Category Archives: Politics

London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and bars in Soho and West End

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Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt ‘positive vision of economic growth’ of nightlife

Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.

This comes after the Guardian revealed the council’s new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls “vertical drinking”. The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar.

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Nicola Sturgeon ‘has not spoken to’ estranged husband, Peter Murrell, since he was jailed

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Scotland’s former first minister says she will not visit Murrell in prison, where he is serving five-year sentence for embezzling SNP funds

Nicola Surgeon has said she will not visit her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, in prison, has stopped speaking to him and views herself as a “mug” for worrying about his wellbeing and mental health earlier this year.

During a podcast recording at the Edinburgh festival fringe, Scotland’s former first minister said Murrell had lied to her until the day he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National party.

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Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

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London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projects

Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.

Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.”

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Thetford residents remain on edge after days of ‘mob rule’ over asylum plans

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People voice frustration with officials’ failure to engage with community over placement of asylum seekers in area

A smashed window pane and some broken eggshells on a footpath were some of the tell-tale signs of events that took place this week on a residential street at the edge of Thetford.

On Friday afternoon it was not hard to find local people with a sense of foreboding after the latest disorder in the Norfolk market town which has seen crowds attempt to break into properties believed to be housing asylum seekers.

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Millions in England face longer waits for mental health care as NHS providers plan cuts

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Exclusive: Seven in 10 survey respondents expect services to be reduced or shut, while more than half anticipate job losses

Millions of adults and children in England face being forced to wait longer for mental health care, with more than two-thirds of NHS providers planning to cut services and half expected to axe jobs, the Guardian can reveal.

With mental health services already under extraordinary pressure amid soaring demand for support, experts warned the proposed cuts – drawn up by trusts to plug holes in their finances – would also have “significant” consequences for the wider NHS, the economy and public services.

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French officers halted small boats at sea 10 times since spring

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Disclosure challenges Conservative and Reform claims that police are refusing to intervene

The French authorities have halted small boats at sea in the Channel on 10 occasions since the spring, officials said on Friday.

Despite claims from the Conservatives and Reform that the French were refusing to intervene in small boat crossings, maritime prefect officers were using “intervention tactics” to board or control vessels at sea and take asylum seekers back to France.

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Nearly 50 asylum seekers deported under ‘one in one out’ scheme have returned to the UK

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Figure raises questions about deal with France despite UK ministers insisting repeat arrivals will be removed

Almost 50 asylum seekers deported using the “one in one out” scheme have been recorded as returning to the UK a second time, the Guardian has learned.

In addition to the returnees detained by the Home Office, an unknown number are believed to have arrived in the UK undetected.

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Healey urged to be bold on borrowing in first test of Burnham’s growth pledge

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Some want the chancellor to exploit newly flexible fiscal rules – others want a more creative approach, such as borrowing from markets

With just 12 weeks to go until his first budget, new chancellor John Healey is seeking ways to ramp up public investment, without busting the Treasury’s fiscal rules – and some economists are urging him to be bold.

As he settles into No 11 Downing Street, the former defence secretary’s most immediate challenges concern day-to-day government spending.

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Healey urged to be bold on borrowing in first test of Burnham’s growth pledge

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Some want the chancellor to exploit newly flexible fiscal rules – others want a more creative approach, such as borrowing from markets

With just 12 weeks to go until his first budget, new chancellor John Healey is seeking ways to ramp up public investment, without busting the Treasury’s fiscal rules – and some economists are urging him to be bold.

As he settles into No 11 Downing Street, the former defence secretary’s most immediate challenges concern day-to-day government spending.

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Andy Burnham reveals wife’s reaction to third Labour leadership bid

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Burnham said his wife, Marie-France van Heel, took some persuading after he ran and lost in contests in 2010 and 2015

Andy Burnham has revealed his wife’s dismayed reaction when he told her he wanted to make another attempt at becoming Labour leader.

Burnham said that his wife, Marie-France van Heel, had been surprised by his decision to run, having lost contests in 2010 and 2015 to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn respectively.

