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106 headlines found — Page 5 of 9

The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Labour failing to live up to ambition to overhaul public services, analysis finds

Ministers not on course to meet their objectives, including to shift power from Whitehall to local areas, says IfG Keir Starmer’s drive to overhaul public services is failing to live up to its aims of shifting power from Whitehall to local areas, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) has found. Last summer, the government set out its three guiding principles for reform aimed at making public services such as the NHS, court system and children’s social care easier to access and better

CrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Tories are convinced McSweeney’s phone is the only one in London not to have been stolen | John Crace

Having painted London as a crime-ridden no-go zone, you’d have thought the Conservatives might cut McSweeney some slack In recent years the Conservatives and the rightwing media have gone to great lengths to tell us that London has become a no-go zone. A hellscape where women are afraid to leave their homes. Where every non-white person is a criminal. Where simply using your phone is an invitation to be mugged. Where the police do nothing, and to make it through the day alive is as much as anyon

HousingCrime
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Labour pledges to ban trail hunting as it opens public consultation

Police and animal rights activists say trail hunting is frequently used as a ‘smokescreen’ for illegal foxhunting The government has said it will ban trail hunting, the rural sport that police and animal rights activists have long accused of being a “smokescreen” for illegal foxhunting. “We pledged to ban trail hunting in our manifesto and that is exactly what we intend to do,” said Sue Hayman, the animal welfare minister. “The nature of trail hunting makes it difficult to ensure wild and domest

Crime
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Starmer vows to tackle social media’s ‘addictive features’ to protect children

Prime minister says UK must do more to regulate against potential harms after landmark ruling in US court Sir Keir Starmer has said he will tackle “addictive features” in social media amid increasing signs the UK government is preparing to crackdown on risks to children after a landmark US court verdict which held Meta and YouTube responsible for harms caused by designing addictive technology. The prime minister said the verdict in a California court signals a rising public expectation for more

Crime
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Doctors waiting on asylum decisions can work in NHS as Home Office lifts ban

Rule change follows high court challenge brought by two doctors prevented from working in specialist fields Doctors who have been prevented from working in the NHS while they wait for asylum decisions are celebrating after the Home Office agreed to lift the ban. The changes come into force on Thursday. The changes to the immigration rules follow a high court challenge by two specialist doctors who had the relevant qualifications to work for the NHS but were prevented from taking up work. Doctors

ImmigrationCrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

PM rejects ‘far-fetched’ attempts to cast doubt on McSweeney’s account of phone theft

Keir Starmer responds after Kemi Badenoch spokesperson says she ‘raised eyebrow’ in relation to theft of aide’s phone UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has said it is “far-fetched” to suggest that the theft of his former chief of staff’s mobile phone is somehow connected to a subsequent push for the release of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador. Downing Street has come under pressure to say whether key messages between Morgan McSweeney and the for

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Would Morgan McSweeney’s stolen mobile have Mandelson messages on it?

The theft of the ex-Labour chief of staff’s mobile has prompted questions about its contents and the circumstances of its loss Morgan McSweeney is not the first person to have had their phone snatched on a London street, but the fact he was at the time Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, and that his phone most likely contained messages to and from Peter Mandelson, has prompted questions. So what do we know about the circumstances surrounding the theft of McSweeney’s phone? Continue reading...

Crime
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Morgan McSweeney did not disclose his No 10 job in phone theft 999 call, transcript shows

In highly unusual move, Metropolitan police have released full transcript of call made by then chief of staff to PM UK politics live – latest updates Morgan McSweeney did not disclose he was the prime minister’s chief of staff when he reported his phone stolen, according to a transcript released by the Metropolitan police. The Met has admitted the wrong address was recorded for the theft meaning that it was thought to be a street in Tower Hamlets, rather than a Westminster street of the same

PoliticsCrime
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Ex-Tory minister Crispin Blunt pleads guilty to possession of crystal meth

Former MP appears at Westminster magistrates court to admit four drugs charges stemming from raid on his home The former MP Crispin Blunt has pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to four charges of possession of drugs including cannabis and crystal meth. The 65-year-old former justice minister appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday to admit four drugs charges, which stem from a raid on his home in Horley, Surrey, on October 25 2023. Continue reading...

PoliticsReformCrime
The Guardian Politics24 Mar 2026

Police were ‘too busy’ to investigate theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone despite potentially sensitive contents

Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff’s phone was stolen in central London in October Police were “too busy” to investigate the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone, despite the potential sensitivity of his messages and contacts, according to reports. Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff told the Metropolitan police that his phone had been stolen in central London when he was returning home from a restaurant on 20 October last year, the Times reported. Continue reading...

Crime
The Guardian Politics22 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on prisons: sentencing reform has not eased the sense of crisis | Editorial

The increased use of tags makes sense if done right. But years of accumulated problems include a depleted probation workforce Given the frayed and depleted state of the public sector, it is not surprising that prisons in England and Wales are struggling to escape from a sense of perpetual crisis. Recent days saw the latest in a series of urgent notifications. These put a prison in special measures, and require ministers to produce an action plan within a month. Inspectors found that Woodhill in

Crime
The Guardian Politics22 Mar 2026

Tory chief whip reposts AI video created by far-right figure jailed for hate crimes

Exclusive: Rebecca Harris promotes latest Crewkerne Gazette skit, created by Joshua Bonehill-Paine who says he is a member of Tory party The Conservative party’s chief whip has been condemned for promoting AI-generated footage created by a notorious far-right figure jailed for hate crimes against Jewish people. Rebecca Harris reposted the latest skit by the Crewkerne Gazette, which depicts Kemi Badenoch and her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, as characters in the gangster film Scarface.

ReformCrime