section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3056 stories archived
Cut number of police forces in England to as few as nine, review recommends
Review by ex-Met chief, expected to be published within weeks, calls for reduction from 39 forces to between nine and 18 The number of police forces in England should be cut from 39 to as few as nine super forces, an official review ordered by the government has concluded. The review, carried out by the former Met police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, is yet to be published. Doubts are growing among some chief constables about the radical plans contained in Lord Hogan-Howe’s review. Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood accused of hardening immigration plans for 200,000 successful asylum applicants
Cohort who were told they could apply for indefinite leave now face ‘distress and uncertainty’ over 30-year ‘earned settlement’ plans Shabana Mahmood has been accused of causing “distress and uncertainty” to hundreds of thousands of refugees by quietly introducing plans to force them to wait up to 30 years before being granted the right to settle in the UK. The Refugee Council said the home secretary’s hardening of plans came despite her personal reassurances last year that only “illegal entrants who are not refugees will face a 30-year wait for settlement”. Continue reading...
‘Revenge of the nerds’: US midterms deliver a win for science – and a rebuke of Maha
The wins for Democrats come after years of cuts and upheaval to US health and science infrastructure A political organizations behind a wave of Democratic doctors and scientists winning elections up and down the ballot is calling the stunning rebuke of Trumpism the “Stem swing” and “revenge of the nerds”. The wins come after years of cuts and upheaval to US health and science infrastructure, as Democrats spent big on health-related ads and as voters rejected the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement. Continue reading...
Bomb threats disrupt at least 15 flights across Europe, raising hybrid war fears
Planes forced into emergency landings or diversions two days after hoax alerts affected air travel Europe live – latest updates Bomb threats have caused diversions and emergency landings for at least 15 flights across Europe , renewing questions about a possibly coordinated effort to disrupt travel. The series of warnings on Thursday morning affected flights between Italy, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Greece and Czechia. Continue reading...
Trump accepts election results as Republicans face midterm reckoning | First Thing
Criticism of US-Israel war on Iran seen as huge factor in Democrats’ sweeping victory. Plus, a spiky customer steps into a North Carolina bagel store Good morning. Donald Trump has accepted the results of the US midterm elections as the system held up against attempts at election interference. His administration had waged an aggressive effort to sow doubt about the results in advance, but the worst fears have not been realized. “It was essentially too big to rig,” an unnamed Trump adviser told CNN, after Democrats swept into power across the nation on a “blue wave”. Trump made a public appearance the day after the seismic results – chiefly to talk about his new White House ballroom plans . Follow our continued live coverage of the election results and find our full midterms coverage here . Continue reading...
‘He’s basically Wilt’: Wembanyama downs Mavericks with 52-point, 24-rebound classic
22-year-old also has eight blocks in Spurs win Frenchman scores decisive free-throw in victory Victor Wembanyama set a career high with 24 rebounds, then sank the winning free throw with 24.2 seconds left to cap his career-best 52-point performance as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 for their sixth straight victory. The Spurs home crowd hailed Wembanyama with MVP chants on Wednesday, and he also excelled on defense. The Frenchman blocked eight shots, three which of came in a span of just 13 seconds in the second quarter. Continue reading...
Bank of England raises interest rates to 4%, the first increase for more than three years
Decision by MPC a week after the budget comes as Iran war continues to drive up energy costs Business live – latest updates The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years to combat rising inflation, as the Iran war continues to put upward pressure on energy costs. The widely expected move, which took the Bank’s base rate from 3.75% to 4%, was the first rise since August 2023. Continue reading...
How did Republicans lose a Senate seat in fireball-red South Carolina?
Bitter postmortem under way as party comes to terms with Darline Graham’s stunning loss to Annie Andrews It’s not that Shane Brown somehow didn’t know about the US Senate election in South Carolina. Nor was he unaware that the outcome of the race between Senator Darline Graham and her Democratic challenger, Annie Andrews, was shockingly competitive when he refrained from voting Tuesday. The campaigns would not let him forget it. Continue reading...
‘Neocolonial belch’: what can Britain learn from backlash to Dutch slavery apology?
In the Netherlands many felt the move, while welcome, was mishandled and say it opened up a new phase of reckoning Andy Burnham’s pledge to seek a “structured dialogue” with former colonies to help shape Britain’s first formal state apology for slavery marks the UK’s first tentative step down a path the Netherlands set out on five years ago. The prime minister’s attempts to initiate a historic shift alongside the royal family – whose customary expressions of “profound personal sorrow”, falling short of an apology, was repeated by King Charles this week – echo a process begun by the Dutch state in 2021 . Continue reading...
