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71 headlines found — Page 6 of 6

The Guardian Politics1 Mar 2026

Boring or bust: Reeves aims to project calm competence in spring budget

After 18 months of policy U-turns and political turmoil we are told not to expect any last-minute policy rabbits Politicians tend to hate being boring but Rachel Reeves will be delighted if Tuesday’s spring forecast is judged by voters and financial markets to be reassuringly dull. After Labour’s catastrophic Gorton and Denton byelection result, the chancellor’s future, along with that of the prime minister, is on the line, as backbench MPs fret about the party’s electoral prospects. Continue r

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics28 Feb 2026

It’s been decreed: something must be done about student loans in England

The education secretary wants a fairer system and the Tories have leapt in with their own plan – but why now? For anyone who attended university in England in the last 15 or so years, the idea of student loans feeling like some sort of debt trap is hardly news. But three weeks ago, when the journalist Oli Dugmore discussed this on the BBC’s Question Time, it felt like a moment. It was less the size of the initial debt, he explained, than the way above-inflation interest rates meant the interest

EconomyEducation
The Guardian Politics27 Feb 2026

I saw how the Greens channelled voters’ anger – and fused it with hope. That’s why they won in Gorton and Denton | Owen Jones

Starmer called the byelection a battle for the nation’s soul. This result shows Labour has lost that – and I think it will lose much more It wasn’t even close. The scale of victory of the Green party’s Hannah Spencer in Gorton and Denton changes everything. For years, British politics has oscillated between snuffing out hope and stoking fear. The main parties converged around an economic model that irretrievably broke in the crash of 2008, then encouraged understandably furious voters to blame f

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics27 Feb 2026

Green win shows progressive voters are now voting against Labour as well as Reform

Gorton and Denton byelection shatters Labour strategy of neglecting its core base while focusing on Reform defectors UK politics live – latest updates The Gorton and Denton byelection produced Labour’s most feared outcome – the Greens winning and potential displacing Labour as the choice of anti-Reform voters. This risk was signposted for months. It is just the latest of the unintended consequences produced by this government: first, a manifesto commitment to not raise taxes that has led to co

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Subsidies for Rolls-Royce might seem a bit rich, but they are inevitable

Every country supports its aerospace business, while keeping the production at home is vital. At least with Rolls, the UK is backing a winner Rolls-Royce, the engine-maker and defence firm that is spitting out so much cash it can shove £7bn to £9bn towards buying back shares over the next three years, would like UK taxpayers to find a few quid – reportedly up to £200m as a first slug – to help fund one its big bets. The company would “appreciate” financial support from the government to smooth w

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Tell us: how are your finances looking ahead of the Spring Forecast?

We want to hear how people across the UK are managing their money as Rachel Reeves prepares to set out the latest economic outlook Next Tuesday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will update the country on the state of the economy when the Spring Forecast is delivered to parliament. The government is not expected to make major announcements on taxes and spending but will include the latest forecasts for growth, details of the UK’s financial position and hint at the changes we might expect in future.

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics26 Feb 2026

Labour’s Send reforms get this right: disabled children in mainstream schools is transformative for everyone | Frances Ryan

It doesn’t fit neatly on a Treasury spreadsheet, but there is huge value in disabled and non-disabled pupils learning together When I was 11, a woman at the hospital asked me what school I was starting in September. I still remember her surprise when I told her I would be going to the local girls grammar, as the hoist pulled my wet limbs out of the physio pool. I was a child but already familiar with those few seconds: the time between a person seeing my wheelchair and the flash across their fac

EconomyEducationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Reeves must back defence investment plan or be sacked, says Unite union boss

Sharon Graham tells chancellor she should ‘back British industry’ by increasing military spending The head of Britain’s largest trade union has demanded that Rachel Reeves be sacked as chancellor if the Treasury continues to hold up a multibillion-pound defence investment plan. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said tens of thousands of jobs were at risk from political dithering and called on ministers to “back British industry” by signing off on future defence contracts. Continue

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

British public want deeper economic ties with EU, business secretary says

Peter Kyle signs cooperation deal on competition and says there is little nostalgia for pre-Brexit past Europe live – latest updates The British public are “not nostalgic” for the pre-Brexit past but are pragmatic and want to move forward and “deepen” ties with the EU on trade and the economy, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said. Signing an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely on competition issues, Kyle said he thought the deal was “a real vindication of the reset and the relat

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

Treasury calls in Blair thinktank to advise on using AI across public services

Tech equity campaigners compare move to ‘inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse’ Ministers have called in Tony Blair’s thinktank and private tech companies to guide them on deploying AI across the UK government in a move campaigners compared to “inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse”. James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, chaired a meeting on Wednesday with the director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), the chair of IBM a

Economy
The Guardian Politics25 Feb 2026

UK ministers explore ways of easing burden of student loans

Government reviews options for university graduates on Plan 2 loans, such as increasing repayment thresholds Ministers are examining ways to ease the burden of student loans after weeks of pressure over a policy pulling more people into repayments, the Guardian understands. The Treasury and the Department for Education are reviewing different options to offer relief to graduates with Plan 2 student loans, often paying tens of thousands more than their original loan amount. Continue reading...

EconomyEducationHousing