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1713 headlines found — Page 66 of 143

The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Key questions over Mandelson vetting: did ‘mitigations’ cover links to China and Russia?

Why was his case said to be ‘borderline’ and was national security compromised during his time as ambassador? Ever since the Guardian revealed last month that Peter Mandelson was given security clearance against the advice of the UK government’s vetting agency, one question has dominated in Westminster. What were the concerns that led United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) to tell the Foreign Office that his clearance should be denied in late January 2025, weeks before he was due to take up his

PoliticsImmigration
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Tony Blair is strong on diagnosis, deluded on prescription: Britain’s ills can’t be fixed by him | Larry Elliott

The former PM’s essay rightly calls for a coherent economic plan, but then sets too much store by AI – and a worldview stuck in the past Tony Blair is right. Labour has made some big and avoidable mistakes since it came to power nearly two years ago. Keir Starmer had a strategy for winning the election but lacked a coherent plan for what his government would do next. Fair cop. Blair is also correct when he says that unless Britain tackles some long-term structural issues, it is in danger of bein

PoliticsEconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

‘Everything I do has climate at its centre’: Hackney’s first Green mayor gets to work

After the initial euphoria of victory, Zoë Garbett prepares to begin running one of England’s most diverse and deprived boroughs For the first time in decades the person sitting behind the desk in the wood-panelled office of Hackney’s imposing art deco town hall is not a Labour politician. Zoë Garbett was elected as the east London borough’s first Green party mayor in this month’s local elections, surfing a wave of support which resulted in the party winning more than 500 seats, taking control o

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Reform UK spending on Facebook ads surged before May elections

Party spent £252,000 in last two weeks of campaign on its main Facebook pages compared with Labour’s £276,000 UK politics live – latest updates Reform UK ramped up the funding and sophistication of its political Facebook ads in the final weeks of campaigning for the May elections, in a sign of the growing financial muscle of Nigel Farage’s party. There were several days in the fortnight before the party’s breakthrough electoral performance when Reform spent more than any other party on the inf

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Humza Yousaf says he hopes Peter Murrell gets ‘hefty’ sentence over embezzlement charges

Former Scottish first minister says scandal cast ‘massive shadow’ over his time as leader, after former party chief executive pleaded guilty to stealing £400,000 UK politics live – latest updates Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister, has called for Peter Murrell to get a “hefty” jail sentence after he admitted stealing £400,000 from the Scottish National party. Yousaf had been serving as first minister for just eight days when Murrell was arrested in April 2023 at the home he then sh

Politics
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Labour must put policy first, politics second, Tony Blair says

Former PM urges party to take a step back and ‘analyse the world’ amid speculation over Keir Starmer’s leadership UK politics live – latest updates Tony Blair has continued his attack on the Labour government, saying it should be about “policy first, politics second”. Hours after he published a scathing essay in which he warned that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” meant it was likely to lose the next election, the former prime minister said it should “take a step back,

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

Minister rejects Blair intervention, accusing ex-PM of retreading old arguments – UK politics live

Tony Blair has accused Starmer, Burnham and Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk amid leadership speculation Good morning. Labour is in the midst of ‘phoney war’ leadership contest. The formal bit has not started yet, but Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting are already actively engaged, Angela Rayner is taking an interest, and Keir Starmer is defending his legacy with renewed vigour. The last thing anyone expected was for Tony Blair to join in. But he has, sort of, with a 5,700-word essay, pu

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics27 May 2026

The establishment reaction to Andy Burnham’s rise is a sign of the fight to come | Clive Lewis

The old settlement will not politely bow out for its replacement – which is why progressives must take action on these three fronts Very often, I find, science fiction names what politics struggles to. In James SA Corey’s series of novels the Expanse, the violent dystopian streets of Baltimore are given a name for what happens when the old order breaks down faster than people can describe it: the Churn. It is the brutal reorganisation of power, when familiar rules collapse and those who survive

Politics
The Guardian Politics26 May 2026

Tony Blair says Labour must abandon net zero, support Trump and cut benefits

In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next election Analysis: Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpful Tony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election. In a scathing 5,700-word

PoliticsDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics26 May 2026

Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpful

Intervention by former PM almost feels designed to inflict maximum annoyance on his party Tony Blair says Labour must abandon net zero, support Trump and cut benefits Did Tony Blair ever mention he was quite good at winning elections? If you happened to miss it, then his 5,700-word opus on where Labour, Keir Starmer and the UK more generally have gone wrong is here to remind you. Several times. “I led the Labour party for 13 years and through three general elections,” goes the second sentence.

PoliticsEnvironment
The Guardian Politics26 May 2026

Reform UK’s Makerfield byelection candidate appeared to doubt seriousness of Covid on X

Robert Kenyon has been linked to vaccine scepticism and advised a person with the virus to ‘stop having boosters’ The Reform UK candidate in this month’s Makerfield byelection appeared to doubt the seriousness of Covid and the efficacy of vaccines for the virus, in another tranche of messages unearthed from now-deleted social media posts. Previously seen messages from Robert Kenyon showed him interacting with far-right figures, and expressing strong support for Donald Trump. Continue reading...

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics26 May 2026

The Guardian view on Britain’s economy: to profit politically a recovery must be felt in people’s pockets | Editorial

The chancellor can point to growth and lower inflation, but weak job data, flat living standards and uncertain productivity are no reason to cheer In October 1991, the then chancellor Norman Lamont said he thought he saw some “green shoots” of recovery. He was ridiculed, as Britain was in the midst of a deep recession that it would not clamber out of until the following summer. Insouciant in the face of the scorn heaped upon him, Mr Lamont defended himself robustly, even long after the event – n

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment