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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Senior Reform official cast doubt over legality of huge donations
Exclusive: Admission from James Orr to undercover reporter came three months before party was given £72m UK politics live – latest updates A senior Reform UK official raised questions about whether major donations from billionaire backers Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo would be legal under the proposed new foreign donors cap three months before they gave £72m to the party. James Orr, who was then Reform UK’s head of policy and a Cambridge professor, discussed potential difficulties around future donations from Harborne and Delo in undercover footage captured by the investigative reporting group Verbatim. Continue reading...
Ohio Democrat’s family criticizes Vivek Ramaswamy for bringing up estranged mother in gubernatorial ad
Amy Acton’s brother calls campaigning on his sister’s sexual abuse from their mother’s husband ‘a despicable low’ The family of Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio, is criticizing her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy for using Acton’s estranged mother in a recently released campaign ad. In the ad, which has circulated among conservatives on social media, her mother, Donna Arthur, said: “She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.” Continue reading...
Jackdaw North Sea gasfield to get go-ahead in blow to climate campaigners
Move signals Andy Burnham’s commitment to the North Sea industry but threatens to undermine Labour’s green credentials The Jackdaw gasfield will be given the go-ahead on Wednesday, in a move that signals Andy Burnham’s commitment to the North Sea industry but threatens to trigger a row with climate campaigners and Labour MPs. Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, and John Healey, the chancellor, will make the announcement from Aberdeen on Wednesday morning after more than a year of deliberations over whether doing so would violate the UK’s climate commitments. Continue reading...
Russell Brand told woman to ‘clear up the mess you’ve made’ after alleged rape, court hears
Woman says alleged assault at comedian’s London home after gig was one of most painful experiences of her life A woman has said she “couldn’t speak or breathe” when Russell Brand raped her at his London townhouse after picking her out from a crowd after one of his gigs, a court has heard. She said the comedian looked “horrified” after the alleged attack so she assumed he would apologise but instead he told her: “Clear up the mess you’ve made.” Continue reading...
Two men re-arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran over RAF Fairford incident
Counter-terrorism police say 24 and 25-year-old from central London detained under 2023 National Security Act Counter-terrorism police have re-arrested two men from central London accused of helping Iranian intelligence as part of the investigation into events at RAF Fairford last month. A 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old UK/Iranian national, both from Westminster, were detained on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in breach of the 2023 National Security Act, police said. Continue reading...
Nato increases Black Sea deployment amid escalating deadly Russian attacks
Mounting anxiety as Russia’s war on Ukraine reaches Nato’s borders with targeting of vessels transporting agricultural cargo Nato is deploying additional military assets to the Black Sea amid the recent deadly escalation of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, as five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday. Russia’s military said it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Alberta’s referendum: Canada holds together – against Donald Trump | Editorial
Voters’ emphatic rejection of separation strengthens Mark Carney’s energy strategy in the face of a US trade war and threats Canadians are proving to be a voice of sanity. In roundly rejecting the idea of separating from Canada, voters in the oil- and gas-rich province of Alberta sensibly backed the nation-building strategy of the prime minister, Mark Carney. He has put Alberta at the centre of his plan to make Canada an energy superpower that is “ much less dependent on the United States ”. Donald Trump’s trade war and threats last week to make Canada the 51st US state were a fillip for Mr Carney in Alberta, a landlocked western province where Liberal prime ministers have historically been unpopular. The stakes were high: a successful separatist campaign would have handed Mr Trump leverage over Canada’s resource belt. The result instead lets Mr Carney cast Alberta’s mineral wealth as a national asset, rather than allow separatists to define it as a regional grievance. Continue reading...
Baby who died from meningitis may have been saved if tested sooner, inquest finds
Five-month-old Esta High died at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2023 after doctors put her symptoms down to Covid-19 A baby girl who died from meningitis may have been saved if doctors had tested her for the infection sooner, rather than putting her symptoms down to Covid, an inquest jury has found. Five-month-old Esta High died at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2023, days after she was taken into the emergency department with a high temperature and vomiting. Continue reading...
