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123 headlines found — Page 5 of 11

The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

Trump and the Middle East: can Starmer do anything? – podcast

Keir Starmer and the UK government are scrabbling to keep up with Trump’s fast-changing position on Iran and the Middle East. While a two-week ceasefire is in place, how long will it hold for? Peter Walker and Alexandra Topping look at what happens now. And, with the local election campaign under way, how are the different parties responding to the conflict? Guardian Live: Can Labour come back from the brink? With a difficult set of May elections approaching, Labour under threat from both the Gr

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

Son of British couple detained in Iran calls on Starmer to press for their release

Joe Bennett says ceasefire presents ‘very opportune moment’ to raise case of his parents, Lindsay and Craig Foreman Middle East crisis – live updates The son of a British couple detained in Tehran on espionage charges has called on Keir Starmer to prioritise their case in the “very opportune moment” of a ceasefire in the Iran conflict. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested while on a five-day trip across Iran in January last year and have been held in Evin prison for 15 mo

HousingCrime
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

‘They will not get my vote this year’: Birmingham focus group shows shift from Labour support

Previous Labour voters in Yardley discuss issues including cost of living, public services and the Iran war Almost two years into Keir Starmer’s government, the polls suggest that many swing voters, including some of those who voted Labour, are unimpressed with how the country is being run. In the constituency of Birmingham Yardley, a focus group of eight previous Labour voters last week found support was now splintering in different directions, with one person considering going to Reform and se

EconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

Ed Miliband hold firm! North sea oil and gas drilling won’t help anyone other than Nigel Farage | Zoe Williams

It’s worrying to watch Labour entertain Reform’s fantasies about fossil fuels. Only renewables will bring lower bills and higher energy security Ed Miliband is facing a dilemma, apparently. Reform UK is suggesting new oil and gas licences in the North Sea as a way to cut fuel bills and they’re steadily gaining cheerleaders – not just in the media, but also in some trade unions. Labour – having swept into power on a green-friendly manifesto, much of which has already been abandoned, but the kerne

EnvironmentReformHousing
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Reform cold calling public in bid to find ‘paper’ candidates for local elections

Guardian journalist among those to get surprise request, though Farage denies party are ‘begging’ people to stand UK politics live – latest updates Reform UK has been cold calling people asking them to become “paper” candidates for the party at the local elections, as parties dash to sign up enough names before Thursday’s deadline. Nigel Farage’s party has been ringing members of the public asking them to stand despite apparently knowing very little about them except that they have signed up f

PoliticsReformHousing
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

UK government caps student loan interest rates at 6%

Minister says change for plan 2 and 3 loans in England and Wales will ‘protect borrowers’ from impact of global conflict UK politics live – latest updates The interest rate on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans will be capped at 6%, the Department for Education has announced. Graduates with plan 2 loans currently pay interest rates based on the retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, plus up to 3% based on their earnings. Current students on plan 2 and plan 3 loans attract an interest rate

PoliticsEconomyEducationHousing
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

UK manufacturers ‘will pay £940m a year more in business rates due to Reeves changes’

Government should look at ways to help as firms are paying disproportionate bills, says MakeUK British manufacturers have said they will have to pay an extra £940m a year in business rates because of changes by Rachel Reeves that come into effect this month. Manufacturers face a disproportionate business rates bill because they often have large factory floors, according to analysis by MakeUK, an industry lobby group. It said that factories accounted for a fifth of England and Wales’s property by

Housing
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

Want to know capitalism’s endgame? Just look at private equity – it has captured our everyday lives | Hettie O'Brien

These companies now own everything from nurseries to care homes, squeezing vital services for profit while we foot the bill It was the free croissants that gave it away. And the Scandinavian-style furniture. And the tasteful pastel walls. It was different from other nurseries I’d viewed: marginally more expensive, the aesthetic equivalent of a WeWork for toddlers. I was eight months pregnant, on a tour of various nurseries in south-east London for my daughter. At the time, I didn’t realise that

Housing
The Guardian Politics5 Apr 2026

Starmer attacks Greens, saying vote for Labour rivals puts new workers’ rights at risk

PM also criticises business figures and opponents of changes, many of which come into force on Monday • Workers, pensioners and children: all better off. Ignore the critics – we really are standing up for working people Keir Starmer has used a raft of new workers rights that come into force on Monday to attack the Green party, saying a vote for Labour’s rivals puts such progress on sick pay, parental leave and zero-hours contracts at risk. The prime minister also took a swipe at business figure

DefenceEnvironmentHousing
The Guardian Politics4 Apr 2026

New North Sea drilling would barely reduce UK gas imports at all, data shows

Exclusive: research finds Jackdaw field would provide only about 2% of current demand, and Rosebank only 1% Opening major new fields in the North Sea would make almost no difference to the UK’s reliance on gas imports, research has shown. The Jackdaw field, one of the largest unexploited gasfields in the North Sea, would displace only 2% of the UK’s current imports of gas, which would leave the UK still almost entirely dependent on supplies from Norway and a few other sources. Continue reading.

Housing
The Guardian Politics4 Apr 2026

Voters in Wales failed by inaccurate UK media reports on devolved issues, study finds

Reports on English policies seen in Wales as relating to whole of UK contribute to widespread confusion, researchers say UK media is failing to report properly on devolved issues in Wales, leaving voters ill-informed about May’s Senedd elections, a report has found. A Cardiff University study of more than 3,000 news items found repeated patterns in coverage across different broadcasters and platforms, including not signposting whether an issue was relevant to England or England and Wales only, w

PoliticsEducationHousing
The Guardian Politics2 Apr 2026

Ben Jennings on the sacking of Reform’s housing spokesperson – cartoon

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