7 h. ago 86% of British kids fear for the future of the planet and want to do their bit to help save Earth

Research found an overwhelming majority of children want people to live as greenly as possible with items like solar panels, EV chargers, smart thermostats and heat pumps

Politics

18 h. ago ‘They rose out of the ground!’: Scotland’s brutalist beauties – in pictures

The imposing concrete buildings that defined British postwar architecture held a vision of the future – but many fell into disrepair. A new book finds the finest examples Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago Fear of facing the future has British politics stuck in the past | Rafael Behr

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves claim to be dealing with the world as it is, but their choices betray yearning for a world that has disappearedHollywood has stopped betting on original ideas. Sequels and remakes dominate the box office. Among this year’s Christmas movie releases are Zootropolis 2 (the first Zootropolis came out in 2016), Avatar: Fire and Ash (third in a series that began in 2009), and Wicked: For Good (part two of the adaptation of a musical that premiered in 2003).New stories are risky. It is safer to retell old ones. British politics feels similarly afflicted by paralysis of the imagination, intimidated by change, stuck in a narrative loop.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

44 h. ago The sun wasn't up yet, the street was quiet – and she thought to herself: "I'm going to die"

From the ashes of her home to the courtroom, Emma Martin faced danger, fear, and loss - and refused to be silenced.

Events

6 d. ago ‘A constant fear’: Myanmar nationals face imprisonment back home as US ends protected status

Thousands of Myanmar diaspora are at risk of deportation, after the US said they no longer required Temporary Protective StatusAung* was finishing his studies in New York when Myanmar’s junta tried to conscript him into the civil war raging in his homeland.Terrified by the idea, Aung applied for Temporary Protective Status (TPS) in the United States, hoping that by the time he finished his degree the conflict might have calmed. Instead, the war has only escalated. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Major British 90s dance duo to play last show ‘for foreseeable future’ in old IKEA

Major British 90s dance duo to play last show ‘for foreseeable future’ in old IKEA  Wimbledon Guardian

Culture

8 d. ago Rachel Reeves has many problems. She’s realising that her Brexit bind may be the biggest of all | Rafael Behr

Brutal economic realities are prompting a shift in Labour’s tone on Europe. But will it dare tell the whole truth about Britain’s predicament? Rachel Reeves has approached this week’s budget like a reluctant swimmer inching into freezing water, trying to ease the unpleasantness by incremental exposure. The chancellor started paddling delicately around the problem of insufficient revenue at the end of the summer. First, she refused to stand by former insistence that tax rises in last year’s budget would be the last. “The world has changed,” she said.Then, earlier this month, she took a bigger stride into the icy waves. There was a speech promising to “do what is necessary” to fund public services and keep borrowing costs down. Downing Street did not discourage speculation that this meant reneging on Labour’s 2024 manifesto promise not to raise income tax. Too deep! Within 10 days the Treasury had retracted the hint. The manifesto commitment still stood after all. As any cold-water sw...

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer’s squandering of a historic election victory is a tragedy nearing its finale | Rafael Behr

The tactics that gave Labour its huge majority in 2024 were no preparation for government – and the prime minister has proved he has nothing more to offerThe mood among Labour MPs these days follows Edgar’s law. This states that the scale of any misfortune can only be measured against unknown future disasters. As Shakespeare has the banished son of the blinded Earl of Gloucester say in King Lear: “The worst is not, so long as we can say ‘this is the worst’.”According to Edgar’s law, there is no opinion poll so gloomy for Labour that it can’t be followed by one even bleaker; no fiscal forecast so bad that the Treasury can’t aggravate it with contradictory signals on tax; no misgivings about Keir Starmer that can’t be amplified by malevolent briefing about a leadership challenge; no social policy so nauseating to the party faithful that it can’t be made grosser still with a relish of cruelty.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Scottish economy 'stuck in doom loop' as low growth weakens tax impact

The Conservatives accused the SNP of ‘choking earnings and growth’

Economics

3 w. ago British Medical Association ‘threat to future of NHS’, says Streeting ahead of doctors’ strike

Health secretary accuses doctors’ union of ‘cartel-like behaviour’ and tells it to ‘get real’ over pay demandsUK politics live – latest updatesThe British Medical Association is acting like a cartel and its “antics” are endangering the NHS’s future, the health secretary has said before the latest doctors’ strike begins on Friday.Wes Streeting launched his most strongly worded attack yet on the doctors’ union, coming close to accusing resident doctors in England of being greedy in their pay demands. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago There’s a missing link in British public life – and it underpins crises from the BBC to our prisons | Rafael Behr

A declining sense of collective identity is corroding trust in our institutions and undermining democratic politicsImagine you are given a pile of tokens, representing real money, and invited to donate to a common pot. There are other players but you can’t interact with them. The sum of collective contributions will be trebled, then shared equally among all players. What do you do?If everyone submits all their money, all get richer. But if everyone except you pays in, you can enjoy the collective payout while retaining your original stash. The flaw in the selfish strategy is that other people might have the same idea. If no one pays in, there is no bounty to share.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago British Asian families urged to share stories of ‘greatest generation’ who fought for Britain

Half of UK public unaware of contribution made by 2.5m British Asian members of armed forces who served in second world warBritish Asian families are being urged to record the experiences of relatives who fought for Britain for “future generations” as data reveals half the British public don’t know that Indian members of the armed forces served in the second world war.The My Family Legacy project, backed by the Royal British Legion, is building an online archive of Asian veterans’ experiences to raise awareness of the shared histories and sacrifices of Britain’s diverse communities. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Economic policy is one thing Nigel Farage can’t crib from the Donald Trump playbook | Rafael Behr

The Maga model, based on the US’s exorbitant market privileges, can’t be imported to Britain. That’s going to be a problem for Reform UKNigel Farage loves a gamble. In his 2015 memoir, The Purple Revolution, a whole chapter is dedicated to the then Ukip leader’s appetite for risk, how he indulged it in the City and how that prepared him for a career in politics.He boasts of the time he “lost a seven-figure sum of money in the course of a morning on the zinc market” before breezing off to the pub. He waxes nostalgic about the halcyon days of freewheeling finance, before “ghastly regulators” spoiled the fun; when “terrible cock-ups” could be written off because “decimal points and all those zeros can be tricky after a three-hour lunch”. Continue reading...

Politics