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Big-money donations poison British politics. We can stop the mega-rich buying access and influence | Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown warns that huge political donations, including recent multi-million-pound gifts to Reform from crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, are distorting British democracy by letting wealthy donors buy access and influence. He argues that spending imbalances directly translate into electoral advantage, and that without reform, elections risk being decided by the size of…
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Von der Leyen extends historic associate membership offer to Canada
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has offered Canada an unprecedented “associate membership” of the EU in a historic deepening of relations between the bloc and Canada. This unprecedented move comes as both the EU and Canada seek to reduce their dependence on US trade and strengthen ties in response to Donald Trump’s…
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Office worker becomes first female Army reservist to pass gruelling Parachute Regiment entry test
Grace Cussons, a 28-year-old office worker and Army reservist, has become the first female reservist to pass the demanding all-arms pre-parachute selection test for the UK’s Parachute Regiment. She succeeded on her second attempt, passing on the anniversary of the death of her friend Captain Lizzie Godwin, who had encouraged her to attempt the course…
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Nato boss heaps pressure on Burnham to up defence spending as unions join clamour to invest 3% of GDP in military
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte is set to press new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to increase UK defence spending during talks in Downing Street, with a speech at the Ditchley Foundation praising Britain’s approach to security while pointedly noting it must go further. The intervention adds to pressure already building from within Labour’s own ranks, as…
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Forget ice and rain, now the sun causes potholes as well! RAC warns Britain’s motorists could see surge in craters on the roads caused by hottest summer on record
The RAC has warned that Britain’s record-breaking summer of heatwaves could trigger a rise in potholes, as intense sun and UV radiation join cold and wet weather as a cause of road damage. The motoring organisation says prolonged heat oxidises the bitumen binding asphalt together, making surfaces brittle and prone to cracking, which traffic and…
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Mayors and other local leaders could be given powers to oversee water firms
The UK government is considering giving mayors and other local political leaders new powers to oversee water companies, as part of a wider push to bring the utilities sector under greater public control. Under the plans, regional authorities—potentially including local government figures, mayors, independent chairs and other experts—would have some say over water firms’ spending…
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Andy Burnham ‘to meet Donald Trump in New York next week’ as tensions rise with US over Iran war, Ukraine, Falklands and AI
Andy Burnham is expected to meet Donald Trump in New York next week during the UN General Assembly, potentially for the first time in person. The meeting could be diplomatically sensitive because of disagreements between Britain and the United States over Iran, Ukraine, the Falkland Islands, Irish unification and technology regulation. Burnham has indicated that…
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Piddington votes for independence from Britain: Residents approve symbolic measure to leave the UK amid battle to stop new asylum camp that’s four times the size of their village
Residents of Piddington, a small village in Oxfordshire, have voted overwhelmingly in a symbolic referendum to “secede” from the UK, in protest at government plans to house more than 1,200 asylum seekers at a nearby former Ministry of Defence site near Bicester. The vote carries no legal weight and will not actually remove the village…
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Wednesday briefing: Why tech companies might be only too happy for us to believe AI will ‘kill us all’
The Guardian’s Wednesday briefing examines a wave of warnings from AI industry figures about the technology’s dangers, questioning whether these alarms are genuine concern or self-serving hype. Anthropic founder Dario Amodei published an essay urging companies to slow the development of advanced AI models, with Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman voicing support, while Donald…
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Anthropic lands deal in $31bn datacentre in western Queensland
Anthropic has agreed to lease space in what is set to become Australia’s largest datacentre, a A$31.9bn project in western Queensland, marking the AI company’s first major Australian investment. Queensland premier David Crisafulli announced the deal in parliament, calling it a “major win” secured after pitching the state’s energy security and streamlined approvals during a…