Republicans push back on Donald Trump’s wavering support for Ukraine
GOP lawmakers threaten to pull support for president’s agenda after Russia diesel deal and sanctions pause US politics live – latest updates A handful of Republicans have spoken out against Donald Trump ’s softening stance on Russia , threatening to pull financial support for his agenda over his “embarrassing” handling of the Ukraine war. Don Bacon, an outgoing congressman in Nebraska, condemned Trump’s actions – which include a stunning agreement to buy Russian diesel and the pausing of sanctions on Moscow – as “absolutely disgraceful” and accused the US president of cozying up to a “war criminal” in Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart. Continue reading...
Former Cornell student alleging sexual assault says she felt ‘unsupported’ by university’s president
The ex-student writes she wants to share information that ‘may be relevant’ to vote of no confidence The former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in 2024 recently wrote a letter to campus faculty leaders saying that she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by the Ivy League institution’s president. The letter addressed to the Cornell faculty senate was obtained and published by the New York Times on Tuesday – and in it the former student said she wanted to share information that she believed “may be relevant” as the panel considers a vote of no confidence in the school’s administration. Continue reading...
Tommy Robinson threatened to make families of Mail journalists ‘famous’, court hears
Jurors in harassment trial told reporters who had written about far-right activist feared ‘vigilante attack’ Tommy Robinson told the Daily Mail’s editor he would make the paper’s journalists and their families “famous”, the harassment trial of the far-right activist has been told. The threat was made in a voicemail message left on the phone of Ted Verity as Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, allegedly waged a campaign of harassment against journalists from the newspaper. Continue reading...
‘Superficial damp squib’: Covid inquiry recommendations fail to impress bereaved families
Latest report paints a painful picture of the care sector during the pandemic. But timid recommendations and a lack of accountability threaten to undermine it Of all 10 reports due to be published by the long-running Covid-19 inquiry, this week’s findings on adult social care were especially anticipated. The impact of Covid-19 on the care sector was calamitous: tens of thousands of people died, staff were forced to wear bin bags due to a lack of protective clothing and relatives were banned from seeing their loved ones in their dying days. Continue reading...
Nige seems tired and bored of himself as Kemi conjures a telepathic budget
The Tory leader has glimpsed the future and it involves Labour putting every last UK citizen on benefits UK politics live – latest updates If you’re worried about next week’s budget, then now is your time to chill out. Because Kemi Badenoch has all the answers. The chancellor, John Healey, has been living rent free in the leader of the opposition’s head for the past few weeks. Lucky man. More than that, she has been perched on his shoulder while he sits at his desk in the Treasury and tries to make the sums add up. And – SPOILER ALERT – Kemi has now read the whole speech that hasn’t yet been written and is in a position to give her budget reply more than a week ahead of time. Opposition by telepathy. Or wish fulfilment. If things don’t work out for her in her current job she could apply to be the next Mystic Meg. Continue reading...
From Iran to AI: the six key voter issues shaping the US midterm elections
Much of Donald Trump’s unpopularity in polls stems from dissatisfaction over the economy and war on Iran US politics live – latest updates *** Continue reading...
Power outage at Google datacentre in London causes widespread disruption
Outage shows danger of growing reliance on small number of big companies for our digital infrastructure, say experts It happened again. A power outage hit a datacentre in London, and things cascaded from there: multiple banking services faltered, court hearings were put on hold and patients reported temporary glitches on the NHS app. The datacentre in question was in Google’s europe-west2-b zone, one of over a dozen “zones” that the US search giant maintains in Europe to service its clients. Continue reading...
France’s culture of violent policing means the battle for its streets is far from over
French state places officers as agents of authority tasked with repressing, rather than managing, public dissent Familiar images of teargas clouds drifting across Paris squares, police baton charges against masked protesters and terrified teenagers floored – and worse – by stun grenades have once again focused the world’s attention on France’s policing methods. While most of its western European neighbours generally favour police tactics that prioritise crowd containment and de-escalation, France has long responded to social movements that take to the streets with at times shocking physical force. Continue reading...