Trump takes 500 actions to weaken cancer protections, new report says
Natural Resources Defense Council shows how federal rules changes will spike up public’s exposure to carcinogens Amid a surge in early onset cancer , the Trump administration has taken more than 500 actions to systematically dismantle protections against carcinogens once in place across the federal government, an October report alleges . The Natural Resources Defense Council report, and comments from current and former officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, bring into focus how myriad changes in federal rules or protocol will dramatically increase the public’s exposure to carcinogens. These are taking effect at a time when some forms of early onset cancer are spiking by about 30% per decade. Continue reading...
A progressive understanding of Christianity won in the US elections | Bill McKibben
James Talarico and Adam Hamilton’s interpretations of the Bible are wildly different from the conservative vision we are regularly fed Two-thirds of Americans identify as Christian, but since less than a third of the country actually makes it to church regularly, many rely on what they pick up from the media – social or otherwise – to know what the religion means. And until yesterday, that received wisdom could be summed up as: a conservative, domineering, and above all anti-gay force fiercely committed to the Republican party. Well, let’s just talk about what Republicans and Democrats believe, and I value Republicans, too. But … Republicanism – often we hear it’s about fiscal responsibility, limited government, a strong defense, and personal civil liberties, and let’s say conservative values in some ways. And Democrats – if you think about what they stand for, it’s education, it’s the vulnerable, it’s social safety nets, it’s a progressive spirit that’s trying to lift people up. And I said: if you think about those two, which sounds more like Jesus in the gospels? Continue reading...
Outcry after ICE violently detains US citizen walking to high school: ‘I thought they were going to kill me’
Agents pinned down Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old with disabilities, and left him with a broken wrist in latest example of ICE brutality as activity surges in California The violent ICE detention of a US citizen with disabilities as he walked to his high school has sparked outrage in California where leaders are condemning the incident as racial profiling and calling on authorities to investigate. Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old high school student, was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last month in the small agricultural city of Santa Maria, famed for its strawberry harvest, where 79% of residents are Latino. His wrist was broken and later required surgery. Continue reading...
Police and firefighters around UK gearing up to tackle Bonfire Night disorder
Leeds and Edinburgh among areas hit by fireworks-related violence in previous years, as fire brigades union warns of insufficient resources Emergency services are preparing for potential disorder in parts of the UK on Bonfire Night, amid concerns over the safety of firefighters from rising attacks and shortages of resources. Some communities have already been hit by unrest and antisocial behaviour in the days leading up to 5 November, with police in multiple towns and cities using enhanced powers such as dispersal orders to tackle groups letting off fireworks in public places. Continue reading...
Pound hits highest level since its crash after 2016 Brexit vote
Ten-year high shows sterling’s strength against other currencies following fall of dollar after US midterm elections Business live – latest updates The pound has hit its highest level since its crash in the wake of the Brexit referendum a decade ago. Data released by the Bank of England on Thursday showed that the pound reached its strongest level against a basket of other currencies since 23 June 2016 – the day of the EU vote – on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Was Elon Musk the US midterms' biggest loser? – Stateside with Kai and Carter
The tech industry spent big on the midterms, but it turned out to be a poor investment. Elon Musk poured a staggering $446m dollars into Republican-aligned political action committees (Pacs) and groups since last year, but his efforts didn’t pay off. Democrats won every one of the five Senate races where Musk’s America Pac spent the most money backing Republican candidates. Carter Sherman and Kai Wright are joined by the Guardian’s US tech editor, Blake Montgomery , to ask what the ‘blue tsunami’ will mean for Musk and the wider tech industry. Will this spell the end of AI datacenters? And if so, what could this mean for the US economy? Continue reading...
Rural voters were feeling left behind before the midterms, poll shows
Polling done for the Guardian shows plummeting support from a former key constituency of Donald Trump’s base Polling conducted by the Harris Poll for the Guardian before the election shows just how angry voters were and points to one key reason Republicans lost so badly: plummeting support from rural voters, once a key constituency of Donald Trump’s base. Over the summer, 95% of Americans indicated they believed there was an affordability crisis , particularly because of steep gas and grocery prices. By October, 61% of voters believed the country was experiencing a recession, even though technically it wasn’t. Continue reading...
Progressives hail ‘blue wave’ victories in US midterm elections as top Democrats push for unity
Senior leaders say party will be ‘united’ in focus, but progressives call on party to take radical action Progressive Democrats have declared that significant US midterm election wins across the country are as much a repudiation of their own party’s political establishment as of Donald Trump’s presidency. After a string of left-wing candidates scored stunning victories from Texas to Michigan, senior Democratic leaders have stressed the party’s new representatives in Washington will be “united” in their focus on reducing costs for Americans and ending corruption under Trump. Continue reading...
