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121 headlines found — Page 4 of 11

The Guardian Politics2 Jul 2026

Starmer’s goodbye gift to Britain: a US pharma deal that could be more lethal than Covid | Aditya Chakrabortty

This shadowy treaty on medicine imports will cost the NHS billions and take funding away from doctors, nurses, cancer scans and the rest For all the crowd noise and heavy-breathing match analysis, British democracy is a simple sport. We elect politicians to serve our interests. They direct the vital services that look after our families and communities, such as our healthcare and our schools. The entire political system rests on one basic premise: they work for us. Believe that, as I do, and thi

PoliticsEducationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics1 Jul 2026

US-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests

Analysis reveals extent of impact on NHS of placating Donald Trump over price of British medicine exports The NHS will have to divert £45bn from essential services to pay for new medicines under the terms of the UK-US trade deal agreed last December, leading to more than 200,000 avoidable deaths of patients, analysis has found. Ministers have defended the deal as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs, and giving patients in England access to potentially life-extending dru

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Hospitality VAT cut: can it help the sector and at what cost to UK taxpayer?

Drop to 10% for pubs and eateries would be in line with most of Europe, but critics say it favours multinationals Business live – latest updates Nearly a quarter of hospitality businesses are losing money, fresh data has shown, reigniting calls among chefs, pub owners and restaurateurs for their sector to be handed a reduced rate of VAT. It may seem like a no-brainer because the measure would ease pressure on the ailing sector and put the UK in line with most European countries. But critics sa

EconomyHealthcare
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Nearly 25% of UK pubs and restaurants lose money, research shows

Hospitality trade bodies’ data published as celebrity chefs and restaurateurs launch campaign for VAT cut Nearly a quarter of UK pubs, bars and restaurants are losing money, according to new survey data that came as a group of celebrity chefs and business owners stepped up their campaign for a sector-specific VAT cut. Spearheaded by chef Tom Kerridge, leading figures in the hospitality sector are calling for VAT on the industry to be cut from 20% to 10%. Continue reading...

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

Resident doctors in England accept government offer on pay and jobs

British Medical Association called off a strike at the last minute earlier this month to put the offer to members Resident doctors in England have voted to accept a new government deal on pay and jobs. It comes after the British Medical Association called off a strike at the last minute earlier this month to put the offer to members. Continue reading...

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics28 Jun 2026

‘Financial pandemic’: £1 in every £11 spent on UK public contractors goes to private equity

Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows ‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home? Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big role One pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare. Po

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Jun 2026

From the NHS to new homes, Starmer’s successes and setbacks – in charts

The PM said in May that ‘stories beat spreadsheets’, but what does the data tell us about his time in office? Keir Starmer is to step down as prime minister after just two years in office. Despite promising an end to Conservative sleaze and scandal, much political bandwidth towards the end of his time in No 10 was taken up by the fallout surrounding his appointment as US ambassador of Peter Mandelson, who had a close relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading

PoliticsDefenceHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics23 Jun 2026

From bendy bananas to £350m for the NHS – how many Brexit promises actually came true?

Leaving the EU was supposed to solve Britain’s border issues, slash bureaucracy, revitalise the health service, even supercharge vacuum cleaners. How much control did we really take back? Ten long years have passed since that queasy morning of 24 June 2016, when Boris Johnson and Michael Gove addressed the cameras to hail the victory of the Vote Leave campaign, and a leap into the unknown for the UK. In the no-holds-barred battle of Brexit that spring, many alluring promises were made to tempt v

ImmigrationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

I disagree with Andy Burnham’s politics. But as former health secretaries, we both know the NHS needs to be fixed | Jeremy Hunt

As prime minister, he would have a unique chance to turn the world’s most bureaucratic health service into its most innovative one If Andy Burnham moves from Manchester to No 10, he will be the first prime minister to have been health secretary in the history of the NHS. What might that mean for the troubled service? His commitment to social care is well known. But when the Treasury tells him there is no money, he is going to have to think hard about how to make his mark. The UK now spends the f

PoliticsEconomyHealthcare
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

‘There’s no jobs’: struggle and regret in a Welsh town that backed Brexit

Ten years ago Ebbw Vale had the highest proportion of leave voters in Wales despite huge EU funding, which has not been fully replaced Where Ebbw Vale’s steelworks once stood is now a cluster of gleaming modern buildings including a hospital, a leisure centre and a college. Over the past decade, these public facilities have been joined by a public-private cybersecurity research centre and two tech firms. A new railway station opened at the site in 2015. Yet, during the Guardian’s visit to the We

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics16 Jun 2026

Makerfield voters are giving Burnham the benefit of the doubt. If he fails, the consequences will be grave | Owen Jones

Winning this byelection wouldn’t make Reform disappear. Would Burnham really have the courage needed to see them off in No 10? ‘Well, good,” says a middle-aged woman outside Boots about the prospect of millions of migrants being deported. “Because we want the country safe.” I point out that, even as immigration has risen sharply for the last two decades, by every measure – murder rates, or numbers of people admitted to hospitals because of knife attacks and assaults – violence has fallen steeply

PoliticsImmigrationCrimeHealthcareRemigration
The Guardian Politics15 Jun 2026

Disabled people with lifelong conditions facing ‘unnecessary’ Pip reassessments

‘Pointless’ reviews are wasting public money and ‘significantly harming’ the mental health of claimants, charity says Disabled people with lifelong conditions are repeatedly being put through “pointless” benefit reassessments, contrary to official guidance, new analysis suggests. A study by the anti-poverty charity Z2K has found that hundreds of thousands of disabled people are going through “unnecessary” personal independence payment (Pip) reviews, “wasting” public money and “significantly har

Healthcare