The Guardian

PM rebukes Trump amid anger at Nato troop ‘insult’

Keir Starmer issued an unprecedented rebuke to Donald Trump yesterday for his “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks about British and other Nato troops in Afghanistan, and suggested he should apologise. After a day of mounting outrage around the...

Stand up for yourselves, Zelenskyy tells Europe in fiery Davos speech

Volodymyr Zelenskyy took aim at Europe in a fiery speech at Davos last night, accusing leaders of being in “Greenland mode” as they waited for leadership from Donald Trump on Ukraine and other geopolitical crises rather than taking action...

Trump claims that ‘framework of future deal’ on Greenland agreed

Donald Trump abruptly stepped back from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize Greenland last night and said a deal was in sight to end the dispute. After weeks of rhetoric that risked the deepest rupture in transatlantic relations in decades,...

Europe condemns Trump threats on Greenland as ‘new colonialism’

European leaders lined up yesterday to condemn Donald Trump’s “new colonialism” and warn that the continent was facing a crossroads as the US president said there was no going back on his goal of controlling Greenland. After weeks of aggressive...

‘A massive strain’

Lawyers representing Prince Harry and six other prominent figures have accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” to secure stories about them. In a witness statement submitted to...

EU weighs up €93bn retaliation for Trump’s Greenland ‘blackmail’

European leaders are considering a plan to levy tariffs on €93bn of US goods in retaliation for Donald Trump’s campaign to annex Greenland, it emerged yesterday, as Keir Starmer used a call with the US president to tell him that his economic attack on...

Back my Greenland plans or face tariffs, says Trump

Donald Trump threatened yesterday to impose tariffs on countries that did not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland, increasing pressure on European allies who have opposed his effort to take over the Arctic territory. After a tense week in...

Trump still intent on ‘conquering’ Greenland, say Danes after talks

Donald Trump remains intent on “conquering” Greenland, the Danish foreign minister said yesterday, as talks with US officials failed to solve a “fundamental disagreement” that has led to unprecedented tensions between Washington and a Nato ally. It...

Adolescence star Owen Cooper wins at the Golden Globes

The film One Battle After Another and the Netflix series Adolescence led this year’s Golden Globes in Los Angeles on Sunday night with four wins apiece. Paul Thomas Anderson’s counterculture epic won the best comedy or musical film category. It also...

Iran prepares for violent clashes as protests rage

Iran’s supreme leader vowed yesterday that authorities would “not back down” in the face of a rapidly growing protest movement, setting the stage for an intensified violent crackdown on the second day of a nationwide internet shutdown. Protests have...

Agent who killed woman ‘will not be charged’

US vice-president JD Vance said last night that a US immigration agent who killed a woman in the state of Minnesota was “protected by absolute immunity” from prosecution. The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a US citizen, by an Immigration...

UK and France seal ‘coalition’ deal to send troops to postwar Ukraine

Britain and France have declared they are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine in the aftermath of a peace deal, a major new commitment that Russia is likely to block forcefully. The announcement came after a summit in Paris hosted by the French...

Maduro says he is ‘prisoner of war’ and denies all charges in US court

The deposed Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, pleaded not guilty to drugs, weapons and “narcoterrorism” charges yesterday, two days after his capture by US special forces in an operation ordered by Donald Trump that sent shockwaves around the...

Trump warns of ‘big price to pay’ if Caracas fails to toe line

The prospect of the US seizing direct control of Venezuela appeared to recede yesterday after the shocking seizure of President Nicolás Maduro – but US officials said Washington was keeping a 15,000-strong force in the Caribbean and might make a fresh...

Sparklers ‘started Swiss bar fire that took 40 lives’

Investigators believe fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling sparked the fire that tore through a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing about 40 people and injuring more than...

From joy to horror in seconds: at least 40 killed by fire in Swiss bar

Switzerland will hold five days of mourning after fire tore through a crowded bar, killing about 40 young people and injuring 115 who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana. The Swiss president, Guy...

‘The year of proof’: Starmer to woo MPs with push to cut cost of living

Keir Starmer will try to rescue his relationship with disillusioned voters and his own fractious MPs in a new year push to reduce the cost of living. The prime minister is set to give a speech in the coming days focusing on how his government is...

Primary care crisis blamed as A&E visits for coughs or hiccups surge

Millions of people are turning to A&E departments in England for minor ailments including coughs, blocked noses and hiccups, according to data that health leaders say lays bare a failure to give patients prompt access to primary care. Emergency wards...

