The Latest Breaking News from Polly Toynbee

Cleaning up our fetid politics is Keir Starmer’s toughest task yet. Here’s how he can do it, fast

Venality, bribery, bullying, sexual and financial disgrace: all these must be swept away to win back voters’ trust, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · Jul 8, 2024

Celebrate: we have waited so long for this routing of the Tories. An unbearably rare moment of pure political joy

Out with the scoundrels. There will be time to think about the massive tasks ahead for Labour, but – for now – marvel at what they have done, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · Jul 5, 2024

Labour may win big under first past the post, but it is morally obliged to bring in a fairer system

Tactical voting can help oust the Tories, but we should remember that it’s also a democratic abomination, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · Jul 2, 2024

Infant mortality is rising and births are plummeting. This is the legacy of 14 years of Tory cruelty

Grim figures show that children in poverty are dying needlessly. We desperately need a government that puts them first, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · Jun 7, 2024

I’ll welcome a Labour victory and a brighter future, but Britain deserves a better election than this

This is a contest in keeping with our political times. Too little genuine debate, too many key issues barely discussed at all, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · Jun 4, 2024

There’s no point in marching on with national service

Letters: Readers respond to the Tory plan to ‘toughen up’ teenagers and make national service compulsory for 18-year-olds

The Guardian - UK · Jun 2, 2024

Memo to Labour amid the Diane Abbott debacle: stop the pointless rows, stop making enemies

The party needs to move its campaign on from stories about factionalist infighting – and get on with winning, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · May 31, 2024

The pensioners’ party plays its last moth-eaten card: national service for the young

After 14 years of youth bashing, the Tories’ plan to ‘toughen up’ British teenagers might be just what it takes to bring them all out to vote, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · May 27, 2024

Labour’s top brass know the election battle will be brutal, but they can hardly believe their luck

The mood is hyper and buzzy. Starmer is warning his troops that the real enemy is complacency, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · May 23, 2024

At a festival for the super-rich, the argument for higher taxes couldn’t have been clearer

Britain’s jet set insist they will flee if they lose their benefits – but Labour should not be daunted, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian - UK · May 21, 2024