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The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Schools forced to cut back on support for Send pupils in England, poll finds

More than 70% have cut down in past year on teaching assistants, who play key role in helping children with Send Two-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll. Seven out of 10 (71%) leaders say they have cut down on teaching assistants (TAs) in the past year, while 49% have reduced support staff. The crisis could escalate as 81% warn of f

DefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK undershoots annual borrowing target by £700m

But Iran war likely to blow hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully crafted fiscal ‘headroom’ in coming months The UK government 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. The government borrowed a net total of £132bn for the financial year ending in March, the Office for National Statistics said. This slightly undershot the £132.7bn that the Offi

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Mapped: the elections that could deliver ‘unprecedented’ losses for Labour

All signs point to a record-low performance for Labour in May in what will be a moment of high jeopardy for Keir Starmer Labour is on track for its worst local election performance, data analysed by the Guardian shows, in a blow that will pile further pressure on Keir Starmer’s leadership. Barring a drastic change in fortunes, Labour’s vote-share could fall to historic lows across elections for councils in England and devolved parliaments in Wales and Scotland on 7 May, with big gains for Reform

Politics
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Migrant care workers to leaflet Shabana Mahmood constituents over longer wait to settle

Campaign is said to be first time Labour-affiliated Unison is lobbying en masse against a key party policy Migrant workers and the UK’s largest union will carry out a mass leafleting campaign in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency to protest against a planned change in immigration policy. The Labour-affiliated Unison union says the changes will adversely affect migrant care workers. About one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers are migrants. Continue reading...

ImmigrationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

‘Apprenticeship penalty’ on benefits forces young people from poorer UK families to quit

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week. The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result,

ReformHousing
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Yes, retail investment needs a boost – but the squirrel looks too tame | Nils Pratley

Ambition behind investing campaign is laudable, yet cutting stamp duty on share purchases, for example, would be much more savvy City firms bank on ‘savvy’ ad campaign to push Brits towards investing Red squirrel characters have a history in the public information game. Older UK readers may recall Tufty, who taught children about road safety in the 1970s. His chum, Willy Weasel, regularly got knocked down by passing cars but clever Tufty always remembered to look both ways. Now comes Savvy Squ

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

City firms bank on ‘savvy’ advertising campaign to push Brits towards investing

The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymied Nils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’ City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing. The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor

Defence
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Inquiry clears Bristol school of antisemitism for postponing Jewish MP’s visit

Independent review into Bristol Brunel academy finds Damien Egan visit was postponed over safeguarding concerns An independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school that found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups. Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East and vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was due to visit Bristol Brunel academy (BBA) last September to talk to st

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Ian Collard: the Foreign Office insider who may be key to Mandelson scandal

Olly Robbins’ meeting with Collard resulted in Mandelson’s security clearance which is now under intense scrutiny His name was only mentioned twice – and the meeting he had with Olly Robbins may have only lasted 10 minutes. But Ian Collard is a central – and perhaps the key – figure in the scandal over how Peter Mandelson ended up receiving the security clearance to become Britain’s ambassador in Washington. Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

The Guardian view on blaming the civil service: the predictable refuge of failing governments | Editorial

Whitehall has its flaws, but reform can only be successful in a climate of trust, not fear The announcement of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador ensures that 20 December 2024 will be recorded as a fateful day in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Less remarked on, but relevant in hindsight, is a speech that the prime minister made earlier that month to launch a “plan for change”. Sir Keir set out ambitions to improve public services and lamented caution in the civil service. Whitehall,

Environment
The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

Martin Rowson on the ailing leaderships of Trump and Starmer – cartoon

Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics22 Apr 2026

No one can look Starmer in the eye … and the Mandy saga is not going away

The PM’s failure was being a spectator as Morgan McSweeney set about finding jobs for his mates This is the end, beautiful friend. It is the tragedy of almost all prime ministers that they are the last person to realise the game is up. Their race is run. The backbenchers are the first to know. They spend time in their constituencies. They get it in the neck from voters who have had enough with whoever is in No 10. They are the ones who get told nothing seems to work any more and that the prime m