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Politics
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Budget 2026 live: chancellor says scrapping of gas standing charges will save 60% of homes £45 a year
John Healey says UK faces ‘difficult moment’ as he prepares to deliver first budget of Andy Burnham’s government You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books John Healey found time to hold a meeting with Martin Lewis , the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, in Downing Street this morning. Lewis is one of the most trusted voices on personal finance in Britain, and he has been campaigning for standing charges to be removed from gas bills for some time. Speaking to the media afterwards , Lewis said Healey was in a good mood. He said he asked the chancellor if there would be a support scheme to help people with energy bills from January, when costs are set to rise sharply. Lewis said Healey would not confirm anything, but he said that “reading between the lines” he gathered that there will be an announcement on this. Lewis speculated that this could be an increase in the warm homes discount, or it could be help for people in lower council tax bands. The biggest issue in energy right now is that we’re expecting a 27% rise in the price cap in January. I asked the Chancellor whether he will be intervening on that. He told me I’d have to wait for the budget, but reading between the lines, yes, there will be an announcement today. Whether it’s an increase in the Warm Home Discount, or whether it’s council tax band, or whether it’s done via a payout for people in say council tax bands A-D as a proxy for household income as Rishi Sunak did who knows. Continue reading...
Yvette Cooper drops plans to abolish NHS patient champion after outcry
Exclusive: Health secretary to extend role of watchdog, which backers say helps hold service in England to account Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish the NHS’s independent patient champion after an outcry from MPs across the political spectrum. The health secretary has decided to keep and extend the role of Healthwatch England , which was due to be axed as part of the government’s reorganisation of the health service in England. axe the Health Services Safety Investigations Body. end councils’ automatic representation on the boards of ICBs. remove the requirement for a nurse on every NHS foundation trust board. Continue reading...
‘Ferritin face’: are social media claims about iron deficiency fact – or fiction?
Experts say symptoms such as dark circles under the eyes, grey skin, cracked lips and hair loss can be a warning sign – but there are other factors too TikTok is rife with influencers warning of “ferritin face”, a term they use to describe the pallor, dark circles, dry skin, and hair loss claimed to indicate low iron stores. But is this based on fact or fiction, and when is it time to head to the GP? Continue reading...
John Healey to end standing charges on gas bills for 23m homes
As budget looms, chancellor says he will ask Ofgem to remove ‘unfair and outdated’ fixed daily fee in 2027 or soon after Business live – latest updates John Healey is abolishing standing charges on gas bills for 23m homes in a move he says will end an “unfair and outdated” practice and save two-thirds of households an average of £45 a year. Ahead of his first budget statement in the Commons later on Wednesday, the chancellor said he would ask Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, to remove these charges – which are £108 a year for the typical household – next year or as soon as possible after. Continue reading...
Wednesday briefing: We asked you - what do you want from the Burnham government’s first budget?
In today’s newsletter: First Edition readers and people struggling with the cost of living tell us what the government could do to improve their lives Good morning. Don’t expect anything radical. This, the Treasury has been at pains to tell us, will be a very “low-key” budget. After weeks of speculation from journalists, a flurry of press releases from thinktanks, and a photoshoot with an obligatory red box, the chancellor, John Healey, will announce the details of the Burnham government’s first budget in the Commons today at 12:30pm. Healey has been selling this as a series of measures designed to relieve pressure on low- and middle-income households under the mangled tagline of “breathing space for today, fresh hope for the future”. Many of the proposals have already been briefed, and their modesty is a sign of the constraints – both real and self-imposed – that his government faces. He has rejected calls to raise capital gains tax or lower the mansion tax and has promised to stick to Labour’s fiscal rules, while the Iran war has increased the cost of borrowing and eroded his spending power. Israeli elections | Israel could be in for weeks of political haggling after exit polls and partial official results showed neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition nor the opposition bloc led by former general Gadi Eisenkot had won enough seats to form a government. Energy | The government’s plan to fund a multibillion-pound nuclear plant at the Sizewell site in Suffolk r epresents a “terrible deal” for the UK taxpayer over the rest of the century, according to the government’s spending watchdog. Middle East | A multipronged peace deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz within four days of sanctions being lifted and for the Houthis to withdraw substantial forces inside Yemen are at the heart of Gulf states’ plans to avert what they regard as a disastrous renewal of war between Iran and the US. UK news | A 78-year-old volunteer has claimed a Reform UK councillor accused her of “facilitating the invasion” and being akin to a Nazi collaborator during the second world war because she has helped asylum seekers learn English. Brazil | The far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro has reportedly fled Brazil and is on his way to the United States after losing Sunday’s presidential election to the leftwing incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...
Australia must ‘re-win the argument for democratic politics’ in wake of Haines incident, Alastair Campbell says
Tony Blair’s former spokesperson says attacks on UK MPs did not bring about lasting cultural change and overheated rhetoric quickly returned to politics Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Tony Blair’s former communications guru, Alastair Campbell, says the UK political system was too quick to revert to overheated rhetoric and polarisation after attacks on MPs, urging politicians to “re-win the argument for democratic politics”. More than a week after independent MP Helen Haines was allegedly targeted in an attack outside her electorate office in northern Victoria, causing her to lose both legs, Campbell said the tenor of political debate in Australia should better reflect Haines’ own approach. Continue reading...
What to expect from John Healey’s first budget: who wins, who pays?
Struggling households, new homebuyers and small shops stand to gain, while banks and online marketplaces could face higher levies John Healey will present his first budget on Wednesday, which will set the tone for Andy Burnham’s premiership. Despite the chancellor’s promises in the summer that the tax and spending event would not be beset by the leaks that preceded those of his predecessor, Rachel Reeves, both official and unofficial sources have indicated much of what Healey is likely to announce. Here’s what to expect: Continue reading...
Trump is in a corner and likely to lash out at Iran again. Here’s how to avert that disaster | Simon Tisdall
Once the midterms are over, Trump will be free to pursue vendetta politics. But with will and diplomacy, he can be reined in As another Iran catastrophe looms, one question matters more than any other: how to stop it before it’s too late? Whatever the eventual outcome of Israel’s election and next week’s US midterm polls, Donald Trump, playing the Lone Ranger, and Benjamin Netanyahu, his badass Tonto, appear hell-bent on resuming the illegal war of choice they began in June last year and expanded in February. Like a Shakespearean tragedy moving inexorably to a bloody denouement, the worst is yet to come. And yet three things seem certain: the US and Israel will again fail to totally destroy Iran’s largely hypothetical nuclear capabilities; its regime will survive; and millions of ordinary people, there and around the world, will pay the price for this unjustified, reckless aggression. Ducking and weaving, Trump is desperate to dodge the blame for the Republicans’ anticipated midterm meltdown, largely triggered by war-related fuel and consumer price inflation. He claimed Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries were responsible, but that didn’t wash. He cut a treacherous diesel deal with Vladimir Putin but, as usual, Russia’s smirking mafioso conned him. He urged US allies to tap their strategic reserves but, unsurprisingly, vilified and sidelined European leaders, who view his war as an unmitigated disaster and declined to bail him out. Trump also reportedly rebuffed last-gasp, electorally driven pressure from Netanyahu to hit Iran this month, fearful it would unleash a Democratic tsunami. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Volunteer, 78, says Reform official likened her to Nazi collaborator for teaching asylum seekers English
Mair Godley claims Essex councillor Carl Johnson told her she was ‘facilitating the invasion’ by giving language lessons A 78-year-old volunteer has claimed a Reform UK councillor accused her of “facilitating the invasion” and being akin to a Nazi collaborator during the second world war because she has helped asylum seekers learn English. Mair Godley and her husband, Nick, 77, a former chair of Wethersfield parish council, live near the former Wethersfield military base in Essex, where the Home Office accommodates hundreds of asylum seekers. Continue reading...
Jim Chalmers is blaming Australia’s accelerating inflation on Trump – but voters aren’t buying it
As next week’s all-but certain rate rise looms, there is one thing we can all agree on: the end of war in the Middle East can’t come soon enough Jim Chalmers is blaming the latest shocking inflation figures on the worsening Middle East conflict, and he has a point. The trouble is, voters aren’t buying what the treasurer is selling. Continue reading...
Obama v Trump – podcast
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy talk about Barack Obama’s war of words with Donald Trump, after the former president spoke at a campaign rally in Ohio and compared Trump’s White House changes to the Cheesecake Factory. But how effective is Obama on the Democratic party campaign trail? What are the risks around personal attacks? And how much does Obama’s legacy help or hinder when it comes to the midterms? Reged and Jonathan also look at the backlash over an attack ad from the campaign of Republican nominee for governor of Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, and why some are saying it’s a new low for US politics. Finally, how has the perception of corruption in government become such a key issue for voters on both sides of the aisle? Continue reading...
Two key unions turn on Labor, running attack ads and pulling campaign funds a month out from Victorian election
Exclusive: ASU launches ‘Ben Lied. Labor lies’ ads while ETU diverts money to defending members at royal commission Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two major unions in Victoria have turned their back on the Labor government a month out from the state election, with one launching attack ads calling Ben Carroll a liar and the other pulling campaign funding. The Labor-aligned Australian Services Union (ASU), which launched the ads, has also confirmed it won’t doorknock for Labor in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) state council resolved on Wednesday not to run a statewide campaign for Labor, despite spending more than $1.6m supporting the party at the last election, with funds to be diverted to support members who could be called before the construction royal commission . Continue reading...
Gulf states working on multipart peace deal to avert renewal of US-Iran war
Talks are aimed at reopening strait of Hormuz and lifting sanctions on Iran, and for Houthis to withdraw in Yemen A multipronged peace deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz within four days of sanctions being lifted and for the Houthis to withdraw substantial forces inside Yemen are at the heart of Gulf states’ plans to avert what they regard as a disastrous renewal of war between Iran and the US. The US is aware of the talks’ progress but is holding out for a concession that European powers suggest could involve Iran allowing UN weapons inspectors back into the country. Continue reading...
Gulliver fans celebrate three centuries of Jonathan Swift’s classic satire
Events in Ireland explore origins of Gulliver’s Travels, the Dublin clergyman’s book that became an instant hit in 1726 In March 1726, an Irish clergyman visited London and arranged for a courier to deliver a manuscript to a publisher under cover of night. The dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin knew his novel would cause trouble and wanted to publish it anonymously. His name was Jonathan Swift and the story was called Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. The satirical work was published that October and is better known 300 years on as Gulliver’s Travels. Continue reading...
Beau Lamarre-Condon’s friend tells court she drank champagne while he scrubbed van used to move bodies
Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, allegedly told friend he had ‘come to say goodbye’ Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A friend of Beau Lamarre-Condon has described the moment he arrived at her house unannounced to clean the back of the van used to move the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. The former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering his ex Baird and Davies in 2024. Continue reading...
Rays rally in 12th inning to beat Brewers and stave off World Series sweep
Tampa Bay force Game 5 with extra-innings rally Milwaukee denied first World Series championship Brewers still hold 3-1 lead in best-of-seven series Jonny DeLuca and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson singled home runs in a stunning 12th-inning rally, and the Tampa Bay Rays staved off World Series elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night that forced Game 5. Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th for his fourth hit of the game as Milwaukee neared a sweep and their first World Series title. Continue reading...
Erin Patterson to learn fate in appeal against mushroom murders convictions
Victorian court of appeal to hand down judgment on triple-murderer’s conviction and sentence after her lawyers argued she was denied fair trial The decision in Erin Patterson’s appeal against her triple murder conviction will be handed down on Friday, with Victoria’s highest court also set to rule on whether she could face more time in prison . The court of appeal will rule on the two appeals from 10am on Friday, after hearing arguments in August . Continue reading...
Israel election results live: exit polls point to tie between Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs
Both blocs would fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a government as support for Palestinian parties surges Full report: Israel election too close to call as exit polls give Netanyahu bloc slightly fewer seats Analysis: Rise of Palestinian parties in Knesset will redraw Israel’s political landscape Israel election: what we know so far Supporters of the opposition bloc breathed a sigh of relief after the first exit polls were announced, but as the night has worn on nervousness has grown on both sides. With exit polls shifting to put the two sides on equal footing, Agence France-Presse is reporting that voters like former Hamas hostage Ohad Ben Ami have expressed alarm that Netanyahu who could out ahead. An Israeli citizen should never have spent a year and a half in Hamas tunnels when deals [with Hamas] were on the table.” Continue reading...
‘Backdrop for countless local love stories’: Geelong gingko named Victorian tree of the year
National trust of Victoria award celebrates much-loved arboreal icons while calling for protection of green spaces For more than 160 years, a humble ginkgo tree raised from seed in Geelong’s botanic gardens has been the backdrop to “countless local love stories”. Standing beneath it is the most popular spot to get married at the park, its branches forming the backdrop of many wedding photos. Now, in addition to being the largest inkgo biloba in the state – and possibly Australia – at a whopping 20 metres tall, it has a new claim to fame. The much-adored Geelong icon has been crowned Victoria’s tree of the year . Continue reading...
Anthony Edwards to undergo knee surgery as Timberwolves star faces up to two months out
Four-time All-Star needs arthroscopic procedure on knee Edwards averaging 33.3 points through first four games Absence could rule Wolves star out of awards contention Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards needs an arthroscopic procedure to alleviate issues with his right knee and will miss several weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Timberwolves had yet to make any public announcements of Edwards’ plan to have the operation. A more precise timetable for Edwards’ return will be known after surgery, the person said. Continue reading...
Trump says government to ‘terminate’ Biden-era methane emissions rules
Critics warn of climate danger as president in Texas claims change will save companies and consumers billions Donald Trump announced his administration is “terminating” Biden-era regulations holding oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of planet-warming methane during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening. Trump said during a campaign rally in Texas that the change would save consumers and energy producers $45bn and unlock 210 million barrels of oil – equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption. Continue reading...
Criminal case against alleged Bondi terrorist delayed amid ‘unprecedented’ investigation
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 78 offences after allegedly committing a terrorist act. The case has been adjourned until February The criminal case against Naveed Akram for his alleged role in the Bondi terror attack faces more delays after an “unprecedented” investigation by the joint counterterrorism team. The matter will not return to court until 24 February after it was adjourned on Wednesday before Sydney’s Downing centre local court. Prosecutors expect to be ready to certify the charges against Naveed Akram, who is yet to enter a plea, by that date. Continue reading...
Federal judge disqualifies Trump-appointed prosecutor for overstay in role
Bill Essayli said in statement he ‘disagrees with the court’s order’ which was stayed immediately A federal judge disqualified Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in southern California, from overseeing several cases on Tuesday, part of an ongoing legal battle over whether the Trump appointee has stayed in a temporary role longer than allowed by the law. The ruling was automatically stayed and will not take immediate effect, pending appeal by the Trump administration. Continue reading...
‘I use disposable cups’: Chris Minns backflips on takeaway coffee cups after media and business backlash
Legislation requiring mugs to be offered when people drink at cafes, to be scrapped with environment minister stating ‘we need to clear this up’ Follow our Australian politics live blog for latest updates Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales government has backflipped on its plan to force cafes to offer customers who dine in the option of mugs and glasses instead of takeaway cups. The Chris Minns government will also ditch a law that would have required businesses to participate in a reusable cup scheme or risk a fine up to $110,000. Continue reading...