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Politics
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Will Trump relaunch his war on Iran after the midterm elections? | Mohamad Bazzi
Reports have suggested a vulnerable president could start a new bombing campaign. But that wouldn’t bring a deal any closer Will Donald Trump decide to resume a large-scale war against Iran after the US midterm elections? That question has loomed over the campaign for weeks, as officials leaked plans for a new round of joint US-Israeli military strikes that would target Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, missile arsenals and civilian infrastructure. Continue reading...
The candidates who will decide the US midterm elections
The 2026 US midterm elections feature firebrand progressives trying to stake out new territory, moderate Republicans struggling in the shadow of Donald Trump, and a host of scandals that have made races closer than they should be. These candidates could shape not only power in Washington, but public and political understanding of what works – and wins votes – in different places across the country. Can a Democrat win in red Kansas? Could Texas finally flip away from Republicans? Will abuse allegations or absenteeism tank incumbents? How important is capturing online attention? And how can Republicans run away from Trump, their party’s leader, and modern architect, as his popularity wanes? The lessons learned – and the candidates who teach them – will play into the 2028 presidential election and alter the makeup of Congress at a critical time for both parties Continue reading...
Midterm elections 2026: how are votes counted and when will we know the results?
Everything you need to know about how winners are called, how states count ballots and Trump’s election denialism There’s no simple answer as to when US voters will know the results of the midterms. Elections are managed locally throughout the US, and it’s different in each state. Sometimes, if a race isn’t close, there’s a near-instantaneous sense of who won. In more contested races, it can take many hours, days or even weeks. Continue reading...
Midterm elections 2026: what time do the polls close today?
Here’s an hour-by-hour rundown of when polls close around the US, and some of the key races taking place In the 2026 US midterm cycle, there are 35 Senate seats up for election, 36 governors’ races and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs. There are also several ballot measures across the country on issues ranging from election administration to abortion access. Democrats are looking to reclaim control of both chambers of Congress. They’ll need to gain four seats in the Senate to secure a 51-seat majority, and win at least 218 seats to take back the House. Continue reading...
‘I am deeply sorry’: Craig Silvey pens 9,000-word apology for child exploitation material offences
The children’s author says he was abused as a child as he begins seven-month sentence for possessing depraved material Warning: This article contains graphic content Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The disgraced best-selling author Craig Silvey has revealed he was abused as a child in a 9,000-word apology published after he was jailed for child exploitation offences. The young adult novelist was sentenced on Monday to seven months’ imprisonment, after being charged in January and subsequently pleading guilty to distributing and possessing depraved child exploitation material. Continue reading...
Asda appoints former Morrisons boss as chief executive as sales struggle
David Potts to take over immediately, as executive chair Allan Leighton steps back to non-executive strategic role Business live – latest updates Asda has appointed the 69-year-old former boss of Morrisons, David Potts, as chief executive with immediate effect as it continues to struggle to lift sales. The UK’s third largest supermarket said that 73-year-old executive chair Allan Leighton, who has been running the business since 2024 , would now step back to a non-executive role focusing on “the long-term strategic agenda for the business”. Continue reading...
Champagne, cocaine and some very long walks: when pedestrianism ruled the sporting world
Crowds once flocked to see ambling athletes pull of amazing feats of stamina. Edward Payson Weston was chief among them More than $1.4bn has been staked on prediction markets for this week’s US midterm elections, according to CNN . Though a lot of people are about to win – or lose – a lot of money, it’s hard to imagine any wagers as consequential as the election bet that birthed a sporting craze spearheaded by a chancer who walked and talked his way into becoming one of the greatest athletic stars of the 19th century. Continue reading...
‘Mogging’ crowned Collins word of the year
Bodybuilding slang referring to making someone else look inferior was among entries concerning AI and climate crisis Mogging – meaning to outperform or outshine someone or something – has been named Collins’s word of the year 2026. Announcing the winner in an article for Collins, the copywriter Rachel Quin said the term describes making someone or something look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status . Friendslop A term adopted by gamers to describe low-budget, multiplayer indie titles focused on social fun over high-end graphics. Fricy A portmanteau of “fruity” and “spicy”, reflecting a rise in popular food products such as pineapple and mango hot sauces. Bixie A hairstyle blending a bob and a pixie cut, recently adopted by figures such as Zendaya, Jessie Buckley, and Helen Mirren; P(doom) A mathematical shorthand representing the percentage likelihood that artificial intelligence will cause the collapse of human civilisation. Continue reading...
Deal finalised to remove Brexit checks on food and animal products
Agreement to ease rules on food imports and exports is now expected to come into force in first quarter of 2028 UK politics live – latest updates The EU and the UK have completed their deal to remove Brexit checks on imports and exports of food and animal products ranging from sausages and cheese to leather goods and flowers. It will prove a boon for British food exporters, for whom trade with Europe has dropped by a third since 2019, and will also mean smaller retailers in the UK such as delicatessens can return to buying smaller batches of cheese and wines, something that became impossible because of the cost of Brexit checks introduced in 2022. Continue reading...
