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The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

The blistering speech that tells me Britain’s social care deadlock can finally be broken | Polly Toynbee

If anyone can convince politicians and public of the need to pay for a national care service, it’s Louise Casey. With her involved, I now have hope No government in my lifetime has been dealt a worse hand than Keir Starmer’s. Austerity-broken public services, an empty Treasury, a jittery bond market freaked out by Liz Truss and then stricken by the arrival of Trump 2.0 with his bully-tariffs. Now Britain’s ally is setting the Middle East on fire in a murderous war, exploding oil and gas prices.

EconomyDefenceCrime
The Guardian Politics9 Mar 2026

So Badenoch, Farage and Blair think the Iran war is a great idea? Hmm … | John Crace

Kemi may be all in favour, but at least economic realpolitik is forcing her to take a slightly different tack There have been any number of opportunities for people to decide they wanted no part of America’s war with Iran. The first was after the US had launched its first wave of strikes. To be fair, this was the moment Keir Starmer and most of the UK reckoned enough was enough and that our involvement would be limited to defensive strikes only. You couldn’t really fault the logic. Did the UK re

EconomyDefenceReformHousing
The Guardian Politics9 Mar 2026

UK inflation likely to rise because of Middle East war, says Rachel Reeves

British chancellor says she will take steps to help families with cost of living as oil prices surge Middle East crisis – live updates Britain is likely to be hit by rising inflation because of the US war with Iran, the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said, as she suggested that a “rapid de-escalation” would be the best protection against a jump in energy prices. Both the chancellor and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, suggested the government would be prepared to intervene to protect UK h

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics9 Mar 2026

Is the UK government prepared for oil price hikes? – podcast

Oil prices have already shot up thanks to the US-Israeli war in Iran. But what is the economic fallout likely to be? Will interest rates rise? What about inflation? Could the cost of borrowing increase – and by how much? Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how the cost of living might be hit and the political implications of that Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics9 Mar 2026

Starmer seeks to reassure public over cost of living as oil surges above $100 a barrel - UK politics live

The prime minister is facing pressure from unions and some backbenchers to prepare a support package as oil and gas prices threaten to push up inflation Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics as governments around the world brace for major disruption to energy supplies as a result of the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. Keir Starmer is expected to promise to protect the British public from the economic impact of the war after oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics7 Mar 2026

UK recruiter emerges from insolvency for third time, avoiding millions owed in tax

Hampshire business seems to have benefited from ‘phoenixism’, which costs the taxpayer about £800m a year A UK recruitment business has been acquired out of administration for a third time in four years as part of a succession of deals that left some of the former management team in place and millions of pounds owed to the public purse. The chain of insolvencies appears to contain more examples of phoenixism – a process when companies are liquidated and directors are able to rise from the ashes

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on rising youth unemployment: regional leaders as well as ministers must take action | Editorial

Worsening health is only part of the reason for the concerning rise in young people who are neither studying nor working Launching a review into unemployment and economic inactivity among young people in December, the former health secretary Alan Milburn described the situation as a “national outrage”, and suggested that a “coalition of the concerned” would be needed to turn things around for the 16- to 24-year-olds known as Neets (not in education, employment or training). The latest figures, s

EconomyEducation
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Cruelty to immigrants is not what my party stands for. It’s time for True Labour, not Blue Labour | Stella Creasy

We must get back to the party’s roots before it is too late. That means embracing difference, rejecting division – and fighting for opportunities for all The 1951 Labour government proudly signed the refugee convention. Today’s Labour government is now in danger of consigning it to history. Why and how this is happening challenges those of us who are both socialists and democrats. For our economy, our society and our sanity we must reject the thinking of the Blue Labour faction and set out what

EconomyImmigration
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on Labour’s migration gamble: Denmark is no template | Editorial

Extending settlement waits risks deepening labour shortages while misreading public concern about migration’s economic and demographic realities The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is expected this week to press ahead with plans to make it harder for migrants to gain settled status, extending the wait from five to 10 years. She will not change tack despite Labour’s crushing byelection defeat to the Greens. This is a mistake. Ms Mahmood argues that Denmark’s Social Democrats curbed inflows to pr

PoliticsEconomyImmigrationEnvironment
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on Rachel Reeves’s spring statement: stability cannot mean sacrificing living standards | Editorial

An energy shock from war in the Gulf will expose the limits of rigid fiscal rules. The real question is who absorbs the loss: the state, firms or households? The war in the Middle East has sent oil and gas prices soaring – and Britain remains deeply exposed to global energy markets. If the shocks persist they will feed directly into household bills, business costs and inflation. On Tuesday, the Office for Budget Responsibility released projections that were finalised before the US-Israeli strike

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

What will Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast mean for household finances?

The chancellor promised more money in people’s pockets, but the Iran crisis makes steeper inflation a pressing worry Rachel Reeves used her spring statement to insist her economic policies are working and things are looking up for household finances after the cost of living crisis. The chancellor trumpeted that by the next general election “people will be over £1,000 a year better off”. But against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, financial experts warned that the new economic forecasts p

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

‘It’s no news just when we wanted some’: Business leaders react to spring statement

Amid global volatility, Rachel Reeves tried to project calm with a low-key forecast. But business owners have their doubts Rachel Reeves gave a deliberately low-key spring forecast on Tuesday, in an attempt to project calm amid volatility abroad and after repeated tax rising budgets. But for some business owners struggling with rising costs, a lack of policy announcements this time around was a disappointment. Continue reading...

Economy