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180 headlines found — Page 6 of 15

The Guardian Politics15 Apr 2026

How a £2m bitcoin order made Nigel Farage the political face of UK crypto

Promotion of ‘bitcoin treasury’ firm with Kwasi Kwarteng draws new attention to Reform leader’s relations with industry A thumping electronic beat provides the soundtrack to the video as Nigel Farage appears in front of a bank of screens. At first glance, it could be yet another of the Reform UK leader’s “second jobs” – whether promoting gold as a pension fallback or recording Cameo videos. And in a sense, it is: Farage is promoting a £2m cryptocurrency purchase by a company in which he has £215

PoliticsEconomyDefenceReform
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Reeves arrives at IMF with little leeway to prove its UK downgrade wrong

Chancellor faced with fund’s forecast that impact of Iran war will leave Britain as G7’s biggest loser Iran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warns The Iran war is bad news for the global economy. But for some countries, the unfolding conflict is having a bigger impact than for others. The International Monetary Fund’s verdict is that Britain is the G7’s biggest loser. Amid the rising damage from the Middle East war, the Washington-based fund warned UK economic growth rate wou

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

UK’s armed forces are in a sad state – and they have only themselves to blame

The MoD shows little sign of learning from its mistakes – no wonder the Treasury is reluctant to agree to its demands George Robertson, Tony Blair’s first defence secretary, a former Nato secretary general and an author last year of the latest in a series of evasive strategic defence reviews, accused Keir Starmer on Tuesday of a “corrosive complacency towards defence”. He said the prime minister was not willing to make the “necessary investment”. Lord Robertson could have directed his fire elsew

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 Apr 2026

Scottish Greens pledge free bus travel and basic income in election manifesto

Party says plan for ‘radical change’ will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlords UK politics live – latest updates The Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted manifesto pledges. The party is enjoying a bounce in Scottish opinion polls, with some putting it ahead of Labour, driven partly by the surging support for the Green party of England and Wales under

PoliticsEconomyEducationEnvironmentHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics13 Apr 2026

Anas Sarwar asks voters in Scotland to give Labour five years to ‘fix SNP’s mess’

Scottish Labour leader pledges more homes and tax cuts as party tries to reverse slump in support before May elections UK politics live – latest updates Anas Sarwar has appealed to voters to give Labour five years “to fix the Scottish National party’s mess” as he pledged more homes, tax cuts and a smaller public sector. The Scottish Labour leader is fighting a last-ditch attempt to reverse a steep slump in support. Recent polls put Sarwar’s party third or fourth behind Reform and the Scottish

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics12 Apr 2026

Richard Tice’s firm alleged to have broken law by failing to pay tax

Report says company did not pay tens of thousands in tax on dividends given to Reform UK deputy leader and trust Richard Tice’s company has been accused of breaking the law by allegedly failing to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax on dividends that were paid to him and his offshore trust. Reform UK’s multimillionaire deputy leader is alleged to have received at least £91,000 in excess payments as a result, the Sunday Times reported. Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates – whose analysis was c

EconomyReform
The Guardian Politics10 Apr 2026

Not just about Gaza: the Muslim voters turning from Labour to the Greens

Campaigning in Newcastle before next month’s local elections shows the rise of the far right, the climate and cost of living are concerning voters as much as the Middle East Mohammed Suleman, a self-described “straight-talking Geordie”, doesn’t love politics. The taxi driver and businessman prefers to focus on community initiatives. But when the time came, he voted Labour as the lesser of two evils. Then came the war in Gaza. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics9 Apr 2026

Sadiq Khan demands stronger action on social media ‘outrage economy’

Mayor says disinformation, including about London crime rates, is ‘eating away at basic bonds of trust’ Sadiq Khan has called on ministers to take significantly stronger action against social media companies that spread disinformation after a study showed a surge in hostile accounts posting falsehoods about London’s crime rates and integration. In an intervention on what he called “the outrage economy”, the London mayor, who has also written to social media firms demanding change, said a lack of

EconomyCrime
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 Politics8 Apr 2026

Scottish Labour pledges £30m to top up artists’ income to a living wage

Anas Sarwar says scheme would be part of overhaul of arts funding in Scotland Labour has pledged to spend £30m on giving Scottish artists and musicians a living wage, mirroring a similar scheme in Ireland guaranteeing artists a basic income. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the scheme would be part of a deeper shake-up of cultural funding in Scotland by integrating arts and culture into the Scottish government’s economic strategies if his party won power in next month’s Holyrood ele

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics7 Apr 2026

British Medical Association accused of hypocrisy as its own staff strike over pay

Union rejected 4.9% pay rise for resident doctors, who are on six-day strike, but offered its own staff 2.75% The British Medical Association has been accused of the “height of hypocrisy” for offering its own staff below-inflation pay rises while demanding a 26% increase for resident doctors. Tens of thousands of medics walked out of the NHS in England on Tuesday, the 15th time they have staged industrial action since March 2023 in their campaign for “full pay restoration”. Continue reading...

EconomyHealthcare
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