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The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

US did not share details with the UK before attacking Iran, sources say

Donald Trump has also criticised Keir Starmer’s initial decision not to allow the US to use UK military bases in the war The US did not share exact operational details or timings with the UK before the joint strikes with Israel on Iran, sources have told the Guardian. The US decision to cut the UK out of the official loop on the airstrikes came alongside Keir Starmer’s decision to decline permission for the US to use British military bases for the operation. Continue reading...

Defence
The Guardian Politics5 Mar 2026

Lobbyists send legal threats to councils over anti-wood burner campaigns

At least eight councils receive legal threats alleging flyers criticising wood burners are in breach of advertising codes Lobbyists for the UK wood-burning stove industry have threatened councils with legal action over public information campaigns warning of the harms of air pollution. At least eight councils have received legal threats, according to research by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The Stove Industry Association (SIA), which represents the UK’s expanding industry around the burnin

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Starmer’s slow start in the war against Iran could leave UK playing catch-up

Prime minister’s initial refusal to help US could constrain Britain’s ability to protect its nationals in the Gulf and reassure allies Middle East crisis – live updates Britain knew that the US was considering attacking Iran from the moment Donald Trump told protesters that “help is coming” in the middle of January. It was obvious to the world that the White House was serious when the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the Arabian Sea in late January. But as Trump gradually built

Defence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran | John Crace

At times like this you have to thank your lucky stars that the opposition leader is not in Downing Street On another day it might even have been quite funny. The mismatch between Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief and her performance. But Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions was far too serious for that, with Donald Trump’s Awfully Big Iranian Adventure threatening to escalate into all-out war in the Middle East. It was also a day when you could think the unthinkable. Might Kemi actually be even wea

PoliticsImmigrationDefence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on the US-UK relationship: Trump is pushing Britain closer to Europe | Editorial

An unreliable and volatile American president makes a compelling case for closer security and defence cooperation with continental allies There is truth to Donald Trump’s declaration earlier this week that the UK-US relationship is “not what it was”, although there is no indication that he understands the reasons for the change. The US president is “very disappointed” that Sir Keir Starmer has been “uncooperative” in the war against Iran, offering only limited logistical support to American forc

Defence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

UK’s partial study visa ban ‘will drive people to small boats’, campaigners say

Ban affecting Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon will mean more people make Channel crossings, charity says A new ban on students coming to the UK from four countries where there is war and human rights abuses will drive more people use small boats, campaigners have warned. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced a bar on student visas from Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon on Tuesday evening. It will come into force on 26 March. Continue reading...

ImmigrationDefenceEducationRestoreRemigration
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Yes, Keir Starmer must do better and go faster in bringing Britain closer to Europe. Here’s how to reset his reset | Naomi Smith

MPs warn the plan so far lacks direction and drive, but there are four clear ways to really move on from our disastrous Brexit Many of us have been there: in the driver’s seat on a tricky hill start, when the engine cuts out and the car judders to a halt. Since the EU-UK summit last May – the event that was supposed to map a new and dynamic way forward – stalling is fast becoming a real risk for Keir Starmer’s most crucial long-term policy area: improving Britain’s relationship with the EU. Tod

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

60% of Welsh voters unaware of how new system will work in May elections

Voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay and which with Westminster UK politics live – latest updates Almost 60% of Welsh voters are unaware of how the new system will work in May’s Senedd elections and there is confusion over devolution powers, a report has found. Polling research released on Wednesday by Cardiff University and YouGov suggested that 26 years since devolution began, many voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay, and w

PoliticsDefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

War in Middle East ‘could wipe out growth in UK living standards’

Rising oil and gas prices may affect increase of £300 a year for typical working-age households, says leading thinktank Business live – latest updates Conflict in the Middle East could trigger an energy price shock that wipes out anticipated growth in living standards in the UK worth £300 for a typical working-age household over the coming year, a leading thinktank has warned. The Resolution Foundation said a “decent” one-off increase in average living standards this year and a bumper rise for

Defence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Ex-Nato commander defends Starmer after Trump’s ‘no Winston Churchill’ jibe

Gen Sir Richard Shirreff says US president has launched war of choice in Iran with no clear grasp of how it will end UK politics live – latest updates Middle East crisis – live updates Britain cannot become embroiled in a war “without a clear end point”, a former senior Nato commander has said, as he defended Keir Starmer after Donald Trump’s jibes that he was “not Winston Churchill”. Trump was “another American president who had launched a war of choice,” said Gen Sir Richard Shirreff, as a

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics4 Mar 2026

Want to stop Farage with your vote? At the moment you can’t – and Starmer must fix that | Polly Toynbee

The PM’s in-tray is overflowing. But he can’t afford to neglect the real issue that is distorting our politics and the way we live At home and abroad, Labour and its leader are under siege. Though the Gorton and Denton result is history now, the repercussions roil his party and underpin the fight for its future. Abroad, the policy rift within the Labour tribe is just as bad, with the fear that the party will be dragged backwards into the wreckage of another illegal war in the Middle East. Yet ag

PoliticsDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics3 Mar 2026

Shadow of Iraq war lies over Westminster as MPs consider US-Israeli attack on Iran

Despite rebukes from Donald Trump, many MPs back Keir Starmer’s stance so far, and say lessons from conflict in Iraq must not be forgotten Calvin Bailey keeps his Iraq medal, issued to members of the British armed forces who served as part of Operation Telic, safe in a drawer in his home. It features a clasp, given to personnel who were part of the very first wave of flights to leave British bases to invade Iraq in March 2003. So when the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead spoke at a meeting bet

PoliticsDefence