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235 headlines found — Page 2 of 20

The Guardian Politics20 Mar 2026

Reform UK success in local elections could endanger national climate targets, report says – UK politics live

LSE research found some Reform councillors have denied the reality of climate science, and mention of climate has been removed from strategy documents Richard Hermer, the attorney general, has challenged Kemi Badenoch to say whether she would object to Jewish prayer in public, after the Conservative leader backed one of her shadow ministers who said an Islamic prayer event was intimidating and un-British, Peter Walker reports. Iran’s foreign minister has warned the UK it sees its choice to let t

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics20 Mar 2026

Labour will be decimated in May local elections, Unite leader says

Sharon Graham tells party to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ after ‘shameful’ handling of Birmingham bin strike Labour will be “decimated” in the upcoming local elections and should “hang their heads in shame” over the handling of the Birmingham bin strike, Unite’s general secretary has said. In a speech to refuse workers near a waste depot in Tyseley on Thursday, Sharon Graham said working people were moving away from Labour in droves and called on the party to “wake up and smell the coffee”. C

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Mar 2026

Rightwing narrative fuelling false belief UK public oppose net zero, study finds

Reform, Tory and some media rhetoric runs contrary to poll showing far more voters for net zero than against it Political elites are out of step with the public appetite for net zero, according to analysis that identifies rightwing media narratives as fuelling a false backlash against climate action. Media coverage of net zero is more than twice as likely to be negative than public attitudes and is driving a false perception that net zero policies are unpopular with voters, the analysis found.

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Nigel Farage condemned over call to ban public prayer for Muslims in the UK

Reform party leader criticised for making comments after event held in London’s Trafalgar Square this week Muslim leaders have condemned Nigel Farage’s call to ban public prayer by Muslims in the UK as bigoted and warned of a “growing tide of hate” after the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, questioned whether the events fitted “within the norms of British culture”. Farage was speaking at the launch of Reform UK’s manifesto for the forthcoming Scottish parliament elections when he made the rem

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Kemi Badenoch channels her fantasies as she launches the Tories’ local election campaign | John Crace

This wasn’t just a mean-spirited version of Britain, it was also positively deranged Abandon hope all ye who enter here. You’d have thought this would be the very definition of futility. An act of defiant nihilism. A few weeks ago Kemi Badenoch had declared that the Tory candidate for Gorton and Denton, Charlotte Cadden, had been the real winner despite getting under 2% of the vote and losing her deposit. Now Kemi was to launch the Conservatives’ local election campaign in the certain knowledge

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Do the Conservatives have a problem with Muslims? – podcast

At the launch of the Conservative local elections campaign on Thursday, Peter Walker asked Kemi Badenoch about her shadow justice secretary’s claim that Muslims praying in Trafalgar square was an ‘act of domination’. Her answer did not clarify the party’s position. Peter discusses with Lexy Topping the problems this kind of culture war may bring the Conservatives. Plus, are Sadiq Khan’s comments on the EU and Angela Rayner’s return to the spotlight a new headache for Keir Starmer? Continue read

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

‘She didn’t want that pain’: Paola Marra’s brother despairs of Lords block on assisted dying bill

On second anniversary of his sister ending her life at Dignitas, Tony Marra will protest outside parliament with other campaigners Two years after Paola Marra, on the eve of her death, appealed to politicians to change the law on assisted dying, the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill is stuck in the House of Lords. For her brother, the second anniversary of her death will be spent protesting outside parliament. Marra died aged 53 on 20 March 2024. She documented her solo journey from north

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Lords vote to back clause pardoning women convicted over illegal abortions

Peers’ decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeated Women who have been convicted, and in some cases jailed, over illegal abortions are set to be pardoned, after an historic vote in the House of Lords. Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the th

PoliticsCrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Farage called Welsh people ‘foreign speakers’ in paid-for video message

Reform UK leader’s remarks in Cameo clip risk damaging party’s ambitions in upcoming Welsh elections Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogans Nigel Farage described Welsh people as “foreign speakers” in a paid-for personalised video message that could prove awkward for Reform UK in forthcoming elections in the country. Farage made the remarks in a video he was paid to make on Cameo, a personalised video platform, to celebrate a wedding. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Ministers announce huge expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales

Most dangerous offenders on probation will now be watched more closely than ever before, says government Tens of thousands of offenders will be released from prisons in England and Wales wearing tags that track their location in real time as part of the biggest expansion of electronic tagging in British history, ministers have announced. The prisons minister, James Timpson, said a new pilot scheme would track domestic abusers and stalkers, alerting authorities if they approached their victims, w

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Khan says Labour should rejoin EU customs union and single market this parliament – UK politics live

London mayor also says his party should make clear manifesto commitment on full membership in next parliament Good morning. Shortly before the general election in 2024, Keir Starmer said he did not think the UK would rejoin the EU in his lifetime. (He is now 63.) At the time he was loath to say anything that implied the Brexit vote was a mistake. More recently, Labour has been happy to talk about the economic damage done by the leave vote, and ministers want a closer relationship with the EU, bu

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Charlotte Nichols MP on her rape trial ordeal – podcast

MP for Warrington North shares her experience as a complainant in a rape trial where the man she accused was acquitted Standing up in parliament last week, Charlotte Nichols MP waived her right to anonymity as a complainant of sexual offences. “I care profoundly about rape victims facing intolerable delays for their day in court,” she said, in a debate about jury trials. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceCrime