The Guardian Politics

Labour shifts on Israel – but what difference will it make? | podcast

It has been a huge week for Labour as Ed Miliband shifted the party’s stance on Israel by announcing sanctions on the illegal settlements in the West Bank and describing what is happening in Gaza as ethnic cleansing. What is behind this shift, and will it make any difference on the ground?You can read Kiran’s analysis on Andy Burnham’s stance hereYou can read Peter’s article on the Green party internal dispute herePlease keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran on politicsweek

politics  3d ago

BBC Politics

Ex-Tory campaign chief pleads guilty over election bet

Anthony Lee passed confidential information to his wife Laura Lee about when the 2024 election would be held.

politics  3d ago

BBC Politics

Badenoch denies housing benefit cuts plan would make people homeless

The Conservatives say £4bn could be cut from the housing benefit bill to help fund increased defence spending.

politics  3d ago

The Guardian Politics

Applicants for UK citizenship charged more than five times the admin cost

Fee of £1,709 compares with an estimated administrative cost of just £324, according to Home Office dataPeople applying to become British citizens are charged more than five times the amount it costs the Home Office to process their application, a new analysis has shown.The latest fee of £1,709 to become a citizen compares with an estimated administrative cost of just £324, according to the latest Home Office data. Continue reading...

politics  3d ago

The Guardian Politics

Is Burnham trying to appease Trump? Or Reform? What other reason is there for these North Sea oil plans? | George Monbiot

Climate catastrophe is on our doorstep – yet Labour’s impending approval of further drilling will bring more pain for negligible gainsPinch yourself, it’s happening again. Here is a Labour government spending a vast amount of political capital to earn tiny material gains while risking huge political losses. It occurred repeatedly under Keir Starmer, and now – with the impending decision to approve further gas and oil drilling in the North Sea – it is happening under Andy Burnham. You rack your b

politics  3d ago

BBC Politics

England's mayors to be given power to introduce tourist tax

The government is expected to outline how local leaders will be able to impose levies on overnight stays.

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

Tax banks to give some households energy bill cut, unions tell Burnham

The TUC says a bank surcharge should be reversed - and estimates it would raise £9bn over four years.

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

Camden leader to stand for Keir Starmer's old seat

Sagal Abdi-Wali will contest Holborn and St Pancras for Labour on 8 October.

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

The Guardian view on UK-EU relations: voters would reward greater ambition | Editorial

The architects of Brexit know it has failed. That presents Andy Burnham with an opportunity to set a bolder new agendaModesty is not a trait commonly associated with Nigel Farage. Something else must explain the Reform UK leader’s reluctance to talk about what is undoubtedly his biggest achievement.Few individuals can boast of having influenced British politics as drastically as Mr Farage, with his record of campaigning for Brexit before that word was even coined. He will for ever be associ

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

PM would consider independence referendum if 'clear consensus' emerges

Andy Burnham had previously told First Minister John Swinney that a second referendum is "off limits".

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

Phillipson sets up 'class unit' as social mobility advisers ditched

The equalities minister says the move will bring government efforts to tackle disadvantage "in-house".

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

‘Mr Congeniality’ Burnham advises Badenoch to ditch the point-scoring over defence spending

Leader of the opposition rehashes last week’s questions on defence policy but comes up short against a new PM who preaches consensus politicsThe case of the dog that didn’t bark in the night. Sometimes prime minister’s questions are as notable for the topics that the leader of the opposition doesn’t ask about as for the ones she does. So you have to assume that Kemi Badenoch now realises she was on the wrong side of public opinion on the weekend’s protests and the government’s decision to impose

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

UK defends sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements after backlash – The Latest

The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, is facing a backlash over the government’s sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank after the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said the safety of British Jews could be at risk. Miliband has rejected the warnings, emphasising that ministers can confront the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government while also fighting antisemitism. Lucy Hough speaks to diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

Police launch criminal investigation into Reform UK donations

The investigation, which follows a broadcast by Channel 4 News, is being folded into the inquiry that has been underway into other donations.

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

Miliband rejects chief rabbi's claim British Jews in greater danger after sanctions move

The foreign secretary disagrees that sanctions on Israeli settlements could put British Jews at greater risk.

politics  4d ago

BBC Politics

National security can't come at expense of social security, Burnham says

The prime minister says he will fund defence and get the welfare bill down in "the Labour way".

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

Farage is clearly struggling – I saw that for myself. But his legacy will be a poison that runs deep | Andy Beckett

The mood at the Reform conference was volatile and brittle. But the forces massing further to the right of the party are testament to its impactFor much of the time since Nigel Farage resumed the Reform UK leadership two long years ago, his party has been an island of relative stability in the increasingly rough sea of British politics. While other parties plunged queasily in the polls, messily purged dissidents, argued publicly about their direction and changed leaders, Farage dominated Reform

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

‘I am seen as a Marmite figure’: Margaret Hodge on political battles, victories, errors – and regrets

At 82, the politician and anti-corruption champion is indefatigable. She discusses fighting the BNP, tackling antisemitism, and why, with her new memoir, she’s reclaiming the word ‘battleaxe’Margaret Hodge doesn’t do small talk. “So, how d’you think Andy’s doing?” is her opening gambit. “Not too bad, huh? I think he’s had a really good start.” It’s classic Hodge – sufficiently curious to ask the question about the new Labour prime minister, and assertive enough to provide the answer before you g

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

European democracies are running out of time to turn away from the abyss | Rafael Behr

Far-right parties, Maga ideology and Kremlin money are conniving to suffocate liberal idealism for another generationNot all that long ago, Europe was a beacon of liberal idealism. One memoir recalls it as an era “comfortably saturated with confidence in the unfailing and binding power of tolerance and conciliation”. The economic system seemed obviously preferable to barbarous alternatives. “People honestly believed that the divergencies and the boundaries between nations and sects would gradual

politics  4d ago

The Guardian Politics

‘It’s like a death sentence’ says British widow facing deportation from Sweden

Exclusive: Joyce Thomas, 78, describes her ‘nightmare’ hours before the deadline for her removal from countryA 78-year-old British widow facing deportation over from Sweden over Brexit has said she feels she is facing a “death sentence” just hours before she was due to be removed from the country.“I just want this nightmare to go away before I die,” says Joyce Thomas. “It is dragging me down. I am really not the same person I was. This has taken years. I just feel sick,” she adds as she packs he

politics  4d ago