Democrats promised to end corruption. Here’s how they can do that | David Sirota
Overturning Citizens United is not enough. Campaigns must be funded with public money rather than private donations Having devoted most of my adult life to reporting on, campaigning against, and exposing the corrosive influence of money in politics, I’m gratified that this cause was – finally – front of mind in a national election. That’s right: in the midterms, corruption topped the list of Americans’ concerns, and candidates won by waging campaigns promising to reject corporate Pac money and linking Washington’s pay-to-play culture to the affordability crisis. Continue reading...
How elderly ‘unsung heroes’ powered Lula’s historic fightback in Brazil
Older voters praised for helping tip balance in leftwing president’s favour against far-right Flávio Bolsonaro in runoff It had been nearly a decade since Celia de Oliveira Soares last voted, and months since the 101-year-old great-grandmother last left her home. But on 25 October, when Brazil held what many considered its most important presidential election in decades, relatives helped Soares into a wheelchair and drove her to a nearby school to make sure the far-right candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, did not prevail. Continue reading...
Not just Congress: Democrats’ blue wave washes over state legislatures across US
Democrats gain hundreds of seats in historic victories – and party set to embark on aggressive legislative spree The blue wave that swept Republicans out of power across the United States didn’t just strike Congress. In Tuesday’s midterm elections, Democrats gained hundreds of seats in state legislatures across the country, under-the-radar victories that may have major implications for life in America. Though ballots are still being counted, the party’s success appear to be historic – Democrats haven’t won full control of government in Arizona in 60 years, in Pennsylvania since the 1990s, and Wisconsin since their wipeout in 2010. In Michigan and Minnesota, they regained trifectas they lost after the 2024 election, while in Texas, they will control the state house for the first time since 2002. Continue reading...
No amount of sliding in the polls can shake Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief – or alter her party’s direction | Andy Beckett
Two years in to her leadership, Badenoch continues to take the Tories ever-rightwards, into comfort-zone Conservatism What happens to a political leader who is too sure of themself? Sometimes, huge confidence is a very useful, self-fulfilling quality: persuading party colleagues, activists, donors and voters that more can be achieved than is usually thought possible. Such utter conviction can keep everyone believing while the actual practicalities of a political project are worked out. Yet when an air of absolute certainty turns out to be overconfidence, the bubble bursts. The politician may be revealed as disastrously complacent and lacking in judgment, having delusions of grandeur, or being fundamentally in denial. Especially in our era of online mockery and instinctive contempt for politicians, an overconfident leader can end up as a laughing stock. Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Reproductive rights protected in several states by midterm election ballot measures
Voters in Nevada, Virginia, Missouri and Idaho passed or strengthened protections for women’s reproductive freedom Reproductive rights were on the ballot on Tuesday night as voters weighed in on several abortion -related measures, delivering a largely successful night for reproductive rights advocates encompassed by a historic blue wave . In Nevada , voters approved an amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, permanently protecting access to abortion through the second trimester after a second referendum on the measure. Continue reading...
Sports owners bet big on Republicans. What does their defeat mean for US sports?
A Democratic sweep has changed Washington’s balance of power. But from gambling legislation to stadium subsidies, both parties have helped build the system that enriches American sports’ billionaire owners Before a single vote was cast this election cycle, the technocrats and oligarchs who own American sports had already voted. Pro sports owners put more than $100m into this cycle, according to Front Office Sports. But Tuesday night was a referendum not just on Donald Trump and Maga policies, but on the puppeteers who pull America’s strings. The people voted, and the owners lost. Before anyone frames this as a rescue, a word about the rescuers. Democrats are the instrument for ending Maga, and they are also the other face of the same coin. Think Republicans are behind all of our ills? Think again. New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, placed his state’s first legal sports bet in 2018. Illinois governor JB Pritzker signed sports betting into law a year later. New York’s mobile sportsbooks went live under Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022, with the state taking 51% of the revenue. Pritzker and Hochul both won Tuesday, and all of them are Democrats. In some of the biggest betting markets in the country, the bookmakers’ most reliable partner has been a Democratic statehouse. Continue reading...
South West Water’s failure to fix leaks ‘putting customer supplies at risk’
With parts of region served by company in severe drought still, regulators give it six weeks to come up with action plan Repeated failures by South West Water to tackle leaks are putting customers at higher risks of losing water supplies as parts of the region remain in severe drought, regulators have said. In a warning to the privatised company that serves 1.8 million people across the south-west of England, the regulators said it had been failing to meet targets to reduce leaks and repair burst pipes for seven years. Continue reading...