News

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

Our Articles

Mainstream Headlines

Filtering by:Tag: defence×Source: The Guardian Politics×Clear all

610 headlines found — Page 26 of 51

The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

NHS patients should be able to write up their own medical records – and not have to rely on Post-it notes | Will Parman

The lack of a unified digital repository for patients and healthcare workers means that key medical changes are often missed. But the NHS can learn from US intelligence sharing Will Parman is the winner of the The Guardian Foundation’s 2026 Emerging Voices award (19-25 age category), recognising young talent in political opinion writing As she battles cancer, my mum fears that she will forget to tell her consultant something important. Like many people with complex and chronic health needs, sh

PoliticsDefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

Blue Labour gets bluer with MP’s noble quest for a summer of sex | John Crace

Samantha Niblett says her campaign is about ‘taking control of our Britishness’ – bring on the union jack dildos We could almost be back in the San Francisco of the 1960s. Tune in, turn on, drop out. Make love not war. A hippy counterculture that turned its back on the American involvement in Vietnam. One determined to shape a new world order. Fast forward to today and we have one MP who is hellbent on making 2026 the summer of sex. One who wants to focus politicians’ attention on the joys of th

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

Contingency plans in place for possible food shortages if Iran war continues, minister confirms – UK politics live

Peter Kyle did not dispute Times’ report that under a ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ supermarkets might start running out of some items The SNP is to bring in a national ban on smartphones in classes if it wins May’s Holyrood election, John Swinney has pledged. As the Press Association reports, the first minister and SNP leader insisted the devices were “a distraction from learning” pledging legislation after the election to ban them across Scotland. PA says: Currently head teachers have the p

PoliticsDefenceEducationHousing
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

CEO of bitcoin firm championed by Nigel Farage leaves company

Resignation announced of Jai Patel, whose liquidated crypto firm was relaunched as Stack BTC this year The chief executive of a bitcoin company promoted by Nigel Farage has left his role as the venture attempts to convince investors that it is going to deliver “long-term value” for shareholders. Stack BTC was launched to much fanfare in March this year, with Farage and former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng becoming some of its first shareholders. The company says its founder is Paul Withers, a friend

DefenceReform
The Guardian Politics16 Apr 2026

Is Keir Starmer ‘complacent’ on defence? – podcast

Keir Starmer has hit back at Labour peer George Robertson’s criticisms about defence funding. Why has the government been slow to prioritise defence and what trade-offs is Keir Starmer willing to make in order to increase spending? Guardian Live: Can Labour come back from the brink? With a difficult set of May elections approaching, Labour under threat from the Green party and Reform UK, and Keir Starmer’s popularity in freefall, can he survive as leader of the Labour party? The Guardian’s Gaby

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reeves gives more energy bill support to businesses as Iran war pushes up costs

Scheme cutting bills by up to 25% expanded to cover 10,000 firms, but they will not be paid until next year Rachel Reeves has announced an expansion of support for the most energy-intensive UK businesses, as they face soaring bills as a result of the Middle East conflict. The chancellor said the long-promised British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) would be expanded to cover 10,000 companies, up from the 7,000 originally announced. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Boosting military spending by slashing welfare is not the answer, senior Labour figures warn Reeves

MPs and peers say pitting defence and welfare against each other risks losing public support for increased spending on the military Senior Labour figures have warned that Rachel Reeves must find alternative ways to increase military spending rather than slashing welfare, saying it risks public support for investment in defence. Pressure has been mounting from Labour backbenchers for the Treasury to urgently agree the defence investment plan (Dip) after George Robertson, a former Nato secretary g

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Wales’s first minister calls on Keir Starmer to halt US-UK space defence project

Eluned Morgan says US under Donald Trump is ‘not partner it once was’ with Iran threats and ‘contempt’ towards UK Wales’s first minister has called on Keir Starmer to suspend a big joint defence project with the US, saying that under Donald Trump the country is “not the partner it once was”. In a statement on Wednesday, Labour’s Eluned Morgan cited the US president’s “contempt” towards the UK and his threat to “annihilate” Iran as reasons to halt the development of the Deep Space Advanced Radar

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reeves steps up criticism of Trump’s Iran war, branding it a ‘mistake’

UK chancellor tells US audience she is ‘not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place’ Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates Rachel Reeves has stepped up her criticism of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing it as a “mistake” that has destabilised the global economy and damaged living standards around the world. In a marked fraying of the transatlantic relationship, the UK chancellor said Trump breaking off from diplomatic talks with Iran and l

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Government’s 1.5m housebuilding target in England is suffering subsidence | Nils Pratley

As the country’s biggest housebuilder cuts land buying and the Iran war pushes up costs, setting an ambitious figure appears even more foolish This is what the government didn’t want to hear when its target to build 1.5m new homes in England during this parliament already looked out of reach. The country’s biggest housebuilder is trimming its purchases of new land because the Iran war has created “a less certain backdrop”. Barratt Redrow’s “disciplined approach” isn’t a downing of tools, it shou

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Reform or Plaid? Whichever way Welsh voters go, the country will be utterly transformed | Will Hayward

Each party has its own version of nationalism to offer voters in May’s Senedd election: closer ties to England or more independence for Wales It’s fair to say that the UK will change after the elections on 7 May. But few places will change as thoroughly as Wales. The polls suggest that after the vote our next Senedd will be led by either Plaid Cymru or Reform: this would make it the first time in 100 years that Welsh Labour is not the largest party in Cymru. However, Plaid and Reform’s visions f

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

Starmer rejects accusation that Labour is ‘complacent’ on defence funding

PM responds to warnings by former Nato chief George Robertson, saying defence spending is increasing rapidly UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has said he does not agree with George Robertson’s comments about the government’s “corrosive complacency” on defence funding, as the prime minister faced sustained pressure on the issue. Questioned in the Commons about the warnings by Robertson, the former Labour defence secretary and Nato chief who co-authored a defence review for the gov

PoliticsDefence