7 h. ago Labour's vow on free childcare is at risk of collapse after raid on National Insurance, Education Secretary warned

In a letter to the Education Secretary, 27 leading organisations representing children, parents and childcare providers said families face being let down without urgent action.

Events

14 h. ago The Guardian view on the killing of Gaza’s journalists: Israel wants to stop the world from seeing what it’s doing | Editorial

This is the most lethal war for the media in recent times. A generation of journalists is being wiped outDay by day, the death toll rises, the war crimes mount, and the outrage grows. Last Wednesday, the pope demanded that Israel stop its “collective punishment” of Gaza’s population. A day later, António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, warned that “the levels of death and destruction are without parallel in recent times”. More than 500 UN staff have pressed the human rights chief, Volker Türk, to call it genocide. Half of registered voters in the US have already concluded that that is what Israel is doing in Gaza.The agony is deepening. On Friday, the Israeli military declared famine-hit Gaza City to be a combat zone, intensifying its assault and ending “tactical pauses” that allowed limited – if utterly inadequate – food delivery. Many inhabitants are physically incapable of fleeing again, and fear that they would be no s...

Events

31 h. ago Schools and parents urged to end 'lifelong impact' of kids missing class

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned that pupils were missing out on vital learning due to their classmates acting up as she launched a push for 'calmer classrooms'

Events

43 h. ago Labour must act to close asylum hotels or face Reform poll gains, ex

Charlie Falconer says government was right to challenge Epping hotel ruling but now has to ‘move forward’A former Labour justice secretary has warned that Reform UK will continue to rise in opinion polls unless the government moves faster to close hotels housing people seeking asylum.On Friday, the government won a court of appeal challenge against an injunction by Epping Forest district council that would have resulted in 130 asylum seekers being moved out of the Bell hotel. In recent weeks the hotel has become the focus of repeated protests, some of which have been orchestrated by far-right extremists and have turned violent. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Now ANOTHER former Labour home secretary says Britain should 'decouple' from the ECHR to help tackle Channel migrant crisis as pressure piles on Keir Starmer

Jack Straw, who was Labour home secretary between 1997 and 2001, warned the ECHR was being 'misused' in some legal cases to prevent migrant deportations.

Events

1 week ago Wes Streeting issues private ultimatum to pharma groups in NHS pricing talks

UK health secretary has warned sector he will publicly walk away from negotiations if his offer is not accepted

Politics

1 week ago Gaza City offensive would be ‘death sentence’ for Israeli hostages, say relatives

UN warns of ‘massive death and destruction’ if Netanyahu proceeds with plan for expanded military operationMiddle East crisis – latest updatesAn Israeli operation to conquer Gaza City would be a “death sentence” for the remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, relatives of the hostages have said, as the Red Cross and UN warned of a looming catastrophe.Opposition to a new operation – repeatedly “approved” by Israeli figures in recent days – is growing inside Israel and internationally. Calling for an immediate ceasefire, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned of the “massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza would inevitably cause”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Labour hits out at Israel's settlement plan to 'divide a Palestinian state in two'

The Foreign Secretary criticised the approval of the E1 project as he warned it would 'critically undermine' hopes of a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis.

Politics

1 week ago Texas House has enough lawmakers present to pass gerrymandered congressional map – US politics live

Quorum in state House also paves way for redistricting battle across the country to continueTrump pledges to scrap mail ballots before 2026 midtermsNewsmax and Dominion settle for $67m in defamation suit over US election liesAn aid group that coordinates medical care in the United States for badly injured children from Gaza has said it is “distressed” by the US state department’s decision to stop issuing visitor visas for Palestinians after a far-right influencer complained directly to the secretary of state about their work.Laura Loomer, who has previously described herself as a “proud Islamophobe”, told the New York Times that she had spoken to Marco Rubio on Friday night to warn the secretary of state of what she called the threat posed by “Islamic invaders”. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago David Lammy faces possible legal action over Foreign Office secondments

Campaigners say placing staff from Shell and BAE Systems in ministries creates potential for improper influenceDavid Lammy is facing possible legal action over a plan to invite staff from the oil firm Shell and the defence firm BAE Systems to work inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.A pre-action letter seen by the Guardian warns the foreign secretary that the scheme leaves the government open to allegations of a conflict of interest and creates the potential for “improper influence”.An alleged lack of transparency as to how the proposed scheme will operate.The potential for improper influence by representatives of Shell and BAE Systems on UK government practices, including in relation to foreign policy.The potential for conflicts of interest. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Even Trump’s former Surgeon General has hit out at RFK Jr’s plans to gut vaccine research: ‘Going to cost lives’

Warning comes after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced cuts of nearly $500m in funding for mRNA vaccine projects, the technology that powered two major Covid vaccines

Politics

3 w. ago Palestine Action’s future plans are disturbing, Yvette Cooper claims as she urges protesters to stay away

‘I would say to people, this is not a non violent organisation,’ the home secretary warned ahead of a mass planned protest

Events