One in three believe ‘Britishness’ is dependent on being born in UK

The number of people who believe that “Britishness” is something you are born with has almost doubled in two years, according to research that warns of an increase of ethno-nationalism in Britain. Although a majority of the public still believe being...

Brigitte Bardot 1934-2025

Brigitte Bardot, the French actor and singer who became an international sex symbol before turning her back on the film industry and embracing animal rights activism and far-right politics, has died aged 91. Paying tribute yesterday, France’s...

NHS at risk as overseas doctors put off by racism

Foreign doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created “a hostile environment”, the leader of Britain’s medics has warned. The health service is being put at risk because overseas...

Experts criticise ‘lost decade of progress’ on rights for parents

Experts have criticised a “lost decade” of progress on parental rights after Guardian research suggested that fewer than one in 60 public sector workers are sharing leave with their partners when they have a baby. Ten years after the introduction of...

Andrew faces new pressure after Epstein files reveal ‘girls’ emails

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asked Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s fixer, to arrange meetings with “inappropriate friends” while she sought “friendly and discreet and fun” girls on his behalf, the latest documents from the Epstein files appear to...

Families plead with Lammy over Palestine Action hunger strikers

Families and supporters of Palestine Action-affiliated hunger strikers have pleaded with David Lammy to meet them in an attempt to end the impasse over the protest that has left some of them severely unwell. Yesterday, as the protest reached a...

Starmer has no coherent plan for social mobility, says key adviser

Keir Starmer has no coherent strategy to tackle entrenched inequalities that are harming the life chances of millions of people, the government’s social mobility commissioner says. A major official report warned last week that young adults in...

No 10 told: fix youth jobs or risk a ‘lost generation’

The future of the youth minimum wage will come under review as part of a major inquiry into rising inactivity among young people by the former health secretary Alan Milburn. The social mobility expert said unless the government tackled some...

‘The year that dreams are made of’

A full-throated “Rory Roar” reverberated around MediaCity in Salford last night as Rory McIlroy became the first golfer in 36 years to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award – and tie a bow on a year for the ages. It was a fitting reward for...

Resident doctors in England begin five-day strike

The conciliation service Acas has offered to help to try to break the deadlock in the resident doctors’ strike in England. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has made clear that it is willing to become involved in an effort to find a...

Ilhan Omar on attacks by Trump

“That’s Teddy,” said Tim Mynett, husband of the US representative Ilhan Omar, as their five-year-old labrador retriever capered around her office on Capitol Hill. “If you make too much eye contact, he’ll lose it. He’s my best friend – and he’s our...

At least 16 dead in terror attack on Jewish festival

Australia’s prime minister condemned “an act of evil antisemitism” yesterday after gunmen opened fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi beach, killing at least 16 people, including a child, and injuring dozens more. In the deadliest terror attack...

Doctors’ strike during flu crisis ‘beyond belief’ – PM

Keir Starmer has said it is “frankly beyond belief” that resident doctors would strike during the NHS’s worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medics. Writing for the Guardian, the prime minister made an...

UK facing worst winter flu crisis within a fortnight as cases surge

The NHS is bracing itself for its worst ever winter crisis descending in the next fortnight because of a worsening “flu-nami” that has left hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulances services under intense strain. Hospitals are already treating record...

Visitors to US could have to reveal five years of social media activity

Tourists to the United States will have to reveal their social media activity from the past five years, under new Trump administration plans. The mandatory new disclosures will apply to the 42 countries whose nationals can enter the US without a visa,...

PM urges Europe to curb human rights laws to halt rise of populism

Keir Starmer called on European leaders yesterday to urgently curb joint human rights laws so member states could take tougher action to protect borders and see off the rise of the populist right across the continent. On the eve of today’s Council of...

‘A critical moment’: European leaders rally behind Ukraine

European leaders rallied behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night amid hopes that they might finally achieve a breakthrough to allow Ukraine access to billions of pounds of frozen Russian assets. Despite vociferous support for the Ukrainian president,...

Lando Norris claims F1 world title in tense finish

An emotional Lando Norris yesterday secured his first Formula One world championship by finishing third in Abu Dhabi in a gutsy drive that left him just two points ahead of Max Verstappen.

Could it be magic?

