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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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The Democrats have one last chance to halt the erosion of US democracy – and it’s less than 100 days away | Timothy Garton Ash
American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump’s attempts to rig November’s midterm elections In these days of extreme weather events, it seems odd to say that the US needs a big landslide. But a landslide defeat for President Donald Trump in November’s midterm elections is exactly what is required if the country is to start reversing his deliberate and rapid erosion of its democracy. The respected Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Gothenburg University argues that in 2025 the US saw one of the most rapid declines in liberal democracy on record. “Democracy in the USA,” says its Democracy Report 2026, “is now at its worst in 60 years.” As the imperial republic marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the danger seen at the very beginning of its constitutional order by anti-federalists such as Patrick Henry – that of an overmighty president abusing his executive power in an attempt to become a new king – has come closer than ever before. Continue reading...
Local media needs support if devolution push is to succeed, publishers say
Shift from Westminster risks weakening scrutiny as regional titles battle hostility, big tech and ‘news deserts’ Greater support for local media is needed to hold mayors and councils to account under Andy Burnham’s plans for devolution , which would involve a massive transfer of power into local government, publishers have said. A range of figures involved with local news broadly welcomed new plans unveiled by the prime minister, but said that monetising content, barriers erected by populist politicians and the roles of big tech and the BBC were among the challenges they faced. Continue reading...
Zelenskyy warns of low air defence supplies after Russian strike kills nine in Ukraine – Europe live
Twenty-two people were injured in overnight attack in which Kyiv said it was able to shoot down just one of 27 Russian ballistic missiles There has been an update by the Spanish government on the Ceuta border crisis, with officials saying the death toll has risen to 67. The government also announced plans to install a containment barrier extending from the breakwater into the sea to deter further crossings after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco this week, AP reported. The Spanish foreign minister, José Albares, said that “practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco” . In a post on X, he added: It is not possible to travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without presenting identification at a police checkpoint. The integrity of the Schengen area is fully guaranteed. Continue reading...
Knickers in a twist: why M&S selling crotchless panties isn’t as outrageous as it seems
Some have called it ‘S&M’, but partnership with Ann Summers is less a scandal than another step in a century of evolving underwear trends, experts say The news that Marks & Spencer is selling Ann Summers crotchless knickers on their website has been greeted – as might be expected – with outrage online, being described as everything from “tawdry” to “S & M” . But it could be this is just the latest evolution in what the UK’s biggest underwear retailer has available for the smalls drawer. In recent years, the store has sold vastly different options through its own products, ranging from full-brief knickers to thongs, period knickers and those that can be used by women who wear stomas . The introduction of other brands in clothing came five years ago, with underwear included. Ann Summers – which is selling bras and chemises as well as knickers on the M&S website – lines up alongside lingerie brands including Pour Moi and Calvin Klein. Continue reading...
‘MPs have had their stomachs pumped’: concerns over ‘alcohol-soaked’ culture in Westminster
Alcohol is embedded in profession where long hours, loneliness and lobbying are the norm, report finds Parliament is “Britain’s last alcohol-soaked workplace” where MPs are offered free drinks as early as midday despite alcohol-related scandals, a report has reveal ed. Drinking is commonplace and some MPs have had their stomachs pumped after consuming so much alcohol that they ended up in hospital, one disclosed. Continue reading...
No apologies, no freebies: the man who makes Andy Burnham’s jackets on how to weather a storm
Private White VC’s James Eden says PM should not be criticised for wearing a high-quality British-made brand It has not yet been two weeks since James Eden, the founder of the Manchester men’s clothier Private White VC, saw one of his best-known customers move in to No 10 Downing Street. In any sane world the man who makes the prime minister’s jackets would be popping open the champagne. His garments have been seen by millions of people and described by journalists all over the world writing about Burnham’s buttoned-down style. Continue reading...
EU relations, climate crisis and Gaza: why Ed Miliband is fired up by Foreign Office challenges
Labour veteran is said to relish role that requires careful negotiation of Trump and impending G20 leadership Extraordinarily, given the importance of geopolitics, the office of foreign secretary has sometimes appeared a consolation prize in British politics, perhaps reflecting the transfer of responsibility to Downing Street or the Cabinet Office. That is not how Ed Miliband views the job. His allies say suggestions that he nurses resentment after he was deprived of the chance to be chancellor misunderstand his grasp of the policy challenges ahead. “Ed has an immense appetite to get things done and is relishing being in this job,” one says. “Ed will be a policy-driven foreign secretary.” Continue reading...
