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The Guardian Politics16 Aug 2026

A positive new report raises the question: was Reeves undermined by dodgy data? | Heather Stewart

Assessment that has found a jump in UK productivity emphasises urgent need to appoint a national statistician Keen new chancellor, John Healey, responded to last week’s better-than-expected economic news by claiming the government is “bringing hope back”. Growth did not plunge as feared after Donald Trump unleashed war on Iran – with GDP expanding at a pretty decent 0.4% in the second quarter. But what if we should have held on to a bit more hope all along? A new assessment of the UK’s recent pr

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Aug 2026

New UK cost of living crisis looms with soaring energy bills forecast to lift inflation

Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%. As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation r

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics15 Aug 2026

Post-Brexit rights for British citizens are being undermined in Sweden

Apparent high level of removal orders suggests Sweden is rejecting ‘reasonable grounds’ for failing to apply to stay Back in October 2020, the UK immigration minister stood up in parliament to reassure campaigners concerned about EU citizens who weren’t aware they had to ask the Home Office to stay in the country after Brexit. Using an example of a child in foster care who might not know they were an EU citizen until they applied for their first job, the Conservative Kevin Foster said the UK wou

PoliticsImmigrationDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics14 Aug 2026

The Guardian view on Nigel Farage: Clacton cannot acquit him | Editorial

Reform won a contrived byelection, but scrutiny continues – while the party increasingly attacks the watchdogs and journalists asking awkward questions Nigel Farage didn’t attend the count of the byelection he forced upon Clacton. Instead, Reform UK’s leader celebrated his win with supporters at a “Farage Fest”, filmed by a friendly TV channel. For a politician who claims to speak for the people, it was telling that at his triumph he preferred an audience of believers. Mr Farage won because his

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics14 Aug 2026

Burnham temporarily bans disposable barbecue sales in ‘tinderbox’ Britain

PM urges people not to risk lives and homes by starting fires as military brought in to help deal with wildfires UK politics live – latest updates Downing Street has issued a temporary GB-wide ban on the sale of disposable barbecue and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires as Andy Burnham urged people not to risk lives in “tinderbox” Britain this weekend. The prime minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been taken to hospital during ei

PoliticsDefenceHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics14 Aug 2026

Benjamin Netanyahu describes UK as ‘first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon’

Israeli PM criticised by political rival for attacking an international ally and overseeing ‘horrific diplomatic failure’ The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the UK “the Islamic republic of Britain” in a podcast interview, where he also described the country as the “first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon”. His comments, made during an interview for Israel’s army radio, played into a common far-right Islamophobic trope about Britain’s small Muslim population. Continue

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

Government could pay higher rents to spread asylum accommodation across UK

Greater use of private rental properties would form part of PM’s plan to spread accommodation more evenly across UK Ministers are considering paying higher prices for housing asylum seekers in private rental properties as part of Andy Burnham’s plan to spread accommodation more evenly across the country. The shift towards more private rental accommodation, known as “dispersal”, and the use of former military barracks, are cheaper than expensive hotels for asylum seekers. Continue reading...

ImmigrationDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students

Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’ University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education, after new figures suggest a collapse in international student numbers will deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future. The sector’s leaders called on the government to rethink the levy on international student fees imposed under Keir Starmer, as a former universities minister warned that the

EconomyDefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

UK economy shows surprising resilience – but that might not last | Richard Partington

Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumn UK economic growth slows down Business live – latest updates In the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong. The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole positi

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

Britain's scorched fields mean a food crisis – and the government is ignoring the one measure that would help | George Monbiot

This summer’s extreme weather and wars in Iran and Ukraine have made our need for food stockpiles more pressing than ever When a business makes long-term plans, they call it prudence. When a government makes long-term plans, they call it communism. Any sustained state intervention attracts the prefix “Soviet-style”, and triggers vicious attacks across the billionaire media. So governments have developed a bias against long-term thinking. This may explain why we no longer maintain strategic food

Defence
The Guardian Politics13 Aug 2026

Reform council leader, 20, defends record one year on: ‘The establishment will throw anyone under the bus’

George Finch plagued by bullying claims and other controversies since taking helm at Warwickshire council George Finch, who made history last year after he was elected as leader of Warwickshire county council at the age of 19, is no stranger to criticism. His year at the helm of a minority Reform administration has been dominated by a string of controversies, including three code of conduct investigations and a no-confidence call – which he survived by just one vote. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics12 Aug 2026

Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns

RCN calls for more air conditioners as Burnham faces pressure to recognise urgency of adaptation to climate crisis Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation. Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on t

DefenceEnvironmentHealthcare