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The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Cost to rewire Great Britain’s electricity network could reach £90bn in 2030s

Energy system operator says sum needed to deliver clean power targets while meeting rising demand is up by 50% The cost of rewiring Great Britain’s electricity networks through the 2030s is now 50% higher than before the Labour government came to power, and could reach almost £90bn in the next decade, according to the energy system operator. Building new high-voltage transmission lines and infrastructure to connect low-carbon energy to the grid in the 2030s was initially forecast by the energy s

Environment
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Unite boss to face leadership challenge amid concerns over rise of Reform

Simon Dubbins to announce he has secured required number of nominations to challenge Sharon Graham Sharon Graham, the leader of the UK’s second biggest union, Unite, is to face a challenge as general secretary over claims the union is not doing enough to challenge the rise of Reform UK. Simon Dubbins, who started out as a print worker and has been an international director with the union since 2008, will announce on Tuesday that he has secured the required number of nominations to mount a challe

Reform
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Want to know what Andy Burnham would do in government? Take a look at his past | Frances Ryan

His plan for the country is still vague, but there are clues to what he thinks, on topics from inheritance tax to welfare and social care One week on from Keir Starmer’s resignation, Britain finds itself in a state of both certainty and ambiguity. It is almost guaranteed that Andy Burnham will be prime minister by the end of the summer, bar sudden scandal or meteorite. And yet, whether Burnham gets his expected coronation or not, the infancy of his return to Westminster coupled with the speed of

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

‘Commanding heights of the economy’: the postwar blueprint that inspires Burnham

In the second of a series on nationalisation, we look at the lessons from Clement Attlee’s administration Will Andy Burnham ‘go big’ in expanding the role of the state? A prime minister with ambitious plans for state ownership. Private companies that put profits before investment. A country struggling with onerous debts. The UK in 2026 with a new prime minister weighing up how and what price public utilities can be nationalised? No, this was Clement Attlee’s government in 1945, committed to ta

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

‘Am I losing this battle? Yes’: Martin Lewis on the online scams that steal his identity – and others’ life savings

Trusted by millions, the finance expert has seen his name and face used to mis-sell a string of fake investments. And yet, he says, it would be ‘very simple’ for the government to stop them This month, an email from a consumer landed in Martin Lewis’s inbox. It was from an elderly woman with a disability who had been scammed when she invested in a scheme purportedly endorsed by Lewis – and lost her life savings. “THEY ARE BASTARDS!” Lewis wrote at the top of his social media post about it. Even

The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

Asylum seekers to pay £10,000 towards living costs under new UK law

Means-tested scheme included in immigration and asylum bill condemned by charities for placing tax on refugees Asylum seekers will be ordered to pay about £10,000 to cover their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK under a new law to be considered by MPs on Tuesday. The means-tested scheme, compared by officials to student loans and included in the immigration and asylum bill, has been condemned by charities for placing a tax on refugees fleeing war, torture and famin

PoliticsEconomyImmigrationDefence
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

New defence secretary wins another £1.5bn to boost drone spending

Dan Jarvis persuaded Rachel Reeves to reduce £18bn funding gap that led to predecessor resigning The new defence secretary has secured an extra £1.5bn to the UK’s long-delayed defence investment plan, with the bulk of that to be spent on drones to deter Russia and Iran. Rows about closing an £18bn funding gap had led to the resignation of John Healey and raised questions about Britain’s commitments to Nato – though on Monday the head of the alliance told the Guardian he believed the UK would hon

Defence
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

High-street slot machines and casinos could face £460m tax rise under Burnham

Thinktank finds 43% of the public would support a move by Labour to raise taxes on adult gaming centres All-night slot machine shops and casinos could face a £460m tax rise if Andy Burnham acts on his concerns about the gambling industry as prime minister, after an influential thinktank found the policy would have public support. Known by some in the gambling sector as “slot sheds”, adult gaming centres (AGCs) have flooded UK high streets in recent years, disproportionately targeting economicall

Economy
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

Burnham sets out vision to transform Britain and fix ‘broken’ system

Expected next prime minister focuses on restoring faith in politics, cost of living and devolution in major speech What is Andy Burnham’s economic and political blueprint for Britain? Andy Burnham has set out his blueprint to transform the UK with a promise to improve living standards and restore faith in politics through the “biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen”. The person widely expected to be the next prime minister said the current system was “broken” and that “more of

PoliticsEconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

What is Andy Burnham’s economic and political blueprint for Britain?

Plans include greater regional power, public ownership of utilities and the end of trickle-down economics Andy Burnham vows to set up No 10 North as ‘nerve centre of rewired Britain’ Andy Burnham’s speech at the People’s History Museum in Manchester was the first time we saw the man likely to be Britain’s next prime minister set out his vision for power. He promised “good growth in every postcode” in a speech that focused on a significant transfer of power out of Whitehall to local communitie

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

Burnham brings emotional connection and optimism in vibe shift from Starmer

Labour MPs value Burnham’s warmth as a communicator but they know that will not be enough on its own When Keir Starmer welcomed Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, outside No 10 on Monday, the attire fitted the moment: dark formal suits, polished leather shoes. Almost 200 miles to the north, when Andy Burnham strode into the engine hall of the People’s History Museum in Manchester, the vibe could not have been more different. Dressed in his trademark dark T-shirt and jacket, Burnham could ju

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics29 Jun 2026

The Guardian view on Andy Burnham’s speech: Rewiring Britain needs Westminster to give up real power | Editorial

The country’s likely next prime minister sketches a post-Thatcherite state built on radical devolution. The test is whether Whitehall yields Andy Burnham is not prime minister of the UK – yet. His speech on Monday at the People’s History Museum in Manchester might be read as campaign fodder. But given his lack of opponents, the race to be Labour leader looks already over. If he enters Downing Street, the oration would be the most serious challenge to the Thatcherite settlement attempted by any p

Politics