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1713 headlines found — Page 30 of 143

The Guardian Politics9 Jul 2026

Britain’s dysfunctional dynamic: the public wants change, but those in power always tell them it’s not possible | Andy Beckett

Whenever major reform is proposed the media, big business and Westminster quickly conclude it’s too expensive and disruptive. This doesn’t bode well for Andy Burnham In an old, often anxious and conservative country, the perception of risk is a potent political weapon. If a policy or a project for reforming the UK seems too risky, or can be made to seem so by its opponents, then it can usually be quickly killed off. It can be added to the pile of possible futures that never occurred. In politics

Politics
The Guardian Politics9 Jul 2026

Nigel Farage v Count Binface - podcast

Political correspondent Ben Quinn talks about the forthcoming byelection in Clacton after all Reform’s serious rivals declined to take part On Tuesday, after months of scandal about his finances, Nigel Farage tried to take back the initiative. He was resigning as an MP, he explained, to trigger a byelection in his Clacton seat – giving “the people” a chance back him against “the establishment”. But, as the Guardian political correspondent Ben Quinn explains, things may not have gone quite to pla

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Ambassadorial appointments should be subject to veto by MPs, committee recommends

Foreign affairs select committee says Peter Mandelson episode was ‘nothing short of disastrous’ for government Political selections for ambassador posts should be subject to a veto by MPs, a parliamentary committee has recommended, as it made damning criticisms of how Peter Mandelson became Britain’s top diplomat in Washington. The foreign affairs select committee concluded that Mandelson’s appointment was “nothing short of disastrous”, “highly damaging” for the British government and “painful a

Politics
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Burnham promises Labour MPs he will not use party discipline to ‘stifle debate’

Prime minister in waiting looks to address frustrations backbenchers had with Keir Starmer’s style of party management Andy Burnham has promised MPs that he will never use party discipline to “stifle debate” and says they should raise problems and policy ideas “without fear or favour”. Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on Thursday, and Burnham is expected to be the only candidate. On Wednesday night the former armed forces minister Al Carns confirmed he would not seek to enter the

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Police investigate £37,500 donation to Jenrick leadership campaign

Met confirms inquiry after elections watchdog referred allegations that donations in 2024 were from foreign source Police have launched an investigation into £37,500 of donations to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after a referral from the elections watchdog. The Metropolitan police confirmed on Wednesday they were undertaking an inquiry after the Guardian revealed in April that they were assessing the evidence about donations to Jenrick, who has since joined Refo

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Reform’s Fleet Street ‘spoilers’: how party deploys tactic to get ahead of stories

Richard Tice’s NCA leak claims in the Telegraph would not be the first time Reform has used a more sympathetic outlet UK politics live – latest updates Late on Tuesday afternoon, as the British media was absorbing Nigel Farage’s shock decision to hold a byelection amid scrutiny over his finances, his Reform UK party supplied the Telegraph with a different story. The article revealed that Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, had accused the National Crime Agency (NCA) of leaking financial inf

PoliticsReformHousingCrime
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Reform to ask for Clacton byelection to be held on 6 August after Farage resignation

Constituents to vote in contest being boycotted by major parties over financial scandal surrounding Reform leader Reform UK will request that the Clacton byelection be held on 6 August, the party has said, after Nigel Farage’s decision to resign from the seat. The Reform UK leader, who has represented the Essex constituency since the 2024 general election, said on Tuesday he was standing down and would put himself forward again in what he has sought to portray as a “people versus the establishme

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Bin tactics. At times like these, only a Zia perma-rage defence of Nige will do | John Crace

Reform keeps Tice on the bench, sending in attack specialist Yusuf in effort to take back control as byelection stunt unravels You can often tell when Reform is running scared and losing control of the political narrative, because that’s the time Richard Tice is put back in his box. Everyone but Dicky knows that Dicky is a halfwit. A man whose very life force is dependent on Nigel Farage’s continued existence. Without Nige there would be no Dicky. He is the tick with no autonomous nervous system

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Treasury yet to do due diligence on finding extra money for UK’s Nato spend

How to hit the 3.5% of GDP defence spending promise would be a matter for ‘the next prime minister’, MPs told The Treasury has as yet carried out no analysis of the trade-offs necessary for the UK to hit the 3.5% of GDP defence spending promise made to Nato, chief secretary Lucy Rigby has said. Under robust questioning in a joint session of the Treasury and defence select committees on Wednesday, Rigby repeatedly said that how to fund additional defence spending would be a matter for “the next

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Bank of England governor says he is ‘able to spot’ lobbying after Farage crypto meeting

Exclusive: Andrew Bailey says no policy changes were made as a result of pressure from crypto tycoon-backed Reform leader UK politics live – latest updates The governor of the Bank of England has broken his silence about the pressure Nigel Farage put on him to drop a cryptocurrency policy that could be costly for Reform UK’s billionaire backer, saying he is “able to spot” and resist lobbying. Andrew Bailey’s comments, in a letter seen by the Guardian, come as Farage’s decision not to disclose

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Farage told me he would quit politics after Brexit. Now, mired in scandal, he should do it and mean it | Simon Jenkins

His byelection stunt shows he is clearly rattled by a perilous position. Wildcards rarely endure: his future is behind him Britain’s politics was never so weird. First, the people of Makerfield choose who should be the new prime minister. Now the people of Clacton are to confirm the man who is currently his most popular challenger. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is still running ahead of all other parties, and he is ahead of all other current leaders. It would be foolish to underestimate him. Farage i

PoliticsReformHousing
The Guardian Politics8 Jul 2026

Ruth Ellis, last woman hanged in UK, granted posthumous conditional pardon

Ellis was executed in 1955 after fatally shooting her partner David Blakely UK politics live – latest updates Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in UK, has been granted a conditional pardon in light of evidence that she was a victim of domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. She was executed in 1955 after she shot and killed her partner, David Blakely, who she met while working in the nightclub she managed two years earlier. Continue reading...

Politics