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The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

Refugee groups condemn Tory plan to remove judges from asylum appeals

Conservatives accused of attack on ‘crucial safeguards’ and of fostering ‘climate of hostility’ towards judiciary Refugee groups and lawyers have described Conservative proposals to strip judges of their powers to rule on asylum seekers’ appeals against deportations as “an attack on the concept of justice and equality under the law”. In a speech on Tuesday, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said a Conservative government would quit the European convention on human rights (ECHR) and abolish

ImmigrationDefenceEnvironmentReformRemigration
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

UK will have to ‘dial back’ military plans without more funding, says chief of defence

Rich Knighton tells Lords committee he is ‘most concerned’ about impact on day-to-day military activities Britain will have to “dial back” on military operations and exercises in the next few years if the Ministry of Defence (MoD) does not receive extra funding from Downing Street and the Treasury, the UK’s most senior military officer has said. Rich Knighton, the chief of the defence staff, told a Lords committee that he was “most concerned” about the budgets for day-to-day activities – in his

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

Thames Water nationalisation moves closer as government ‘objects to rescue deal’

Environment secretary reportedly raised concerns that customers would face ‘undue burden’ from £10bn plan Thames Water should be nationalised, says Burnham Business live – latest updates The UK environment secretary has reportedly objected to a £10bn rescue proposal for Thames Water because it would place an “undue burden” on consumers, pushing the troubled utilities firm closer towards public ownership. Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, wrote to Ofwat, the regulator, on Monday to rai

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

‘Unbelievable’ waste and inefficiency at MoD, says ex-defence minister Al Carns

Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmes There is “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would “turn a stone over” he would get another shock. Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes – and suggested mismanage

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

Division in UK probably worse now than in run-up to Brexit, says Kim Leadbeater

Labour MP warns of voices fanning hatred on eve of 10th anniversary of the murder of her sister, the MP Jo Cox Political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum, when Jo Cox was murdered, says Kim Leadbeater, Cox’s sister who is now also a Labour MP. Speaking to the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast Leadbeater, who was elected to the same Yorkshire seat held by Cox in a 2021 byelection, said everyone in public life had a responsibility to try and eas

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

The old ‘warfare v welfare’ arguments are back – but it’s Britain’s real duty to spend on both | Frances Ryan

While we need protecting from foreign enemies, slashing benefits in favour of defence will make millions less, not more, safe As the row over the military budget grows, Keir Starmer has spent much of the past few days insisting he’s spending huge sums of taxpayer money on defence. Every single government department has made cuts to fund next month’s defence investment plan (Dip), the prime minister promised, resulting in “the biggest sustained increase since the cold war”. On Sunday, the culture

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

Labour MPs doubt EHRC guidance on court’s biological sex ruling is workable

Exclusive: Commons motion calls for code of practice to be blocked amid concerns over impact on transgender people A number of Labour MPs are increasingly doubtful that the guidance on how organisations should implement the supreme court ruling on sex as it applies in the Equality Act is workable in the real world, with some predicting it will unleash a wave of competing legal claims. A total of 135 MPs, 69 of them from Labour, have signed a Commons motion calling for the code of practice drafte

PoliticsDefenceReformCrime
The Guardian Politics15 Jun 2026

Defence secretary questioned by MPs over timing of Healey quitting and tanker seizure

Dan Jarvis under pressure about why Russian oil tanker in Channel was captured days after his predecessor resigned Dan Jarvis has told MPs that the Russian oil tanker seized on Sunday had been monitored for several days as he deflected suggestions that its seizure had been ordered by a prime minister under pressure after the resignation of John Healey last week. The new defence secretary, flanked supportively in the Commons by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the Smyrtos had been “closely tra

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Jun 2026

If the right wants money for defence, it can start with MoD wastefulness – or even the pensioner triple lock | Polly Toynbee

There is nothing left to be squeezed from disabled people or families, yet some continue to bang the same old drum What’s it to be, warfare or welfare, social or military spending, guns or butter? Hermann Göring coined that phrase calling for re-armament, “Guns will make us powerful, butter will only make us fat.” In her “Britain awake” speech, Margaret Thatcher in 1976 warned that the Soviets “put guns before butter, while we put just about everything before guns” – though defence spending fell

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Jun 2026

Listen to manufacturers and unions: high electricity prices are killing industry | Nils Pratley

Make UK and TUC are right – ministers need a proper strategy to cut energy costs before there are more closures Britain ‘faces deindustrialisation’ without relief from high energy prices The manufacturing lobby group, Make UK, and the Trades Union Congress have picked a bad moment to plead for urgent relief for the nation’s industrial companies from sky-high electricity prices. The cabinet is tearing itself apart over defence spending, so even a “one minute to midnight” call for an extra £3bn

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Jun 2026

Labour MPs urge Starmer to set targets to boost number of male teachers in England

Men and Boys group of MPs addresses ‘crisis of masculinity’ and joins campaign for longer paternity leave Government ministers have been urged to set targets to boost the number of male teachers in England, as backbench MPs seek to capitalise on turbulence in the Labour party to influence government policy. With the government in disarray after the shock resignation of the defence secretary this week, MPs are seizing the moment to embark on a battle of ideas, including tackling toxic masculinity

PoliticsDefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics14 Jun 2026

Assisted dying bill set to return to the Commons

Labour MP Lauren Edwards to use private member’s bill to put issue before MPs again The assisted dying bill is set to return to the Commons after the Labour MP Lauren Edwards agreed to use her private member’s bill to put the issue before MPs again. Edwards said she wanted to give the legislation another chance because it had been blocked by the House of Lords after being passed by MPs. The return of the bill would give supporters a chance to use the Parliament Act to potentially bypass the Lord

PoliticsDefence