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The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Yes, retail investment needs a boost – but the squirrel looks too tame | Nils Pratley

Ambition behind investing campaign is laudable, yet cutting stamp duty on share purchases, for example, would be much more savvy City firms bank on ‘savvy’ ad campaign to push Brits towards investing Red squirrel characters have a history in the public information game. Older UK readers may recall Tufty, who taught children about road safety in the 1970s. His chum, Willy Weasel, regularly got knocked down by passing cars but clever Tufty always remembered to look both ways. Now comes Savvy Squ

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

City firms bank on ‘savvy’ advertising campaign to push Brits towards investing

The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymied Nils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’ City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing. The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Inquiry clears Bristol school of antisemitism for postponing Jewish MP’s visit

Independent review into Bristol Brunel academy finds Damien Egan visit was postponed over safeguarding concerns An independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school that found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups. Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East and vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was due to visit Bristol Brunel academy (BBA) last September to talk to st

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Ian Collard: the Foreign Office insider who may be key to Mandelson scandal

Olly Robbins’ meeting with Collard resulted in Mandelson’s security clearance which is now under intense scrutiny His name was only mentioned twice – and the meeting he had with Olly Robbins may have only lasted 10 minutes. But Ian Collard is a central – and perhaps the key – figure in the scandal over how Peter Mandelson ended up receiving the security clearance to become Britain’s ambassador in Washington. Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on blaming the civil service: the predictable refuge of failing governments | Editorial

Whitehall has its flaws, but reform can only be successful in a climate of trust, not fear The announcement of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador ensures that 20 December 2024 will be recorded as a fateful day in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Less remarked on, but relevant in hindsight, is a speech that the prime minister made earlier that month to launch a “plan for change”. Sir Keir set out ambitions to improve public services and lamented caution in the civil service. Whitehall,

Environment
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Martin Rowson on the ailing leaderships of Trump and Starmer – cartoon

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The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

No one can look Starmer in the eye … and the Mandy saga is not going away

The PM’s failure was being a spectator as Morgan McSweeney set about finding jobs for his mates This is the end, beautiful friend. It is the tragedy of almost all prime ministers that they are the last person to realise the game is up. Their race is run. The backbenchers are the first to know. They spend time in their constituencies. They get it in the neck from voters who have had enough with whoever is in No 10. They are the ones who get told nothing seems to work any more and that the prime m

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Britain’s military dependence on US ‘no longer tenable’, says former Nato chief

Lord Robertson says diplomatic tone from White House is at ‘historic low’ and two allies are likely to keep diverging UK politics live – latest updates Britain’s high military dependence on the US “is no longer tenable” and the UK has to become increasingly independent of the special relationship with Washington, a former Nato chief has warned. Lord Robertson, who last week accused British leaders of a “corrosive complacency” towards defence, said on Wednesday the traditional allies were diver

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

I was wrong about the danger of smartphones in schools. It’s far, far worse than I thought | Lola Okolosie

The new government ban should be welcomed. But teachers like me know that enforcement is time-consuming – and even, sometimes, dangerous It seems unbelievable now, but a decade ago we were debating the potential positive merits of mobile phones in schools. Back then, some private school headteachers insisted these mini-computers were a “powerful resource” teachers should “harness” rather than fear. To counter what I can now only call a fantasy, in these pages I argued the opposite case. To intr

Education
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Ministers speak out in cabinet meeting over Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins

Sources say cabinet ministers warned PM against alienating civil service after firing of official over Mandelson scandal UK politics live – latest updates Cabinet ministers have expressed concern about Keir’s Starmer’s decision to sack Olly Robbins as the Foreign Office’s top official over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal as they warned him not to alienate the civil service, sources have told the Guardian. Several ministers spoke out about the decision to sack Robbins during a gloomy cabine

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

How Olly Robbins’ knightly charm glossed over burning questions on Mandelson vetting

Mandelson received two ‘clearance denied’ red ticks yet top Foreign Office civil servant says he did not have access to file – which he later read UK politics live – latest updates The verdict on Olly Robbins’ parliamentary testimony, among fellow knights of the civil service realm at least, was unanimous. Lord Sedwill, a former Cabinet secretary, called on the prime minister to “retract his accusations against Olly Robbins and reinstate him”. Simon McDonald, who once held Robbins’ job as top

Politics
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Taxes on UK workers have risen at fastest rate in rich world, says OECD

Survey by global economic forum shows ‘tax wedge’ in Britain increased to 32.4% of income in 2025 Business live – latest updates Taxes on workers in Britain rose at the fastest rate among the world’s richest economies last year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. With Labour under pressure on the economy amid the Iran war, the OECD said a key measure of the total tax paid by workers and their employers rose by the most in the 38-member club of rich nations

EconomyDefence