News

Original reporting and the latest political headlines from across the UK.

Our Articles

Mainstream Headlines

Filtering by:Source: The Guardian Politics×Clear all

3125 headlines found — Page 193 of 261

The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

Is Keir Starmer ‘complacent’ on defence? – podcast

Keir Starmer has hit back at Labour peer George Robertson’s criticisms about defence funding. Why has the government been slow to prioritise defence and what trade-offs is Keir Starmer willing to make in order to increase spending? Guardian Live: Can Labour come back from the brink? With a difficult set of May elections approaching, Labour under threat from the Green party and Reform UK, and Keir Starmer’s popularity in freefall, can he survive as leader of the Labour party? The Guardian’s Gaby

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

English councils need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists, says report

Rising demand from children with special needs means the £140m required could come from government grants Councils in England need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists at a cost of £140m to meet demand from children with special needs such as autism, according to a new report. Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found huge regional variations and chronic shortages in qualified educational psychologists working with schools, and concluded that a 40% increase in the workforce

Education
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reeves gives more energy bill support to businesses as Iran war pushes up costs

Scheme cutting bills by up to 25% expanded to cover 10,000 firms, but they will not be paid until next year Rachel Reeves has announced an expansion of support for the most energy-intensive UK businesses, as they face soaring bills as a result of the Middle East conflict. The chancellor said the long-promised British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) would be expanded to cover 10,000 companies, up from the 7,000 originally announced. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

David Lammy still plays an important role in UK foreign policy – but he is not the only one

Keir Starmer conducts much of Britain’s diplomacy himself, but beneath him is a team of trusted advisers The first foreign official JD Vance met with after he returned from peace talks with Iran in Islamabad this week was not a diplomat or foreign policy official – it was David Lammy, the UK’s justice secretary and deputy prime minister. Lammy will follow his trip to Washington, where he saw the vice-president and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, with another to Barcelona, where he will repr

Reform
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

MPs vote against social media ban for under-16s a second time

Commons rejects proposal by 256 to 150 to side with government on plan to tackle online harms affecting children MPs have voted against a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media for the second time, as the prime minister summoned tech bosses to demand tougher action on internet safety. The House of Commons rejected a Lords amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that imposed a new age limit on using social media platforms, amid pressure from parents and campaign groups

PoliticsEducationHousing
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Boosting military spending by slashing welfare is not the answer, senior Labour figures warn Reeves

MPs and peers say pitting defence and welfare against each other risks losing public support for increased spending on the military Senior Labour figures have warned that Rachel Reeves must find alternative ways to increase military spending rather than slashing welfare, saying it risks public support for investment in defence. Pressure has been mounting from Labour backbenchers for the Treasury to urgently agree the defence investment plan (Dip) after George Robertson, a former Nato secretary g

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Wales’s first minister calls on Keir Starmer to halt US-UK space defence project

Eluned Morgan says US under Donald Trump is ‘not partner it once was’ with Iran threats and ‘contempt’ towards UK Wales’s first minister has called on Keir Starmer to suspend a big joint defence project with the US, saying that under Donald Trump the country is “not the partner it once was”. In a statement on Wednesday, Labour’s Eluned Morgan cited the US president’s “contempt” towards the UK and his threat to “annihilate” Iran as reasons to halt the development of the Deep Space Advanced Radar

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on the looming energy shock: ministers need to show they have a plan | Editorial

Keir Starmer can’t be blamed for the crisis in the Middle East, but he has to reassure people that he is prepared for its long-term consequences Public reassurance is one of the first duties of the government in difficult times. The early months of the Covid pandemic offer a case study in how to get this wrong. Boris Johnson was paralysed by indecision and denial of the severity of what was unfolding. Panic-buying cleared supermarket shelves of essential goods. Sir Keir Starmer is unlike Mr John

The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reeves steps up criticism of Trump’s Iran war, branding it a ‘mistake’

UK chancellor tells US audience she is ‘not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place’ Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates Rachel Reeves has stepped up her criticism of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing it as a “mistake” that has destabilised the global economy and damaged living standards around the world. In a marked fraying of the transatlantic relationship, the UK chancellor said Trump breaking off from diplomatic talks with Iran and l

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Government’s 1.5m housebuilding target in England is suffering subsidence | Nils Pratley

As the country’s biggest housebuilder cuts land buying and the Iran war pushes up costs, setting an ambitious figure appears even more foolish This is what the government didn’t want to hear when its target to build 1.5m new homes in England during this parliament already looked out of reach. The country’s biggest housebuilder is trimming its purchases of new land because the Iran war has created “a less certain backdrop”. Barratt Redrow’s “disciplined approach” isn’t a downing of tools, it shou

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Ex-Tory and Labour councillor Richard Bingley joins Reform for May elections

The much-travelled politician, who has also been a member of Ukip, will stand for election to Thurrock council At first he was a Tory councillor, before switching to Labour. Then came a stint in Ukip, followed by a return to the Conservatives that ended in ignominy amid a row over trees. And now, the much-travelled Richard Bingley is representing Reform. If Bingley is elected to Thurrock council in Essex on 7 May, it will represent something of a resurrection for the man with a case for being Br

Politics
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Questions asked and answers given – up to a point. Welcome to lo-fi PMQs | John Crace

Weirdly, Keir and Kemi looked more secure in their jobs as a modicum of coherence entered their exchanges Credit where credit is due. The last few prime minister’s questions have been an exercise in nihilism. The embodiment of existential futility. Questions asked by Kemi Badenoch but not even a pretence by Keir Starmer of answering them. It was like the worst days of Boris Johnson’s time in No 10. We’d have learned more if both leaders had chosen to read out some names from an old 1980s phonebo