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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Tourists in England face nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb stays under new plans
Labelled a tourist tax, proposals would give mayors power to decide how revenue raised should be invested UK politics live – latest updates Holidaymakers will face a nightly levy on hotel stays and Airbnb-style visits in England under plans ministers are due to outline to give mayors new powers. The idea, labelled a tourist tax, was first raised by Keir Starmer’s government in November and is similar to a scheme running in Scotland. It would allow mayors to charge a fee to visitors staying overnight and decide how the revenue raised should be invested. Continue reading...
Russian drones kill at least nine in strikes targeting warehouses and ports in Ukraine – Europe live
The strikes come after it was revealed that Ukraine’s president Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s plane was almost hit by a drone when leaving Moldova this week Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Nato allies interrupted a Russian plot training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints. Two 1,400 km subsea fiber-optic cables linking Svalbard to mainland Norway lie as deep as 2,700 metres below the sea’s surface. They carry vast amounts of satellite data downloaded at the SvalSat satellite ground station, the world’s largest and part of NASA’s Near Space Network. Continue reading...
Tens of millions of people fail to get humanitarian aid as global system crumbles
Funding cuts in 2025 left women, children, older and displaced people hard hit, with 64m fewer people receiving aid The humanitarian aid system is crumbling as funding shrinks, pressures increase and governments not only fail to protect civilians but are increasingly responsible for endangering them, a new report warned on Thursday as figures revealed 64 million fewer people received aid last year. With aid contributions cut by 30% between 2022 and 2025 and thousands of aid workers losing their jobs, the humanitarian system has suffered one of its biggest contractions since being formed in the post-second world war era, according to the State of the Humanitarian System 2026 report. Continue reading...
Climate ‘feedback loops’ could worsen global warming by 30%, study finds
Emissions of planet-heating methane and CO2 from natural sources are worsening the climate crisis, paper says Rising global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels are transforming the world’s forests, wetlands and tundra to the point they are releasing emissions that could further worsen global heating by as much as 30%, a new study has found. As the world heats up, permafrost in the high latitudes is thawing, fiercer wildfires are burning in drying forests and wetlands and lakes are warming. All of these changes are themselves causing the release of planet-heating methane and carbon dioxide locked in trees and soils, therefore worsening the climate crisis, the paper states. Continue reading...
Hospitality industry fears jobs at risk from plan to give mayors powers to impose ‘tourist tax’
The sector is concerned by reports that there won’t be a cap on the levy that can be imposed by mayors Good morning. Last year Andy Burnham, who was then mayor of Greater Manchester, and his close friend and ally Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, were urging the government to allow mayors in England to bring in what they called a visitor levy. Burnham and Rotheram were pushing at an open door. In May this year Keir Starmer included plans for an overnight visitor levy bill in the king’s speech. Continue reading...
Primark to offer home delivery as it prepares to split from owner ABF
Clothing chain says trading in Europe ‘challenging’ but customers are responding well to its price-cutting campaign Primark will offer home delivery in Britain for the first time, as the fast-fashion retailer prepares to spin off from its owner Associated British Foods (ABF). The clothing chain, which already offers a click and collect service in the UK, has long avoided home delivery, arguing that its low prices made it too difficult to absorb the cost of packing and shipping orders. Continue reading...
John Lewis losses widen to £124m as shopper confidence dips
Retailer says higher costs also hit first-half figures as group pursues its turnaround plan, though Waitrose grew sales Losses at the owner of John Lewis and Waitrose widened by more than 40% in the first half of the year as it struggled with higher costs and with shoppers feeling less confident about their money. The John Lewis Partnership, which operates 36 department stores and more than 300 Waitrose supermarkets, said its pre-tax loss for the six months to 1 August climbed to £124m, compared with £88m in the same period in 2025. Continue reading...
Sydney man jailed for 3.5 years over fake defence reports prepared for Chinese spies
Alexander Csergo sentenced over reckless foreign interference after preparing documents for duo who approached him on LinkedIn Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A seemingly innocuous message on a social media platform has snowballed into a Sydney man being jailed for foreign interference. Alexander Csergo, 58, was jailed for three years and six months on Thursday, after being found guilty by a jury in March of helping Chinese spies. Continue reading...
