’t let Farage and Reform divide us, Labour’s Sarwar urges Holyrood leaders

Scottish Labour leader says he aims to hold SNP to account after his party tied for second with Reform in elections UK politics live – latest updates The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has warned other Scottish political leaders not to spend the next Holyrood parliament “shouting about Nigel Farage”, saying his job is to ensure there is a credible opposition at Holyrood “that holds the SNP’s feet to the fire”. While the Scottish National party won a fifth successive Holyrood victory and

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

As leader of the UK’s largest union, I want Labour to succeed – but that means radical change | Andrea Egan

If this isn’t to be the last ever Labour government, the party is going to need to reconnect with the labour movement Andrea Egan is the general secretary of Unison If you’re hurtling at high speed towards the cliff-edge, basic common sense says you should at least try to apply the brakes. It’s that moment now: in the wake of Friday’s disastrous election results for Labour, few really doubt there will inevitably be a new party leader – and prime minister. Yet endless speculation over the how a

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

How could Labour remove Keir Starmer? Four possible routes

Replacing a leader is difficult, as Jeremy Corbyn proved – but MPs can apply pressure, publicly or privately Many Labour MPs believe Keir Starmer will not survive as Labour leader for long enough to fight the next election. What they cannot agree on, however – even after a disastrous set of results in this week’s elections – is how his departure might come about. The Labour rulebook makes it notoriously difficult to unseat a party leader: none has been formally ejected in the postwar period, tho

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

From fringe issue to the heart of politics: the UK Living Wage campaign marks 25 years of success | Heather Stewart

The group’s latest triumph won over the Department for Business and Trade, now it is eyeing private care providers and supermarkets A paragon of the kind of people-powered progress that feels all the more necessary in divisive times, the Living Wage campaign, is celebrating its25th anniversary this year. Born out of Telco (The East London Citizens’ Organisation), which ultimately became the nationwide group Citizens UK, the campaign has always involved communities working together, to press for

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

Starmer insists he won’t quit as PM, as former minister Catherine West seeks to trigger Labour leadership contest – UK politics live

MP says that unless a cabinet minister comes forward to challenge the PM by tomorrow that she will Good morning. There were many predictions for Labour’s future ahead of the English, Scottish and Welsh elections, which have been terrible for the party, but there is one outcome foreseen by no one: a leadership challenge by Catherine West. West, MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a junior Foreign Office minister until she was sacked in the reshuffle last year, announced yesterday afternoon that,

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 May 2026

Defence sovereignty: Europe races to build the low-cost weapons of future

With Trump wavering on Nato and war in Ukraine, Europe is scrambling to spend billions on weapons such as drones In a small workshop in England’s East Midlands, engineers at the British startup Skycutter are designing weapons for Ukraine. A row of 3D printers make the fuselage for interceptor drones, while parts such as motors and navigation chips are slotted together by hand. The same process happens hundreds of thousands of times a month in partner Ukrainian factories. The swarms of cheap, dea

Defence
The Guardian Politics9 May 2026

MPs from Labour’s left to urge Ed Miliband to consider leadership bid

Keir Starmer set to face challenge as former minister says she will trigger race if no cabinet minister comes forward UK politics live – latest updates MPs from Labour’s left are expected to urge Ed Miliband to consider a leadership bid in the coming days, as Keir Starmer faced the prospect of a definite challenge from his MPs next week. Following grim results for Labour in elections on Thursday, former minister Catherine West said that if no cabinet ministers went public by Monday, she would

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics9 May 2026

Starmer’s unpopularity was insurmountable for Scottish Labour – and a boon for Reform

Amid public apathy and frustration, Labour and Reform tie for second behind the SNP, while Greens claim ‘seismic’ fourth place Long before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street. When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, strode into the Glasgow count arena on Friday afternoon flanked by sombre-faced activists, the scene was a mirror image to the same venue in 2024, when his resurgent party won 36 seats from the Scottis

PoliticsDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics8 May 2026

John Swinney declares victory for SNP in Holyrood elections

Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beaten John Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has declared victory in the Holyrood elections after only a handful of results confirmed Labour had been comprehensively beaten. Speaking to the BBC after holding his own seat of Perthshire North, Swinney said he was “absolutely certain the SNP is going to be the leading party coming out of this election”. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

If Labour now decides the PM is no longer up to the job, there’s just one problem: neither is anyone else | Gaby Hinsliff

Whoever leads Britain through the next three years may have to navigate a recession, even a war. The way we choose that person needs an urgent overhaul This is going to be an ugly weekend for British politics. How ugly we won’t quite know until Saturday night, when enough votes will have been counted to judge whether Keir Starmer’s government has suffered merely a midterm kicking or a full-blown collapse, and what dark forces may have been unleashed in the process. For you needn’t be a Labour vo

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics7 May 2026

Cut UK speed limits to reduce Iran war impact on consumers, thinktank urges

Cap of 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would cut fuel demand and combat rising prices, IPPR says Britain should lower speed limits for drivers as part of a package of measures to reduce the impact of the Iran war on consumers, a thinktank has said. Capping legal speeds at 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would help reduce fuel demand and combat soaring oil prices triggered by conflict, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Continue readin

Defence