3 h. ago British politics is in a loop and it's Farage's vision that's stuck on repeat | John Harris

Unlike Keir Starmer and his cabinet, Reform UK’s leader actually understands and exploits the rules of engagement in our digital ageAs so often happens, what Nigel Farage said on a recent visit to south Wales deserved endless pejoratives. It was ludicrous, condescending, half-baked, opportunistic and plain stupid. Even he didn’t seem to know exactly what he wanted. At a Reform UK press conference in Port Talbot, he seemed to make the case for reopening the town’s steel-making blast furnaces, before admitting that “it might be easier to build a new one”, though he also acknowledged that it would “cost in the low billions” to do so. But he had even more dizzying visions of reopened Welsh mines. “If you offer people well-paying jobs many will take them,” said Farage, “even though you have to accept that mining is dangerous.”The climate crisis, predictably enough, was not worth considering. He also did not offer any opinions about coal-related issues such as slag heaps, land slips, rive...

Politics

3 h. ago Grooming gangs inquiry ‘must not delay action’ against child abuse, says NSPCC

Sir Keir Starmer said on Saturday he will launch a full inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal after resisting pressure for months.

Events

3 h. ago Starmer focused on grooming victims not ‘grandstanding’, says Reeves

The Chancellor said that Sir Keir has been looking at ‘actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again’.

Events

7 h. ago 'Six wasted months': Keir Starmer under fire over grooming gangs inquiry U

Kemi Badenoch says the Prime Minister had to be ‘led by the nose to make the correct decision’

Events

21 h. ago PM announces full inquiry into grooming gangs after resisting calls for probe

Sir Keir Starmer said he had read ‘every single word’ of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey.

Events

25 h. ago Elon Musk's transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson dances with Trans Pride flag at drag show raising cash for immigrants' legal bills

Elon Musk's transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson strutted across a drag show stage, proudly waving a trans flag while raising cash for the defence funds of immigrants in LA. 

Events

46 h. ago What Elon Musk wore to the White House foreshadowed his downfall

The sloppy sartorial style of political insiders, from Musk to Dominic Cummings, reveals who has the privilege to be scruffy – but it may also signal their undoingIn case you missed it, Elon Musk and Donald Trump have fallen out.For some – and in particular anyone looking at the tech billionaire’s White House wardrobe – this will come as little surprise. Long before anyone hit send on those inflammatory tweets, or tensions spilled out over Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), Musk’s political downfall was written in the stitching. Continue reading...

Events

48 h. ago Trump team weighs shutting out Musk’s SpaceX from ‘Golden Dome’ project as fallout from feud lingers

Elon Musk’s SpaceX appeared to be the frontrunner to begin work on the ambitious project, which would have pocketed him billions

Technology

51 h. ago So social media has broken even Elon Musk. I’m forced to ask: U OK hun? | Marina Hyde

In his spat with Trump, the man who literally owns X has been hoist by his own platform. Guys, no one is safe!Did you see Elon Musk apologise for some tweets this week? (Please don’t be naff and call them “X posts”.) Like me, you will be so embarrassed for Earth’s primo edgelord that he feels pressed into doing something so excruciatingly conventional. This is worse than when Kate Moss was scapegoated into rehab.Imagine owning the world’s premier shitposting platform – in fact, having spent $44bn (£32bn) on it, specifically so that your magic mirror would tell you each day that you were the fairest shitposter of all – and then shuffling sheepishly on to your own pixels to mumble something about having gone “too far” with your hurty words. Buck up, sadsack – honestly.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Why is the media ignoring growing resistance to Trump? | Margaret Sullivan

Protest actions like ‘Hands Off’ and ‘No Kings’ are sweeping across the US. But the media is barely paying attentionWhen hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered across the US on 5 April for the “Hands Off” events protesting Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s governmental wrecking ball, much of the news media seemed to yawn.The next day, the New York Times put a photograph, but no story, on its print front page. The Wall Street Journal’s digital homepage had it as only the 20th-most-prominent story when I checked. Fox News was dismissive; I stopped counting after I scanned 40 articles on its homepage, though there was a video with this dismissive headline: “Liberals rally against President Trump.”Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Why are the media ignoring growing resistance to Trump? | Margaret Sullivan

Protest actions like ‘Hands Off’ and ‘No Kings’ are sweeping across the US. But the media are barely paying attentionWhen hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered across the US on 5 April for the “Hands Off” events protesting Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s governmental wrecking ball, much of the news media seemed to yawn.The next day, the New York Times put a photograph, but no story, on its print front page. The Wall Street Journal’s digital homepage had it as only the 20th-most-prominent story when I checked. Fox News was dismissive; I stopped counting after I scanned 40 articles on its homepage, though there was a video with this dismissive headline: “Liberals rally against President Trump.”Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Politics

68 h. ago Trump sticks it to both Elon Musk AND Gavin Newsom with move to 'save' auto industry

President Donald Trump on Thursday stuck it to both Elon Musk and California Gov. Gavin Newsom with the stroke of a pen.

Politics

2 d. ago Democrats say an emphatic ‘No!’ to taking Elon Musk’s money in the future

Tesla billionaire may or may not be on the outs with Trump but Democrats are not buying in

Politics

2 d. ago Republicans fear the Mexican flag at the LA protests. But I see it as a symbol of our power | Daniel Peña

The flag serves as a reminder of a fundamental truth about Mexican Americans: we are from here; we are also from thereRepublicans are using images of Ice protesters waving Mexican flags atop burning Waymo cars to foment fear among Americans. Like this photograph that Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday: a shirtless protester wielding the Tricolor atop a vandalized robotaxi as flames billow toward the weak sunlight backlighting the flag. His dark curls fall to his bare shoulders. He stares into the camera.Frankly, the image belongs in a museum. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago Why are people so triggered by the Mexican flag at the LA protests? | Daniel Peña

The flag serves as a reminder of a fundamental truth about Mexican Americans: we are from here; we are also from thereRepublicans are using images of Ice protesters waving Mexican flags atop burning Waymo cars to foment fear among Americans. Like this photograph that Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday: a shirtless protester wielding the Tricolor atop a vandalized robotaxi as flames billow toward the weak sunlight backlighting the flag. His dark curls fall to his bare shoulders. He stares into the camera.Frankly, the image belongs in a museum. Continue reading...

Events

2 d. ago Jonathan Reynolds mocks Nigel Farage’s coal mines plan as an ‘absolute parody’

Nigel Farage fails to understand ‘the pride in where we’re from and what we represent’, the business secretary said

Politics

3 d. ago JD Vance roasted over ‘tone deaf’ Sweeney Todd joke prior to attending Les Misérables

Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot calls the Vice-President’s attendance ‘tone-deaf’ as LA riots head into their seventh day

Politics

3 d. ago Bob Geldof blasts 'sociopathic loser' Elon Musk in fiery rant at Live Aid musical

The 73-year-old musician and Live Aid pioneer spoke to the audience after the opening night of Just For One Day

Politics

3 d. ago Sir Bob Geldof brands Elon Musk a 'sociopathic loser' in blistering tirade against UK and US leaders

The outspoken campaigner appeared on stage on Wednesday following a performance of Just For One Day, the musical inspired by the 1985 Live Aid concerts

Politics

3 d. ago Tories call for information watchdog to probe Reform UK’s data requests

Nigel Farage’s political party has requested a broad swathe of information from the councils it now controls across England.

Politics