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The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Hillsborough law symbolises new era as power passes from Starmer to Burnham

Bill marks a full-circle moment for the PM-in-waiting and encapsulates what he says his government will be about Andy Burnham has always said he took his first steps out of Westminster in 2009, when he walked out to address furious Liverpool fans at the Kop on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. They chanted “Justice for the 96” for a full two minutes before the then culture secretary was able to continue, demonstrating their anger that nobody in public office had been convicted o

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Burnham hails Hillsborough law as ‘rewiring of the state’ as MPs approve bill

PM-in-waiting says bill is major step towards securing accountability families had fought for, in rare moment of Labour unity Andy Burnham has hailed a power shift from the state to the people as MPs finally passed the stalled Hillsborough law, a rare moment of Labour unity with the bill set to be a key legacy of Keir Starmer’s government. In his first intervention in the Commons since returning as an MP, Burnham said the bill was a significant step towards securing the accountability the Hills

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Pilot scheme in England to convert empty classrooms into community hubs

Policy to create youth clubs and health centres aims to tackle surplus of school spaces created by falling pupil numbers Classrooms left empty by falling numbers of pupils could soon be converted into youth clubs or health centres, as part of a pilot scheme to be announced this week. In the pilot a group of local authorities in England will be given £3.1m by the Department for Education to fund their initial plans for repurposing empty school buildings or unused facilities into community assets,

Education
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Foreign Office appoints first special envoy for Britons detained overseas

Alistair Burt will bring diplomatic clout to complex cases involving human rights violations and arbitrary detention The Foreign Office has appointed a special envoy for British citizens detained overseas, a new role to deal with “complex consular cases” such as that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual national who was imprisoned in Tehran for six years. Alistair Burt, the former Conservative Middle East minister, has taken on the role, fulfilling a pledge by David Lammy when

Crime
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

MPs say death threats a daily reality in ‘increasing climate of abuse’

As Ann Widdecombe’s death raises concerns over security, politicians reveal extent of problem Jess Phillips has received so many death threats she has to remind herself not to be blase. One night she received more than 600 rape threats. In 2019, a man forced his way into her office. The same year a white supremacist sent her a picture of Jo Cox, her friend and fellow Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, accompanied with the message: “I will have you dealt with.” “This is not academic to me; it is

PoliticsEnvironmentCrime
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Britons urged to take ‘small steps’ to prepare for potential national crises

Government to launch campaign to help people cope with events such as weather emergencies or cyber-attacks The British public should begin taking “small but important steps” to secure and protect water, power supplies and basic phone signal in case of further severe weather emergencies, national crises or cyber-attacks, Downing Street has said. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told MPs “the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated”, and warned of the “si

PoliticsDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

The Guardian view on Covid and Hillsborough: families forced the state to face the truth | Editorial

Lady Hallett exposed waste and secrecy. Hillsborough campaigners showed why public bodies must be honest before and after catastrophe strikes The Covid-19 inquiry’s procurement report and the Hillsborough law are not accidental companions. The same movement of bereaved families, many of the same lawyers and the same ideas connect them. In both cases the movement for justice was driven by ordinary people who refused to let institutions control the account of their own failures. That they both arr

Reform
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Andy Burnham must act fast on the climate – or risk getting stuck in a ‘derailment’ doom loop | Laurie Laybourn

Around the world, climate-sceptic parties are exploiting floods and fires to make political capital. Without urgent changes, this deadly spiral will continue Recent unprecedented heatwaves in the UK may have killed thousands of people. Children are suffering in overheating schools. NHS trusts are straining under record-breaking demand. This all comes after climate extremes have even affected national security, with three of Britain’s five worst harvests coming since 2020, impairing food security

PoliticsEducationEnvironmentHealthcare
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Kemi Badenoch zeros in on Tory MPs who believe in climate crisis – and those who don’t

Despite the party polling at 19%, Conservative leader only wants ideologically sound on board – or rather, those who think the same as her You have to hand it to Kemi Badenoch. She doesn’t take any prisoners. While the rest of us have been trying to survive a heatwave and are wondering if air-con may be needed for future summers, the Tory leader has taken a more hardline approach to climate change. Call it Schrödinger’s climate change. It’s both happening and not happening at the same time. Kemi

PoliticsEnvironmentCrime
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Keir Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive France’s Légion d’honneur

Exclusive: Emmanuel Macron honours outgoing prime minister for leadership role in supporting Ukraine Keir Starmer has become the first UK prime minister to be presented with the Légion d’honneur by a French president, in recognition of his work with France on the security of Europe. Emmanuel Macron awarded the historic honour to Starmer for his leadership in setting up the coalition of the willing – a group of countries chaired by France and the UK that have pledged to support Ukraine – at a cri

Defence
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

Tell us: what do you want from the next Labour leader and UK prime minister?

Ahead of Andy Burnham taking over from Keir Starmer, we’d like to hear what qualities, values and priorities people want to see in the next prime minister Andy Burnham is to become the next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 of the party’s MPs to replace Keir Starmer. In a recent op-ed in The Times, Burnham wrote: “Doing politics differently means levelling with the public, engaging them in decisions and ensuring more social value in return for increased government spending.” Conti

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics14 Jul 2026

UK to continue sending potential trafficking victims to France despite court ruling

Court ruled last week against policy to reduce protections for asylum seekers facing removal under one in, one out scheme The Home Office is set to ignore a high court ruling and continue sending asylum seekers to France without looking into claims they have been trafficked, which last week was found to be unlawful. On Friday Mr Justice Sheldon ruled against the home secretary’s policy to reduce protections for trafficking victims earmarked for forced removal to France. Home Office sources told

ImmigrationDefenceReformCrime