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The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

‘This election is all to play for’: Can the Scottish Labour leader defy political gravity in May?

Anas Sarwar speaks to the Guardian about why he thinks the polls are wrong and how he hopes to end the SNP’s near 20-year dominance at Holyrood Anas Sarwar says he is certain he can pull off one of the greatest escape acts of modern British politics. It is 14 days until the Holyrood election, and the polls consistently show Scottish Labour is in a battle simply to come second, never mind win. Those polls are wrong, Sarwar says, and in two weeks plans to prove it. Claiming to be “more than happy”

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Two men made mistakes over Mandelson – only one has lost his job. That should haunt Starmer | Gaby Hinsliff

As the bodies pile up and he continues to blame everyone but himself, respect for the prime minister is draining steadily away A good leader never asks their people to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. Hold others to the highest standards, by all means, but only if you have equally high expectations of yourself: otherwise you may command obedience in politics but never respect, and over time even that grudging compliance may come laced with contempt. And so it is, less than two years

Politics
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Trump says he will ‘probably put a big tariff on the UK’ if it doesn’t drop digital services tax

US president accuses UK of thinking it can ‘make an easy buck’ from US tech companies, weeks after warning that UK–US trade deal can be changed Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms. The digital services tax, introduced in 2020, imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of several major US tech companies. Continue reading...

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

‘Toxic’ views of Reform UK candidates raise questions about party’s vetting

Hope Not Hate campaign identifies election hopefuls calling for a ‘white Britain’ and complaining of ‘kowtowing to the black community’ A Reform UK candidate who called for a “white Britain” and said Keir Starmer should be shot is among a number fuelling doubts about the party’s claim to have tightened up its vetting. The past comments of Linda McFarlane and other political hopefuls have been unearthed ahead of the 7 May elections, including one who complained about “constant kowtowing to the bl

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK prepared to deploy RAF Typhoons to keep strait of Hormuz open after Iran war

Proposal at heart of offer made during a 30-country two-day meeting jointly organised by France Middle East crisis – live updates Britain is prepared to deploy a squadron of RAF Typhoons based in Qatar to patrol over the strait of Hormuz as part of a multinational mission to keep open the strategic waterway once the Iran war comes to an end. The UK military also offered to deploy mine-hunting drones and specialist divers to help clear the strait mined by Iran – but no decision has been made on

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on help to buy: entrenching housing inequalities, rather than helping | Editorial

The Tories’ flagship scheme has aided higher earners most. The latest analysis of its flaws should lead to a rethink The results are in. The biggest winners from the Conservatives’ help to buy scheme were high-earners who were already likely to buy a house. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examined who benefited from the policy, and concluded that the top 10% of earners received the largest cash benefit. Rather than helping people to buy, it more likely helped the already fortunate to accu

EconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Foreign Office unit tracking Israel’s potential breaches of international law closed

Exclusive: Officials warn department will lose access to database of 26,000 verified cases by cutting funding The Foreign Office unit tracking potential breaches of international law by Israel in Gaza and more recently Lebanon has been closed because of cuts within the department, the Guardian can reveal. The decision to shut the international humanitarian law cell follows a review by Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office dismissed last week by the prime minister over the P

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facing Confidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock. Highlighting the knock-on effect of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blame

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Has Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins backfired? – podcast

After Keir Starmer’s statement to the House of Commons and gripping evidence from the sacked top civil servant Olly Robbins, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talk about how the story of Peter Mandelson’s vetting for his job as UK ambassador to the US, which was first broken by the Guardian last Thursday, has unfolded this week Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200 Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200. HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between Septem

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The Foreign Office should have intervened to stop Mandelson’s deeply flawed appointment | Richard Dearlove

If Olly Robbins stood firm the government could have avoided this disastrous episode of bad political judgment that could cost the PM his job Richard Dearlove is the former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service The restricted compartments of the UK’s national security infrastructure are clearly defined and closely controlled. To work across them requires “a developed vetting certificate”. The primary qualification for holding a “DV” is integrity, honesty and transparency in one’s per

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Nine in 10 UK voters across parties support right to abortion, poll finds

YouGov survey shows cross-party consensus – but that many fear abortion access could be reduced New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced. The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion. Continue reading...

Politics