The Guardian Politics

A TikTok PM may seem laughable – but reaching young people like me might just keep Labour in office | Lucy O’Brien

Andy Burnham and his social media team know how to connect with us. We’re no fools, though – this has to be backed by serious policiesStrapped up in his navy suit, blue tie and charmingly nerdy glasses, Andy Burnham entered No 10 newly appointed as our fifth prime minister in four years. I didn’t watch this historic scene live on BBC News. Instead, I saw a 10-second clip on TikTok, with a viral Love Island soundbite: “A hot new bombshell has entered the villa.” Not exactly the introduction you m

politics  Aug 10, 2026

BBC Politics

Risk of patient safety 'bonfire' with Health Bill changes, Lib Dems say

The party says the government's plans to modernise the NHS risk another major hospital scandal.

politics  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Revisited: Andy Burnham apologises for Labour’s stance on Gaza – podcast

In July, Andy Burnham told the Guardian’s political editor, Pippa Crerar, that Labour ‘didn’t get it right’ on Gaza. He apologised for the party’s slow response in calling for a ceasefire, but stopped short of describing what was happening on the ground as genocide.This is an edited version of Pippa’s conversation with colleague Kiran Stacey. The original episode was published on 9 JulyYou can read Pippa Crerar’s exclusive with Andy Burnham here.You can read Anna Isaac’s investigation into Nigel

politics  Aug 10, 2026

BBC Politics

Burnham brings forward ban on 'subscription traps' to ease cost of living

The prime minister is embarking on a UK tour with a series of announcements aimed at easing living costs.

politics  Aug 9, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Cut £175 from energy bills for low-income homes, says thinktank

Resolution Foundation proposes £2bn emergency scheme to help people facing higher costs this winterLabour should draw up an emergency plan to cut energy prices for low-income families by up to £175 this winter, the Resolution Foundation has said.One of Andy Burnham’s first policy announcements as prime minister was to remove VAT temporarily from electricity bills, saving households about £45 a year. Continue reading...

politics  Aug 9, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Subscriptions you can’t easily cancel, sales that aren’t sales – I’ll end the rip-offs that British people hate | Andy Burnham

These everyday hassles are small, but they add up – especially in a cost of living crisis. That’s why my government will tackle them head-onAndy Burnham is the UK prime ministerBurnham vows crackdown on ‘rip-off’ business practices It’s remarkable how much of modern life can seem designed to wear us down. Every “sale” seems to come with an asterisk. Consumer contracts often find a way of costing more than you expected. And too many companies want you to sign up in seconds, but then make it feel

politics  Aug 9, 2026

The Guardian Politics

‘I was on my honeymoon!’: Hamish Falconer’s surprise call-up to Burnham’s cabinet

New EU negotiator, who previously helped free Taliban hostages, thought it was safe to book holiday during recessWhen Hamish Falconer left his career as a Foreign Office diplomat for the hostile environment of a Labour party selection process, one of his last acts was a negotiation to free six hostages from the Taliban.When he won the key marginal seat of Lincoln in the 2024 general election, he did not expect to be back in those offices on King Charles Street quite so quickly – he was appointed

politics  Aug 9, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Pilot pulls off Count Binface stunt for Clacton byelection

Plane spends 30 minutes off the Essex coast marking out shape of a bin in apparent tribute to Nigel Farage’s rivalA pilot has traced the shape of a bin with their flight path near Clacton before Count Binface challenges Nigel Farage in a byelection on Thursday.The light aircraft spent around half an hour between 2,100ft and 4,150ft above the sea near the Essex coastal town zigzagging to mark out the shape of a bin, according to data from Flightradar24. Continue reading...

politics  Aug 9, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Britain is paying the price for failing to invest in its young people | Richard Partington

Alan Milburn has outlined a generation cut adrift by austerity. We must grasp the nettle and rebuild a preventive stateMost people think Britain is not working as it should. For young people, the situation is at its most acute: Only one in four believe that everyone in society has a fair crack. Most think the game is rigged.It is clear why the generation who grew up during the post-2008 crash austerity years and in the shadow of the Covid pandemic are downbeat: the level of public service provis

politics  Aug 9, 2026

BBC Politics

What do Clacton voters want from their next MP?

People share the issues on their minds as the constituency prepares to go to the polls.

politics  Aug 8, 2026

BBC Politics

Andy Burnham to embark on cost of living tour through the UK

No 10 says the prime minister's plans will "give people some room to breathe", but opposition figures accuse him of "hypocrisy".

politics  Aug 8, 2026

BBC Politics

Sturgeon has not spoken to Murrell since he was jailed for embezzling SNP funds

The former first minister also told a podcast she would not visit her estranged husband in prison.

politics  Aug 8, 2026

BBC Politics

Farage and Tice sue NCA over alleged leaks of financial information

The Reform leaders claim the National Crime Agency supplied details about party donations to the media.

politics  Aug 8, 2026

BBC Politics

Badenoch pens letter to Clacton ahead of by-election

The Tories are not standing in next week's election, triggered by Nigel Farage's resignation.

politics  Aug 7, 2026

BBC Politics

Government criticised over plastic spill response

Volunteers call for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to intervene and declare it a "national disaster".

politics  Aug 7, 2026

The Guardian Politics

A ‘Keminaissance’ for the Tories is wishful thinking – Badenoch’s Reform-lite summer will only end one way | Jonathan Freedland

Hiring a convicted antisemite as an adviser; rabble rousing at a time of violent unrest. She is still in a race to the bottom and making too many mistakesThe Keminaissance will be delayed. For nearly a year, Conservative optimists and a clutch of supportive pundits have been forecasting an upturn in the fortunes of Kemi Badenoch, confident that her party will emerge from the crater it fell into in 2024, overtake Reform UK to become once again the main party of the right and, who knows, maybe, wi

politics  Aug 7, 2026

The Guardian Politics

It must be tricky for Nige to remember what’s what. It’s so hideously complicated | John Crace

I can’t pass up the moment the Reform leader celebrates his byelection victory against a man with a dustbin on his headYou would have thought that after 35 years of writing for the Guardian I would have mastered some of the basics of holiday protocol by now. Apparently not. So while I had remembered to let the newsdesk know that I wouldn’t be writing the political sketch for two weeks, it had completely slipped my mind to inform the Saturday editor. So rather than leave her with the headache of

politics  Aug 7, 2026

The Guardian Politics

Kemi Badenoch’s weird week: defence of ex-neo-Nazi raises questions over Tory direction

Some in party are delighted by leader’s tack rightwards but opponents have savoured latest Conservative controversyThere was a moment in the middle of this week when a news alert raised eyebrows among the politically committed. It read: “Kemi Badenoch: Former neo-Nazi candidate would just be sorting out bins.” It was a collection of words that might prompt palpitations in the most sanguine of communications professionals, followed by panicked advice that retreat was necessary. But as a deeply we

politics  Aug 7, 2026

BBC Politics

Analysis: Prisoner release row is Burnham's first big test as PM

The prison overcrowding crisis presents the new PM with a dilemma for which there are only unpalatable choices.

politics  Aug 7, 2026

BBC Politics

Streeting 'sickened' by sex abuse claims at Army college

The defence secretary promises to look into what went wrong at the college in North Yorkshire.

politics  Aug 7, 2026