Labor friends of Palestine criticise Australia’s decision not to join sanctions on Israeli settlements in West Bank
Australia declined to join move by UK, Canada and France in banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements Labor party members have criticised the federal government for not following the UK, Canada and France in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, urging Penny Wong to mount a stronger response to violence against Palestinians. The Labor Friends of Palestine group wrote to the foreign minister on Wednesday, calling for Australia to join a coordinated approach with allies and partners overseas, in line with changes to the party’s national platform agreed in July. Continue reading...
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 data People 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...
Chelsea’s 2016-17 Premier League title should be given to Spurs, says Pochettino
Former manager says Chelsea should be stripped of title ‘The title should be for the team that was second’ Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea should be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title for financial rule breaches and the honour retrospectively awarded to Tottenham, who he led to second place that season. Chelsea were fined £10m by the Football Association in July and given a suspended two-window transfer ban for multiple violations of the rules during the Roman Abramovich era. They were also fined £10.75m by the Premier League in March. Continue reading...
Mauricio Pochettino: ‘I am always open to help Tottenham. In whatever division’
Manager is excited by new US deal but might have returned to Spurs if the stars had aligned and does not rule out taking England job one day If things had worked out differently, Mauricio Pochettino would have gone back to his beloved Tottenham over the summer. They had put in the call and it stirred him. Nothing was going to put him off – not even the possibility of the club being in the Championship. Seriously, Mauricio? After a World Cup campaign with the United States and top jobs with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain before that, he would have been willing to start a new chapter in the second tier of English football? “Yes, of course,” Pochettino says. “Tottenham … it’s the only club that always I am open to help. In whatever division.” Continue reading...
As the midterms loom, Trump returns to his happy place: on stage in the theatre of the absurd
President’s quest in self-mythology stops off in Dallas for a Republican convention where fans indulged his lies and revelled in his jokes Kim Il-sung of North Korea reportedly sought transfusions of blood from young men; Mao Zedong of China believed sex with young women could prolong his life; Muammar Gaddafi underwent fat injections and hair transplantation to make himself look younger. But for Donald Trump, the secret of eternal youth lies in nights like this. The occasion of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas was enough to get the 80-year-old US president’s juices flowing. An arena with thousands of fanatical supporters indulging his lies, laughing at his jokes and burnishing his fantasies of greatness is Trump’s happy place. Continue reading...
Thursday briefing: 68 facts about the Bayeux tapestry as it goes on display
In today’s newsletter: No Bayeux ticket? Everything you need to know about the sold-out exhibition – from its epic journey to London to a Game of Thrones likeness Good morning. If you live in the UK, you have probably heard about the Bayeux tapestry exhibition, which opens today, and you probably haven’t got a ticket. The digital queue was nine-hours long when they first went on sale in July, and the exhibition has already broken the British Museum’s record for the number of tickets sold in a single day. Some lucky individuals, including King Charles and aspiring overlord Peter Thiel, have been treated to early previews of the medieval tapestry. Guests staying at One Aldwych, a hotel where rooms go for £1,000 a night, can partake in the “Bayeux experience” with a themed cocktail (mead spritzer, anyone?), a full English breakfast and preferential access to tickets. Reform | The Met police will investigate allegations that Reform UK broke electoral law relating to overseas donations as part of a wider inquiry. UK- Israel | Prominent British rabbis have backed Ed Miliband’s sanctions on Israeli settlements, warning that the time for inaction on settler violence must come to an end. Technology | Just a day after three Anthropic researchers warned that artificial intelligence could kill off humanity within the decade, US politicians have begun lashing out about the risks of the burgeoning technology. UK news | Protesters who gathered outside a Portsmouth hotel mistook Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team for asylum seekers. US news | Donald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. Continue reading...
The ABC and the Guardian call on One Nation to reverse media ban amid censorship concerns
News outlets raise alarm after being barred from media events and condemn offensive comments made by party director James Ashby The ABC and the Guardian have called on One Nation to reverse its ban of select media outlets from press conferences amid warnings the party is practising censorship and actively avoiding public scrutiny. On Tuesday both outlets were asked to leave a One Nation press conference in Victoria. During the event, the state’s party leader, Warren Pickering, admitted to illegal drug use and drink driving . Continue reading...
Wall Street Journal publisher convicted in Hong Kong of deterring reporter from union role
Dow Jones convicted of one count of deterring Selina Cheng from role at Hong Kong Journalist Association but cleared of second charge A Hong Kong court has convicted the publisher of the Wall Street Journal of deterring a reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the city. The newspaper dismissed Selina Cheng just weeks after she was appointed chair of the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) in 2024. She was told at the time her termination was officially due to restructuring. Continue reading...
