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603 headlines found — Page 8 of 51

The Guardian Politics7 Jun 2026

Zelenskyy meets key allies in London aiming to build on strikes on Russia

Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian, French and German leaders in Downing Street amid optimism in Kyiv over state of war Volodymyr Zelenskyy met his staunchest allies at Downing Street on Sunday night, hours after a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for a meeting to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as the country seeks to capitalise on a series of

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics7 Jun 2026

UK readies sanctions against Israel to deter proposed illegal West Bank settlement

Move comes as 137 Labour MPs sign letter demanding ‘urgent, concrete action’ to stop settler violence The UK Foreign Office and a group of western countries are due to announce a package of sanctions against Israel this week designed to deter companies from becoming involved in a proposed West Bank settlement that would split the territory in two and render the concept of a two-state solution near impossible. Nine countries including France, the UK and Australia have warned that settlement viole

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics7 Jun 2026

BA boss warns costly aviation taxes and rail tickets are stunting UK growth

UK lagging behind rivals on tourism growth because of travel costs and lack of joined-up planning, says CEO Sean Doyle The cost of travel to and around the UK is keeping millions of tourists away and slowing economic growth, the boss of British Airways said, as he urged a rethink of aviation taxes. The airline’s chief executive, Sean Doyle, said the UK had some of the highest aviation taxes in the world and was falling behind countries such as Japan, France and Germany in boosting its inbound to

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics7 Jun 2026

Delays to defence investment plan have damaged UK’s credibility, say MPs

Committee calls for apology from government amid reports navy’s hunter-killer submarines are all docked A parliamentary committee that scrutinises public spending has made scathing comments about the impact of delays in the publication of the government’s defence investment plan (Dip). The Dip, originally expected last autumn, has been repeatedly postponed amid warnings that the military faces a huge funding gap over the next four years. It is due to be published before a Nato summit early next

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics6 Jun 2026

Starmer to host Zelenskyy and EU leaders for Ukraine talks

Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend meeting along with French president Macron and German chancellor Merz Keir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for talks in Downing Street on Sunday to discuss support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader will visit the UK with the French president and German chancellor after a week of heightened hostilities and Vladimir Putin’s rejection of his proposal of face-to-face talks on Moscow’s war. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics6 Jun 2026

UK’s fragile heirloom: ceramics sector calls for more help to save ‘vital industry’

Brands such as Portmeirion in Stoke welcome £120m package but seek further support to avert fresh closures On the floor of Portmeirion’s factory in Staffordshire, staff are hard at work as clays are moulded, glazed and fired – an intricate process requiring precision and specialist skills honed over years of practice – to manufacture the company’s array of tableware. Portmeirion, a homeware brand founded in 1960 that employs 433 people, is based in Stoke-on-Trent, at the heart of British ceramic

DefenceReformHousing
The Guardian Politics5 Jun 2026

New claimants seek to sue Elon Musk’s xAI after Labour MP’s test case

Jess Asato’s lawyer says others want to take action over demeaning sexualised material created by Grok AI tool New claimants have come forward to take legal action against Elon Musk’s company xAI after the Labour MP Jess Asato launched a test case against the firm over demeaning sexualised material created by its Grok AI tool. A handful of complainants contacted Asato’s lawyer on Thursday in response to coverage of the MP’s decision to sue Musk’s company for damages over its creation and circula

Defence
The Guardian Politics4 Jun 2026

Business secretary attacks ‘entitlement’ of Starmer leadership rivals

Peter Kyle says British politics fails to reward political accomplishment and Labour risks aping Tory instability The Labour party has not learned the right lessons from the Conservatives about changing leader, a senior cabinet minister has warned, saying in a swipe at potential challengers that “entitlement is not a qualification”. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said he was worried that British politics “rewards the wrong behaviour” and there was little credit for the work of his own depar

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics4 Jun 2026

Zombie Blairites still have British politics in their grip – it’s time to break free | Aditya Chakrabortty

Tony Blair’s departure as PM should have prompted a fresh start for Labour. But Starmer’s sad, backward-looking government remains in his thrall Now half term is over, let’s have a quick quiz. Reading these lines, can you spot the common theme? Westminster has been mesmerised this week by the messages of a famous Blairite, Peter Mandelson, especially his damning exchanges with fellow carrier of the Blair torch, Pat McFadden. Last week’s big news was an essay written by Tony Blair himself. That

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics3 Jun 2026

Is Kemi Badenoch getting better at being Conservative leader?

Badenoch differentiated herself from Nigel Farage in response to Henry Nowak’s murder and supporters say her ratings are rising Kemi Badenoch has a hard-earned reputation for combativeness, especially on culture war issues, but at prime minister’s questions, with the murder of Henry Nowak in the headlines, Keir Starmer ended up thanking the Conservative leader for her “tone”. So is she a changed politician? Well, not exactly. To an extent, Badenoch’s approach ahead of her weekly Commons showdown

PoliticsDefenceReformHousingCrime
The Guardian Politics3 Jun 2026

Andy Burnham offers Labour a refreshing new voice to reach lost voters – but with what message? | Rafael Behr

It will take more than blokeish affability to reach across the Brexit faultline that scars British politics Andy Burnham’s stint as health secretary in the final year of Gordon Brown’s government was not especially memorable, although one observation from a senior civil servant in the department at the time has stuck in my mind. Working for Burnham, I was told, felt like “revising for exams with a mate who might turn to you and say: ‘shall we sack this off for a bit and play football instead?’”

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics2 Jun 2026

Labour figures who wrote competing ‘manifestos’ join forces to warn against tribalism

Mathew Lawrence and Mark McVitie, previously seen as favouring Burnham and Streeting respectively, say change of direction is needed UK politics live – latest updates Two of Labour’s leading policy figures, who put forward “manifestos” for Andy Burnham and a centrist grouping, are to join forces to help forge new ideas for a future government. The authors of the two essays – which have previously been described as competing visions for a Burnham- or Wes Streeting-led government – said Labour u

PoliticsDefence