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The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Bibby Stockholm asylum barge contractor admits overcharging UK government £118m

Australia’s Corporate Travel Management is ‘negotiating commercial arrangements’ to refund the money The Australian company that ran the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge has admitted it overcharged the British government by £118m. Corporate Travel Management (CTM) said its auditor had found evidence of “erroneous billing” of its UK clients, increasing its estimate of how much it owes the government by £40m. Continue reading...

Immigration
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The international right has CPAC. Has the left finally found its answer? | Owen Jones

Spain’s PM, Pedro Sánchez, hosted the inaugural meeting of the Global Progressive Mobilisation. Keir Starmer and other social democrats were notable by their absence Can progressives push back the rising tide of authoritarianism? Thousands of people gathered in Barcelona this weekend in search of an answer. The occasion was the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilisation – an ambitious initiative backed by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez – which drew an impressive cast: Brazil’s Lula, Me

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Olly Robbins refused to hand Mandelson vetting summary to Cabinet Office, says Cat Little

In evidence to MPs, Cabinet Office’s top civil servant disputes claim her department suggested vetting might not be needed UK politics live – latest updates Olly Robbins refused to hand Peter Mandelson’s vetting summary to the Cabinet Office, the civil servant who leads the department has said. The summary – which would have revealed that Robbins, the now-sacked Foreign Office head, had granted Mandelson clearance against the advice of security officials – was instead provided to Cat Little by

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

‘This is not the country I moved to’: the British Indians showing support for Nigel Farage

Savitha Prakash, a first-generation immigrant running in local elections in Harrow, says Reform UK aims to ‘put Britain first’ Savitha Prakash, an NHS doctor living in the London borough of Harrow, believes there are similarities between the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. “He’s [Modi] one of those people, like Nigel, he walks the talk. He made [a] difference to the country,” said Prakash, who chairs Reform UK’s branch in Harrow. In particular, the 47-y

PoliticsImmigrationReformHealthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK looked at ways to ‘open doors’ to US chlorinated chicken, FoI request shows

Exclusive: Documents released to campaign group 38 Degrees reveal UK officials briefed on possibility of altering food standards British officials were briefed on the possibility of allowing chemical-washed chicken into the UK before a meeting with the US embassy, new documents reveal. The Food Standards Agency is also looking at studies performed in the US on washing chicken with bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to remove pathogens, according to the documents, released to the campaig

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Rise of the ‘ghost owners’: 18,000 UK vehicles in use without proper records

Exclusive: Labour MP calls on DVLA to take action, saying ‘speeding, hit and runs and worse’ are going unpunished More than 18,000 vehicles are being used in the UK without proper records of where their owners live, it has emerged, part of what a Labour MP has called an increasing problem of “ghost owners” who cannot be held accountable for their driving. According to a freedom of information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 18,260 vehicles were listed in its records as being

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Top Cabinet Office official to give evidence to MPs about Peter Mandelson’s vetting – UK politics live

Permanent secretary, Cat Little, to give evidence to foreign affairs committee as pressure increases on Keir Starmer The UK government budget came in below its annual borrowing target by £700m, official figures show – but the Iran war is likely to blow a hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully calculated fiscal “headroom” over the coming months. Tom Knowles has the story. Good morning. As Kiran Stacey, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot report in the Guardian’s splash, “Keir Starmer is looking increasing

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Schools forced to cut back on support for Send pupils in England, poll finds

More than 70% have cut down in past year on teaching assistants, who play key role in helping children with Send Two-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll. Seven out of 10 (71%) leaders say they have cut down on teaching assistants (TAs) in the past year, while 49% have reduced support staff. The crisis could escalate as 81% warn of f

DefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK undershoots annual borrowing target by £700m

But Iran war likely to blow hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully crafted fiscal ‘headroom’ in coming months The UK government came in below its annual borrowing target by £700m, official figures show – but the Iran war is likely to blow a hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully calculated fiscal “headroom” over the coming months. The government borrowed a net total of £132bn for the financial year ending in March, the Office for National Statistics said. This slightly undershot the £132.7bn that the Offi

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Mapped: the elections that could deliver ‘unprecedented’ losses for Labour

All signs point to a record-low performance for Labour in May in what will be a moment of high jeopardy for Keir Starmer Labour is on track for its worst local election performance, data analysed by the Guardian shows, in a blow that will pile further pressure on Keir Starmer’s leadership. Barring a drastic change in fortunes, Labour’s vote-share could fall to historic lows across elections for councils in England and devolved parliaments in Wales and Scotland on 7 May, with big gains for Reform

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Migrant care workers to leaflet Shabana Mahmood constituents over longer wait to settle

Campaign is said to be first time Labour-affiliated Unison is lobbying en masse against a key party policy Migrant workers and the UK’s largest union will carry out a mass leafleting campaign in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency to protest against a planned change in immigration policy. The Labour-affiliated Unison union says the changes will adversely affect migrant care workers. About one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers are migrants. Continue reading...

ImmigrationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

‘Apprenticeship penalty’ on benefits forces young people from poorer UK families to quit

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week. The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result,

ReformHousing