Recent articles
February 23, 2026
Farage kicks things off before 30 minutes of hate – and has the final word | John Crace
Reform’s ‘shadow home secretary’, Zia Yusuf, launches tirade of misery that sounded more hardline and deranged as it wentIt was only last week that Nigel Farage declared he was no longer a one-man ...
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026
Nigel Farage assumes Anne Robinson role in political remake of The Weakest Link
Reform UK leader snaps at reporters as he tries to maintain control over announcement of shadow cabinetUK politics live – latest updatesMeet the Fockers. The shadow cabinet from hell. Rejects, lose...
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026
The Real Keir comes out fighting and turns the tables on deluded Kemi | John Crace
The Tory leader thinks she has masterminded the PM’s series of crises. You could put her on a fairground ride and she would still think she was in control of where she was goingUK politics live – l...
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026
Steady Ed conjours up a Keir in his own image – complete with fake steering wheel | John Crace
Miliband is one minister who doesn’t want to be PM, and is more than happy to let Starmer think he is still in controlIt was a day for one of the Top Team. The safest of safe hands. A grownup. That...
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026
Revisionism the order of Labour’s day as the wagons circle around Starmer | John Crace
The same cabinet ministers who failed to speak up for the PM in the morning were soon offering their undying supportNot another one. On Sunday it was Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff...
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026
Mr Rules hits tipping point as Mandelson proves the one mistake that can’t be undone
There is a look of despair in Starmer’s eyes – and a feeling in the room that the endgame has begunIt’s beginning to feel terminal. Not that there hasn’t been talk of Labour MPs wanting to remove K...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026
Labour forced into humble pie address over Mandelson disclosures | John Crace
Quiet air of desperation on government benches as Peter Mandelson’s links with Jeffrey Epstein consume the Commons Sometimes the obvious question is the killer question. The one on the minds of pra...
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026
Mandy wonders where it all went wrong as Labour throws him to the wolves
Mandelson tried to explain as everyone from Harriet Harman to Robert Jenrick lined up to condemn himLast week, Peter Mandelson was giving his comeback interview to the Times, scheduled to be publis...
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026
No more get-out clauses, no way back. It’s surely the end for Peter Mandelson, finally | John Crace
The only question now is how it took this long for Labour’s greedy, reckless Prince of Darkness to meet his reckoningThis is the end, beautiful friend, the end. There have been many Peter Mandelson...
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026
Xi didn’t really see a point to Kier’s visit – but hey, let a hundred flowers bloom | John Crace
Chinese leader bestows a little largesse on the British PM while getting the green light for London ‘mega embassy’Let’s face it, this was never going to be a meeting of equals. Keir Starmer had bee...
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026
Badenoch shoots herself in the foot on the Tories’ long march to the right | John Crace
Not content with haemorrhaging MPs to Reform, Kemi decides to drive others into the arms of the Lib DemsA minute’s silence for Kemi Badenoch. Thoughts and prayers welcome. The Tory party leader jus...
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2026
Reform’s Matt Goodwin is sure he’s the right man for Gorton and Denton. He just doesn’t know why… | John Crace
Introduced by an unsupervised Lee Anderson, the byelection candidate was out of his depth immediatelyAn idiot’s guide to running a byelection campaign. First, know your constituency boundaries. Som...
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026
Suella makes the ultimate sacrifice as she ditches Tories for Reform | John Crace
Most of those at Monday’s event had to remind themselves that Braverman hadn’t defected long agoThat noise? The sound of the barrel getting scraped. Only last summer, Reform insiders were briefing ...
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026
Along comes Trump and our emperors have no clothes | John Crace
There’s no shame in not knowing what he’ll say next: neither does he. But that didn’t stop many claiming to make sense of itIn weeks like this, the mask slips somewhat. Politicians love the illusio...
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026
Kemi fails to resist the cheap shot as she backs Trump on Chagos Islands | John Crace
Tory leader tries to score points by siding with out-of-control president hellbent on destroying Nato and EuropeIt had been a relatively quiet night. Apart from Donald Trump giving a long, rambling...
www.theguardian.com
January 20, 2026
We’re all friends really? Trump’s not so useful idiot Mike Johnson drops in on MPs | John Crace
Everyone was trying not to mention the one thing on everyone’s mind as they welcomed the US House speakerSo. That went well, then. A day after Keir Starmer gently pointed out that the US would be w...
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026
Starmer’s calm diplomacy makes mistake of assuming Trump is a sentient being | John Crace
PM’s effort to take heat out of Greenland situation is yet another humiliation in his relationship with The DonaldUK politics live – latest updatesToady, or not toady? That is the question. When ev...
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026
Jenrick’s incredible journey – from self-centred halfwit to self-centred halfwit | John Crace
Reform’s latest defector from the Tories is a politician whose eye has only ever been on his own ambitionIt’s come down to this. Watch any reality TV show and it won’t be long before you hear the l...
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026
Treachery and stupidity to the fore as Robert Jenrick defects to Reform | John Crace
Even Nigel Farage looked taken aback by the news Honest Bob was about to join his flock, but he quickly saw the upside UK politics live – latest updatesOne is too many and 1,000 never enough. Addic...
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026
Onwards and sideways for Keir after another U-turn leaves him going nowhere | John Crace
Having lost the faith of his party and the public, the prime minister turns to dad jokes – and he’s even worse at those than running the countryNot another one. On Tuesday evening, the government a...
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026
Wes breaks cover to challenge Keir – without even mentioning him | John Crace
In a keynote speech, Streeting, the natural salesman, made one thing clear: he was ready whenever the call might comeThere must be a happy medium somewhere. Some ministers you can’t get to shut up,...
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026
Step forward, Nadhim Zahawi: the latest, highest-profile rat to flee the Tory ship | John Crace
As a member of Reform, Nadhim was adamant he had more to give. Even if none of us really wanted him Here’s a thought: try to name a former Conservative MP that Nigel Farage wouldn’t accept as a mem...
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026
The world is in chaos. So thank God for the UK’s lone fixed point: Liz Truss
Nine episodes in, Radon Liz’s YouTube show is as laughably deranged as everA world on the brink. Regime change in Venezuela. Greenland under threat from Donald Trump. Shadow fleet tanker seized by ...
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026
Desperate for attention, Nige holds marathon presser and skips PMQs | John Crace
Reform leader warns of the terrors of London alongside his mayoral candidate and swaps Commons for radio slotCurious. Nigel Farage devoted decades to trying to get elected as an MP. His victory in ...
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026
In KemiWorld, might makes right. Just don’t mention Greenland | John Crace
In an interview with Nick Robinson, the Tory leader made it clear she was thrilled to see the back of international law. May the best country win!These weren’t exactly the words Kemi Badenoch had b...
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026
‘See no evil, hear no evil’: Starmer goes on full sycophant alert | John Crace
PM tries to be as uninformed as possible about The Donald’s coup while his junior minister throws Greenland under the busLet’s face it. What’s a bloke got to do to win the Nobel peace prize these d...
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025
From Keir as Eliot Ness to Radon Liz on YouTube – the 2025 alternative politics awards
With the Christmas recess slowing the political havoc, it’s time to hand out the Guardian’s parliamentarian of the year awards You can hear the sighs of relief. Not from the MPs who are packing up...
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025
A black swan event: Keir actually cracked a good joke at PMQs | John Crace
MPs from most corners of Commons laughed at the festive gag – but stony-faced Farage failed to see the funny sideWhisper it softly, but Keir Starmer made a joke. A good one at that. MPs from most c...
www.theguardian.com