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327 headlines found — Page 8 of 28

The Guardian Politics30 Jun 2026

Reform MP chair of Welsh environment committee may ‘undermine scrutiny’, says thinktank

Climate campaigners question choice of James Evans for role given past criticism of green energy projects UK politics live – latest updates The appointment of a Reform UK MP as the chair of a key Welsh environmental committee could “undermine the hard graft of ministerial scrutiny”, a green thinktank has warned. James Evans, a former Conservative party MP who defected to Reform UK in January last year, has been appointed chair of the Welsh climate change, environment, sustainability and rural

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentReform
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 Politics28 Jun 2026

Ed Miliband as chancellor would benefit every part of the UK – and the bond markets | Josh Ryan-Collins

If Andy Burnham chooses the energy secretary, Labour could fully use the benefits of net zero to promote growth and jobs It should have been a great week for Ed Miliband and his mission to decarbonise the UK economy. Western Europe has experienced one of its worst ever heatwaves, providing powerful evidence of the need to transition away from fossil-fuel-driven energy production to reduce the carbon emissions that are contributing to global warming. Instead, however, he has been attacked by an u

EconomyDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics28 Jun 2026

Rising cost of insuring against climate crisis will have wider knock-on effects for UK economy | Heather Stewart

As extreme weather events become more common, economists say government will need to take more active role to protect consumers Anyone attempting to notch up a productive day’s work in the searing heat of southern England this last week was left in little doubt about the impact of extreme weather. But the economic effects of the climate crisis for the UK are not confined to the many hours lost to quietly perspiring – or fetching kids dismissed early from scorching classrooms. Continue reading..

EconomyDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics28 Jun 2026

Greens examining how party decides policy as membership triples under Zack Polanski

Exclusive: Concerns in-person vote system is giving bigger say to organised fringe activists who can attend conference Senior Greens are examining ways to revamp the party’s structures to make it more effective and representative now its membership has more than tripled since Zack Polanski became leader. Under the party’s direct-democracy model, policy is voted on only by members who attend one of its two annual conferences, a system some Greens believe risks empowering organised fringe activist

Environment
The Guardian Politics26 Jun 2026

Climate sceptics cheering as they melt in record temperatures? This heatwave is where satire has come to die | Jonathan Freedland

Delegates at an ‘anti-woke’ conference disparaged Ed Miliband’s net zero policies. But even they could not ignore the sweat on their foreheads It was hardly a perfect film, but I keep thinking of Don’t Look Up. In its depiction of a world that stubbornly refuses to heed the warnings of an imminent planetary disaster, it was perhaps too on the nose. But these days, reality itself is too on the nose. This week served up ample evidence, on both sides of the Atlantic. In Britain, like much of Europe

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics26 Jun 2026

UK government urged to act on ‘devastating’ impact of heatwaves

MPs hear current plans fall ‘far short of what is needed’ with many deaths expected and children baking in classrooms The UK government is facing increasingly urgent calls for action to protect people against the intensifying effects of the climate crisis. With the country in the grip of the worst heatwave ever recorded in western Europe – a direct result of global heating – the chair of parliament’s environmental audit committee warned ministers of the urgent threat and that it was falling “far

PoliticsDefenceEnvironmentHousing
The Guardian Politics25 Jun 2026

Backsliding on climate would drive Labour into obscurity, Zack Polanski says

Debate in Labour and union movement over climate commitments as many call for Burnham not to allow drilling in North Sea Analysis: ‘Act on the evidence outside the window’: Andy Burnham urged to stick to net zero targets if he becomes PM Backsliding on climate action would drive the Labour party into political obscurity, Zack Polanski has warned, as trade union leaders said more drilling in the North Sea would not help UK workers. The Green party leader, speaking to the Guardian as searing hea

PoliticsDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics25 Jun 2026

‘Act on the evidence outside the window’: Andy Burnham urged to stick to net zero targets if he becomes PM

Mayor of Manchester is coming under pressure from some to ditch net zero targets but this could be highly damaging on many levels UK politics live – latest updates Britain’s net zero economy is booming. The sector is worth £100bn a year to the UK, has outpaced other sectors, and supports higher-paying jobs than the average. For a union leader to suggest that the man who has overseen this impressive record – the energy secretary, Ed Miliband – would be a “noose around the neck” of job creation,

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics23 Jun 2026

Weakening UK net zero policy would damage economy, chief climate adviser says

Climate Change Committee chair Nigel Topping says U-turns damage investor confidence and disrupt businesses Weakening the UK’s net zero policy would disrupt business and damage the economy, the UK’s chief climate adviser has warned. Nigel Topping, chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said: “The U-turns are really damaging to inward investor confidence. If we really want to grow the economy, then investing and getting good at building stuff is essential.” Continue reading...

EconomyDefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics23 Jun 2026

Populist and rightwing figures take aim at Ed Miliband and UK net zero policies at ‘anti-woke Davos’

Kemi Badenoch, who joined US anti-abortion activists and European far-right parties at ARC, described energy secretary as a ‘villain’ Britain’s net zero policies and energy secretary Ed Miliband have come under fire at a conference of conservatives, rightwing populists and wealthy US backers linked to Donald Trump. The energy policies pursued by the British government were described as a “tragic mistake” by Trump’s energy secretary, one of a number of officials from the US administration who are

EnvironmentReform
The Guardian Politics23 Jun 2026

Air pollution is a fixable problem – just look at how London and New York have cleaned up their acts

We’ve shown that rapid, measurable progress is achievable in our cities. Here’s how that can now be replicated worldwide Sadiq Khan is the mayor of London. Michael Bloomberg is a former mayor of New York City Some public health threats make global headlines: Covid-19. Ebola. Famine. When these disasters hit, photographs and videos of people suffering and dying spur countries to respond, international bodies to cooperate and individuals to donate supplies and money. Yet one of the world’s deadl

Environment