The withdrawal from Afghanistan is folly and has highlighted glaring faults in Whitehall“The war in Afghanistan is over,” proclaimed Joe Biden. How wrong he will be proved to be.This was never a baseball game that simply folds when we all walk away, ye…
Senior Tory demands end to ‘unseemly’ Cabinet row over Afghan crisis
Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, says spats are damaging the UK’s global standingBritain must rediscover the will to lead on global issues | Tobias EllwoodA senior Conservative MP is demanding an immediate end to the “unseemly and…
Let parents decide on Covid jab for 12- to 15-year-olds, say vaccine advisers
Boris Johnson is heading for a clash with backbench MPs over plans for mass vaccination of teenagers Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageParents should choose whether they allow their children to be vaccinated against Covid-19 i…
Pigs might fly: the Tories’ social care plan – cartoon
Brexit, levelling up, ‘global Britain’… what could possibly go wrong with the latest offering? Continue reading…
Ministers face showdowns on post-Brexit green bill weeks before Cop26
Peers’ challenge to government may see it arguing for lower environmental standards at home while hosting global summitMinisters are facing a fortnight of showdowns with peers over weak post-Brexit green protections just weeks before the Cop26 summit o…
David Frost: Irish Sea row risks damaging UK-EU relations long term
Minister says government will not ‘sweep away’ NI Brexit protocol, but renews demands for major changesThe UK will not “sweep away” the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, despite renewed calls for its abolition by the Democratic Unionist party, the Brex…
Give pupils Covid jab to prevent virus running through UK, expert says
Sage scientist’s call comes after JCVI says net health benefit in giving jabs to 12- to 15-year-olds is too smallCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSchoolchildren should be given the Covid vaccine to avoid allowing the virus to…
Hilary Mantel: I am ashamed to live in nation that elected this government
Double Booker prize winner tells La Repubblica she may take Irish citizenship to feel European againHilary Mantel has said she feels “ashamed” by the UK government’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers and is intending to become an Irish citizen t…
PM’s ex-aide blames Whitehall staff for Covid ‘mixed messages’
Lee Cain says pandemic exposed a communications system ill equipped for the 21st centuryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson’s former director of communications has blamed a lack of expertise in Whitehall for the go…
The Guardian view on social care funding: fairness is the key | Editorial
A plan to split the proceeds of a national insurance rise between the NHS and social care could worsen intergenerational injusticeAn announcement on social care funding is imminent, with a national insurance rise the probable outcome. But what ought to…