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Burnham not considering public inquiry into UK activities of Jeffrey Epstein

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Victims’ minister said earlier that PM was ‘looking into’ inquiry into Epstein and another into Mohamed Al Fayed

Andy Burnham is not actively considering a public inquiry into the actions of Jeffrey Epstein in the UK, despite claims to the contrary, it is understood.

The victims’ minister, Alex Davies-Jones, said on Tuesday had the prime minister had agreed to meet the sex offender’s victims, was “looking into” an inquiry and was “taking this very seriously”. A separate inquiry into the alleged actions of the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed is also being considered. But the Guardian understands a public inquiry is not being actively considered by No 10.

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Charity Commission to investigate donations to illegal Israeli settlements

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Official action by regulator for England and Wales comes after formal complaint made by Labour MP about the funds

An official investigation has been launched into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

The Charity Commission will aim to establish the amount of charitable funds going to illegal settlements, whether the spending was in furtherance of their purposes and any regulatory action that may be necessary.

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Mother of PC Harper ‘bitterly disappointed’ that son’s killers remain eligible for early release – UK politics live

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Government revises plans to tackle prison overcrowding amid pressure from MPs and victims but domestic abusers and killers could still be released early

Some 86,495 people were in prison in England and Wales as of 3 August, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Justice.

This is 2,026 below the record high of 88,521 reached on 6 September 2024, just before the current early release scheme began.

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Calls for UK bank tax to fund cost of living help as HSBC profits hit £7.5bn

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Levy could raise £19bn to help pay for Andy Burnham’s support for those struggling with bills, say campaigners

Campaigners have renewed calls for a windfall tax on UK banks that could raise £19bn towards Andy Burnham’s cost of living agenda, after HSBC raked in $10.1bn (£7.5bn) worth of profits in the second quarter of the year.

Bosses at HSBC reported on Tuesday that profits rose 60% year on year in the three months to the end of June, helped by fees from wealth management and insurance business, as well as higher interest rates, which allow the bank to charge more for loans and mortgages.

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About 1,000 fewer prisoners to get early release as Burnham tightens rules

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Justice secretary says blocking more would have caused prison system to ‘break’ but admits impact on grieving relatives such as those of PC Andrew Harper

About 1,000 fewer prisoners will be released early after Andy Burnham’s intervention to exclude those convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming from the scheme.

The justice secretary, Alex Norris, said 5,000 prisoners would be released over 10 months from October in England and Wales, down from the government’s original plan for 6,000 from September.

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BP boss urges Burnham to prioritise UK oil and gas even as firm exits North Sea

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Meg O’Neill says ‘where we generate jobs, we generate tax revenue’, as company’s profits more than double

BP’s chief executive has urged Andy Burnham to make use of the UK’s oil and gas resources even as the oil company prepares to sell its North Sea business after 60 years in the ageing basin.

In a conversation with the new prime minister, Meg O’Neill said the country should prioritise using energy produced in the UK, “where we generate jobs, we generate tax revenue, we generate all those additional positive impacts”.

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Healey’s profiteering warning on food and fuel risks row with retailers

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Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or till

The chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.

While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering.

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On the ground in the English seaside town rightwing influencers say is being ‘invaded’

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Some in Dover say their town is being exploited by content creators and politicians, but others claim there is a genuine problem

If you believe rightwing influencers and politicians, Dover and the wider Kent coast has been the site of an “invasion” for years now. And, for an online audience of millions, they and their camera crews have been the vanguard in the nation’s defence.

Indeed, if you believe all you see on the algorithms of amateur Channel watchers, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, braved a hail of French gunfire as he took to the water in a fishing boat this week; an attempt by the French authorities, he suggested, to deter him in his mission of highlighting the small boats crisis.

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‘MPs have had their stomachs pumped’: concerns over ‘alcohol-soaked’ culture in Westminster

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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 revealed.

Drinking is commonplace and some MPs have had their stomachs pumped after consuming so much alcohol that they ended up in hospital, one disclosed.

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EU relations, climate crisis and Gaza: why Ed Miliband is fired up by Foreign Office challenges

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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.”

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