Great white shark leaps from water and photobombs California beachgoers
Videos show shark launching several feet from water as a group of friends pose for photos along Marina state beach A great white shark put on a spectacular display for California beachgoers over the weekend, leaping from the water off Marina state beach and photobombing visitors. Videos circulating online show a great white shark launching several feet out of the water in the background as a group of friends pose for photos along the beach. Continue reading...
NatWest orders 13,000 staff back to their desks two days a week
Union furious as bank scraps remote-first policy for thousands of employees from February 2027 NatWest has ordered 13,000 staff to increase their in-office days from two days per month to two days per week, angering its staff union. The banking group, which serves customers under the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, and Coutts brands, will require all of its nearly 40,000 UK staff to follow a strict two days per week office schedule from February 2027, abolishing a remote-first policy for thousands of employees. Continue reading...
Prince Harry says he wants to reconcile with Charles and William
Duke of Sussex says ‘there’s enough drama in the world’ without continuing to have issues with family The Duke of Sussex wants to repair his difficult relationship with his father and brother, he has said. Speaking to GQ magazine in New York , Prince Harry said of his complicated relationship with William and King Charles that from a family perspective it was a “massively relatable issue for so many people”. Continue reading...
‘Bad decisions’: Man convicted for taking Peachy the flamingo from Las Vegas hotel
Mitchell Fairbarn found guilty of animal cruelty after prosecutors say he hurt and frightened the 27-year-old bird A Canadian man was convicted of animal cruelty charges Monday for snatching a flamingo named Peachy from its enclosure at an iconic Las Vegas hotel. Prosecutors said it was a malicious prank while a lawyer for the tourist insisted it was drunken foolishness not meant to harm the bird. Continue reading...
Residents fear wild coyote becoming too comfortable in LA neighborhood
A coyote, that has reportedly been roaming the trendy Atwater Village for months, attacked a one-year-old boy One Los Angeles neighborhood has been at war over a wild coyote, and over the weekend it all came to a head. For months, the animal had been roaming the trendy Atwater Village, showing up in broad daylight, sleeping in back yards and approaching residents. At least one person had reportedly fed the coyote and others affectionately nicknamed it Wiley. But some residents feared the creature had become dangerously too cozy. Continue reading...
Flavio Bolsonaro’s ‘corrupto’ stunt sparks viral meme before Brazil election runoff
Far-right presidential candidate’s TV debate swipe at rival backfires as people take to social media to parody it To Flávio Bolsonaro and his publicists, it must have seemed an ingenious idea that would expose his rival’s supposed crookedness on the eve of Brazil’s presidential election. But the far-right politician’s decision to attend a primetime television debate against his leftwing opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with the word “corrupto” (corrupt) written on the palm of his hand has backfired. Continue reading...
Ban ‘intrusive’ cameras on mental health wards in England, say bereaved families
Lawyers tell inquiry ‘patients’ lives are at stake’ through improper use of Oxevision system for most vulnerable Families bereaved by the misuse of an “intrusive” camera monitoring system for vulnerable patients used in half of England’s mental health wards have called for it to be banned to help prevent more avoidable deaths. Lawyers for the families said “patients’ lives are at stake” by the continuing use of Oxevision, the Lampard inquiry into mental health deaths in Essex heard on Tuesday. Continue reading...
US under-17 women beat Samoa 17-0 for biggest win in World Cup history
Result is largest margin at any age level of a World Cup DiMaria is first to score six at Fifa finals since Haaland Tournament is in year two of expanded 24-team field The United States began their U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign on Monday with a record-setting 17-0 win over Samoa the biggest win at any age level in World Cup history. The result surpassed the previous record for margin at an 11-a-side World Cup, a 16-0 win by Morocco against New Caledonia in the 2025 U-17 men’s World Cup. Ten players scored for the US, and forward Maddie DiMaria led with six goals in Salé, Morocco. Continue reading...