11 h. ago Labour MPs face a serious dilemma on asylum seekers – but this is not the way out of it | Polly Toynbee

The party sees its harsh policies as politically necessary. But what happened to talking up the value of migrants for a thriving economy and society?This is how Labour MPs see it. They face brutal dilemmas and miserable choices. How to manage our asylum system is one of the worst. Through their constituency work, they will have met refugees with tragic stories of war and fear, of terrifying journeys across the world, of gangsters on night-time beaches. But MPs’ experience of hearing those heart-rending stories clash head-on with what they see as political necessity, demanding they block their ears and harden their hearts. A life in politics is not for the squeamish.Wes Streeting, a practising Christian, yesterday writhed while answering questions on LBC radio about the home secretary’s tough plans for deterring small boat arrivals. The flavour of his reply reflected how many on Labour’s benches feel. Confronted with the government’s intention to deport more families with children – ...

Events

42 h. ago Labour plot to oust Starmer gathers pace: Andy Burnham refuses to rule out challenging PM and thanks rebel for offer to QUIT so he can make Commons comeback

Andy Burnham is at the centre of renewed speculation after a rebel MP dramatically offered to give up his seat.

Events

43 h. ago Labour plot to oust Starmer gathers pace as Andy Burnham refuses to rule out challenging PM and thanks rebel for offer to QUIT so he can challenge struggling PM

Andy Burnham is at the centre of renewed speculation after a rebel MP dramatically offered to give up his seat.

Events

44 h. ago Andy Burnham dodges on Labour MP's offer to QUIT so he can challenge struggling Keir Starmer

Andy Burnham is at the centre of renewed speculation after a rebel MP dramatically offered to give up his seat.

Events

46 h. ago What does the left want? A wealth tax. What will that accomplish? Very little | Aditya Chakrabortty

Imposing a 1% levy on the super-rich isn’t a policy, it’s pantomime. Tackling inequality in Britain will require much more far-reaching changesBy this time next week you will be digesting the budget, you lucky thing. Yet even before Rachel Reeves has commended a single damn thing to the house, her efforts have been written off as a “shambles”, from a “chaotic” government that is Labour in name alone. Which begs the question: what is the leftwing alternative?Because there is one, on which agreement stretches from Labour backbenchers to many of their opponent MPs and far beyond. Whether you listen to Zack Polanski or Zarah Sultana, the TUC or the YouTubers, they all call for a wealth tax – stinging the rich to pay for schools and hospitals. Who could be against such a thing?Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Economics

47 h. ago Rachel Reeves under pressure to scale back Budget raid on expensive homes

Labour MPs warn chancellor that a possible £1.5mn threshold for new levy would be too low

Events

47 h. ago Reeves under pressure to scale back Budget raid on expensive homes

Labour MPs warn chancellor that a possible £1.5mn threshold for the new levy would be too low

Events

51 h. ago Labour ‘planning council tax hike of 10% for millions’ avoiding referendum as some regions in UK set to reap more cash

LABOUR MPs are looking at hiking council tax by 10 per cent for millions of Brits in regions of the UK without a referendum, The i Paper reports. This will mean local authorities in London could raise their council tax rates above the 5 per cent cap that is currently set without public vote. The...

Economics

63 h. ago 'Mansion tax' on way, say Labour MPs after talk with Rachel Reeves on Budget which will hit London hard

'Mansion tax' on way, say Labour MPs after talk with Rachel Reeves on Budget which will hit London hard  London Evening Standard

Economics

64 h. ago Rachel Reeves 'privately declares war on the rich' as she reveals her mansion tax plan behind closed doors and urges MPs to 'celebrate' Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves talked up a war on the 'rich' as she wooed restive backbenchers ahead of the crucial fiscal statement next week.

Economics

67 h. ago Rachel Reeves urges Labour MPs to celebrate 'wealthy' getting hammered in Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves talked up a war on the 'rich' as she wooed restive backbenchers ahead of the crucial fiscal statement next week.

Economics

67 h. ago 'Mansion tax' on way, say Labour MPs after talk with Reeves on Budget set to hit London hard

The Chancellor reportedly told Labour MPs to highlight how the wealthy would be impacted by her Budget

Economics

2 d. 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 d. ago The UK used to be a world leader on climate – does it still count?

With aid cuts and the forthcoming Budget hanging over the UK, many groups have been disappointed at the country’s apparently lacklustre performance at Cop30. Even Labour MPs at the conference are worried the country is losing the argument. Nick Ferris reports from Belém, Brazil

Politics

3 d. ago Special Forces veterans plead with MPs to block Labour's Troubles bill and spare them from being exposed to a lifetime of lawfare

The return of Labour 's Troubles Bill to the Commons today is also expected to draw hundreds of military protesters to Westminster.

Economics

3 d. ago Labour disintegrates on immigration as gleeful Greens surge in the polls and dozens of Starmer's MPs turn on him

Dozens of backbenchers look set to try to block Shabana Mahmood's plans despite her pleading that they are the only way to restore public faith and stop Reform.

Politics

3 d. ago Labour peer who fled Nazis as child hits out at asylum system shake

Lord Alf Dubs said the changes unveiled by the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday, which has also caused unease among Labour MPs, will make the UK less welcome

Events

3 d. ago Labour eats itself over immigration: 'Dozens' of MPs poised to revolt against asylum crackdown as Shabana Mahmood warns 'broken' system cannot go on

Dozens of backbenchers look set to try to block Shabana Mahmood's plans despite her pleading that they are the only way to restore public faith and stop Reform.

Events

3 d. ago Labour MPs accuse Mahmood of ‘chasing Reform’ with ‘repugnant’ asylum reforms

Mahmood has outlined a raft of sweeping asylum reforms

Events

4 d. ago Mahmood battles backlash from Labour MPs over asylum reforms

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said ‘to maintain the generosity that allows us to provide sanctuary, we must restore order and control’.

Events