24 h. ago Worried about rising bills and getting by? Keir Starmer has the answer: try chewing a flag! | Aditya Chakrabortty

The PM wants to talk about patriotism when the issue that is really affecting people is the cost of living. If he doesn’t wise up, that dissonance will sink himThe ancient charge levelled against politicians is that they chase public opinion as tirelessly as terriers tailing a caravan. When voters shout, ministers jump to and blurt out a reply, no matter how bad. But there is one problem above any other that Britons say causes them personal distress. It is pushing many to desperate action. It’s the same issue that may well seal the next election. It’s no secret, but instead regularly flashes deepest red in polls. Yet it is neither discussed by our prime minister nor receives urgent ministerial attention. And no newspaper is bawling about it in 72-point type.Here is a case study in just how warped politics and the media are in 2025, and how MPs and journalists work against the interests of their voters and audiences. I refer to the cost of living.Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian col...

Politics

8 d. ago Farage, Trump, Musk: your boy Javier Milei just took one hell of a beating. Why so quiet? | Aditya Chakrabortty

The wild politics and chainsaw made Argentina’s president an economic hero for the right. And now, with his nation’s finances in chaos: silenceSo you really want to know how Prime Minister Farage would pan out? Well, speculate no longer. An excellent test case is unfolding right now, in a country that just so happens to be run by one of Nigel’s heroes. Javier Milei is “amazing”, said the CEO of the private company he calls Reform. “Cutting and slashing doing all the things he’s done that’s leadership.”You may know some of this story, about how a political outsider took power in Argentina. You’ve seen photos of El Loco, the self-styled madman, in a black leather jacket, with sideburns like hedges and wielding a giant red chainsaw – all the better to slash the public sector with. Taking over Latin America’s second-largest country made Milei the poster boy of the international hard right. Elon Musk: “I love Javier Milei.” Kemi Badenoch: “Javier Milei is the template.” Donald Trump: “My...

Politics

1 week ago Starmer vows to crack down on taxi rides costing hundreds for asylum seekers in hotels

Sir Keir Starmer made the pledge after it was revealed one taxi bill cost the Home Office £600 to take an asylum seeker 250 miles from a hotel to a doctor’s appointment

Economics

2 w. ago Special relationship? There can be no such thing with a snake like Trump | Aditya Chakrabortty

Keir Starmer has spent the best part of a year cosying up to the US president. It will be no surprise when he gets bittenFor all the ink shed on the subject of Donald Trump, hardly a word is said about his love of poetry. Yet there is at least one piece of verse he adores and regularly performs to cheering crowds. Last month, the White House even turned it into a short film. Called The Snake (and originally written as a song by Oscar Brown Jr), it is as close as this president gets to a credo.The poem begins with a half-frozen snake, “all frosted with the dew” and begging to be taken into the warmth. His plea is heeded by a “tender-hearted woman”:Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Drill, baby, drill! Donald Trump piles pressure on Keir Starmer to U

The US President took a swipe at the Prime Minister's Net Zero goals as he suggested ramping up the production of fossil fuels would cut Brits' energy bills.

Politics

3 w. ago US tech groups answer Starmer’s call for AI infrastructure spending

Multibillion-dollar pledges on data centres come during Trump visit despite unresolved issues around digital services tax

Politics

3 w. ago Labour faces questions over what concessions were made to secure a £30billion deal with US tech giants

As part of Donald Trump's State visit this week, Keir Starmer has struck an agreement that could bring billions of pounds into Britain. It will enable both countries to cooperate on areas such as AI.

Economics

3 w. ago ANDREW GRIFFITH: The economy is a mess and more tax rises and misery are down the road... Starmer must bin Labour's disastrous (un)Employment Bill before it's too late

ANDREW GRIFFITH: Labour 's disastrous (un)Employment Bill is back in Parliament next week. Keir Starmer had a chance to bin the Bill when Angela Rayner resigned.

Economics

3 w. ago Badenoch accuses Starmer of lying over what he knew when about Mandelson emails

The Conservative Party leader said Sir Keir Starmer has ‘very serious questions to answer’.

Politics

4 w. ago DAN HODGES: If Starmer can't (or won't) tell us what he knew about Mandelson, he should resign

What did Keir Starmer know and when? They are the questions the PM must answer as his attempts to defend his ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson collapse around him.

Politics