News

Original reporting and the latest political headlines from across the UK.

Our Articles

Mainstream Headlines

Filtering by:Source: The Guardian Politics×Clear all

1293 headlines found — Page 49 of 108

The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

What has conflict in Iran revealed about the UK’s geopolitical standing and military readiness?

Whatever happens next as US and Iran agree to a temporary ceasefire, some important lessons have been learned Middle East crisis – live updates The world breathed a sigh of relief in the early hours of Wednesday morning as the US and Iran agreed to an 11th hour two-week ceasefire, after diplomatic intervention from Iran. Hours after Donald Trump had threatened widespread bombing of Iran’s power plants and bridges, warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”, both countries agreed to a

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Bristol airport loses legal challenge against Cardiff rival over £205m subsidy

Tribunal dismisses claim that the Welsh government’s financial package breached competition rules Cardiff airport has won a legal challenge brought by its rival in Bristol over the fairness of a £205m Welsh government subsidy package. A judgment by the competition appeal tribunal on Tuesday unanimously dismissed Bristol airport’s case against the Welsh government, which Bristol had argued distorted the market and breached the Subsidy Control Act. Continue reading...

The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

‘We’d all be in the destruction zone!’ Can anything stop today’s nuclear free-for-all?

The Lib Dems’ Sue Miller has spent most of her life trying to reduce the risk of nuclear war. And it’s not going well. Why are so few people talking about non-proliferation, let alone disarmament? Almost the mildest remark that Sue Miller makes about nuclear weapons is also the scariest: “The last people to take a big interest in any of this were Gordon Brown and Margaret Beckett.” Those people seem such a long way away – Brown, of course, still campaigns valiantly against poverty, and Beckett i

Defence
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Keir Starmer welcomes Iran war ceasefire as he heads to Gulf to meet regional leaders – UK politics live

PM to meet partners in region to discuss effort to ‘support and sustain ceasefire’ and reopening the strait of Hormuz Sarah Jones, the policing minister, has been giving interviews. She has been talking about Keir Starmer’s visit to the Gulf, but hasn’t said anything that really adds to the (rather limited) information about the visit put out by Downing Street. Jones told Times Radio: [Starmer] is going to the Gulf for a number of reasons. Firstly you will have seen last week with the foreign se

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Keir Starmer heads to Gulf after US and Iran agree two-week ceasefire

PM to meet regional leaders to discuss effort to ‘support and sustain ceasefire’ and reopening the strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis – live updates Keir Starmer is travelling to the Gulf to meet leaders in the region to discuss diplomatic efforts to support the ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran. The prime minister’s visit on Wednesday comes hours after a two-week ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday evening, canceling a self-imposed deadline by the US president, Donald Trump, for Iran to s

The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

Treat jailed drug dealers like radical extremists, says prisons watchdog

Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’ Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said. Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they should be separated from the majority of inmates, subjected to regular searches for phones, and punis

Crime
The Guardian Politics8 Apr 2026

UK opening new oil and gas fields would imperil global climate goals, experts say

Senior climate figures warn North Sea drilling would encourage fossil fuel exploitation by developing countries Opening new oil and gas fields in the North Sea would “send a shock wave around the world”, imperilling international climate targets, undermining the UK’s climate leadership and encouraging developing countries to exploit their own fossil fuel reserves, experts have warned. The UK government is under stiff pressure from the oil industry, the Conservatives, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK par

DefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Commonwealth leaders vow to keep seeking reparations after Reform UK plan to halt visas

Politicians warn party’s pledge to ‘punish’ countries seeking justice for slavery will harm and isolate Britain Commonwealth politicians say they will not back down from seeking reparations as UK public figures, including a former Reform insider, warn the rightwing party’s pledge to “punish” countries seeking justice for slavery would harm and isolate Britain. This week, Reform UK said they would halt visas for nationals of countries formally demanding reparations from Britain if they took power

ImmigrationDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Antonia Romeo handed powerful mandate to deliver No 10’s priorities

PM’s most senior civil servant now has task of rewriting civil service code and ‘making it recognised for improved productivity’ Antonia Romeo, Keir Starmer’s most senior civil servant, has been handed a powerful new mandate to deliver his priorities, while Darren Jones, the No 10 chief secretary, has shifted to a less hands-on role. Romeo, who was promoted last month, took over the job of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service after an unsuccessful year in charge by her predecessor Ch

Politics
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Pressure on Starmer to curb US access after Trump ‘whole civilisation will die’ threat

Lib Dems, Greens and some Labour MPs demand UK block US from using its airbases for Iran missions Middle East crisis – live updates Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure to limit US access to British airbases after Donald Trump threatened “a whole civilisation” would die if Iran ignored his demands, comments Downing Street has not directly criticised. No 10 has allowed US forces to use UK bases only for defensive missions against Iran, such as targeting missile sites, ruling out attacks o

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Charity cleared after claims it forced pupils to send Valentine’s Day cards to asylum seekers

Watchdog finds complaints against City of Sanctuary UK were misleading and false after online attacks over its migrant welcome project A refugee charity subjected to vicious social media attacks over a migrant welcome project in schools has been cleared after watchdogs found allegations it encouraged pupils to send Valentine’s Day cards to asylum seekers were misleading and false. City of Sanctuary UK came under fire last year after rumours spread online that under its schools programme, childre

ImmigrationEducation
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

UK government urged to act over proposed illegal Israeli settlement

Former diplomats say ministers must threaten action against any companies bidding to build E1 settlement of 3,400 houses in West Bank Britain must lead efforts to stop Israel’s annexation of the West Bank – full text of letter A group of leading former UK ambassadors and high commissioners has called on the UK government to threaten action against any companies bidding to build an illegal Israeli settlement “designed to divide the West Bank in two and destroy Palestine’s viability”. In a lette