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The Guardian Politics25 Apr 2026

Unlucky chancellor? Iran shock hits Reeves just as UK seemed to turn corner

The economy and public finances were on the right path, bond yields were falling, interest rates likely to drop further … then came the US-Israeli attack Donald Trump’s war on Iran is “folly”; shadow chancellor Mel Stride should be “lined up for the sack”; and the Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper’s plan for managing fuel shortages is “fundamentally economically illiterate”. Rachel Reeves has always relished a political fight, but in recent days she has been swinging at her opponents with what looks

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Could Trump withdraw US support for UK sovereignty of Falklands?

Proposal said to be contained in internal Pentagon email is thought to be bid to punish European countries for failing to assist in war in Iran The White House is considering punishing European countries that have failed to assist Donald Trump wage his war in Iran, according to an official within the Pentagon. Keir Starmer, once described as “very nice”, is now routinely said by the US president to be a “coward” and “no Churchill”. It is claimed that Trump could go further and withdraw American

Defence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Starmer pledges to bring forward law proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Prime minister tells Jewish leaders legislation against malign state actors will go before parliament in July Keir Starmer has promised to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards by introducing legislation in the next session of parliament in July. On a trip to Kenton united synagogue in north-west London on Thursday, the prime minister said he wanted “to make Britain a country where our Jewish community feels safe”. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

UK position on Falklands will not change, No 10 says after leaked Pentagon memo

Internal email proposes US should reassess support for UK claim to islands because of lack of support for Iran war The UK’s position on the Falklands is resolute and unchanging, Downing Street has insisted, after a leaked Pentagon internal email proposed the US should reassess its support for Britain’s claim to the islands because of a lack of support over Iran. Keir Starmer’s spokesperson did not push back against the likely veracity of the email but insisted that the UK’s defence and security

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Reform UK asks steel bosses to draft ‘alternative strategy’ for industry

Rival to government plans would scrap net zero policies, as party aims to woo sector after decades of job losses Reform UK has asked steel bosses to draw up an “alternative steel strategy” to rival recent government plans, stoking industry fears over a charm offensive by Nigel Farage’s party as it eyes gains in former Labour heartlands. Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, met a group of bosses shortly before Labour announced new steel tariffs in March and commissioned them to draft a competing

DefenceEnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Rightwing populism is littered with broken promises. Its opponents need to make those failures count | Andy Beckett

As Trump lurches from tariffs to wars and Farage makes unrealistic pledges about immigration, their impunity needs to end Rightwing populists always promise they will get things done when they get into power. Immigration will be halted. Government waste will be eradicated. Traditional values will be revived. National decline will be halted. National greatness will be restored. Relations with the outside world will be redrawn. Great tasks that, for decades, have been beyond the capability and wil

ImmigrationDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

‘This election is all to play for’: Can the Scottish Labour leader defy political gravity in May?

Anas Sarwar speaks to the Guardian about why he thinks the polls are wrong and how he hopes to end the SNP’s near 20-year dominance at Holyrood Anas Sarwar says he is certain he can pull off one of the greatest escape acts of modern British politics. It is 14 days until the Holyrood election, and the polls consistently show Scottish Labour is in a battle simply to come second, never mind win. Those polls are wrong, Sarwar says, and in two weeks plans to prove it. Claiming to be “more than happy”

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics24 Apr 2026

Trump says he will ‘probably put a big tariff on the UK’ if it doesn’t drop digital services tax

US president accuses UK of thinking it can ‘make an easy buck’ from US tech companies, weeks after warning that UK–US trade deal can be changed Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms. The digital services tax, introduced in 2020, imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of several major US tech companies. Continue reading...

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK prepared to deploy RAF Typhoons to keep strait of Hormuz open after Iran war

Proposal at heart of offer made during a 30-country two-day meeting jointly organised by France Middle East crisis – live updates Britain is prepared to deploy a squadron of RAF Typhoons based in Qatar to patrol over the strait of Hormuz as part of a multinational mission to keep open the strategic waterway once the Iran war comes to an end. The UK military also offered to deploy mine-hunting drones and specialist divers to help clear the strait mined by Iran – but no decision has been made on

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Foreign Office unit tracking Israel’s potential breaches of international law closed

Exclusive: Officials warn department will lose access to database of 26,000 verified cases by cutting funding The Foreign Office unit tracking potential breaches of international law by Israel in Gaza and more recently Lebanon has been closed because of cuts within the department, the Guardian can reveal. The decision to shut the international humanitarian law cell follows a review by Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office dismissed last week by the prime minister over the P

Defence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facing Confidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock. Highlighting the knock-on effect of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blame

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics23 Apr 2026

Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200 Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200. HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between Septem

EconomyDefence