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The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Electricity generators threatened with higher windfall taxes in bid to ensure stable prices

Move marks government’s most radical attempt to weaken impact of soaring wholesale gas prices on electricity costs Clean energy generation exceeded rise in global electricity demand in 2025 Electricity generators will face higher windfall taxes unless they sign up to long-term fixed-price contracts under government plans to protect bill payers from future gas market price shocks, as the Iran war pushes up energy prices. The Treasury will increase a windfall tax on excess profits made by electr

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Judgment day for Starmer? – podcast

Keir Starmer has updated the House of Commons on what he knew, and when, in regard to Peter Mandelson’s vetting for the post of UK ambassador to the US. Was what the PM said enough to convince his party and the public that he should not resign? Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Peter Mandelson: a timeline of his appointment as UK ambassador to the US

Keir Starmer details vetting procedure overruled by the FCDO and culminated in his decision to appoint Mandelson In a pivotal Commons statement to MPs on Monday, Keir Starmer laid out the most detailed timeline of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK ambassador to the US, the vetting process which ended with the Foreign Office overruling the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) and what he said were chances to tell him that civil servants had failed to take. Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Starmer accuses Robbins of obstructing truth about Mandelson vetting

PM admits he made mistake in choice of ambassador as he makes high-stakes statement to parliament over scandal Keir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Mandelson vetting scandal before a high-jeopardy appearance of the sacked top official before MPs on Tuesday. Six days after the prime minister said he had learned that his pick for Washington ambassador had failed security vetting, Starmer admitted his decision to appoint him had been a

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Mobile phones to be banned in schools in England under new plans

Government amendment to children’s wellbeing and schools bill to replace existing guidance with statutory ban A ban on mobile phones in schools in England is to be introduced by the government to ensure that “critical safeguarding legislation” is passed. The government will table an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill in the House of Lords after the bill was held up by peers on opposition benches. Continue reading...

PoliticsEducation
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Today, it fell to parliament to hold Keir Starmer to account for the Mandelson scandal. It largely failed | Toby Helm

On these occasions, MPs have a solemn duty to reflect the public’s anger and need for answers. A pity that so few seem able to fulfil it Around the time of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in late 2024, Nigel Farage, our possible next prime minister, said that while he “might disagree with Mandelson on his politics” he was “a very intelligent man”, who would be a good choice for the job. If the Tories raised objections at the time, they are not exactly seared to

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

How safe is Starmer’s premiership after his Mandelson vetting statement to MPs?

Despite his explanation and the need for political stability, the PM is still unpopular – and Olly Robbins has yet to give his side of the story Labour MPs frustrated with the lack of a clear mission from Keir Starmer’s No 10 have often urged the prime minister to be more forceful in his arguments, to prosecute his values, to find an enemy to define himself against. The prime minister has found one: Olly Robbins. Starmer prosecuted his case against the former Foreign Office chief on Monday with

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

What Starmer said, and didn’t say, in the Commons about the Mandelson saga

PM sets out chronology of Mandelson’s vetting failure – and insists he has not misled MPs UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has laid out a detailed timeline of events leading up to Peter Mandelson being refused security vetting and how the message was not passed to No 10. Here’s what his statement did tell us – and what it was more vague on. Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Starmer the Incurious asks no questions and sees no Mandy-shaped red flags

Appointing an amoral narcissist was the PM’s biggest crime, but he was keen to breeze past it in the Commons Things could be worse. The prime minister can still catch a break. Some had called Monday’s Commons statement Keir Starmer’s judgment day. But that was a category error. Many Labour MPs had long since made up their minds. Keir wasn’t the right person to be running the country. Just that now, with a war in the Middle East and the local elections early next month, was not the right time to

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on social care shortages: housing charities could help England’s ‘hidden children’ | Editorial

New rules and extra foster carers should ease the pressure on councils. But unregistered placements remain a grave concern It is incumbent on everyone with an interest in social policy to pay attention to the most vulnerable children and young people. When those who have been neglected, abused or exploited fall through the cracks in the welfare state because local councils are unable to meet their needs, this reflects poorly on wider society and risks causing harm in the long term as well as imm

Housing
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Is Richard Tice’s picture AI-manipulated? Here are five giveaways

Experts and social media detectives take a closer look at Reform deputy leader’s image of an apparent campaign event *** After Richard Tice posted a picture of an apparent Reform campaign event on Sunday, experts and social media detectives took a closer look – and concluded from a variety of telltale signs that the image had either been edited or generated by artificial intelligence. Here are some of the clues that critics called into question. Continue reading...

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