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The Guardian Politics18 May 2026

The Green party is split between two factions – but there is a strategy that could bring them together | Joe Todd

If Zack Polanski can be both popular and radical – think price controls to manage the cost of living – then he will have found a uniting mission The Greens are jubilant after sweeping through Labour heartlands in last week’s elections, winning Norwich, Hastings, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Lewisham, while becoming the largest party in Haringey and Lambeth too. At the same time, there are reports that Zack Polanski is “plotting” to water down the Green policy platform. That’s not quite true. As l

PoliticsEconomyEnvironment
The Guardian Politics17 May 2026

The ungovernable country? Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers

May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak, and now perhaps Starmer: each one was brought low for a reason. But what if the deeper problem is the office itself? They were times in which prime ministers seemed to be on their way out as soon as they’d arrived. The big strategic decisions the country faced were ducked or postponed. The public finances repeatedly wobbled, yet efforts to rationalise the tax system faltered in the face of vested interests, including farmers. Reforms to social security were trumpeted

Economy
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Who is James Murray, the new health secretary replacing Wes Streeting?

The MP for Ealing North has not run a major department before, but has a reputation as one of the few politicians ‘nobody hates’ The softly spoken former Treasury minister who has replaced Wes Streeting has spent most of his parliamentary career toeing the party line, staying out of the headlines and quietly burnishing his credentials as a reliable cabinet colleague. At the age of 42, James Murray, the Labour and Co-operative MP for Ealing North, now has one of the biggest jobs in government. He

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

Pound heads for worst week in 18 months as Burnham lines up Labour bid

UK government borrowing costs jump amid political uncertainty and oil price rise that fuelled inflation worries Business live – latest updates The pound was heading for its worst week in 18 months on Friday as City traders anticipated that the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, could face a challenge from the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, later this year. After days of uncertainty over Starmer’s future, sterling dropped by almost three cents, or 2%, during the week to $1.336 on Friday, a five-

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics15 May 2026

From Team Reeves to Manchesterism: Labour’s four economic camps explained

Wes Streeting or Andy Burnham could launch a leadership bid – here are policies from which they could choose Wes Streeting may not have launched a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer, but he has called for a “battle of ideas” about the government’s future direction. When it comes to economic policy, there are (at least) four overlapping Labour camps, which have recently generated a flurry of policies from which leadership contenders could choose. Here we run through the main ideas behind e

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Let’s not deny the good work Labour has done. But Starmer is too timid for the radical remedies needed now | Polly Toynbee

Rejoining the EU, massive tax reform, scrapping the pension triple lock – a new leader must summon a sense of emergency and deal with the big issues Labour is in the deepest trouble. A juicy leadership drama ignites all Westminster-watchers, another spellbinding live-action theatre of rising and falling stars, duels, betrayals of trust, new alliances and old ones broken. Some would pull back from this vortex. Is regicide absolutely necessary when “stability” is what people and markets say they w

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Reeves says ‘if economy ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ - as fight to keep her job goes on

Whoever wins the Labour leadership tussle, the chancellor’s prospects for staying inpost have risen given the surprise GDP boost Business live – latest updates UK economy records surprise 0.3% growth despite Iran war The message from Rachel Reeves is clear. After Britain’s economy defied the predictions for a slump in March, despite the fallout from the Iran war, why put things at risk with a roll of the dice in domestic politics? Responding to bumper growth of 0.3% in March – much stronge

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

What was HMRC’s investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs all about?

Findings of inquiry into stamp duty paid on Hove flat crucial to any leadership bid UK politics live – latest updates Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian reported, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Angela Rayner says Starmer should ‘reflect on’ stepping aside after HMRC clears her over tax affairs - UK politics live

The former deputy prime minister said she should be keen to ‘play my part’ in the event of a leadership contest Full report: Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bid Good morning. Today it looks as though the phoney Labour leadership contest that has been bubbling away at least since Sunday may finally turn into a real one. Westminster is braced for Wes Streeting, the health secretary, to announce that he is standing – although journalists are

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

UK economy records surprise 0.3% growth in first month of the Iran war

GDP reading ties in with some surveys suggesting UK plc has kept up momentum despite rising fuel costs The UK economy unexpectedly grew during the first full month of the Iran war, according to official figures, suggesting the Middle East conflict has not yet affected growth as much as feared. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed growth of 0.3% in gross domestic product (GDP) in March, from a revised 0.4% rise in February and 0% growth in January. The ONS had originally e

EconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

You’ve heard the king’s speech – but I think a better one might run like this | David Blunkett

If I were in government I’d propose a very different response to the challenges we face – starting with protecting people from the cost of living David Blunkett was Labour home secretary from 2001 to 2004 While I welcome many measures in the king’s speech, an alternative might look something like this. My lords, and members of the Commons: my government is committed to winning back the support of the British people and demonstrating that they are “on the side” of those who are working – or who

PoliticsEconomyHousing
The Guardian Politics14 May 2026

Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bid

Exclusive: former deputy prime minister says investigation ‘clipped my wings’ as she settles £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian can reveal, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels. The former deputy prime minister has settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty after initially paying the lower rate, but has not paid any penalty as a result of the in

Economy