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The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

Hereditary peers to lose their seats in the House of Lords

Upper chamber accepts final draft of bill, which offers life peerages to some who would otherwise be removed Hereditary peerages will be abolished before the next king’s speech after a deal was struck granting life peerages to some Conservatives and cross-benchers losing their seats. On Tuesday evening the upper chamber accepted a final draft of the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, marking the end of its passage through parliament and clearing the way for it to be added to the statute boo

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

Badenoch denies calling for UK to join US-Israeli war on Iran

Conservative leader accused of taking confusing position after she said Starmer should ‘do more than catch arrows’ Kemi Badenoch has said she never called for the UK to join Donald Trump’s war on Iran, after previously saying Keir Starmer should do more to “stop the people who are attacking us”. Labour accused Badenoch of having a confused position after the Conservative leader said she was not urging the government to join the US and Israel strikes on Iran but that the UK should “do more than c

Defence
The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

Farage delivers energy sermon at the pump – just don’t mention the war

Reform leader’s Derbyshire petrol station stunt grinds to halt when questions on Iran leave him short-tempered Let’s try to look on the bright side. At least Nigel Farage wasn’t personally out of pocket. There again, he seldom is. The whole point of being Nige is to never pay for anything if you can help it. Unless you fancy buying a few shares in Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘Get Rich Quick’ crypto scheme. Ordinary punters would be well advised to think twice before doing the same. But Nige can’t escape th

DefenceReform
The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

Trump and the Tories would have the UK wade into another Middle East war. Kudos to Starmer: he has not done that | Matt Western

The prime minister has approached a complex geopolitical conflict with a level head – and most importantly, the support of the public Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, and chairs the joint committee on national security strategy Donald Trump’s demands for Keir Starmer’s unwavering support in the Iran strikes last week has echoes of earlier episodes in the US-UK “special relationship”. The prime minister’s response has been striking. There were no Bush-style flying jack

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics10 Mar 2026

Nigel Farage accused of U-turn as he says UK should keep out of Iran war

Reform leader’s latest comment contrasts with earlier statement that ‘gloves need to come off’ UK politics live – latest updates Nigel Farage has been accused of making a U-turn after he said Britain should not get involved in Donald Trump’s war with Iran. His comments on Tuesday contrasted with his previous assertion that the “gloves need to come off” when dealing with Iran. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceReform
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

HMS Dragon will head to Cyprus in next couple of days, says defence secretary

John Healey tells Commons crews working hard to prepare warship after criticism over slow response to drone attacks HMS Dragon will set sail in “the next couple of days”, the defence secretary has said, meaning the British destroyer may not arrive in the eastern Mediterranean until after the weekend. John Healey told the House of Commons that navy crews were working “tirelessly, 22 hours a day” to prepare the warship, as he faced accusations of not acting fast enough to protect British interests

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics9 Mar 2026

Ministers must act more quickly on deepfakes to protect women and girls, Kendall says

Exclusive: Technology secretary urges tech companies to do more to tackle online misogyny Ministers need to act more quickly to combat fast-changing threats from technology such as deepfakes, the technology secretary has said, as she warned about the risks women and girls face online. Liz Kendall said on Monday that technology was developing at such a pace that it was outstripping the government’s ability to regulate it, even suggesting there could be regular annual reviews of regulations as hap

Defence
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

Britons don’t want any part of Trump’s war fixation – the sooner Labour realises that the better | Owen Jones

Kowtowing to US foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan had disastrous consequences. Why are leaders making the same mistake all over again? Here is the sort of analysis you’re being served up by our esteemed commentariat. Keir Starmer’s positioning on the Iran war, we are told, reveals a prime minister with no political compass. True, but talk about burying the lede. The story here is not Starmer’s lack of political acumen. British involvement in the Iran war is not a policy question on which re

PoliticsDefence
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