section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3644 stories archived
Top Boy actor Micheal Ward cleared of rape and sexual assault charges
Five charges related to encounter with woman Ward met at New Year’s Day party in London in 2023 The Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been cleared of raping and sexually assaulting a woman who claimed he had attacked her in the back of a car. Ward, 28, who is best known for his roles in the crime drama and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, was acquitted of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault, after a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court. Continue reading...
Top Boy actor Michael Ward cleared of rape and sexual assault charges
Five charges related to encounter with woman Ward met at New Year’s Day party in London in 2023 The Top Boy actor Michael Ward has been cleared of raping and sexually assaulting a woman who claimed he had attacked her in the back of a car. Ward, 28, who is best known for his roles in the crime drama and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, was acquitted of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault, after a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court. Continue reading...
Ann Widdecombe: uncompromising politician who embraced TV fame
Former Conservative minister, who later joined Reform UK and became an unlikely celebrity, was found dead at her Devon home on Thursday On Wednesday, shortly after Nigel Farage announced he would stand down from his parliamentary seat in Clacton to trigger a byelection, Ann Widdecombe appeared by video link on Talk TV to praise his decision. “This is a very decisive man,” Widdecombe told the interviewer , speaking with the same forthright conviction that had defined her controversial political career and more eccentric parliamentary afterlife. Widdecombe, formerly a Conservative, joined the Brexit party – which later became Reform UK – in 2019 and Farage, she said, had shown “the sort of decision taking that is needed in the leader of the country”. Continue reading...
Netflix reportedly among parties in talks to buy Letterboxd
Sony Pictures and Paramount are said to also be among potential buyers for the film-focused social platform Letterboxd is reportedly in talks with potential buyers. The owners of the popular social platform for movies are discussing a sale with companies including Netflix , Sony Pictures and Paramount , according to the industry newsletter Puck . Continue reading...
George and Fiona Cottrell understood to have been interviewed under caution by Met police
Interviews of Farage aide and his mother believed to be part of investigation into donations to Reform UK before 2024 election Nigel Farage’s aide George Cottrell and his mother Fiona Cottrell have been interviewed under criminal caution by Scotland Yard detectives, the Guardian understands. The interviews are understood to form part of an ongoing investigation into donations to Reform UK before the general election in July 2024. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on disability benefits: Pip must not become another route for cuts | Editorial
Stronger European welfare states expose a Tory myth. Benefits can enable independence, work and growth Sir Stephen Timms, Labour’s minister for social security and disability, is widely acknowledged to be a parliamentary expert on welfare. He has seen the system from almost every angle: as a pensions and Treasury minister under New Labour, a shadow welfare spokesperson, a select committee chair, and now as a government minister. After Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves’s ham-fisted attempt to balance the books on the backs of disabled people sparked a backbench revolt , the pair retreated behind Sir Stephen. His interim review into personal independence payment (Pip), the main non-means-tested disability benefit for working-age adults, is an attempt to clean up the mess. The deeper problem was Labour’s fiscal rule: that the current budget should be on course to be in balance or surplus. That rule disadvantages spending on the “current” side of the ledger, including welfare, because it is treated as expenditure to be “paid for”. Continue reading...
How do political donations work… and why are there growing calls for a cap?
Mega-donors are coming under scrutiny after a crypto billionaire based in Thailand gave a £5m gift to Nigel Farage The question of who funds politicians and political parties – and why they want to give money to get people elected – is an extremely heated one. In principle, UK voters can support their chosen politicians through donations or benefits, as long as those candidates and their parties keep within spending limits during an election period, which is designed to stop powerful interests from influencing the result. However, recent years have seen the rise of mega-donors giving vast sums to political parties, leading to calls for a new cap on the amount one individual or company can donate in a year. There has also been pressure for greater transparency around financial interests after the furore over Nigel Farage’s £5m gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, shortly before the Reform UK leader became an MP. The rules state that gifts only have to be declared if they are political, and the Reform UK leader claims it was “personal” and freely given with no demands attached. Parliament’s standards commissioner is investigating the case. So: what are the rules on political donations and gifts? Continue reading...
