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180 headlines found — Page 2 of 15

The Guardian Politics4 May 2026

Reform government could cause Truss-style chaos, says renewables industry

Lobbyist Tara Singh says stripping projects of subsidy contracts would undermine investor confidence in UK Britain could be beset by levels of economic chaos last seen under Liz Truss if a Reform UK government were to fulfil its promise to strip renewable energy projects of subsidy contracts, according to the industry’s chief lobbyist. The anti-renewables policy put forward by Nigel Farage’s populist party would severely undermine investor confidence in the energy industry and across the wider U

EconomyDefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics3 May 2026

Investment or waste? How the M4 relief road plan for Newport sums up Wales’s economic quandary

As potentially seismic Senedd elections loom, competing parties have differing visions of how to reinvigorate the economy It is afternoon rush hour on the M4 and drivers are yet again making slow progress around the city of Newport, often seen as the gateway to south Wales given its location between Cardiff and Bristol. Cars and lorries are stuck in gridlocked traffic in both directions on the approach to the Brynglas tunnels, where the road narrows to two lanes in each direction, while flashing

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics3 May 2026

Dynamic pay on platforms such as Uber should be banned, says TUC

Exclusive: Union body finds workers describing themselves as ‘gambling’ because wages felt like the outcome of chance rather than work The practice of using “dynamic pricing” to set pay on gig economy platforms including Uber should be banned because it leaves workers at the mercy of shadowy algorithms with no certainty over their earnings, trade union leaders have urged. In a report exposing the human cost of the gig economy practice, the Trades Union Congress said pay was becoming decoupled fr

EconomyReform
The Guardian Politics2 May 2026

Samuel Ojo on Starmer and the cost of living crisis – cartoon

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Economy
The Guardian Politics1 May 2026

The Guardian view on Britain’s fragile systems: when global shocks hit your shopping bill | Editorial

Energy disruption abroad drives prices at home, showing how few safeguards are built in – which is why a call for resilience must be heeded When the Bank of England warned this week that food inflation could reach 7% by the end of the year, it revealed how little stands between a geopolitical jolt and a domestic crisis in Britain. A shock wave in the Gulf feeds through energy, fertiliser and supermarket prices into falling incomes, weak growth and job losses. What it exposes is not just inflatio

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Where does Starmer’s leadership stand – and who are his potential challengers?

With prime minister on shaky ground, we take a look at who could take a run at the Labour leadership As the May elections creep closer, the leadership speculation at Westminster grows more intense. Is Keir Starmer safe and, if so, for how long? When will Angela Rayner’s tax affairs be resolved, and will she return to the cabinet? Who has Andy Burnham done a deal with to get back to Westminster, and would MPs support him if he did? Why has Wes Streeting gone so quiet? To the frustration of many –

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Spectator owner’s son calls for mine-laden ‘floating wall’ to stop Channel crossings

Winston Marshall, former member of Mumford & Sons, says those crossing are ‘economic migrants’ not refugees The son of the Spectator owner, Paul Marshall, has said Britain should construct a mine-laden “floating wall” as a radical measure to stop Channel crossings. Winston Marshall, a former member of the band Mumford & Sons who is now establishing himself as a rightwing online influencer, said that while the idea “might sound ridiculous”, it should be explored because previous attempts to stop

EconomyImmigrationRestoreRemigration
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Why Bank kept interest rates on hold despite message for UK to brace itself for Trumpflation

The reasons are hardly comforting, pointing to the weakness of a battered economy in the face of this latest crisis Business live – latest updates Bank warns ‘higher inflation unavoidable’ after leaving interest rates on hold The message to the UK’s crisis-weary households from the Bank of England is: brace yourself for Trumpflation – and the higher interest rates it may yet take to rein it in. Reading the Bank’s quarterly monetary policy report, it is not difficult to understand the fury Rac

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Could Lib Dems become the biggest party in English local government?

With voter loyalty a distant memory, the Lib Dems’ cost of living policies and criticism of Trump could gain them ground It has been an election buildup dominated by the rise of Reform UK and the Greens, and the contrasting woes of Labour and the Tories. But there is a chance that on 8 May the Liberal Democrats, largely ignored in recent weeks, could wake up as the biggest party in English local government. This is just one of several paradoxes for the party’s leader, Ed Davey, and his team. T

PoliticsEconomyEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Could Starmer bring back Rayner to steady ship – and would she get onboard?

Former deputy PM has walked a line between loyalty and interventionism since resigning last September It is nearly eight months since Angela Rayner quit the cabinet because of her tax arrangements, but some might argue her influence on the government has not gone away. And soon she might return, whether as Keir Starmer’s saviour or, perhaps, his usurper. There is increasing speculation that the prime minister could carry out a small-scale reshuffle, primarily to bring back Rayner, his former dep

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics30 Apr 2026

Why is Britain’s economy so stuck? It’s the tension between what voters want and what the bond markets allow | Larry Elliott

There is no such thing as the Bond Dealers party, but there might as well be – the people who trade in UK debt exert a stranglehold over our politics The days of two-party politics are over. When voters go to the polls in England next week, they will have five main contenders to choose from. In Scotland and Wales, the nationalists make it a six-strong race. This fragmentation reflects the deep discontent with Labour and the Conservatives. One thing in common between the Greens and Reform UK is t

PoliticsEconomyEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics29 Apr 2026

Rachel Reeves’s plan to mandate how pension funds invest was always a mistake | Nils Pratley

You can understand the motivation – more UK investment by UK funds means faster UK growth – but fiduciary duty trumps all A simple principle lies at the heart of pension investment: the pension manager must invest in the best interest of the client. UK ministers have often wished UK funds would show more home bias by channelling more pensioners’ cash towards domestic assets in the interests of economic growth, but the fundamental rule of the game has always been understood. You don’t mess with t

PoliticsEconomyDefence