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  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

Inside Reform UK – podcast

Today in Focus heads to the embattled 2026 Reform UK Conference to find out where the party may head nextFor months, Reform UK’s momentum has stalled – beset by financial scandals, falling poll numbers and, for the first time, the signs of splits within its leadership.So the party’s conference this weekend was meant for a reset. Yet, on the eve of the gathering in Birmingham, more scandal: this time an investigative documentary broadcast by Channel 4 about Reform UK’s apparent willingness to acc

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Chris Mason: Burnham looks to show he will go further than Starmer with West Bank sanctions

It is hoped that coordinated action minimises the blowback to any one country from Israel or America, our political editor writes.

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Thousands of teens missing education 'under the radar' of official stats, report warns

The children's commissioner for England says many are enrolled at college but aren't showing up.

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

Far-right port protests: police told to improve intelligence gathering

Whitehall officials also ask why laws meant to clamp down on the wearing of masks at demonstrations were not usedPolice have been told by the government they expect better intelligence gathering after masked far-right groups took to the streets at the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as the Kent force admitted mishandling warnings of potential trouble.Police in Kent on Saturday and then Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Sunday said they were taken by surprise when hundreds massed to oppose what they s

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Commentator Tim Montgomerie quits Reform following suspension

The political commentator, who defected from the Tories 18 months ago, was suspended from Reform UK last month.

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Highest paid world leader to get $1m salary increase

Singapore's government says it will raise the annual salaries of its ministers and other office holders, including its prime minister who is the highest paid political leader in the world.

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones

Lisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks deadline ends without breakthroughApple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said.The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s. Continue reading...

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

Will UK sanctions have any impact on Israel’s ‘settler terrorists’ in West Bank?

A look at whether Ed Miliband’s plans will be effective and what they signal for future Israel-UK relationsThe British foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has announced plans for an import ban on goods for illegal settlements in occupied Palestine and sanctions for companies that “finance or facilitate” the construction, infrastructure and marketing of illegal settlements.He also said “settler terrorists” were perpetrating ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank, while the government turned a bli

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

Commons breathes a sigh of relief as UK finally takes a moral stance of Israeli settlements | John Crace

Opposition to Miliband’s announcement of sanctions rings hollow – helped by fewer than 10 Tory backbenchers turning up to debateNobody can say they weren’t warned. The Andy Burnham government might have looked like Continuity Keir with more positive vibes for the first six weeks or so, but on Tuesday a new line was drawn. When Burnham said he felt Labour had not done enough on Palestine and Gaza, he had meant it. His decision to impose trade sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank was

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

The Guardian view on Britain’s new Middle East policy: an unlawful occupation must carry a price | Editorial

Ed Miliband has delivered Britain’s toughest indictment of Israeli conduct in Palestinian lands - and rightly says this has economic consequencesRarely in recent years has the Commons felt like the cockpit of history. On Tuesday it did. The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, placed Britain at the head of a 12-country coalition considering economic restrictions on Israel’s illegal settlements, with the UK, France and Canada committing to national trade bans.The move comes after escalating numbers of

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

The Guardian view on English schools: teachers and pupils should be proud of bucking a downward trend | Editorial

International comparisons suggest that some things are being done right in England’s classroomsTeachers, headteachers, children, parents and politicians should all feel proud of England’s schools, which have bucked a disappointing international trend. Results from 15-year-olds in reading, maths and science have held up well compared with 90 other countries, according to the programme for international student assessment (Pisa). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did not match England’s success

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

UK announces sanctions on West Bank settlements prompting furious Israeli response

The foreign secretary accuses settlers of carrying out the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians, as France and Canada also launch sanctions.

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

New law to force tech firms to stop children taking or sharing nude images

The government said it will legislate "as soon as they can" but may "reassess" its plans if firms make the desired changes sooner.

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

UK condemns Israeli settler ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank – The Latest

The UK has attacked ‘settler terrorism’ deployed in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, whilst announcing sweeping sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband delivered the strongest condemnation of the actions of the Israeli government ever by a British government, including the disproportionate killings in Gaza of at least 70,000 people including 20,000 children. Lucy Hough speaks to chief Middle East correspondent Emma Graham-H

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Reform UK would ban full-face coverings in public

It comes after masked men gathered in Dover to protest against small boat crossings.

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

Here in Liverpool, buses are back under public control – and that’s great for the only people who really matter | Steve Rotheram

For decades we were told that privatisation would deliver better services. The experience of millions of passengers tells a different storySteve Rotheram is mayor of the Liverpool city regionOne of the best-known scenes from the TV series The Inbetweeners is the four angst-ridden teenage characters shouting abuse at people queueing at a bus stop. Only losers take the bus, is the point – except they use a much ruder word. There’s also a statement, misattributed to Margaret Thatcher, that any man

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Some veterans to be called up to test UK's war resilience

An exercise next year on a scale not seen for a "very long time" will test the UK's preparedness, a minister says.

politics  5d ago

BBC Politics

Public opposed to disability benefit cuts, major survey suggests

Around 7% of those polled wanted disability benefit cuts, according to the latest British Social Attitudes survey.

politics  5d ago

The Guardian Politics

I am sending the assisted dying bill back to the Lords – and this time, peers must do the right thing | Lauren Edwards

The will of the elected chamber – and a popular, compassionate piece of legislation – must not be frustrated again by a small minority of peersLauren Edwards is the Labour MP for Rochester and StroodI was elected to Westminster two years ago, when the country was crying out for change and looking to parliament to tackle the big issues that had been forgotten for too long. When that change didn’t come fast enough, trust in politics once again started to ebb away. We have one last chance to prove

politics  5d ago