Donald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created Fifa peace prize, claiming: “The world is a safer place now” as he received the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC. Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president and one...

No ordinary Joe

Joe Root plundered Australia’s allseam attack for an unbeaten 135 on the opening day at the Gabba, his 40th Test century and his first in an away Ashes series, an effort teammate Zak Crawley acclaimed as “one of his best”. It came in the absence of...

‘Bullying culture’ harmed patient safety at scandal-hit NHS hospital

A culture of systemic bullying and harassment has been allowed to flourish among staff at one of England’s most scandal-hit hospitals, a damning leaked report reveals. The safety of patients at Blackpool Victoria hospital was affected as a result of...

Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe

Vladimir Putin has accused European powers of sabotaging peace in Ukraine and threatened that Russia was ready for war with the continent as Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived for talks at the Kremlin last...

PM says bold plan will take years to deliver as he hits back at critics

Labour’s economic plan will take years to deliver in full, Keir Starmer has said, as the prime minister battles to regain the narrative after a turbulent response to last week’s budget. In a piece for the Guardian Starmer has hit back at his political...

Wealthy must pay to fix our creaky services, says Reeves

Britain’s wealthy must shoulder the burden of paying to rebuild the country’s “creaky” public services, Rachel Reeves said yesterday, as she warned Labour MPs that leadership speculation was bad for the country. The chancellor said she opted to...

Death toll rises in Hong Kong tower blocks fire

Hong Kong police have alleged unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work may have been behind the rapid spread of a devastating fire at a group of residential tower blocks that has killed at least 94 people and left more than...

‘I am asking everyone to make a contribution’

Rachel Reeves targeted Britain’s wealthiest households yesterday with a £26bn tax-raising budget to fund scrapping the two-child benefit policy and cutting energy bills. On a chaotic day when details of her budget were accidentally released early by...

Reeves vows to tackle cost of living crisis in decisive budget for Labour

Rachel Reeves will promise to tackle Britain’s cost of living crisis and deliver fiscal stability today in a budget billed as a decisive moment for the fate of Keir Starmer’s beleaguered government. The chancellor will say she is taking the “fair and...

‘His music lifted people through hard times’

Jimmy Cliff, the singer and actor whose mellifluous voice helped to turn reggae into a global phenomenon, has died aged 81. Writing on Instagram, his wife, Latifa Chambers, said: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff,...

‘He knew about the girls’: Epstein messages pile pressure on Trump

Damning new emails that suggest Donald Trump knew about the conduct of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released yesterday, including one in which Epstein said “of course [Trump] knew about the girls” procured for his sex-trafficking ring,...

No 10 on alert amid fears of challenge to leadership

Downing Street has launched an extraordinary operation to protect Keir Starmer amid fears among his closest allies that he could be vulnerable to a leadership challenge in the aftermath of the budget. The prime minister’s most senior political aides...

BBC board member with Tory link ‘led the charge’ over claims of bias

A BBC board member with links to the Conservative party “led the charge” in pressuring the corporation’s leadership over claims of systemic bias in coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights, the Guardian has been told. Sources said that Robbie...

BBC director general Tim Davie steps down over Panorama row

Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and the head of BBC News have both resigned after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights. In an...

Tackle climate to beat populists, says Miliband

Tackling the climate emergency is a key issue that could turn the tide against hard-right populists across the world, the UK’s energy secretary has said. Speaking on the eve of the UN’s climate summit, Ed Miliband told the Guardian it was the cause...

Pauline Collins 1940-2025

The Shirley Valentine actor Pauline Collins has died aged 85, her family said yesterday. She died peacefully, and surrounded by her family, in a care home in Highgate, north London, having had Parkinson’s disease for several years, they said. Collins...

Democrat Mamdani in historic win in New York

Democrats celebrated yesterday and Republicans reacted with fury as the 34-year-old leftwinger Zohran Mamdani vowed to implement what he called New York’s most ambitious policy platform in a generation when he becomes the city’s next mayor. Mamdani...

‘My proudest moment’

King Charles inspired the suit David Beckham wore to receive his knighthood, the former England football captain said as he described accepting the honour as the “proudest moment” of his career. Beckham, 50, was made a knight bachelor in recognition...

Police investigate whether train attack suspect linked to four other knife incidents

Police investigating the mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire are examining four other knife incidents alleged to have taken place hours before passengers fled in terror on Saturday evening. Questions mounted for police as Anthony...

