News

Original reporting and the latest political headlines from across the UK.

Our Articles

Mainstream Headlines

Filtering by:Source: The Guardian Politics×Clear all

1282 headlines found — Page 26 of 107

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Cat Little’s evidence to MPs is destined for civil service textbooks | John Crace

The Cabinet Office permanent secretary’s 100 minutes before the foreign affairs committee are required viewing UK politics live – latest updates Here we go again. Some of the public may have had enough of the Peter Mandelson scandal by now, and would rather the focus returned to things such as the Iran war and the cost of living crisis. But Westminster has barely started on Mandy. Can’t get enough of him. This one will run and run. You can almost hear the groans from No 10. By now it has final

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Shabana Mahmood’s expletive was shocking. But not for the reason you think | Zoe Williams

With her four-letter-word riposte to a heckler, the home secretary played the victim and cynically puts the blame for her immigration plans on liberals If all you know about Shabana Mahmood’s interview with the comedian Matt Forde, which was recorded live at a West End theatre on Monday, is that she said a heckler should “fuck right off”, then it’s worth listening to the heckle itself. Hell, knock yourself out and listen to the whole podcast. The accompanying blurb calls the home secretary “impa

Immigration
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

In Peter Mandelson evidence, Cat Little had the best weapon: an audit trail

Where Olly Robbins relied on recollections, Cabinet Office’s top civil servant was at pains to link her account to paper trail Seen through the Westminster bubble, the Peter Mandelson vetting affair looks like an age-old conflict pitting ministers against mandarins. Yet the latest top civil servant to testify to parliament over what some are now calling “Mandygate” gave an intriguing account that suggested it has never been as simple as that. Cat Little, the top civil servant at the Cabinet Off

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Former Labour MP calls for Starmer to face Commons committee over Mandelson vetting

Karl Turner, who lost Labour whip after criticising PM, calls for privileges committee to examine if Starmer misled parliament UK politics live – latest updates A former Labour MP has joined opposition parties calling for Keir Starmer to face a Commons committee to examine whether the prime minister misled parliament as the government’s crisis surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington continues. Karl Turner, who lost the Labour whip last month after making a se

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Five things we learned from Cat Little’s evidence to MPs about the Mandelson saga

Top civil servant reveals more details of vetting process and lack of paper trail for approval of Mandelson’s appointment UK politics live – latest updates In more than 90 minutes of evidence to the foreign affairs select committee about the Peter Mandelson scandal, Cat Little, the head civil servant in the Cabinet Office, was low key and often cautious. But she did reveal several pieces of new information – or at times information different to that given to the same committee by Olly Robbi

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Bibby Stockholm asylum barge contractor admits overcharging UK government £118m

Australia’s Corporate Travel Management is ‘negotiating commercial arrangements’ to refund the money The Australian company that ran the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge has admitted it overcharged the British government by £118m. Corporate Travel Management (CTM) said its auditor had found evidence of “erroneous billing” of its UK clients, increasing its estimate of how much it owes the government by £40m. Continue reading...

Immigration
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

The international right has CPAC. Has the left finally found its answer? | Owen Jones

Spain’s PM, Pedro Sánchez, hosted the inaugural meeting of the Global Progressive Mobilisation. Keir Starmer and other social democrats were notable by their absence Can progressives push back the rising tide of authoritarianism? Thousands of people gathered in Barcelona this weekend in search of an answer. The occasion was the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilisation – an ambitious initiative backed by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez – which drew an impressive cast: Brazil’s Lula, Me

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Olly Robbins refused to hand Mandelson vetting summary to Cabinet Office, says Cat Little

In evidence to MPs, Cabinet Office’s top civil servant disputes claim her department suggested vetting might not be needed UK politics live – latest updates Olly Robbins refused to hand Peter Mandelson’s vetting summary to the Cabinet Office, the civil servant who leads the department has said. The summary – which would have revealed that Robbins, the now-sacked Foreign Office head, had granted Mandelson clearance against the advice of security officials – was instead provided to Cat Little by

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

‘This is not the country I moved to’: the British Indians showing support for Nigel Farage

Savitha Prakash, a first-generation immigrant running in local elections in Harrow, says Reform UK aims to ‘put Britain first’ Savitha Prakash, an NHS doctor living in the London borough of Harrow, believes there are similarities between the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. “He’s [Modi] one of those people, like Nigel, he walks the talk. He made [a] difference to the country,” said Prakash, who chairs Reform UK’s branch in Harrow. In particular, the 47-y

PoliticsImmigrationReformHealthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK looked at ways to ‘open doors’ to US chlorinated chicken, FoI request shows

Exclusive: Documents released to campaign group 38 Degrees reveal UK officials briefed on possibility of altering food standards British officials were briefed on the possibility of allowing chemical-washed chicken into the UK before a meeting with the US embassy, new documents reveal. The Food Standards Agency is also looking at studies performed in the US on washing chicken with bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to remove pathogens, according to the documents, released to the campaig

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Rise of the ‘ghost owners’: 18,000 UK vehicles in use without proper records

Exclusive: Labour MP calls on DVLA to take action, saying ‘speeding, hit and runs and worse’ are going unpunished More than 18,000 vehicles are being used in the UK without proper records of where their owners live, it has emerged, part of what a Labour MP has called an increasing problem of “ghost owners” who cannot be held accountable for their driving. According to a freedom of information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 18,260 vehicles were listed in its records as being

The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Top Cabinet Office official to give evidence to MPs about Peter Mandelson’s vetting – UK politics live

Permanent secretary, Cat Little, to give evidence to foreign affairs committee as pressure increases on Keir Starmer The UK government budget came in below its annual borrowing target by £700m, official figures show – but the Iran war is likely to blow a hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully calculated fiscal “headroom” over the coming months. Tom Knowles has the story. Good morning. As Kiran Stacey, Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot report in the Guardian’s splash, “Keir Starmer is looking increasing

PoliticsEconomyDefence