section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3003 stories archived
Ofgem could force energy suppliers to pay rivals if they lure customers with cheaper deals
Regulator for Great Britain weighs up reintroducing market stabilisation charge to prevent firms going bust Energy suppliers could be forced to pay a charge to rivals if they lure customers with cheaper deals, as the industry regulator for Great Britain attempts to prevent suppliers going bust this winter. Ofgem has published a consultation on a proposal to reintroduce the market stabilisation charge (MSC), which aims to prevent suppliers failing if there is customer exodus, as it frets over the impact of sharp swings in energy prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Continue reading...
Jenrick claims Farage has done more to stand against racism than ‘almost anybody’
Reform MP defends leader after ITV footage shows official warning Farage he is ‘protecting’ candidate over racist David Lammy comments The Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick sought to defend the party against fresh allegations that it hosts extremists by claiming that Nigel Farage had “probably done more than almost anybody to stand against racism and the far right.” The remarks came after Farage was berated by a Reform official for “protecting” a mayoral candidate who was accused of making racist remarks against the former Labour deputy prime minister, David Lammy. Continue reading...
Greens leader denies knowledge of ‘secret dossier’ on how to handle Jordon Steele-John misconduct allegations
David Shoebridge says 47-page document not ‘made by, used by, or seen by’ his office as matter referred to parliamentary standards commission Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast Greens leader David Shoebridge has denied knowledge of the existence of an alleged crisis management document on how to deal with allegations against Jordon Steele-John being made public. The Nine newspapers reported on Friday afternoon the existence of a “secret dossier”, first drafted in 2016, which contained misconduct allegations against the Western Australian Greens senator and how to suppress their media coverage. Continue reading...
Elizabeth Struhs’ child protection case not ‘prioritised’ due to high workload, inquest hears
Eight-year-old Queensland girl died in 2022 after being denied insulin by her religious parents Elizabeth Struhs’ child protection case was not “prioritised” or worked intensively because the staff member assigned to her case was “very busy”, a coroner has heard. The Queensland coroners court also heard the case worker may have been “overly influenced” by the presentation of Struhs’ “upper class home”, putting cases that believed to involve a more immediate risk ahead of Elizabeth’s. Continue reading...
Pornography showing strangulation and incest to be banned in UK from early November
Campaigners welcome legislation which follows recommendations by 2025 review into pornography regulation Pornography that depicts strangulation and incestuous relationships will be banned from early November, the UK government has announced. The content will be outlawed from 6 November after cross-party pressure prompted ministers to announce new legislation earlier this year. Continue reading...
One Nation proposes $2,000 baby subsidy in Victoria but says it won’t touch state abortion laws
Announcement comes a day after Liberal and Labor parties say they will cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care One Nation has proposed a $2,000 baby bonus for new parents in Victoria – a day after the Labor and Liberal parties both agreed to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care. The deputy leader of One Nation in Victoria, Colleen Harkin, announced the plan on Friday to remove out-of-pocket costs for pregnant women in the public healthcare system and a $2,000 subsidy for those accessing private maternity care. Continue reading...
Revealed: VW, Ford and Tesla batteries linked to destructive deforestation of indigenous lands
Mines in supply chains of western carmakers linked to widespread deforestation of primary rainforest in nickel-rich lands inhabited by Tolaki people in Indonesia Volkswagen, Ford and Tesla are among the electric carmakers whose batteries may contain nickel mined in indigenous woodlands plagued by deforestation, an analysis has found, highlighting the struggle to make vehicles that are free from environmental destruction. Corporate disclosures and trade flows from the last two years show mines in the battery supply chains of automotive giants are linked to the loss of trees in Sulawesi, a wildlife hotspot in Indonesia that houses the world’s largest nickel deposits. The metal is widely used in cathodes in car batteries because it boosts energy density and increases range. Continue reading...
UK could quickly re-enter EU with ‘Switzerland plus’ deal, senior MEP says
Bernd Lange, who was involved in Brexit talks, says deal could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen ties The UK could re-enter the EU in a “Switzerland plus” package that could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen ties with the bloc, the head of a European parliament committee has said. Bernd Lange, who was heavily involved in Brexit negotiations, said: “I would love to see the UK back.” He said the EU missed the UK in decision-making because of its strong history of promoting open markets and democracy. Continue reading...