‘Heroic’ rail worker in fight for life after tackling train knife attacker

A “heroic” rail staff member who intervened in a mass stabbing to save the lives of high speed train passengers is fighting for his life in hospital, police said yesterday, as a suspect remains in custody. The member of LNER staff, who is in a...

Andrew to receive ‘six-figure sum and stipend from king’

The former Duke of York is in line for a significant six-figure sum and an annual stipend designed to prevent him overspending in his new life as a commoner, the Guardian understands. As the king strives for a “once and for all” solution to the...

Andrew to be stripped of his royal titles and must move out of home

Prince Andrew is to be stripped of his royal titles and will move out of his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday. King Charles has initiated a “formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince...

Grooming victims accuse Farage of ‘degrading’ remarks over abuse

Five women have asked for an apology from Nigel Farage after he suggested they were not victims of grooming gangs. Last week, they wrote to Keir Starmer saying they would remain on a panel advising the government’s inquiry into the issue only if the...

Fears Hurricane Melissa could be ‘catastrophic’

Jamaicans began to take shelter from Hurricane Melissa yesterday as high winds toppled trees and caused power cuts ahead of the category 5 storm making landfall today. The slow-moving giant, the strongest hurricane to hit the island since records...

NHS needs extra £3bn to avoid rationing care, Reeves is warned

NHS bosses in England want an emergency injection of £3bn to cover unexpected costs and have told ministers patients will wait longer for treatment and hospitals will start rationing care without it. Their move is a fresh problem for Rachel Reeves as...

Top 30 cosy autumn pubs

King and pope make history by praying side by side

Almost every British schoolchild is taught that Henry VIII, the swaggering Tudor king driven by lust and his quest for an heir, broke away from the Roman Catholic church in 1534 after the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of...

Fresh turmoil as candidate for chair quits ‘toxic’ grooming gang inquiry

Keir Starmer’s inquiry into grooming gangs descended into fresh turmoil yesterday after the only remaining candidate for chair blamed “political opportunism” and a lack of trust for his withdrawal as an applicant. As a key survivor called for a...

Sarkozy starts five-year prison term for criminal conspiracy

Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday started a five-year prison sentence for a criminal conspiracy to obtain election funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. The rightwing ex-president is the first former head of an EU country – as...

Prince tried to hire ‘trolls’ to target Giuffre, book claims

Prince Andrew’s team tried to hire “internet trolls to hassle” his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, while he hid behind the “well-guarded gates” of Balmoral Castle to avoid being served court papers, according to allegations in her posthumous...

Gone in seven minutes: brazen Louvre gang grab priceless jewels

French police are hunting four thieves who carried out a highly professional daylight raid on the Louvre, breaking into one of the museum’s most ornate rooms and escaping with eight pieces of “priceless” historic jewellery – including a necklace given...

Prince Andrew forced to give up royal titles

Prince Andrew has agreed to give up his Duke of York title, he said in a statement released through Buckingham Palace last night. He will also give up use of his honours as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and Royal Knight...

Trauma and hope Gaza girl tells of life after missile strike

In June 2024, an Israeli missile struck 13-yearold Mazyouna Damoo’s apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, hurling her and her mother into the street. Her younger sister, Tala, was pulled from beneath the rubble alive, but her other...

Budget will raise taxes on wealthy to fix public finances, says Reeves

Rachel Reeves said last night that higher taxes on the UK’s wealthy would form part of next month’s budget as she shrugged off the “scaremongering” and “bleating” of her critics and stressed her determination to repair the public finances. Speaking in...

Tensions high as Israel cuts aid to Gaza in row over hostage remains

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first test yesterday when Israel said the flow of aid into the devastated Palestinian territory would be cut by half and the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt would not open as planned, blaming Hamas for...

Truce brings joy as Israelis and Palestinians are freed

There was a rare moment of joy among both Israelis and Palestinians yesterday as Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, on a day when world leaders met in Egypt in an attempt to ensure...

Diane Keaton 1946-2025

The millpond calm of her face, its beauty, its gentleness, its openness and unworldliness became even more heart stopping when she laughed or cried – and generations of filmgoers felt their own crush on Diane Keaton escalate into something more. She...

Palestinians in long walk to uncertainty as ceasefire starts

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza began to return to the ruins of their homes yesterday after the ceasefire rapidly negotiated in recent days between Hamas and Israel came into effect at noon local time – the first relief from...