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The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Morgan McSweeney does no lasting damage to Starmer in grilling by Emily Thornberry | John Crace

PM’s former chief of staff looked far from happy when forced into the open to face Commons committee He walks! He talks! He breathes! For most people, Morgan McSweeney is a quasi-mythical creature. A being that exists almost entirely in the shadows. If at all. Away from the public gaze. The legendary slayer of the Labour left, rumoured to have been shaped in the dark arts by Peter Mandelson, who went on to become the eyes and ears of the prime minister. Possibly even his brain. It was often said

Politics
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Starmer seems to think he can do no wrong – two weeks of Mandy-mania hearings point to the opposite conclusion | Marina Hyde

Bereft of any big ideas, or indeed policies, the PM is in his happy place: a never-ending parliamentary procedural process Have his enemies done it? Have the rebels managed to find a thermal exhaust port in the Death Starmer that would enable them finally to destroy it? No, would seem to be the answer after yet another morning of increasingly unwatchable procedural drama for the prime minister. You know what, it’s such a shame procedural rows aren’t a path to growth. The UK would be a global eco

Politics
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

What did Morgan McSweeney and Philip Barton tell MPs about Mandelson’s vetting?

Key takeaways from appearance at select committee of PM’s former chief of staff and former Foreign Office chief UK politics live – latest updates Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, gave his first public appearance at a high-stakes hearing of the foreign affairs select committee to be grilled on the appointment – and vetting – of the disgraced US ambassador Peter Mandelson. He was preceded by the former Foreign Office chief Philip Barton, the man who oversaw the early

Politics
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Man who heckled Shabana Mahmood dismisses ‘laughable’ white liberal claim

Protester says he migrated from Malaysia as a child and describes home secretary’s immigration policies as cruel UK politics live – latest updates A protester who heckled Shabana Mahmood said he came to the UK as a child from Malaysia, describing the home secretary’s claim that he was a white liberal as “laughable”. Joe, 32, who did not wish to give his last name, migrated from Malaysia at the age of four with his family. He said the home secretary’s proposed immigration reforms would have lef

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Sectarianism? Family voting? No, what British Muslims are doing with their votes is called democracy | Taj Ali

I’ve been speaking to Muslims across the country, many of whom are deserting Labour. They are as angry about potholes, traffic and litter as anyone else Taj Ali’s Guardian documentary, The Muslim Vote: Democratic threat or Islamophobic myth? | On the Ground, is out on Thursday 30 April ‘An establishment whitewash … a blooming disgrace. And I promise you that our democracy is not in a healthy state.” Nigel Farage was furious. Not just because the Reform UK candidate, Matthew Goodwin, had lost t

DefenceReform
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Shares in buy-to-let mortgage lenders fall after report Reeves plans rent freeze

FTSE 250 firms Paragon and OSB Group, owner of Kent Reliance and Precise Mortgages, slide on London Stock Exchange Rachel Reeves considering rent freeze to limit Iran war fallout Business live – latest updates Shares in some of the UK’s biggest buy-to-let lenders such as Paragon and One Savings Bank have fallen after it emerged that the chancellor may make private landlords commit to a one-year rent freeze. In an effort to protect households from rising living costs as a result of the Iran wa

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Ex-FCDO chief tells MPs he had concerns over Mandelson’s Epstein links

Philip Barton says there was pressure over pace of vetting from No 10, which he says was ‘uninterested’ in process UK politics live – latest updates The former Foreign Office chief has said he was concerned about Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffery Epstein – and said there was “absolutely” pressure from Downing Street over the pace of vetting. Giving evidence to the foreign affairs select committee, the former Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Barton said Number 10 seemed “uninteres

Politics
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Ministers open-minded on shape of UK social media limits, Phillipson says

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their form Children in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said. Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Continue readi

Education
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

What is the latest Palestine Action court case – and what is at stake?

Government appeal against high court ruling could have implications for right to protest and lead to other groups being proscribed The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will have her appeal against the high court ruling that the ban on Palestine Action was unlawful heard in the court of appeal this week, beginning on Tuesday. The Guardian explains the history of the case and what is at stake. Continue reading...

Crime
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Keir Starmer to face vote on Mandelson vetting scandal as key figures give evidence to MPs - UK politics live

Morgan McSweeney among those giving evidence to foreign affairs committee ahead of Commons vote Good morning. The former US president Lyndon Johnson is credited with saying the most important skill in politics is knowing how to count, meaning that ultimately what matters is being able to win a vote. But sometimes in politics what matters just as much, or even more, is the ability to win the argument. Today Keir Starmer will be tested on both these measures. Winning the vote should be easy. Here

Politics
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

It’s time MPs levelled with us: Britain is already at war, and we’ll need to do two things to survive it | Gaby Hinsliff

Cyber-attacks, disinformation and blockading of supplies. This is what living in a war zone can look like now We are at war. Four words that sound ludicrously melodramatic on a sunny spring day, when all may not be exactly right with the world – but when you can still shut your eyes to a lot of it just by switching off the news and cracking on with life. No bombs are falling, no bullets flying, no sirens sounding. Though the idea that Britain is already under a form of hybrid attack is commonpla

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics28 Apr 2026

Welsh Labour faces ‘existential’ change as party braces for May election defeat

‘Critical debate’ about party’s identity and direction looms if it loses control of Senedd next month after 27 years in power Welsh Labour is the democratic world’s most successful election-winning machine, coming first in Wales in every general election since 1922 and every devolved election since 1999. Come next month’s Senedd election, however, this history-making run is expected to end. Labour’s collapse has left a vacuum, and former Labour voters are going to opposite ends of the political

Politics