First Australian mass mortality event suspected as deadly bird flu virus rapidly escalates among native birds
Helicopter surveillance finds dead and dying greater crested terns off South Australian coast as H5 virus spreads Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 80 dead and sick birds seen on rocks off the South Australian coast are suspected to be the first mass mortality event from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, only six weeks after the disease arrived in Australia. Authorities reported on Saturday that helicopter surveillance had revealed 49 dead greater crested terns on Baudin Rocks, near Robe, as well as 35 more sick terns. Continue reading...
Turn failing water firms into not-for-profit cooperatives, MPs and mayors tell PM
Labour politicians say mutualised model puts public in control without adding debt to government’s balance sheet MPs and mayors close to Andy Burnham have told the prime minister there is a “third way” tlauo gain more control of failing companies, as the row over whether or not to nationalise Thames Water rumbles on. Burnham is said to be concerned about the increase in government debt that Treasury projections show could be a result of nationalising water companies. Continue reading...
‘A symbol of resistance’: the fight to save treehouse built on no man’s land next to Berlin Wall
Supporters fear structure could be torn down as safety hazard and want it to become memorial to postwar foreign labourers in honour of its Turkish creator Sometimes the currents of history converge in a single spot. In Berlin, one of the most intriguing of those places is a small traffic island with a lovingly tended garden and a ramshackle two-storey structure called the Treehouse at the Wall. In 1983, Osman Kalin, a Turkish “ guest worker ”, was looking in his corner of the city cleaved by the Berlin Wall for a patch of earth in which to plant his onions, garlic and cucumbers. Virtually on his doorstep in the Kreuzberg district was a slice of no man’s land next to the concrete barrier and barbed wire. Although it sat in West Berlin, cold war logic meant the lot officially belonged to the communist East. Continue reading...
The tangled financial web at the heart of Reform UK
Nigel Farage’s £5m gift, the Cottrell family’s links and donations, and Richard Tice’s business dealings form part of an increasingly clear nexus of relationships It has been three months since the Guardian revealed that Nigel Farage had accepted a £5m gift from Christopher Harborne , a billionaire donor to Reform UK. This was not the first story in our continuing investigation. But it has proved the most significant, and the consequences of the disclosure are still being played out. Continue reading...
‘Proteinmaxxing’ could lead to higher prices for infant formula, say experts
Whey protein, a key infant formula ingredient, is in growing demand, partly linked to rising use of weight-loss drugs The rise of “proteinmaxxing” – a trend in which consumers try to eat as much protein as possible – could lead to higher prices for infant formula, experts warn. Whey protein, a key ingredient in infant formula, has surged in popularity over the past year as health professionals emphasise the benefits of protein. Continue reading...
Like Burnham, I was an altar boy. His Catholic upbringing is shaping the way he governs |Julian Coman
With a prime minister raised in a tradition that emphasises our mutual dependency, we may finally have a leader who can address the anomie gripping our country Like Andy Burnham, I was once an enthusiastic altar boy, although I don’t recall competing to be at the front with the communion plate as the prime minister apparently did . Much of my motivation had little to do with piety. The tips received for serving at weddings were often very generous and I got on well with Father Jerome, an engagingly worldly monk from Ampleforth who shared my passion for Manchester United. I’m five years older than Burnham, but the atmosphere of the small-town northern Catholicism we grew up with will have been much the same. The second Vatican council’s reforms , responding to the social changes under way since the 1960s, were “democratising” the tone and style of worship, and traditionalists were mourning the sidelining of the old Latin mass. The huge success of Pope John Paul II’s groundbreaking visit to Britain in 1982 – the first by a reigning pontiff – had made the faith seem more mainstream and less rarefied. Politically, most Catholics voted Labour, and the large number of Celtic surnames in parish registers testified to a demographic significantly different from Anglican congregations, which were both more English and more Tory . Julian Coman is a Guardian associate editor Continue reading...
The final hit: Is Glasgow’s 25-year gruesome gangland feud finally over?
The double assassination of two Scots in the Costa del Sol may have ended the war between the Lyons and the Daniels – but the crimes haven’t gone away It was a warm evening in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol last year when two Scottish men met a violent end. The punters of Monaghans seafront bar had barely finished watching the Nations League final on 8 June when a car pulled up outside. A masked gunman emerged and headed to the table of 46-year-old Eddie Lyons Jr, shooting him at point-blank range. The assassin turned the gun on Lyons’ friend, the bar’s owner Ross Monaghan, 43, but it jammed. Continue reading...
