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235 headlines found — Page 18 of 20

The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Nobody wants to defend Britain’s voting system any more – but here’s why I will | Gaby Hinsliff

The nail-biting Gorton and Denton byelection has shown the cracks in first past the post. I still don’t think proportional representation is the answer You can’t always get what you want. And as Mick Jagger didn’t add, sometimes the best you can hope for is just to stop other people getting it. At the time of writing, I don’t yet know exactly how that process has panned out for the people of Gorton and Denton in the kind of byelection Labour should normally win at a canter but which instead beca

Politics
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

The Your Party committee election was chaos. Why break the habit of a lifetime?

As the results livestream was delayed, voters lamented: ‘Is it too much to ask for competence as well as democracy?’ Start as you mean to go on. Your Party has had a fair few ups and downs in its short lifespan. Some might call it chaos. Its two most prominent members, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, seem barely able to stand being in the same room as each other. Allegations of financial misconduct over membership fees and donations. A party conference which Sultana refused to attend on the fi

Politics
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Assisted dying bill not at ‘end of the road’, peer says as time runs short

Charlie Falconer criticises small number of peers blocking bill and says he is sure it will return in next session A former Labour minister has insisted the assisted dying bill has not reached “the end of the road”, as the legislation appears set to run out of time after organised filibustering. Charlie Falconer, who has been trying to steer the bill through the House of Lords, spoke after it was confirmed that the government would not giving the bill further debate time in the Lords, where ther

Politics
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Tell us: how are your finances looking ahead of the Spring Forecast?

We want to hear how people across the UK are managing their money as Rachel Reeves prepares to set out the latest economic outlook Next Tuesday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will update the country on the state of the economy when the Spring Forecast is delivered to parliament. The government is not expected to make major announcements on taxes and spending but will include the latest forecasts for growth, details of the UK’s financial position and hint at the changes we might expect in future.

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Corbyn to be Your Party parliamentary leader as Sultana joins leadership committee

Former Labour leader says time for ‘real work’ to begin as his candidates take 14 of 24 available places on executive committee UK politics live – latest updates Jeremy Corbyn is to become the parliamentary leader of Your Party, after an election in which his rival Zarah Sultana was also voted on to the party’s leadership committee. Corbyn’s allies declared victory immediately after the vote in which Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party’s central executive c

Politics
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

It’s taboo to admit it, but voters bear some responsibility for the frayed state of Britain | Andy Beckett

Populists blame an ever-expanding list of enemies for social ills – many of which are in fact caused by changes in our habits and social norms One of the great strengths of populism, in all its rightwing and leftwing varieties, is its readiness to blame people. When democracies are discontented, as most are now, the old early 21st-century politics of relative consensus and moderation is seen by many voters as insincere and inadequate, as many unpopular centrist leaders have discovered. Societies

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Number of asylum seekers in UK hotels falls to 18-month low

Home Office figures also show a rise in asylum refusal rates, with government claiming tightening of rules is working UK politics live – latest updates The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in hotels has fallen to the lowest level for 18 months, Home Office figures show. The statistics released on Thursday also show a drop in asylum granting rates. Continue reading...

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Sarwar gambles on break with Starmer as Holyrood race tightens

Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP’s record, but voters remain unconvinced UK politics live – latest updates “People look at Holyrood and think: ‘Lets give them all a bloody nose’,” says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly disappointed with the Labour government’s early performance, frustrated by the record of the Scottis

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Starmer, Polanski and Farage in final pitch to voters as polls open in Gorton and Denton byelection – UK politics live

Voting begins in one of the most eagerly awaited and fiercely contested byelections of recent years Good morning. In Gorton and Denton, on the outskirts of Manchester, people have started voting in one of the most eagerly awaited, and fiercely contested, byelections of recent years. All the polling suggests the result will be very close. The political scientists argue that, if a party wins a contest like this by just a few hundred votes (or perhaps ever fewer – Reform UK won the Runcorn and Hels

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Home Office denies ‘absurd’ criticism over rule change that could leave dual nationals stranded

MPs raise cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by new passport requirements as minister rejects calls for a grace period The Home Office has dismissed as “absurd” claims that it failed to properly communicate new border rules that left some British dual nationals at risk of being denied boarding flights to the UK. During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office minister Mike Tapp suggested that media coverage in the Guardian and BBC reflected the department’s ef

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Labour must search its conscience if Reform wins Gorton and Denton, says Green leader

Zack Polanski says Labour deliberately splitting left vote as voters head to the polls The polls have opened in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in years. The Green party leader Zack Polanski said his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party has targeted left-leaning voters in the G

PoliticsEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

What a Gorton byelection win would mean for Reform, Greens and Labour

Polls put seat in three-way dead heat with Labour facing threats from Reform and Green party in once safe seat The Gorton and Denton byelection is the biggest electoral test yet for Keir Starmer before what are expected to be disastrous results for Labour in the May local elections. Polls put the race in a three-way dead heat, making it nearly impossible to call. The vote is particularly symbolic because of the threat Labour faces from Reform UK and the Green party in a once safe seat. Should La

PoliticsEnvironmentReform