11 h. ago Keir Starmer to hold urgent meeting after weekend of chaos across UK

The Prime Minister has pledged to speed up the closure of asylum hotels, with the Labour leader saying he wants them shut before his existing 2029 deadline

Events

14 h. ago Security staff at Houses of Parliament set for strike action

PCS union members will walk out in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Events

19 h. ago France has a massive debt crisis. So why is it spending billions a year subsidising business? | Alexander Hurst

The government is on the brink of collapse over planned austerity. Instead it must face up to the costs of its unnecessarily rigid labour marketAs someone who has always been against austerity, I find France, with a national debt at 114% of GDP and a budget deficit of 5.8% of GDP, a conundrum. Despite years of denunciation from his left and far-right opponents that Macron has engaged in “ultraneoliberalism”, there hasn’t been any. Not on a macro level, anyway, where both French government spending (57.3% of GDP) and tax receipts (51.4% of GDP) are among the highest in the world, including social spending, which outpaces any of its European neighbours.At the same time, it’s impossible to have spent the past decade in France without encountering the widely shared perception and accusation that public services are in decline. Doctors and nurses denounce a labour shortage in public hospitals; people who live in rural areas denounce the closing of rural train lines; students and academic...

Economics

34 h. ago Court order is stopping Angela Rayner revealing more about property deals, says No10

Keir Starmer's spokesman said the Deputy PM is 'urgently' working on a way to give more details 'in the interests of public transparency'. The nature of the order is not known.

Economics

35 h. ago 'Neighbour's favour turned into selfish act that left me calling emergency services'

A neighbour's selfish act left a member of the public feeling they should call emergency services after a 'favour' from the resident next door spiralled into a terrible moment

Politics

3 d. ago Time for a major reshuffle, Sir Keir Starmer urged... as PM looks to combat the rise of Reform UK

The Prime Minister is said to be planning to ring the changes in his front bench team in a bid to combat the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform over the summer recess.

Politics

4 d. ago White House picks Kennedy deputy Jim O’Neill to replace fired CDC chief

Deputy health secretary chosen as agency’s interim director after firing of Susan MonarezWho’s who in the CDC crisis?The White House has chosen a deputy of Robert F Kennedy Jr to serve as the acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a decision that comes as the standoff over the firing of director Susan Monarez has deepened, with Monarez’s lawyers claiming she will not depart unless Donald Trump himself removes her.A White House official confirmed to the Guardian that Jim O’Neill, currently the deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had been selected to temporarily lead the public health agency, giving Kennedy an ally in his efforts to overhaul US vaccine policy. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Windfall tax on banks could recoup QE losses and raise £8bn a year, IPPR says

Hiking a levy on the profits of major firms could raise up to £8 billion a year for public services, the IPPR said.

Economics

5 d. ago 'America's nicest judge' Frank Caprio to be honored at public memorial services in Rhode Island

People from all over the world are expected to pay tribute to Frank Caprio, a retired Rhode Island municipal judge who found online fame as an empathetic jurist and host of “Caught in Providence.”

Events

5 d. ago Rachel Reeves mulls 'tax hike for landlords' with new national insurance levy

Officials are looking at the imposing national insurance on rental income as a way to raise 2 billion, which could be put towards public services

Politics

6 d. ago Labour urged to agree to 'bespoke' oil and gas permits after independent review findings

Keir Starmer’s government has been urged to agree a compromise to its promised ban on new oil and gas licences.

Politics

7 d. ago Public libraries lead circular economy drive with free tool lending across Scotland

Public library services across Scotland are expanding their pioneering Lend and Mend offering with the introduction of household and gardening tools for free community use.

Politics

7 d. ago Nevada state services shut down as authorities investigate ‘network security incident’

Affected services including the Nevada DMV and the Public Utilities Commission, though governor Joe Lombardo said 911 and other ‘essential services’ remained operational

Events

8 d. ago Philadelphia's mass transit cuts foreshadow possible similar moves by other agencies across US

Commuters and students in Philadelphia say they're waking up earlier and scrambling to avoid being late as they navigate service reductions by the region’s public transit agency

Politics

1 week ago GRIFF RHYS JONES: My night with four young people (I paid, of course)...and why, in spite of all their witless opinions, I deplore the way their futures are being stifled

What's the legacy we're leaving to the young, beyond jobs that won't make them enough money, costs that keep rising, public services that don't work?

Politics

1 week ago Culture minister says ‘biggest anxiety’ is public service broadcasters’ budgets

The commissioning budgets of PSBs have been ‘squeezed’, according to a report.

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Britain’s AI strategy: the risk is that it is dependency dressed up in digital hype | Editorial

The UK’s plans seem to outsource sovereignty for phantom efficiency. Public services provide the data and power while US tech giants reap the rewardsThere was a time when Britain aspired to be a leader in technology. These days, it seems content to be a willing supplicant – handing over its data, infrastructure and public services to US tech giants in exchange for the promise of a few percentage points of efficiency gains. Worryingly, the artificial intelligence strategy of Sir Keir Starmer’s government appears long on rhetoric, short on sovereignty and built on techno-utopian assumptions. Last week Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, was promoting the use of AI-generated discharge letters in the NHS. The tech, he said, will process complex conversations between doctors and patients, slashing paperwork and streamlining services. Ministers say that by applying AI across the public sector, the government can save £45bn.But step back and a more familiar pattern emerges. As Cecil...

Events

2 w. ago Labour needs to ‘pick things up’ after a ‘tough’ first year, says Sadiq Khan – UK politics live

London mayor says he has ‘confidence we will turn it round’ as he addresses audience at Edinburgh fringeThe former home secretary Jack Straw has urged Labour not to panic about the threat of Reform, who are riding high in the polls as Nigel Farage capitalises on the “small boats” and asylum backlog issue. Here is an extract from the write up of the interview he gave to the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Jessica Elgot:In an interview with the Guardian, he praised Starmer’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state after an ultimatum to Israel – but defended the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, saying he would also have proscribed the direct action group Palestine Action.The British political veteran said he believed Starmer and his cabinet were “head and shoulders” above opposition politicians and would reap the rewards of a gradual improvement in the economy and public services, which would not come immediately. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Some workers would be excluded from student loan forgiveness program for 'illegal' activity

The Trump administration has proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that could exclude teachers, social workers and nurses if their employers engage in activities deemed illegal

Events

2 w. ago Plans revealed to restore council grass cutting in West Dunbartonshire

A motion has been tabled to restore grass cutting services across West Dunbartonshire's public open spaces.

Politics