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The Guardian Politics16 Aug 2026

Burnham urged to crack down on gig economy firms to protect 4m workers

Exclusive: Campaigners say millions are missing out on key rights including sick pay and protection against unfair dismissal Andy Burnham is being urged to protect 4 million gig economy workers by prosecuting companies that use widespread “bogus” self-employment practices to deny people their rights. As the prime minister fleshes out his agenda, the Fabian Society and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have warned that millions of workers are missing out on key statutory rights including parental le

EconomyDefenceReformHousing
The Guardian Politics16 Aug 2026

A positive new report raises the question: was Reeves undermined by dodgy data? | Heather Stewart

Assessment that has found a jump in UK productivity emphasises urgent need to appoint a national statistician Keen new chancellor, John Healey, responded to last week’s better-than-expected economic news by claiming the government is “bringing hope back”. Growth did not plunge as feared after Donald Trump unleashed war on Iran – with GDP expanding at a pretty decent 0.4% in the second quarter. But what if we should have held on to a bit more hope all along? A new assessment of the UK’s recent pr

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Aug 2026

New UK cost of living crisis looms with soaring energy bills forecast to lift inflation

Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%. As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation r

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students

Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’ University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education, after new figures suggest a collapse in international student numbers will deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future. The sector’s leaders called on the government to rethink the levy on international student fees imposed under Keir Starmer, as a former universities minister warned that the

EconomyDefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

UK economy shows surprising resilience – but that might not last | Richard Partington

Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumn UK economic growth slows down Business live – latest updates In the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong. The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole positi

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics12 Aug 2026

Probation chief says he’s ‘not fully confident’ service will cope with early prisoner releases – UK politics live

Martin Jones expresses concern scheme will increase pressure on probation service as Burnham addresses controversy over PC Harper’s killers Good morning. Andy Burnham is chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee this afternoon to discuss the heatwave and the climate crisis. About time too, some people will say. One of them is Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, who has been calling for this and who posted this on social media in response. Good. Now we need action. Tax f

PoliticsEconomyEnvironmentCrime
The Guardian Politics12 Aug 2026

UK heatwaves may have cost economy £4.4bn in lost output so far this year, analysis finds

Verdant thinktank says cost could top £25bn a year by 2030 and calls for maximum temperature for working and urban redesign to cool down cities Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than £4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows. Green thinktank Verdant had suggested June’s unseasonally hot weather had an economic cost of £2.36bn. Updating its assessment to include last month’s high temperatures, it finds a £4.4bn hit to

EconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics11 Aug 2026

A question for Burnham as he tours the country: how to reduce the magnetic pull of London? | Peter Hetherington

As someone who has specialised in regional policy, I know the task is huge – not least because there is no plan to ensure prosperity throughout England Andy Burnham is off on his travels this week, aiming to reconnect No 10 and the government with voters and communities across the UK. But just weeks before he set out his stall as prime minister, promising to rebalance the economy with growth in every postcode, a government agency, National Highways, underlined the pulling power of the country’s

Economy
The Guardian Politics10 Aug 2026

From ticket booking fees to shrinkflation, six other ways Burnham could cut cost of living

The prime minister is promising to crack down on ‘rip-off’ business practices Andy Burnham has announced he will ban fake discounts and make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions in an effort to improve life for UK consumers. In the long run, these so-called “everyday fixes” may not make as much difference to your wealth as increasing mandatory contributions on pensions or capping rents, but they will get rid of some day-to-day frustrations. Here are six other things he could fix while he i

EconomyReformHousing
The Guardian Politics10 Aug 2026

Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to suicide of personal assistant, coroner finds

Chloe Moffat, 26, killed herself after disciplinary proceedings which coroner found be to be flawed The Treasury “materially contributed” to the death of Chloe Moffat, a 26-year-old personal assistant who took her own life after facing disciplinary proceedings, a coroner has found. Anna Crawford also found there was a risk of future deaths within the civil service from flawed handling of disciplinary proceedings. She said she would send a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civ

Economy
The Guardian Politics10 Aug 2026

Record 230 people cross Channel to UK as smugglers turn to ‘mega-dinghies’

Crossing in larger vessel highlights changing tactics despite increased enforcement on French coast UK politics live – latest updates Europe live – latest updates A dinghy carrying a record 230 people has arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in the early hours of Monday. It is the clearest indication yet that people smugglers in northern France are adapting their business model and escalating their so-called taxi boat strategy to evade enforcement by UK and French authorities. Contin

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics9 Aug 2026

Burnham vows crackdown on ‘rip-off’ business practices to ease cost of living

First of PM’s ‘everyday fixes’ to be banning fake discounts and making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions Andy Burnham: I’ll end the rip-offs that people hate Andy Burnham has promised a series of measures to tackle the cost of living, including a ban on fake discounts and making it easier for people to escape unwanted subscriptions. The crackdown on “rip-off” business practices is expected to benefit consumers to the tune of £400m a year and will be the first in a range of “everyday f

EconomyReform