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The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Jennie Formby, Labour’s former general secretary, says she has joined Greens

Exclusive: Formby, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn who quit role in 2020, says Labour is now ‘in hock to corporate sponsors’ UK politics live – latest updates A former Labour general secretary has defected to the Green party, in the latest sign that allies of Jeremy Corbyn are moving in large numbers to Zack Polanski’s party. Jennie Formby, who managed the Labour party from 2018 to 2020, told the Guardian she had signed up as a Green party member and intended to campaign for it before May’s local ele

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

After Starmer and Robbins, McSweeney faces a grilling on Mandelson. Can this government survive? Our panel responds

The civil servant says he was pressured by No 10 to get Mandelson’s vetting done; the PM says he wasn’t informed. Who emerges most damaged? Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

‘This is our moment as British Muslims’: MCB leader takes inspiration from New York mayor

Muslim Council of Britain under Wajid Akhter wants to replicate Democrat’s success with grassroots voting drive Zohran Mamdani’s victory to become New York’s first Muslim mayor took place thousands of miles from the UK. But at the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the campaign was being closely studied. “We actually spent some time with his campaign team to work out what the secret sauce was,” said Dr Wajid Akhter, who took over as secretary general of Britain’s largest and most diverse national

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff, to be questioned by MPs

Exclusive: McSweeney summoned by foreign affairs select committee in rare step, as Mandelson vetting row continues UK politics live – latest updates Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, has been summoned before the foreign affairs select committee as the Peter Mandelson vetting row continued to undermine Keir Starmer’s premiership. As MPs attempt to unravel the facts, McSweeney is to appear next Tuesday to respond to allegations that Downing Street put huge pressure on

Politics
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

UK firms to face tougher checks on export licences to bolster sanctions on Russia

News follows Guardian report on licence given to British firm exporting machinery to Armenian firm linked to Russian war effort British firms will face “much tougher” controls to prevent their goods from reaching Russia via other countries, undermining sanctions and aiding Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine. Under plans to be unveiled on Wednesday, the government will be able to require UK manufacturers to obtain a licence if they want to export to a country suspected of acting as a staging pos

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Starmer to face MPs for first time since Olly Robbins’ Mandelson evidence – UK politics live

Former cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill has called for Robbins to be reinstated at the Foreign Office after his evidence to MPs Good morning. Keir Starmer faces PMQs today with the Peter Mandelson vetting row still dominating the Westminster agenda and – in the view of most observers familiar with the views of Labour MPs – the wagons of doom circling in, ever closer, on the Starmer premiership. In an ideal world, the fate of prime ministers would be decided by the big issues, not arcane scandals a

Politics
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

It is obvious now, Keir Starmer, that you made a mistake. Reinstate Olly Robbins for the good of the UK | Simon McDonald

That is the inescapable conclusion from all we know. I’m fairly sure that had the PM initially heard his full account, he would not have sacked him Simon McDonald was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office from 2015 to 2020 The most difficult thing in life – any life – is to admit you are wrong. What’s true for someone in the privacy of their own home is massively more true for the prime minister. But last Thursday, Keir Starmer made a mistake. That afternoon, the Guardian reported that Pet

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Officials too slow to act on falling pupil numbers in England, says watchdog

Demographic changes will cause a glut of school places, according to National Audit Office report A failure to account for England’s falling birthrate is leading to a glut of school places and a potential £1bn fall in pupil funding over the next three years, according to a National Audit Office report. The government’s spending watchdog said the Department for Education started to specifically track the risks around changing demographics only in 2024, long after primary enrolments began falling

Education
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

UK could face ‘hacktivist attacks at scale’, says head of security agency

Officials warn a conflict situation could cause disruption similar to recent major ransomware incidents The UK could face “hacktivist attacks at scale” if it becomes embroiled in a conflict and the impact could be similar to recent high-profile ransomware incidents, according to the head of the country’s online security agency. Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will warn today that nation states now account for the most significant incidents the NCSC de

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

The rush to appease Trump led Keir Starmer into this ethical void | Rafael Behr

Peter Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president You can’t kill something that is already dead. New details about Peter Mandelson’s disastrous appointment as Britain’s ambassador to Washington can trigger more paroxysms of outrage in Westminster. They can sharpen the pitch of opposition calls for the prime minister to resign. They can reinforce the view among Labour MPs that Keir Starmer shouldn’t lead them into a general election. But

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Robbins says officials considered withholding Mandelson vetting files from parliament

Sacked civil servant acknowledges ‘debate’ about release of documents after question about alleged ‘cover-up’ Olly Robbins responded to a question about an alleged “cover-up” on Tuesday by confirming that government officials had considered withholding Peter Mandelson’s secretive vetting documents from parliament. Robbins, who was sacked by Keir Starmer as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant last week, appeared to confirm a report in the Guardian that senior officials were debating whether to

Politics
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

The security report the UK government doesn’t want you to see – podcast

Fiona Harvey tells Nosheen Iqbal why the climate crisis is a threat to national security “Last October, I and other journalists got quite excited because we thought that we were going to be attending a great event at the Natural History Museum,” the Guardian’s environment editor Fiona Harvey tells Nosheen Iqbal. “We had been told that there was a major report being launched at this event. And this report was going to come not just from where you’d expect – from the government’s environment depar

Environment