Burnham says he has not proposed return to EU freedom of movement – UK politics live
The prime minister wants an ‘honest discussion’ about how immigration has changed since Brexit Good morning. In a Today programme interview broadcast this morning at 8.10am, Shabana Mahmood , the home secretary, ended by saying this about her plans to tighten the rules that determine when foreign workers and their dependants can get settlement. As a result of these changes, roughly half a million people who were going to settle at five years are not now going to settle. So on any measure, these are still very significant changes. Mahmood appeared to accept that her U-turn could cost billions. She insisted that, compared with doing nothing, her plans will lead to significant savings. But she would not dispute claims that the savings would have been far higher if she had stuck to the 2025 plans. When the BBC’s Iain Watson put it to her that the concessions would in effect cost about £7.5bn, Mahmood just said an impact assessment would be published in due course. Mahmood refused to deny that she was in effect ordered to change her plans by Andy Burnham. I have not proposed freedom of movement coming back. I do believe that we should have an honest discussion with people about how immigration has changed since the Brexit vote because the shorter-term migration of people coming from Europe and then going back has been replaced with long-term settlement in bigger numbers, and that was the Boriswave … Continue reading...
US midterm elections 2026 live: Americans go to the polls in referendum on Trump’s agenda
Polls open across the US where key Senate and House races will decide which party controls Congress for remainder of Donald Trump’s second term Sign up for the Breaking News US email What are the races to watch and why do they matter? It’s Tuesday 3 November, which means that after months of campaigning, debate and analysis, the critical US midterm elections that will take the political temperature of the nation halfway through Donald Trump ’s second term – and determine the trajectory of the remainder of his presidency – are finally upon us. Americans, who have already voted early in record numbers , will decide the balance of power in Congress and, therefore, Trump’s ability to advance his agenda for the next two years. With the US president almost unprecedentedly unpopular , Democrats are aiming for what would be stunning victories in seats where, for decades, turning blue would have been unthinkable. Trump is not on the ballot, but this election is very much a referendum on the direction of the country under his Republican party. Continue reading...
Zelenskyy to make unexpected visit to Berlin for talks with Merz – Europe live
Merz said the German push to increase defence spending was triggered by Zelenskyy and Trump’s meeting last year Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to make an unexpected visit to Berlin for talks with German chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of next week’s trilateral talks with Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi. The rumours about Zelenskyy’s potential visit started swirling last night, with Merz confirming the visit during an industry speech this morning. The Ukrainian president’s trips are usually kept secret until the last moment for security reasons. “ He’ll be here with me just after midday , and things will be a bit different then.” Continue reading...
Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons
Australia says easing of rules has led to surge in British visitor numbers, putting pressure on local workforce The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has told Andy Burnham he is looking at changing rules for British backpackers in Australia, after an increase in the number of travellers visiting popular hotspots such as Sydney. Albanese, who met Burnham on Monday evening at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Caribbean, told reporters he wanted to discuss changing the agreement between the UK and Australia that removes a regional work requirement for British travellers. Continue reading...
Virgin Media O2 to cut thousands of jobs as it plans £800m cost savings
Up to 25% of 16,000 workforce could go as telecoms group says it will increase use of AI in areas including customer service Business live – latest updates Virgin Media O2 is to cut thousands of jobs in an £800m cost-cutting drive as the telecommunications company aims to tackle its £22bn debt pile. VMO2, which is jointly owned by Liberty Global and Telefónica, said £300m of the savings target will come from job cuts that will reduce the company’s employee wage bill by 30% over the next two years. Continue reading...
Henry Nowak ‘would have hated’ riots after his murder, says family
Parents of teenager stabbed in Southampton last year hit out at political ‘game’ played with son’s murder Henry Nowak’s family said he “would have hated” the riots that followed his death as they accused some politicians of playing a “game” with their son’s murder. Nowak, who was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last year, was handcuffed by police as he lay dying when his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse. Continue reading...
Major Queensland hospital to close pathology labs amid potential formaldehyde exposure investigation
About 400 staff affected by closure at both Mater’s Brisbane and Springfield hospitals, with financial sustainability of pathology business a factor Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In-house pathology services at one of Queensland’s biggest hospitals will permanently close amid an investigation into potential formaldehyde exposure and continual financial strain. The closure, which affects 400 staff across Mater’s Brisbane and Springfield hospitals, includes the lab which handles foetus and newborn tissue and cell testing for unexpected deaths. Continue reading...
From the US midterms to the hard right in Britain, empathy has become a dirty word in politics | John Harris
Around the world, virtues such as compassion and kindness are gathering dust, like old hymn books in a long-deserted church Towards the end of the summer, the Tory-Reform defector Robert Jenrick authored an op-ed piece for the Daily Telegraph about the seemingly impossible economics of rising benefits bills because of mental ill-health. In his capacity as Reform’s Treasury spokesman, his task was to big up its plans to cut 25% of so-called welfare spending by 2030, and thereby tackle what he called the state’s “suicidal empathy”. Straight away, I wondered where this most opportunistic politician had borrowed that phrase from, and instantly found out: a book with the same title , published this year by the Canadian academic Gad Saad, whom the dust jacket describes as having particular expertise in “the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behaviour”. It comes with an endorsement from Elon Musk. “Western civilisation is doomed unless the core weakness of suicidal empathy is recognised and actions are taken that are hard but necessary for survival,” says the world’s richest man. “All of Gad’s books, including this one, are great.” Continue reading...
Law behind Bonfire Night among records sent from parliament to National Archives
Collection gems include 1605 Thanksgiving Act passed after Guy Fawkes’s failure and the longest act in the archives As Bonfire Night approaches and firework displays light up the UK, in a file on a shelf in the labyrinthine National Archives can be found a flat vellum page, inscribed in exquisite calligraphy, and the origin of this week’s explosive celebrations. The 1605 Thanksgiving Act was passed by James I after Guy Fawkes’s failure to assassinate the king, the Lords and the Commons, at the opening of parliament that year. Continue reading...
Americans head to polls in midterm elections seen as referendum on Trump
Control of the Senate and House of Representatives, both currently held by the Republicans, is at stake Americans are heading to the polls today in US midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second presidency and a chance for opponents to rein in his untrammeled power. Democrats and Republicans have scrambled in recent days to deliver their final pitches to voters with control of the US Senate and House of Representatives – both currently held by the Republicans – at stake. Continue reading...
‘This is direct’: positive early feedback from pilot community mental health hub in Cumbria
Hope Haven in Whitehaven is one of six trial open-access, 24/7 schemes in England offering preventive care The night Tamara first walked through the doors of Hope Haven, a new community mental health hub in the heart of Whitehaven, she was afraid. “Terrified, actually,” she says. “Like, my life was falling apart. I didn’t know how to stop it from hurting.” The 22-year-old, who works in children’s transport, had been in and out of therapy and counselling since she was 14, after being abused by an acquaintance as a child. After a lengthy legal process her abuser was sentenced, but the “mental challenge” of dealing with what had happened to her was not over. Continue reading...
UK MPs could undergo criminal record checks to stop violence against women
Exclusive: Members may be vetted before getting security passes for parliament, and receive anti-harassment training MPs and others working in parliament could be required to take a criminal record check before being given a security pass, and receive anti-harassment training under a pioneering scheme to root out violence against women. The UK parliament will on Tuesday become the first legislature in the world to receive what is known as White Ribbon accreditation, a commitment to culture change which originated in Canada. Continue reading...
Widening inequality, stagnant pay – Britain urgently needs Labour’s hard-won workers’ rights | Polly Toynbee
The British Social Attitudes survey reveals record levels of dissatisfaction. But still Kemi Badenoch and the business lobby want to take us backwards Britain is unhappier at work than since records began. The British Social Attitudes survey , the nation’s long-running annual pulse-taker, finds growing job dissatisfaction in its report, published today. People complain of a lack of flexibility in working hours, a lack of career advancement – and, of course, a lack of pay rises. Who is surprised? Pay stagnation over the last decade is unprecedented since Napoleonic times, the economist Paul Johnson told me, but then corrected himself: “You might as well say ever.” Worse, over the last year pay inequality has jumped up for the first time in a decade, says the Resolution Foundation’s Mike Brewer. Pay for the top 10% rose by 7.3% but only by 1.1% for the bottom 10%. Why? The national living wage has stopped rising faster than median pay, and top pay has taken off again. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Denmark pushes for EU ban on ‘turbo chickens’ as secret footage causes outrage
Minister says government will work towards banning fast-growing breed across country and throughout EU The Danish government is pursuing a national ban on “turbo chickens” and is calling for the fast-growing breed to be prohibited across Europe. The move comes amid widespread outrage over allegations of lawbreaking by one of Denmark’s big chicken producers. Continue reading...
UK ministers told not to engage formally with Indian mega-zoo after lobbying
Guardian and Mongabay reveal approaches to officials and MPs on behalf of Vantara zoo ahead of UK-chaired Cites meeting on endangered animal imports British government ministers were told not to engage formally with Vantara, the controversial mega-zoo run by the Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, after lobbying efforts by the private animal sanctuary in the run-up to a UK-chaired meeting on the trade in endangered species, according to documents. This week, the UK heads a 32-country committee meeting in Geneva of Cites, the United Nations body that regulates trade in endangered species. The meeting will examine how India has responded to compliance concerns about imports of endangered animals. Continue reading...