The Latest Breaking News from Whitehall

Labour is procrastinating over policy as UK’s economy goes backwards

New business rates regime that is poised to hit pubs and hotels is latest example of hasty decision-making

The Guardian - UK · Dec 13, 2025

What will be the cost of Keir Starmer’s new medicines deal with Donald Trump? British lives

More than £3bn that could have been used for UK patients will go to big pharma for its branded products, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

The Guardian - UK · Dec 11, 2025

Labour wants to ramp up facial recognition. What if our data ends up in the wrong hands?

We know from recent hacks, and even the Snowden revelations, how vulnerable information gathered is to theft and misuse, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

The Guardian - UK · Dec 5, 2025

David Lammy considers scrapping jury trials for all but the most serious cases

Senior lawyers criticise justice secretary’s radical plan for England and Wales, saying it could ‘destroy justice as we know it’

The Guardian - UK · Nov 25, 2025

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump to send envoy to Russia - but will only meet Putin and Zelensky when deal is final

Trump says the countries are ‘very close’ to a peace deal as Russian strikes target Zaporizhzhia

The Independent UK · Nov 25, 2025

Poor heart health in middle age linked to dementia in old age – new study

For generations, medicine treated the heart and brain as separate domains. However, a new study suggests the two are more closely connected than we thought, especially as we age.

The Conversation · Nov 11, 2025

Why have relations between civil servants and ministers turned so sour – and can they be repaired?

There is increasingly bad blood between ministers and civil servants in the UK government. The trend has been apparent for at least a decade, with the mood between officials and ministers darkening during the Conservative administrations of Theresa May and Boris Johnson, fuelled by conflict over Brexit.

The Conversation · Nov 6, 2025

Post-Brexit rules ‘something you wouldn’t make up unless you had to’

Former NI secretary Lord Paul Murphy said that people ‘didn’t think enough’ about the consequences for Northern Ireland when they voted for Brexit.

Evening Standard · Nov 5, 2025

Hiding money away in overseas territories starves Treasury, warns MP

Phil Brickell will call for Whitehall clarity over ministers’ efforts to tackle financial secrecy in the British Overseas Territories.

Evening Standard · Nov 4, 2025

Reform UK Vows to Purge 'Woke Whitehall' in Trump-Style Shake-Up — 140,000 Civil Service Roles at Risk

Reform UK's new plan could cut up to 140,000 civil service jobs and rewrite neutrality rules in a Trump-style bid to reshape Whitehall.

International Business Times UK · Oct 31, 2025