‘Take that, Marti Pellow!’ Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In beats Wet Wet Wet’s UK chart record
Duetting pair spend 16th week at No 1, a record for a British artist – but they’ll need 19 weeks to beat Frankie Laine’s all-time record from 1953 Sam Fender and Olivia Dean have broken Wet Wet Wet’s 32-year record for a British act’s run at No 1 in the UK singles chart. Fender and Dean’s duet Rein Me In has racked up its 16th week at No 1, beating Wet Wet Wet’s Love is All Around, which spent 15 weeks at No 1 in the summer of 1994 after it appeared on the Four Weddings and a Funeral soundtrack. Unlike Wet Wet Wet’s consecutive run, though, Fender and Dean’s song has dropped in and out of the top spot since February. Continue reading...
‘I love an underdog’: Fery fans turn up in thousands to find spot on Arthur’s Seat
Fery may have been knocked out of Wimbledon by No 2 seed Alexander Zverev, but for fans he’s an inspiration Wimbledon live – latest updates Fery’s magical run ends with crushing defeat by Zverev For the thousands of people who gathered on Wimbledon’s iconic grass slope, Henman Hill, to support Arthur Fery, it wasn’t the fairytale ending they had hoped for. Fery was knocked out of the championships by the German grand slam winner and No 2 seed Alexander Zverev in a semi-final match that many had dared dream might upend its David and Goliath narrative. Continue reading...
High court rejects most of ‘dieselgate’ claims brought by 1.6m UK car owners
Carmakers welcome ruling against suit claiming manufacturers including Nissan, Ford and Peugeot fitted devices to defeat emission tests Car manufacturers have welcomed a high court verdict that rejected most of the allegations in a “dieselgate” claim brought on behalf of 1.6 million UK owners of polluting cars. In her judgment, Lady Justice Cockerill said that “in the majority of instances, the court found that the relevant strategy did not constitute a prohibited defeat device” – software that enables the engine to behave differently in tests. Continue reading...
Burnham will have to master something Starmer couldn’t: the art of dealing with Donald Trump | Gaby Hinsliff
The new PM will need a superb foreign secretary and the ability to get like-minded countries on board. Early signs suggest he may have the right skills It’s all starting to feel very real now . Or so Andy Burnham said on the day he in effect became Britain’s official prime minister-in-waiting; a moment both heady and sobering. The papers are signed, the die cast. Keir Starmer has yet to leave the building, but his party is already talking about him as if he somehow couldn’t hear. On Friday, Burnham made his first brutal break with his predecessor, apologising over Starmer’s head for Labour’s handling of the war in Gaza . The government should, he said, have called for a ceasefire earlier, and should now be increasing pressure on Israel. Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Trump accused of trying to ‘rig’ elections after firing federal commissioners
President’s dismemberment of Election Assistance Commission called a ‘brazen attempt’ to control elections US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has been accused of trying to “rig” the upcoming US midterm elections after he fired the last three members of an independent federal commission. Trump’s extraordinary move to paralyze the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) wipes out the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration months before the US midterm elections. Continue reading...
What has caused ‘unprecedented’ deadly wildfire in southern Spain?
Blaze made worse by heat, strong wind and plentiful dry vegetation amid hollowing out of rural population Wildfire in southern Spain kills at least 12 amid heatwave As firefighters struggle to quell the flames ravaging southern Spain and doctors treat the injured, a horrific picture of the fallout is emerging. At least 12 people died in a fast-spreading inferno that ripped through Almería on Thursday, many trapped in cars as they sought to escape a blaze that scorched 3,800 hectares. Overwhelmed authorities say eight people have been injured and 23 cannot be accounted for. Continue reading...
Delta says higher airfares expected to last despite drop in oil prices
Company reports $1.4bn profit despite its highest quarterly fuel expense in history Delta Airlines saidelevated airfares are likely to last despite a recent drop in oil prices, reporting strong appetite for travel and record-high revenue in its quarterly results Friday. Though the company had its highest quarterly fuel expense in its history, demand has been high enough to pass along 60% of its extra fuel costs to consumers, Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, told CNBC , with plans to eventually pass along all elevated costs. Continue reading...
Berlin’s mayor abandons reelection campaign after ‘tennis-gate’ outcry
Kai Wegner admits poor communication in handling of power blackout overshadowed his other political work Berlin’s embattled mayor has abandoned his campaign to stand for reelection after failing to recover from a row over his decision to play tennis while large parts of the German capital were hit by a power blackout in January. Kai Wegner announced on Friday afternoon that he would not run in Berlin’s 20 September election after coming under huge pressure to step down from his party, the Christian Democrats (CDU). Some members wrote an open letter to Wegner this week in which they appealed to him to withdraw his candidacy. Continue reading...
