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The Guardian Politics17 Mar 2026

UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach

Jonathan Powell thought Tehran’s ‘surprising’ offer on its nuclear programme could prevent rush to war Middle East crisis – live updates Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, attended the final talks between the US and Iran and judged that the offer made by Tehran on its nuclear programme was significant enough to prevent a rush to war, the Guardian can reveal. Powell thought that progress had been made in Geneva and that the deal proposed by Iran was “surprising”, according

Defence
The Guardian Politics17 Mar 2026

Pressure grows to postpone king’s state visit to US amid Iran war and Trump’s jibes at allies – UK politics live

Emily Thornberry is the latest figure to call on the king’s visit to the US to be delayed, citing the ongoing war against Iran Yesterday Donald Trump confirmed that he expects the king’s state visit to the US to go ahead at the end of April. As the Mail reports, speaking about his plan to build a new, mega ballroom on the east wing of the White House, Trump said he needed a facility like this because of the weather in Washington. He explained: And you know the land in Washington was built on a s

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

Starmer distances UK from Iran war as EU leaders rule out sending warships

PM refuses to be drawn into wider conflict as Germany and Italy defy Trump’s call to help reopen strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis – live updates Keir Starmer has insisted that the UK will not be drawn into the wider war in the Middle East as European leaders ruled out sending warships to the strait of Hormuz. In his clearest signal yet of the UK’s divergence from Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, the prime minister said he would stand firm in the face of US pressure despite the decision being

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

Iran war cannot be ’windfall’ for Putin, says Starmer, as Zelenskyy arrives in UK

Ukrainian president’s visit coincides with deadline for Roman Abramovich over proceeds from £2.5bn Chelsea sale Middle East crisis – live updates Keir Starmer will host Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Tuesday as the prime minister warns US-Israeli strikes on Iran cannot be allowed to become a “windfall for Putin”. Zelenskyy’s visit will come on the day of the government deadline for the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to pay proceeds from his sale of Chelsea FC to victims of the

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

Trump’s war is bringing economic calamity to the UK – and another shock to our politics | Gaby Hinsliff

Hard choices lie ahead for Downing Street if higher fuel prices spark resentment and trigger a renewed cost of living crisis Seventy years ago this winter, the streets of Britain fell eerily quiet. After one last panic buying spree, many garages shut, and traffic even in the heart of London dwindled away. The formal introduction of petrol rationing had begun, limiting drivers to 200 miles’ worth a month – with exceptions for farmers, doctors and vicars – after the Suez crisis blocked fuel suppli

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

Can Starmer avoid being drawn into the US-Iran war? – podcast

The PM says the UK will not be dragged into wider war in the Middle East and pledges support to households struggling to pay for heating oil. Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey talk about what the government is doing to support people during the cost of living crisis and the fallout from the war. Plus a look at Brussels as the government works on another EU-reset to create closer ties Continue reading...

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

UK will not be drawn into wider war in Middle East, says Keir Starmer

PM’s comments come as he announces support for households reliant on heating oil amid surging costs UK politics live – latest updates The UK will not be drawn into the wider war in the Middle East, Keir Starmer has said, as he announced that households reliant on heating oil to warm their homes would receive £53m of government support to help with their bills. After costs surged following the outbreak of the Iran conflict, lower-income households will get targeted support, while heating oil su

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

What's worth more: Churchill or a woke badger? Welcome to Britain's banknote culture war | Jonn Elledge

Self-appointed patriots are up in arms about a plan to replace historical figures with cute wildlife. The Bank of England shouldn’t duck this debate One day soon we may finally have an answer to a question that has stumped philosophers through the ages: which is worth more, a beaver or a robin? We might be able to place actual monetary values on barn owls or stags, too. Any one of them could even be considered worth more than Winston Churchill. That’s because the Bank of England has announced th

Defence
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

Minister plays down Trump’s Nato threat, arguing US alliance strong enough to ‘outlast’ current issues – UK politics live

Pat McFadden says Trump running a ‘transactional presidency’ and that ‘our job is to navigate this’ Good morning. Keir Starmer is holding a press conference in Downing Street this morning. As Kiran Stacey reports, the PM’s main intention will be to announce support for people most hit by rising energy prices, particularly householders reliant on heating oil. The measures are expected to be worth tens of millions of pounds. But, inevitably, most of the focus likely to be on how Starmer responds t

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics16 Mar 2026

UK not obliged to support every demand of ‘transactional’ US president, minister says

Donald Trump has threatened Nato allies over failure to send ships to protect strait of Hormuz, but Pat McFadden says UK relation with US remain strong Middle East crisis live Donald Trump is a “very transactional” president, whose repeated demands on Iran must be seen in this context, one of Keir Starmer’s most senior ministers has said in an unusually blunt UK assessment of relations between the countries. Asked about the US president’s threats of some sort of retaliation against allies who

Defence
The Guardian Politics15 Mar 2026

Decriminalising abortion: how could the House of Lords amend the legislation?

After MPs voted last year to change the law in England and Wales, members of the Lords will now put forward proposed amendments MPs voted last year to end the criminalisation of women who terminate pregnancies outside the legal framework. It was hailed as the biggest step forward for reproductive rights in England and Wales in six decades. On Wednesday evening, abortion law will again come under the parliamentary spotlight when members of the House of Lords put forward their proposed amendments

PoliticsDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics15 Mar 2026

Labour has weapons in its arsenal to cushion the poorest from Iran war economic fallout | Heather Stewart

Timely end of two-child limit plus a healthy uptick in universal credit signals ‘lifechanging’ boost to Britons most exposed to ‘Trumpflation’ It doesn’t involve warships, drones or strategic oil stocks, but one of Labour’s most potent weapons for containing the economic aftershocks from the Iran war for the UK is about to be unleashed: the scrapping of the two-child limit. If the cost of essential goods spikes as a result of high oil prices it is the poorest households who will be the most expo

EconomyDefence