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855 headlines found — Page 22 of 72

The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

Andy Burnham supporters divided over who should be his chancellor

Briefing war breaks out between advocates for Wes Streeting and those close to Ed Miliband Andy Burnham’s supporters are divided over who should be his chancellor, with a briefing war breaking out between advocates of the former health secretary Wes Streeting and those close to the energy secretary Ed Miliband. Some of those advising the Makerfield MP are urging him to choose Streeting if he becomes prime minister, in a bid to reassure the business community and fossil fuel industry. Continue r

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

Keir Starmer’s resignation speech: anatomy of a picture

What can we learn from the prime minister’s address in Downing Street and the people looking on? By Ben Quinn Photograph Sean Smith Keir Starmer announced his intention to resign as Britain’s prime minister in a short speech on Monday morning. Apart from the rain which poured down on his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, the scene was reminiscent of that which unfolded just under two years ago when the Conservative prime minister resigned. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

How tensions with Trump dominated Starmer’s premiership

Analysts say foreign policy was an ‘area of relative strength’ for the prime minister – but goodwill with the White House soon evaporated Keir Starmer inherited two wars and a country disconnected from the EU when he arrived in Downing Street – and that was before Donald Trump crash-landed at the White House and undermined the foundations of the UK’s most important alliance. It was a context that would have tested any prime minister, though in many respects Starmer negotiated it carefully. But l

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

The rise and fall of Keir Starmer: where did it all go wrong?

PM’s demise after landslide victory two years ago points to an increasingly volatile and impatient electorate Historians will puzzle over this one. Of the six prime ministers that have led Britain over the last decade, with a seventh now on the way, it will be the fall of Keir Starmer that will most perplex the political analysts of the future. They will ponder a man who won a landslide victory in July 2024 only to be pushed out less than two years later, having started no illegal wars, having t

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

Babcock says Brexit and Covid beset Royal Navy contract as profits plunge

Underlying operating profits down 19% with 2019 frigate-building programme making loss, firm reports One of the UK’s biggest defence contractors has blamed Brexit and Covid among a catalogue of problems to beset a key contract for the Royal Navy, which led its annual profits to plunge. Annual profits at Babcock International fell by almost a fifth in the year to the end of March, as the firm reported a £140m charge on its contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy. Continue read

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

Don’t worry, a politician can’t present the Today programme. Michael Grade is wrong about that – and GB News | Stewart Purvis and Chris Banatvala

As the former Ofcom chair says extraordinary things about the rightwing channel and its critics, a factcheck would not go amiss • Stewart Purvis is a former editor in chief of ITN; Chris Banatvala is a former Ofcom director of standards During a review of his four years at Ofcom, the outgoing chair, Michael Grade, surprised his BBC Radio 4 interviewer. He had been asked by Katie Razzall whether Ofcom rules would allow a politician to present the Today programme apart from the news bulletins. She

Defence
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

The business secretary knows about jobs, and seems pretty sure Keir is out of one

Doing the rounds of the Sunday studios, Peter Kyle sounded like someone who knew it would all be over come Monday UK politics – live updates Not another one. Brenda from Bristol must be doing her nut. After sounding on Friday like the Japanese soldier who had no idea the second world war had ended decades earlier, sometime over the weekend reality had bitten for Keir Starmer. Maybe all he needed was a bit of time at Chequers to think straight. Maybe his family had also told him the game was ov

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

Burnham must be upfront about tax or risk spooking the bond markets | Heather Stewart

Victory in Makerfield is propelling him towards No 10 but investors expect to know how he will fund his promises Burnham allies confident of ‘coronation’ Andy Burnham’s thumping victory in the Makerfield byelection came and went without the bond market rout Rachel Reeves’s backers had warned about. But as he moves towards the premiership, Burnham would be wise to set clear expectations about tax and spend, and to be upfront about the fact that not everyone can be a winner. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

Keir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on Monday

Overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs pushing Starmer towards decision to step down UK politics – live updates Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader. The prime minister and his allies had insisted for weeks that they would fight a leadership challenge from Burnham, or anyone else, before the Makerfield byelection in which Burnham secured a return t

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

Excessive probation workloads put public at risk in England and Wales, union warns

Exclusive: Napo declares no confidence in probation service managers and threatens industrial action The public is “at direct risk” from unsupervised ex-offenders because probation officers in England and Wales are being asked to cope with excessive workloads, a union has said. As ministers prepare to release and monitor tens of thousands more prisoners this autumn, Napo’s executive has declared for the first time that it has no confidence in managers at the probation service. Continue reading.

DefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

UK borrows more than expected as impact of Iran war takes toll

May figure of £23.3bn underlines challenge facing Andy Burnham if he ends up as Labour leader Business live – latest updates UK politics – live updates The UK borrowed a higher-than-expected £23.3bn in May amid the economic fallout of the Iran war, underlining the fiscal pressures facing Andy Burnham if he takes over as the Labour leader. In figures released shortly after Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield byelection, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

MPs urge Fujitsu to make ‘immediate’ payment to Post Office Horizon victims

Liam Byrne, who chairs Commons business committee, says too many operators are still waiting for redress The Japanese tech company at the centre of the Post Office IT scandal is facing calls from a parliamentary committee to make an “immediate” payment towards the compensation bill for victims. Fujitsu supplied the faulty Horizon software to the UK Post Office, which led to branch operators being wrongly prosecuted over discrepancies in their business accounts. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence