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Politics
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Asylum seekers still being sent to France under ‘one in one out’ weeks after scheme ended
Guardian understands Home Office continues to detain dozens of people, with one group forcibly removed this week The Home Office is still putting asylum seekers on to planes to France weeks after the controversial scheme to remove them ended, the Guardian has learned. The “one in, one out” scheme was announced by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the former prime minister Keir Starmer in July 2025. It aimed to deter small boats crossing the Channel to the UK from northern France, with some asylum seekers arriving here forcibly returned to France while a similar number in northern France were brought legally to the UK. Continue reading...
Why Scottish nationalists should see Burnham as a real threat – and an opportunity | Rory Scothorne
The PM’s goals may spell bad news for the SNP. Ironically, his EU bridge-building could also resurrect their dreams of independence Fifty years ago this month, a group of leftwing Scots gathered in the Golden Lion hotel in Stirling for the inaugural conference of a new political party. The “Scottish Labour party” had formally split from Labour at the beginning of 1976, driven by disillusionment over the party’s timid proposals for a new Scottish assembly. They were led by the firebrand MP for South Ayrshire, Jim Sillars, who promised to take Scotland’s Labour tradition back to its roots in both socialism and home rule. Sillars’ new party was a media sensation in Scotland, and quickly joined by public intellectuals such as Tom Nairn , Hamish Henderson and Neal Ascherson . It offered something new and exciting: a fusion of the two movements that were battling for Scotland’s soul in a decade that had already been defined by electoral clashes between Labour and the Scottish National party. Continue reading...
Rachel Reeves says UK’s future is in EU as she backs Andy Burnham on Brexit
Former chancellor says leaving European Union has made Britain ‘poorer, weaker and less secure’ The former chancellor Rachel Reeves has argued the UK’s future should be inside the EU, saying Brexit has made the UK “poorer, weaker and less secure”. Writing in the Sunday Times , the Labour former cabinet minister said she welcomed “Andy Burnham’s leadership” after remarks made by the prime minister in recent days fuelled questions about the prospect of Britain returning to the bloc or adopting its freedom of movement rules. Continue reading...
Why politicians chasing economic growth is a lie | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty – podcast
What if someone told you the truth about the economy? For years, governments have tried spending more, spending less, cutting red tape, Brexit, levelling up – and still failed to increase growth per person in the UK. So what’s the lesson from the great British fairytale? On the latest episode of Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty, rebel economists Karel Williams and Sukhdev Johal explain why they believe praying for growth is a fool’s dream – and why it won’t improve your life You can watch previous episodes of Radical Thinking here Aditya’s suggested reading list for this episode: As we say in the podcast, I’ve championed the work of Karel and Sukhdev and their colleagues for many years in the Guardian, and some of my columns are a good introduction to their approach. In our conversation we look at what life after growth looks like for towns and suburbs, and what it should look like. This report from south Wales in 2016 examines the present-day reality. For a broader analysis of how the UK has become highly unequal and increasingly stagnant, try this . As part of the Foundational Economy Collective, Williams and Johal put a lot of their analysis into freely available working papers. That circumvents the leisureliness and expense of academic publishing and gets their arguments in front of a wider public. A good example is this one on the cost of living crisis . More recently, they’ve focused on the broken water system of England and Wales in a book called Murky Water: Challenging an Unsustainable System . Continue reading...
English children’s homes are in crisis. Does Denmark hold the answers?
UK children’s minister Josh MacAlister has travelled to Copenhagen to see what can be learned from Danish system In a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Copenhagen sits a large white house, set back from the road behind a purple-leaved plum tree. It looks much like the rest of the buildings on the street and there is little outward sign this is Josephine Schneider’s House, considered one of the best children’s homes in the world. Danish children’s homes are often cited as the gold standard of children’s residential care globally. They are now being studied by the British government as it tries to create a roadmap out of the crisis in which its own children’s home system has become mired. Continue reading...
Jacinda Ardern in Sydney Opera House talk advises politicians to ‘rebuild trust by building financial security’
Former New Zealand prime minister has moved to Australia and is lecturing at University of Sydney – and from stage of city’s famous landmark Jacinda Ardern, who now calls Sydney home, has delivered a message to Australian politicians from the stage of the city’s Opera House. Politicians, the former New Zealand prime minister turned academic told the audience on Sunday, were exacerbating the problem of polarisation within society and needed to be better. Continue reading...
Indian forces tighten security in Delhi ahead of big opposition protest
Opposition says hundreds of thousands of people expected to participate in march demanding election chief resign over voter list changes Indian security personnel carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot control vehicles surrounded the site of a planned opposition protest in Delhi on Sunday that is set to demand the resignation of the country’s election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists. Authorities warned of traffic diversions ahead of the protest march and rally that will be led by Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The opposition says it expects hundreds of thousands of people to participate in what it says will be a major challenge to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Continue reading...
High street ‘slot farms’ could evade budget tax rise through bingo hall loophole
Hundreds of adult gaming centres in England have bingo licences that still qualify them for discounted business rates Hundreds of high street “ slot farms ” could continue claiming a discount on their business rates, unless the government closes a loophole that allows them to pose as bingo halls. John Healey singled out adult gaming centres (AGCs) in his first budget this week, in which he increased duty on slot machine takings from 20% to 25%, claiming he was “raising taxes on gambling to support good growth on every high street”. Continue reading...
Are the US midterms going to see a blue wave of Democrats winning seats – or a blue flood?
Donald Trump uttered five words this summer that could seal the Republican party’s fate: ‘Pretend I’m on the ticket’ He spoke admiringly of a senator’s posterior. He baselessly accused a Muslim candidate of being a terrorist . He boasted about his renovations of the White House. He quipped that his own supporters couldn’t afford a hamburger at his Mar-a-Lago club. Every now and then, he spoke about the cost of living, and other everyday concerns of voters. Donald Trump has held dozens of campaign rallies before next week’s US midterm elections. The 80-year-old remains convinced that he can prove the doubters wrong again and help Republicans retain control of the US Congress. But it was five words he uttered at this summer’s Republican convention in Dallas that could seal his party’s fate: “Pretend I’m on the ticket.” Continue reading...
Binance says 90% of losses from $6.3bn hack covered as FBI says North Korea behind attack
Cryptocurrency exchange says withdrawals expected to resume on Sunday as FBI blames North Korean state-sponsored group TraderTraitor Cryptocurrency exchange Binance says it has replaced 90% of the amount stolen after a record $6.3bn hack of its platform by a group the FBI identified as being backed by North Korea. The remaining 10% of tokens are less liquid, meaning they may take longer to buy, the company said in a post on X on Saturday. Co-CEO Richard Teng said separately that the company was “committed to covering the remaining 10%” and that “users will not bear the financial impact of this incident”. Continue reading...
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign disinvites Haley Stevens from events to limit ‘distractions’
A public spat has cast Democratic tensions in the spotlight as the close US Senate race draws to a head Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s tightly fought US Senate race, has asked Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens to stay away from his campaign events. “I don’t want any distractions,” El-Sayed told reporters after a campaign rally, according to the New York Times . “It seems as though other folks are more interested in making this race about things that it’s not about.” Continue reading...
Tusk defends overhaul of Poland’s constitutional court despite protests
Prime minister says shake-up is vital to restore tribunal crippled by years of political disputes Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has vowed to see through a contested overhaul of the country’s constitutional court, declaring that “in certain matters, there can be no compromise”. In a prime-time television address on Saturday night , Tusk was defiant, despite overnight protests that saw riot police drafted to protect the court’s building, saying the shake-up was vital to restore a tribunal crippled by years of political disputes. Continue reading...
Man in Belfast charged with possessing explosives and firearms
The 35-year-old was charged after police searched properties in Shankill Road and Edwina Street areas A man has been charged under the Explosives Act and Firearms Order after police searched properties in Belfast. The 35-year-old was charged with offences including two counts of possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances, and possession of a prohibited weapon (discharge of electricity or noxious gas). Continue reading...
Oleshky evacuees reunite with families after truce allows crossing into Ukraine
Residents of nearby villages line highway waving flags to greet the evacuees’ convoy from the Russian-occupied city Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky have been reunited with their families after crossing into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday. The major rescue operation began on Friday and was carried out under the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago. Continue reading...
Disquiet grows in Albanese’s back yard as Grayndler artists unite against ‘insane’ AI proposal
Inner west Sydney seat has long been safely held by the PM – but potential changes to copyright laws are angering its large creative community Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The prime minister is facing growing discontent within his own electorate as creatives push back against the federal government’s proposal to allow AI companies to scrape everything Australians create online. Anthony Albanese’s seat of Grayndler in Sydney’s inner west is home to more than 3,000 cultural and creative businesses, and 10% of its workers are employed in cultural and creative fields – compared with 4.2% nationally. Continue reading...
Police clash with masked rioters after largely peaceful protests across France
Demonstrations also taking place in Germany, where officers fire teargas to disperse crowds as evening falls Clashes have erupted in Paris, Marseille and other cities after tens of thousands of demonstrators, some in Halloween fancy dress, marched across France in a third wave of protests over the cost of living and deteriorating public services. About 320,000 people – down from an estimated 410,000 last weekend – took part in rallies around the country, the interior ministry said, including 70,000 in Paris who marched along boulevards on the south-eastern outskirts, avoiding the city centre. Continue reading...
Virginia and DC sue to stop Trump’s arch as government looks to start construction
Legal challenges to Donald Trump’s proposed memorial arch are mounting even as its construction is imminent The legal challenges to Donald Trump ’s proposed memorial arch are mounting, with the District of Columbia and Virginia suing in federal court on Saturday as the administration says construction could begin as early as next week. There are now three lawsuits calling for a halt to potential work on a monument that would rise 250ft (76 meters) on a patch of grass off the bridge that spans the Potomac River, connecting the city with the Arlington national cemetery. That would make the arch 100ft taller (30 meters) than the Statue of Liberty is from its base to the top of the torch. Continue reading...
Packers’ Josh Jacobs faces fresh abuse allegations from three women in police records
Three women contacted police after Jacobs’ May arrest One alleged the Packers star threatened to kill her Lawyers call allegations ‘uncorroborated’ and ‘old’ As police investigated the battery case involving Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs following a May altercation with his then-girlfriend, multiple other women contacted them to detail their own allegations against him. Those accounts were included in evidence regarding Jacobs’ battery case that the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department released on Friday night in response to a public records request. Green Bay TV station NBC 26 first reported the records’ release. Continue reading...
Breeders’ Cup 2026: day two – live
Updates from Keeneland. First race 5.10pm GMT (1.10pm ET) Full race card | Thoughts? Get in touch with Greg via email Welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog coverage of the main card at the 2026 Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky, where a strong team from Europe will be bidding for a first-ever clean sweep of the Cup’s turf events and, at the climax of the card, all eyes will be on the Japanese superstar, Forever Young, as he bids to become only the second horse in Breeders’ Cup history to win a second Classic . Yesterday’s three turf events for juveniles were a complete rout for the visitors, who had the first seven home in both the Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Juvenile Fillies Turf , and the 1-2-3 in the Juvenile Turf . The European team also have the favourites for three of today’s four turf races, with the only exception being the Turf Sprint at 17.48, where Wesley Ward’s Bacio is nudging even-money to follow up his wins at Royal Ascot and York earlier in the season. Continue reading...
More than 50m Americans cast ballots in early voting with three days to go before midterms
Record number of early votes cast, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans in states which collect that information There has been a surge of early voting for the US midterm elections, with millions more Americans going to the polls compared with the last such election amid a series of tight contests that will determine control of Congress. More than 50.5m early votes have been cast across the US as of Saturday morning, according to an analysis by the University of Florida . This is already nearly 5m more votes than the total number of early votes made in the last midterm elections, in 2022. Continue reading...
It’s closer to Beijing than Washington – and residents of this Alaskan outpost are reeling from Trump’s policies
On the Bering Sea, Unalaska is the US’s most productive seafood port, employing thousands of workers. But Trump’s cuts, and his disastrous war with Iran, have caused chaos – and put Republican control of Congress at risk It was less than 17 hours until the start of Alaska’s lucrative Bering Sea crab season, and Oystein Lone was standing on a dock in the city of Unalaska, preparing to embark in rough conditions. The problem wasn’t the next day’s forecast of 60mph gusts, which would kick up white-capped swells and make crabbing, already one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, even more hazardous. Nor was it the question of whether there’d be enough red king, tanner and snow crabs to go around – state regulators had, in fact, announced higher quotas for the season. Continue reading...
Britain’s housing crisis won’t be fixed without a new tax landscape
We need policies that stop treating property as a store of wealth and that allow people to move home cheaply John Healey’s critics on the right and left accused him of dodging the big questions in his first budget . The chancellor failed to announce reforms that might tackle some of Britain’s chronic problems, they say. Healey’s scatter-gun budget, as the Resolution Foundation called it, was more about politics than economics, and unapologetically so. Continue reading...
A world-first focus on long-term outcomes could transform UK government – or create new spending fights
Tucked away in John Healey’s budget is decision to ringfence preventative projects where future savings outweigh initial cost It merited the briefest of mentions in John Healey’s speech and just one paragraph in the 166-page budget document , but some believe it could revolutionise not just public spending but the very process of government itself: a new focus on long-term outcomes. The idea in the broad sense is very simple. Any spending deemed to be “preventative” – that is, the initial outlay will be more than made up for by future savings – will from now on be ringfenced, meaning it cannot be raided for more immediate needs. Continue reading...
Ads accusing Republican candidates of protecting Epstein fill airwaves in final midterm push
But select Democrats, too, are being accused of having ties to the late sex offender as country prepares to vote In races across the country, Democratic candidates or groups that support them have released ads accusing Republicans of protecting pedophiles by voting against legislation to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein . The ads appear intended to evoke an emotional response by accusing candidates of “protecting” Epstein, a notorious pedophile accused of running a sex-trafficking ring involving minors. Continue reading...