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The Guardian Politics6 Aug 2026

Healey urged to be bold on borrowing in first test of Burnham’s growth pledge

Some want the chancellor to exploit newly flexible fiscal rules – others want a more creative approach, such as borrowing from markets With just 12 weeks to go until his first budget, new chancellor John Healey is seeking ways to ramp up public investment, without busting the Treasury’s fiscal rules – and some economists are urging him to be bold. As he settles into No 11 Downing Street, the former defence secretary’s most immediate challenges concern day-to-day government spending. Continue re

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics6 Aug 2026

Council wants pubs in London’s Soho and West End to ban standing

Sadiq Khan criticises Westminster council’s ‘anti-growth policies’ after it recommends stopping ‘vertical drinking’ Waiting at the bar and trying to catch the bartender’s eye so you can order a pint, before going to stand with your friends and have a catchup, has been how British people have experienced going to the pub for centuries. But Westminster council has been accused of trying to put a stop to it. The council, which has jurisdiction over one of the busiest nightlife districts in Europe –

Politics
The Guardian Politics6 Aug 2026

The takedown of Jason Arday has overjoyed the right, and must be a wake-up call for the left | Jason Okundaye

The Cambridge academic has rightly now resigned. But that won’t end the targeting of senior black figures or the lazy way institutions promote faux equality ‘To be honest with you, I thought you’d just believe me.” That was the breathtaking response of Prof Jason Arday when the Guardian interrogated the details he provided of an alleged racist campaign of intimidation against him, which involved a severed pig’s head, a masked man wielding a knife and bullets in the post. Arday had been unable to

The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper

Health secretary says global heating means UK hospitals and GPs will have to prepare for summer as well as winter peaks of demand Adapting to global heating: which UK public services are struggling in hot weather? The NHS has been warned to prepare for potential annual summer crises caused by extreme heat with the same pressures as winter, as heatwaves caused by the climate crisis become routine in the UK. The health secretary, Yvette Cooper, said NHS staff were feeling A&E pressures that would

DefenceEnvironmentHealthcare
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

Threat of legal action if PC Andrew Harper’s killers are released early

Thames Valley chief says he may join Police Federation in court if Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers are freed from prison The chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers. The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison. Continue reading...

Crime
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

The Guardian view on the Conservatives under Kemi Badenoch: purging moderation is not 'common sense' | Editorial

A row over a local council candidate reveals a deeper problem with the Tory leader’s diagnosis of her party’s electoral predicament Kemi Badenoch has been clear about the qualifying criteria for prospective Conservative MPs. They must be “serious people who understand common sense,” she has said. The situation in local government is different, as demonstrated by Mrs Badenoch’s ill-judged support for a former neo-Nazi, selected to stand as a councillor in Somerset next year. Joshua Bonehill-Paine

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

Former neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Conservative election candidate

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who was convicted of harassing Jewish MP, says Badenoch has offered him advisory role instead • UK politics live – latest updates A former neo-Nazi activist who was convicted of harassing a Jewish MP has withdrawn as a Conservative election candidate after his selection prompted an outcry from Jewish groups and others. Joshua Bonehill-Paine said on Wednesday he had withdrawn from next year’s local elections, and that Kemi Badenoch had instead offered him a role as an advis

Politics
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

‘Leicester Square, please guv’: Self-driving taxis cleared for London streets ‘later this summer’

Wayve Uber wins first minicab licence for autonomous cabs from TfL but vehicles will have a safety driver (at first) The taxi app company Uber and the autonomous technology developer Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now. The companies said they would start trips in the UK “later this summer” before the full public launch. Continue reading...

Economy
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

What kind of society fast-tracks early release for domestic abusers? This is gambling with women’s lives | Joan Smith

Andy Burnham inherited the crisis in our prison system – but the solution cannot be to further endanger the women and girls who have survived violence It’s time to be blunt: the government is about to expose hundreds of vulnerable women to the risk of death or serious injury. Survivors of domestic abuse, including women who have suffered years of physical violence and intimidation, are now preparing for the moment in October when 5,000 prisoners begin to be released early. What are these women s

Crime
The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

Andy Burnham reveals wife’s reaction to third Labour leadership bid

Burnham said his wife, Marie-France van Heel, took some persuading after he ran and lost in contests in 2010 and 2015 Andy Burnham has revealed his wife’s dismayed reaction when he told her he wanted to make another attempt at becoming Labour leader. Burnham said that his wife, Marie-France van Heel, had been surprised by his decision to run, having lost contests in 2010 and 2015 to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn respectively. Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

Burnham considering public inquiry into UK activities of Jeffrey Epstein

Minister says PM has agreed to meet victims of sex offender – and is mulling separate inquiry into Mohamed Al Fayed Andy Burnham is considering launching a public inquiry into the UK activities of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a minister has said. The victims’ minister, Alex Davies-Jones, said the prime minister had agreed to meet Epstein’s victims, was “looking into” an inquiry and was “taking this very seriously”. A separate inquiry into the alleged actions of the former Harrods

The Guardian Politics5 Aug 2026

Badenoch defends decision to allow man jailed for antisemitism to stand as councillor

Tory leader praises Joshua Bonehill-Paine’s ‘contrition’ but says she has higher thresholds for MP candidates Kemi Badenoch has defended her party’s decision to allow a former neo-Nazi who was jailed for subjecting a prominent Labour politician to antisemitic abuse to stand as a councillor. Badenoch said her party was not giving Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who is standing for election in Somerset, a “national platform”. Continue reading...

Politics