Man charged with sexual abuse of children linked to former Adelaide youth detention centre
Police allege the 78-year-old sexually abused 29 children connected to the now closed Magill training centre between 1978 and 2003 Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A man who had access to children in South Australia’s youth detention centre has been charged with historical sexual abuse offences dating back to 1978. The 78-year-old from Adelaide’s western suburbs was charged with 55 offences including multiple counts of rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of a child, gross indecency and indecent assault. Police say the charges relate to 29 known victim-survivors, many of whom were children at the time of the alleged offending. Continue reading...
North Korea has built new uranium facility to expand nuclear arsenal, UN agency says
The International Atomic Energy Agency voices ‘serious concerns’ over expansion of Yongbyon facility to enrich uranium The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has voiced “serious concern” over evidence that North Korea has built a facility capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium to bolster its nuclear arsenal. The new building, located at the the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear facility, can house up to 28 centrifuge cascades – machinery commonly used to enrich uranium – according to a report by the nuclear watchdog released this week. Continue reading...
UK disabled people could swap Pip cash for ‘in kind’ support in benefit overhaul
Exclusive: Claimants could trade part of payment for specialist equipment, services or training under proposal Some disabled people could receive “in kind” support rather than just cash payments under a radical overhaul of the personal independence payment (Pip) proposed by official government advisers, the Guardian can reveal. The proposal, from an expert committee largely made up of disabled people, is one of a number of striking “emerging recommendations” likely to form the basis of the government’s Timms review of Pip , expected to be published in the next two months. Continue reading...
‘Fundamentally unfair’: Burnham must overhaul migration reforms, says TUC general secretary
Paul Nowak says changes to immigration rules risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment Andy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood’s migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned. Speaking ahead of the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton next week, Nowak welcomed the “sense of optimism” around Burnham’s fledgling government, but he urged the PM to act in a series of areas, including migration and the cost of living. Continue reading...
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 gains Pinch 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 brains to explain it, but no rational explanation comes. Burnham is studiously cryptic about his reasons. His clearest statement to date goes as follows: “There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that.” Does he mean that oil and gas workers are struggling? If so, this decision will be of little use to them. The Jackdaw gasfield, likely to be approved this week, will generate a grand total of 27 direct full-time jobs . The Rosebank oilfield, whose approval is likely to follow soon, will support 450 UK-based jobs during its lifetime. Yet the UK’s net zero economy directly employs 300,000 people , and a further 400,000 jobs are planned. The rest of the green economy employs more than 600,000 . A just transition for fossil fuel workers, securing jobs in the green economy, is better for everyone. George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
‘Institutional neglect’: 25 years on from 9/11, experts sound alarm over US counter-terror efforts
Budget cuts, loss of knowledgeable officials and diverted resources raise risk of another attack, experts warn The US faces growing challenges in countering international terrorism as resources are diverted to other threats, experienced security officials leave and “complacency” spreads, experts have warned. It is 25 years this week since the 9/11 attacks launched by Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida on New York and Washington, which killed about 3,000 people and led to decades of conflict, radicalisation and instability across the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading...
Seahawks pick off Patriots’ Maye three times to stage comeback in Super Bowl rematch
Backup quarterback engineers late Seattle rally Seahawks intercept Drake Maye three times in fourth Sam Darnold exits opening drive with hip injury Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seattle Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to starter Sam Darnold and beat the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night in a Super Bowl rematch. The Seahawks were held to just a field goal through three quarters as Lock and the offense struggled to move the ball after Darnold injured his hip on the opening drive. Continue reading...
John Major’s rise from obscure whip to PM part of new National Theatre season
Play is one of eight world premieres in programme with global conflict and political upheaval at its heart A new play about John Major’s rise to power, written by James Graham, will premiere at the National Theatre in London next year, as part of a season that puts political upheaval and global conflict at the heart of its programme. Major reunites Graham with Jeremy Herrin, the director behind the acclaimed parliamentary drama This House. It will chart Major’s emergence from relatively obscure whip to prime minister, taking over from Margaret Thatcher at a pivotal moment in Britain’s relationship with Europe. Continue reading...