Noma restaurant prepares to reopen under new leadership after abuse allegations
World-class venue puts renewed focus on staff wellbeing under new head chef after René Redzepi stepped down and apologised for his behaviour The Copenhagen restaurant Noma – often ranked among the world’s best – is preparing to reopen next week under new leadership for the first time since its star chef and co-founder, René Redzepi, stepped down amid accusations of physical and psychological abuse. The new executive head chef, Pablo Soto, who has worked at the restaurant for nearly a decade, said while it remained “the same Noma” there had been some significant changes. Along with a new, evolving monthly menu to replace its previous seasonal one, he said there was now a heightened focus on enabling employees to live full lives. Continue reading...
‘Who could have done this?’ Mystery over Briton found dead in a suitcase in Athens
Greek police throw entire homicide division at trying to explain fate of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross Two worlds separated by sheets of corrugated iron: one, a tree-lined road, bordered by a park and the home of Greece’s oldest sports club; the other a wasteland of derelict buildings and graffiti-covered walls in what was once a car park. It is here, on the wrong side of the divide, in Kypseli, a neighbourhood in central Athens, that the body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross was found, inside a suitcase last month. Continue reading...
‘We stared into an abyss’: the heroes battling to tame France’s ‘megafire’
Exhausted firefighters wage ‘war of attrition’ against blaze that forced 200,000 people from their homes By noon it is time for a break. The temperature is about 35C, the smell of ash, cinders and burnt wood hang acrid in the air. At tables laid out in the shrinking shade on the desiccated grass and sand outside the sports centre in Le Porge, 200 men and a handful of women have gathered. Firefighters, soldiers, police, gendarmes, officials, first aid teams, foresters and volunteers sit elbow to elbow, plates of sausages, steak and potatoes in front of them. The village was evacuated just over 14 hours after the “megafire” – as it has become known in France – broke out 6km away last week. The blaze has consumed 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly forestland west of Bordeaux. Though finally contained, there are outbreaks every day, pushing to the limit emergency services and the hundreds of amateurs who have come to their aid. Continue reading...
ECB official warns climate crisis poses growing threat to ‘core financial stability’
Exclusive: As wildfires rage, Frank Elderson says more work needed to assess risk from collapse of ecosystem services A senior policymaker at the European Central Bank has said the climate emergency and the breakdown of nature poses a dramatically growing risk to the global economy. Frank Elderson, a member of the ECB’s executive board, said the eurozone lender of last resort was stepping up its monitoring of the financial risks linked to the destruction of “ecosystem services”, which are nature-related processes or assets that support human activity. Continue reading...
Singapore bans Massive Attack for showing Palestinian flag, breaching ban on foreign emblems
Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authorities British trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said. Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit. Continue reading...
Petrol prices on track to top $2 a litre as Bowen sounds death knell for fuel excise relief
Petrol now costs more than $1.90 a litre in every capital city, with diesel expected to exceed $2.40 a litre Petrol prices could surpass $2 a litre and diesel $2.40 in coming days, after the government’s 16-cent discount ends on Sunday. The 32-cent per litre reduction in fuel excise, introduced in March at the peak of the fuel price spike, was halved to 16 cents in July. Continue reading...
Bessent ‘to-do’ list shows proposal for US to buy $5bn-$10bn of Japanese yen
Treasury secretary’s notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plans During a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn in Japanese yen in a scribbled “to do” list left visible to a Reuters photographer. The image, taken over Bessent’s shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words “To Do” followed by “Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil”. Continue reading...
Adani to pay no company tax despite $1bn revenue from Queensland coalmine
Indian conglomerate offsets earnings from Carmichael mine to report $340.6m loss, after promising billions in taxes and royalties Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Indian conglomerate Adani will pay no company tax despite generating almost $1bn in revenue from coal mining in Queensland over the past year. Financial accounts show the Carmichael thermal coal operations used large costs – including production and related party logistics expenses – to offset its $963.5m revenue in the 12 months to 31 March. This resulted in a recorded $340.6m loss for the year, erasing it’s tax bill. Continue reading...
Justice department moves to dismiss its charges against Olympian over reflecting pool
Lawyers now say damage to pool liner attributed to David Hearn instead is result of installation by contractor The justice department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial‘ reflecting pool, instead blaming damage to the pool liner as “the result of flawed installation by the contractor”. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing in DC superior court on Friday evening that they had received information about a “rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026”. Continue reading...
San Francisco pitbull rescued after two days trapped in railway tunnel
Pup named Roo, who ran away from home, was found curled up next to rail track – and was ‘thrilled’ to be rescued A two-year-old pitbull who ran away from home braved two days in a dim San Francisco railway tunnel before being rescued. Caltrain operators spotted the pup named Roo on his first day in the tunnel. Looking at the dog’s unmoving body, they had assumed he had been fatally struck by a train, according to a recent social media post from the San Francisco animal care and control shelter. Continue reading...