UK law could deny Fayed accusers recognition as victims of human trafficking
‘Unfair’ immigration and asylum bill could fail to support sexual violence survivors, anti-slavery commissioner says Survivors of sexual violence could wrongly be denied recognition as victims of human trafficking under credibility tests in a new UK law, the independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned. Eleanor Lyons said the measures in the immigration and asylum bill were fundamentally unfair and could lead to many more victims of slavery and trafficking, including those allegedly abused by Mohamed Al Fayed, being denied support. Continue reading...
Exclusive Brethren head denies knowing church members were volunteering for Liberal party during 2025 election
Bruce Hales also denies church was a cult while son tells parliamentary committee it was ‘a bit rough’ being labelled as such Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The most senior member of the Exclusive Brethren has denied any knowledge of or involvement in thousands of members from his church volunteering for the Liberal party at the 2025 election. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has rejected claims it coordinated volunteers and a campaign for the Coalition, and that it secretly paid far-right figures to stage stunts against the prime minister and other Labor MPs. Continue reading...
Trump calls Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries a ‘disgrace’
US president says Zelenskyy ‘more difficult to deal with than Putin’ after so-called energy ceasefire collapses Donald Trump has called Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace”, while renewing his criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskyy after an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine collapsed. Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries after Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire abruptly and declared by Trump last week, one that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to. Continue reading...
Tories call for 5-year freeze on minimum wage to tackle youth unemployment
Labour says idea is ‘tin-eared’ as report says fixing rate will cost low-paid workers almost £9,000 over five years A shadow minister has called for the government to freeze the minimum wage for five years, a move that could cost low-paid workers almost £9,000. The call came in a report from the Prosperity Institute thinktank, which carries an endorsement from Andrew Sharpe, the shadow business minister. Sharpe said in his endorsement that it was time to take action to address the low rate of young people in work. Continue reading...
The right’s scrounger rhetoric dominates the benefits debate. Labour must fight back – and win | Frances Ryan
The prime minister has a once-in-a-generation chance to reintroduce compassion to welfare. He has to seize the moment Back in 2009, months before the coalition government unleashed sweeping austerity, the then Conservative backbencher Iain Duncan Smith produced a study that would go on to lay the foundations for the rollout of universal credit. Now, nearly two decades later, Duncan Smith and his thinktank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has published State of Dependency: a landmark report promising to expose “the full scale of Britain’s worklessness crisis”. The study paints a picture of mass benefits reliance: it identifies 3,400 local areas where more than half the working-age population are on out-of-work benefits, or “economic opiates”, as the authors call them. They’ve even provided an interactive map (in the yellow and black colours of a road hazard sign, no less) so members of the public can type in their postcode to see if their neighbourhood is “a welfare hotspot”. Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Repairing Brexit economic damage should be Burnham’s top priority, business chief says
Shevaun Haviland argues PM is right to revisit Labour’s EU red lines as current trading relationship is bad for business Repairing the economic damage of Brexit should be the top priority for Andy Burnham as he reconsiders Labour’s red lines on EU membership, the head of one of Britain’s leading business groups has said. Shevaun Haviland, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said she welcomed the prime minister reopening the Brexit battle lines despite the uncertainty it could create, arguing that the UK’s current trading relationship with the EU was bad for business. Continue reading...
Saudi Arabia to execute man for being at protests and funerals when he was 15
Rights group says Youssef al-Manasif was tortured and first met his lawyer five years after arrest for non-violent crimes A young man faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for attending protests and funerals when he was aged 15 to 17, say human rights groups, in the latest example of the kingdom’s surging use of the death penalty for non-violent crimes. Youssef al-Manasif was arrested in 2017 and accused of crimes including joining demonstrations for religious freedom by the Shia minority and attending funerals that the Saudi authorities deem to be protests. He was convicted and sentenced to death by the specialised criminal court, a secretive tribunal set up for terrorism-related cases. Continue reading...
‘It’s about the underdog’: Ben Roberts-Smith launches brand to support family amid legal battle
Accused war criminal announces venture with video on Instagram of him walking along beach and working out Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has launched a brand, saying he needs the income to support his family and fund his legal expenses after being charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. Roberts-Smith launched the label with a video of him walking along a beach on the Gold Coast and working out on Instagram, soundtracked by media reports about him being awarded the Victoria Cross and his subsequent arrest. The video included the caption “Get ready….the time has come. #neveroutofthefight #underdog”. Continue reading...
