10 h. ago Keir Starmer seeks to get a grip on UK economy with new hires

PM hopes reshuffled team will help navigate perilous autumn Budget and spot political dangers ahead of time

Politics

3 d. ago Voices: Mon dieu, France – this is no time for un political meltdown!

Next month’s surprise confidence vote could bring down an already crisis-hit minority government, test the country’s governability and end with a drastic power shift – it might also be bad news for Keir Starmer and his coalition of the willing, says Mary Dejevsky

Politics

6 d. ago Gavin Newsom is taking the fight to Trump – but for whom is he fighting? | Arwa Mahdawi

The California governor is one of the few Democrats who seems ready to play the president at his own game. But he also has to show voters that he has empathy and a vision for their futureEvery time you think US politics could not possibly get any stupider, it does. Today’s instalment of “we live in hell, where politicians are passing around the last remaining brain cell” comes via New York and the latest shenanigans of the city’s mayor, Eric Adams. Desperate to distract voters from a steady stream of scandals, the latest of which involves a former aide giving a reporter a crisp packet filled with cash after an Adams mayoral campaign event, he is trying hard to flex his social media muscles.This weekend, Adams joined Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who is running as an independent in November’s election, and others in mocking Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic Democratic candidate and frontrunner, for his weightlifting efforts at a community event. Adams posted a side-by-side video on...

Politics

8 d. ago Manchester Pride can be a party, yes, but we’re in dangerous territory

LGBTQ+ writer Adam Maidment shares why this year's Manchester Pride could be a pivotal political moment at a time desperately needed

Politics

1 week ago Number of asylum seekers housed in hotels up 8% in a year, Home Office data shows

Rise comes despite applications being processed much faster than two years ago as backlog falls below 100,000 for first time since 2021UK politics live – latest updatesThe number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has risen by 8% to 32,059 in a year, according to Home Office data.The data also shows that the government is processing asylum applications much more quickly, with 71,000 cases awaiting approval, relating to 91,000 people, compared with 134,000 two years ago. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago 'No going into Nato': Trump lays out terms for Ukraine 'peace' ahead of Zelensky talks

Trump is leaning on Ukraine to accept a deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years

Politics

2 w. ago California governor calls for a special election to introduce new US House maps – live

Gavin Newsom announces plans to ask voters to approve new congressional maps in response to a redistricting plan by TexasMelania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has threatened to sue if he does not.Biden, the son of the former president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that Epstein introduced the first lady to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump repeats false claims about DC crime and praises order allowing city police to work closer with Ice agents – live updates

Trump says, without evidence, that law enforcement officials who have created ‘fake’ crime statistics, are ‘under investigation’Melania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has threatened to sue if he does not.Biden, the son of the former president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that Epstein introduced the first lady to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump rails about ‘rampant’ crime and social security fraud without evidence – live updates

Trump also claims his domestic policy bill, which he signed into law last month, enshrines ‘no tax’ on social security for America’s seniorsMelania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has threatened to sue if he does not.Biden, the son of the former president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that Epstein introduced the first lady to Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Golf for them, grind for us: Trump, Vance and the hellish US holiday divide | Arwa Mahdawi

While American workers battle burnout and ‘infinite workdays’, the men at the top are living the endless vacation dreamYou know what the problem is with the US? Nobody wants to work any more. People feel entitled to cushy jobs with fat salaries and unlimited holiday time. And by “people” I mean American politicians, who seem to treat public office as an excuse for endless vacations. Because the president and vice-president are technically always on duty, there’s no official holiday policy – and it rather feels as if they are taking advantage of this.Take the vice-president, JD “OOO (out of office)” Vance. When he’s not inspiring memes or threatening to deport menswear influencers, he always seems to be off on a jolly. So far this year, the man has been skiing in Vermont, shut down bits of Disneyland for his family’s use and apparently raised the water level of a river in Ohio for a kayaking trip. Now, the Vances are summering in the Cotswolds. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Calls to Social Security may be rerouted to other field offices that have no jurisdiction over person’s case

Crucial agency has faced high demand and staff losses throughout Trump administration

Events

3 w. ago King of the Hill review – this charming comedy returns after 15 years and it’s more welcome than ever

Hank, Peggy and the gang are back in a changed America. It’s nuanced, subtly political, poignant TV – and there’s never been a better time for its focus on toleranceIt’s been 15 years since we last enjoyed the company of Hank and Peggy Hill. Barack Obama had just entered the White House, Hank was a younger man with an exciting adventure ahead of him and all was, if not quite well with the world, certainly at least explicable. But now? Season 14 of this revived, beloved animated sitcom is upon us, feeling anachronistic yet also oddly timely. It’s like reconnecting with a group of old friends and realising that, while they are much as they always were, the context in which you now see them has altered beyond all recognition.Playing slightly against cartoon convention, the Hills’ lives have moved on. Unlike, for example, the ageless Simpsons, everyone is visibly older. In the intervening years, the propane industry has taken Hank and Peggy to Saudi Arabia. As we rejoin them, they are o...

Politics

3 w. ago The Mamdani effect: how his primary win is inspiring young progressives to run for office

US group geared at mobilizing young leftist candidates saw a record 10,000 people sign up after Mamdani’s NYC victoryIn mid-July, Erik Clemson signed on to a Zoom call from Honolulu, Hawaii, energized by a mayoral candidate in a city far across the country, to hear how he could run for office himself.Clemson, a 39-year-old machinist instructor who has a YouTube channel where he explains the economy, had long considered a political run some time in the future, but Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory provided a push off the sidelines. Continue reading...

Politics