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The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Cabinet ministers ‘blocked’ Starmer from letting US use British bases for military operation against Iran on Friday – UK politics live

A number of ministers voiced their strong opposition to Donald Trump using British airbases to attack Iran’s missile capability, according to a report Hello and welcome to the UK politics live blog. Cabinet ministers, led by energy secretary Ed Miliband, blocked Keir Starmer from allowing Donald Trump to use British airbases for its attacks on Iran, it has been reported. John Healey has flown to Cyprus to calm the diplomatic fallout over a drone that evaded detection and hit an RAF base, which h

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Defence minister flies to Cyprus to ease tension over drone strike on RAF base

John Healey meets Greek counterpart after Shahed-style drone evaded defences and hit RAF base on island US-Israel war on Iran – live updates John Healey flew into Cyprus on Wednesday night to calm the diplomatic fallout over a drone that evaded detection and hit an RAF base, prompting fury from local ministers. UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in Cyprus evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq. Continue rea

Defence
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Read these words from 100 years ago about immigrants in Britain – and see how history is chillingly repeating itself | George Monbiot

Shabana Mahmood’s new rights clampdown looks outlandish until we remember that this kind of hardline action is part of our country’s fabric Our political memory fails us. We treat government policies as if we’re seeing them for the very first time. But much of what appears to be novel has deep historical roots. If we fail to understand those roots and the soil in which they grow, we will fail to resist the assaults on our humanity. The home secretary’s new attack on the rights of immigrants and

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

US did not share details with the UK before attacking Iran, sources say

Donald Trump has also criticised Keir Starmer’s initial decision not to allow the US to use UK military bases in the war The US did not share exact operational details or timings with the UK before the joint strikes with Israel on Iran, sources have told the Guardian. The US decision to cut the UK out of the official loop on the airstrikes came alongside Keir Starmer’s decision to decline permission for the US to use British military bases for the operation. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Lobbyists send legal threats to councils over anti-wood burner campaigns

At least eight councils receive legal threats alleging flyers criticising wood burners are in breach of advertising codes Lobbyists for the UK wood-burning stove industry have threatened councils with legal action over public information campaigns warning of the harms of air pollution. At least eight councils have received legal threats, according to research by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The Stove Industry Association (SIA), which represents the UK’s expanding industry around the burnin

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

BBC to call for permanent charter and end of political appointments to board

Corporation proposes sweeping changes intended to protect its independence and shore up its future The BBC is to call for an end to political appointments to its board as part of sweeping changes designed to protect its independence. The corporation will also demand that its royal charter be put on a permanent footing in an attempt to end the existential threat posed by having to negotiate with ministers over its future every 10 years. Continue reading...

Politics
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Asylum seekers waiting over a year for claim in UK may be allowed to work under new measures

Shabana Mahmood hopes to reduce number of claimants in hotels by enabling them to support themselves Up to 21,000 asylum seekers who have waited for a year for their claims to be processed could be allowed to enter the jobs market so they can support themselves, the Home Office has said, as part of a package of measures to be announced on Thursday. As the government seeks to empty asylum hotels, claimants who break the law, work illegally or are found to have enough assets to live without suppor

Immigration
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Restoring order at the border speaks to Labour values. Without that, we won’t be able to do anything else at all | Shabana Mahmood

Our approach, unlike that of the Greens and Reform, is in step with the British people. They don’t want extremes – they want a system that is managed and fair Shabana Mahmood is the UK home secretary “More Labour.” These two words sprang from the postmortem into last week’s Gorton and Denton byelection loss. But what do they mean when applied to what this government does, not least in the contested politics of migration? To answer that, we have to understand what the Labour party really is, be

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The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Starmer’s slow start in the war against Iran could leave UK playing catch-up

Prime minister’s initial refusal to help US could constrain Britain’s ability to protect its nationals in the Gulf and reassure allies Middle East crisis – live updates Britain knew that the US was considering attacking Iran from the moment Donald Trump told protesters that “help is coming” in the middle of January. It was obvious to the world that the White House was serious when the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the Arabian Sea in late January. But as Trump gradually built

Defence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran | John Crace

At times like this you have to thank your lucky stars that the opposition leader is not in Downing Street On another day it might even have been quite funny. The mismatch between Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief and her performance. But Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions was far too serious for that, with Donald Trump’s Awfully Big Iranian Adventure threatening to escalate into all-out war in the Middle East. It was also a day when you could think the unthinkable. Might Kemi actually be even wea

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The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

‘He’s no Winston Churchill’: why Starmer can shrug off Trump’s insults over Iran

The prime minister’s cautious stance about helping the US against the Tehran regime mirrors that of the electorate Middle East crisis: live updates It was perhaps the most attention-grabbing moment of prime minister’s questions. Responding to yet another Conservative salvo about his approach to Iran and how it might affect ties with America, Keir Starmer was direct. “American planes are operating out of British bases – that is the special relationship in action,” he said. “Sharing intelligence

The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on the US-UK relationship: Trump is pushing Britain closer to Europe | Editorial

An unreliable and volatile American president makes a compelling case for closer security and defence cooperation with continental allies There is truth to Donald Trump’s declaration earlier this week that the UK-US relationship is “not what it was”, although there is no indication that he understands the reasons for the change. The US president is “very disappointed” that Sir Keir Starmer has been “uncooperative” in the war against Iran, offering only limited logistical support to American forc

Defence