Burnham plans summer tour of UK to win over voters in Labour ‘danger zones’
Exclusive: Prospective PM wants to give the country a hopeful message, in contrast with Starmer’s early missteps UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham will undertake a summer tour as prime minister to Labour “danger zones” across the country where the party has been losing support, particularly areas hit by controversial government policies. Burnham is planning the tour for the second half of the summer recess, with the aim of resetting Labour’s relationship with some of the UK’s most sceptical voters. Continue reading...
Test runs and a shock-absorbing cage: how Bayeux tapestry was moved to UK
Medieval artwork safely delivered to British Museum before display from September in carefully controlled conditions Bayeux tapestry crosses Channel in dead of night for historic exhibition The Bayeux tapestry has survived myriad perils, from cathedral fires to its potential destruction for use as wagon covers. Now, with the embroidery about to be displayed in a blockbuster London exhibition , experts must contend with a host of more insidious dangers. The arrival of the tapestry at the British Museum in the small hours of Friday morning was a historic moment – albeit less dramatic than the landing of William the Conqueror it portrays. Continue reading...
Martin Rowson on Nigel Farage’s byelection campaign – cartoon
Continue reading...
How Trump’s intervention tarnished the World Cup – The Latest
There is just one week to go until the winner of the World Cup is crowned, and it has been a memorable tournament, not least due to the extraordinary intervention by Donald Trump this week that shocked the football world. Lucy Hough speaks to global sports business correspondent Matt Hughes Continue reading...
Bipartisan housing bill to become law in a matter of days – with or without Trump’s signature
President says he won’t sign housing bill without passage of voting legislation, but without veto it will still become law US politics live – latest updates A major housing bill will go into effect at midnight on Saturday without Donald Trump ’s signature, after the president said he would refuse to sign the legislation because Congress has not approved new restrictions on voting nationwide. The measure, known as the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, is the biggest change to federal policy for buyers, renters and homebuilders in decades, and Congress approved it with large margins last month after lengthy negotiations between Democrats and Republicans . Continue reading...
Police investigating former prince Andrew will visit US to speak with accuser’s relatives
Thames Valley police reportedly wish to talk to Virginia Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law about her allegations Detectives investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are to travel to the US to speak with the family of his accuser Virginia Giuffre, it has been reported. Thames Valley police are believed to want to talk to Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, about their sister’s allegations of sexual assault against the former Duke of York. The former prince has denied Giuffre’s allegations. Giuffre, 41, took her own life in April last year. Continue reading...
Child abuser who preyed on orphans housed at Christian Brothers property
Exclusive: Records obtained by the Guardian show property owned by Catholic order used to house at least two brothers with horrific histories of child sexual abuse Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Christian Brothers properties have been used to house convicted child sexual abuse offenders, including one brother who preyed on orphans and another who was kept in teaching positions for almost three decades after senior officials became aware of his offending. The Christian Brothers prompted fury from survivors last month when it declared it was about to go broke, and could no longer afford to meet their claims in court. Continue reading...
Why pay a premium fee for a service that isn’t? How the nationwide outage could hurt Telstra
The telco has long banked on its reputation as having the most stable, widest mobile telco coverage. That is now badly dented Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Telstra has long profited from its reputation of having the largest and most stable mobile telco coverage in Australia, allowing it to charge premium prices. When its main rival, Optus, suffered a series of operational issues that culminated in a damaging triple zero outage last year, Telstra attracted new customers. Continue reading...
Journalist Richard Guilliatt resigns from Walkley awards board after critic wins reporting prize
Exclusive: Resignation comes after abuse survivor said she was devastated her father, who was jailed for 48 years, was interviewed for the Shadow of Doubt podcast Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The journalist Richard Guilliatt has resigned from the Walkley awards judging board after the Walkley Foundation dismissed complaints about his podcast and then handed an award to the journalist whose reports were critical of him. Nina Funnell won a mid-year Walkley for freelance journalist of the year for a series of three articles in news.com.au about a survivor of sexual assault who was abused by her own parents for 14 years. Continue reading...