College football player Tyler Ulrich dies five days after ‘traumatic injury’ during game
21-year-old was treated on field after injury during game Coach pays tribute to player’s ‘quiet strength’ Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma announced on Thursday that sophomore safety Tyler Ulrich has died five days after sustaining what the school called a “traumatic injury” during a game against Ouachita Baptist. Ulrich was 21. The Division II school based in Bethany, Oklahoma, did not reveal the cause of death or the nature of Ulrich’s injury. Ulrich was hurt during a 49-14 loss on Saturday, with the game delayed for nearly an hour while he received medical attention before being transported to a hospital. Continue reading...
Number of cloned number plates on UK roads at record high, data shows
More than 11,400 drivers last year were fined for offences they did not recognise as RAC says system needs reform The number of reported “cloned” vehicles involved in offences on UK roads has reached a record high, official data shows. More than 11,400 drivers contacted the DVLA last year after being issued with fines for offences they said they did not recognise or accept responsibility for – most of which are believed to be down to cloning, where a number plate is copied fraudulently on similar vehicles to avoid enforcement cameras. Continue reading...
Is JD Vance campaigning for the midterms … or 2028? – podcast
The US vice-president is following the Donald Trump playbook, attacking the Democrats, attempting to make jokes and even swearing more. Jonathan Freedland talks to Arwa Mahdawi about why Vance is making such an effort to court voters Buy your tickets to the Guardian’s post-midterm live event , hosted by Jonathan Freedland Watch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channel Send your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyamerica@theguardian.com Watch Today in Focus’ episode on the Trump administration investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar Read David Smith’s piece on Katie Zacharia’s first press conference Continue reading...
Future of western security is at stake in Yemen civil war, says country’s former PM
Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed says Iran-backed militia’s use of drones represents ‘new era of radical terrorism’ The future of western security is being fought out in the mountains and hills surrounding the south-western Yemeni city of Taiz, the country’s former prime minster has said. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, now an adviser to Yemen’s president, said it would be catastrophic if the city fell to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, since control of the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea and the road to Aden – the site of the UN-recognised government – would be lost. Continue reading...
French police accused over war-like injuries to teenagers in school protests
Four children allegedly ‘mutilated’ by explosive weapons and lawyers say unprecedented number held in custody French lawyers and rights groups have said that several teenagers have suffered war-like injuries from police weapons used during school protests , and an unprecedented number of children have been held in police custody, some of whom reported being hit or racially insulted. France is in the fourth week of its biggest youth protest movement in decades, during which hundreds of high schools across the country have been blockaded as students demand the replacement of absent teachers and repairs to decrepit buildings . Continue reading...
Super Bowl champions slump again as Darnold’s picks cost Seahawks against Broncos
Seattle Seahawks 14-17 Denver Broncos (OT) Darnold intercepted twice late in game Denver move to 4-2 despite offensive struggles Wil Lutz kicked a 53-yard field goal in overtime as the host Denver Broncos defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 17-14 on Thursday night. The result means the Broncos emerged from a tough six-week season-opening stretch with a 4-2 record despite an injury-riddled roster and a shaky offense. The 3-3 Seahawks, meanwhile, lost for the second time in five days. They also matched their loss total from last season, when they won their second Super Bowl title . Continue reading...
Sydney suburb in lockdown as police search for man seen with shotgun
Widespread manhunt in Dulwich Hill after man reportedly seen carrying longarm weapon A large swathe of Dulwich Hill in Sydney’s inner west has been locked down by police as they search for a man reportedly carrying a shotgun who allegedly set alight a stolen car in the area before fleeing on foot. A police helicopter and armed tactical police focused their search for the man on an area around Williams Parade and Constitution Road. Continue reading...
Firearms manufacturer standing for One Nation in NSW opposes post-Bondi gun laws that ban his rifles
Jeff Bacon, managing director of Oceania Precision, has been described by the NSW party’s leader as ‘my go-to man on the firearms industry’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A firearms manufacturer hoping to represent One Nation in New South Wales wants to repeal gun laws introduced following the Bondi beach massacre, after arguing “every single one” of the rifles he produces was banned in the state. Earlier this month, One Nation’s NSW leader, Mike Newman, and the federal MP Barnaby Joyce revealed Jeff Bacon would be second on the party’s upper house ticket in the March state election. Continue reading...