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The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK prepared to deploy RAF Typhoons to keep strait of Hormuz open after Iran war

Proposal at heart of offer made during a 30-country two-day meeting jointly organised by France Middle East crisis – live updates Britain is prepared to deploy a squadron of RAF Typhoons based in Qatar to patrol over the strait of Hormuz as part of a multinational mission to keep open the strategic waterway once the Iran war comes to an end. The UK military also offered to deploy mine-hunting drones and specialist divers to help clear the strait mined by Iran – but no decision has been made on

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on help to buy: entrenching housing inequalities, rather than helping | Editorial

The Tories’ flagship scheme has aided higher earners most. The latest analysis of its flaws should lead to a rethink The results are in. The biggest winners from the Conservatives’ help to buy scheme were high-earners who were already likely to buy a house. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examined who benefited from the policy, and concluded that the top 10% of earners received the largest cash benefit. Rather than helping people to buy, it more likely helped the already fortunate to accu

EconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Foreign Office unit tracking Israel’s potential breaches of international law closed

Exclusive: Officials warn department will lose access to database of 26,000 verified cases by cutting funding The Foreign Office unit tracking potential breaches of international law by Israel in Gaza and more recently Lebanon has been closed because of cuts within the department, the Guardian can reveal. The decision to shut the international humanitarian law cell follows a review by Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office dismissed last week by the prime minister over the P

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facing Confidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock. Highlighting the knock-on effect of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blame

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Has Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins backfired? – podcast

After Keir Starmer’s statement to the House of Commons and gripping evidence from the sacked top civil servant Olly Robbins, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talk about how the story of Peter Mandelson’s vetting for his job as UK ambassador to the US, which was first broken by the Guardian last Thursday, has unfolded this week Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200 Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200. HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between Septem

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The Foreign Office should have intervened to stop Mandelson’s deeply flawed appointment | Richard Dearlove

If Olly Robbins stood firm the government could have avoided this disastrous episode of bad political judgment that could cost the PM his job Richard Dearlove is the former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service The restricted compartments of the UK’s national security infrastructure are clearly defined and closely controlled. To work across them requires “a developed vetting certificate”. The primary qualification for holding a “DV” is integrity, honesty and transparency in one’s per

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Nine in 10 UK voters across parties support right to abortion, poll finds

YouGov survey shows cross-party consensus – but that many fear abortion access could be reduced New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced. The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion. Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Cat Little’s evidence to MPs is destined for civil service textbooks | John Crace

The Cabinet Office permanent secretary’s 100 minutes before the foreign affairs committee are required viewing UK politics live – latest updates Here we go again. Some of the public may have had enough of the Peter Mandelson scandal by now, and would rather the focus returned to things such as the Iran war and the cost of living crisis. But Westminster has barely started on Mandy. Can’t get enough of him. This one will run and run. You can almost hear the groans from No 10. By now it has final

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Shabana Mahmood’s expletive was shocking. But not for the reason you think | Zoe Williams

With her four-letter-word riposte to a heckler, the home secretary played the victim and cynically puts the blame for her immigration plans on liberals If all you know about Shabana Mahmood’s interview with the comedian Matt Forde, which was recorded live at a West End theatre on Monday, is that she said a heckler should “fuck right off”, then it’s worth listening to the heckle itself. Hell, knock yourself out and listen to the whole podcast. The accompanying blurb calls the home secretary “impa

Immigration
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

In Peter Mandelson evidence, Cat Little had the best weapon: an audit trail

Where Olly Robbins relied on recollections, Cabinet Office’s top civil servant was at pains to link her account to paper trail Seen through the Westminster bubble, the Peter Mandelson vetting affair looks like an age-old conflict pitting ministers against mandarins. Yet the latest top civil servant to testify to parliament over what some are now calling “Mandygate” gave an intriguing account that suggested it has never been as simple as that. Cat Little, the top civil servant at the Cabinet Off

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Former Labour MP calls for Starmer to face Commons committee over Mandelson vetting

Karl Turner, who lost Labour whip after criticising PM, calls for privileges committee to examine if Starmer misled parliament UK politics live – latest updates A former Labour MP has joined opposition parties calling for Keir Starmer to face a Commons committee to examine whether the prime minister misled parliament as the government’s crisis surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington continues. Karl Turner, who lost the Labour whip last month after making a se

Politics