Labour byelection win shows party starting to win back voters on left 09. October 2026 (19:08) Party now polling 15 points above Greens, who had been ahead of Labour before Keir Starmer resigned as PMLabour is starting to win back voters on the left who became disillusioned under Keir Starmer’s leadership, the party’s deputy leader has claimed after it saw off Zack Polanski and the Greens to win the Holborn and St Pancras byelection.Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali took 45% of a relatively low turnout to keep Starmer’s old north London seat for the party, pushing Polanski, who had stood for the party he leads, into second place on 33%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ed Davey faces growing revolt against leadership as senior Lib Dem MP quits 09. October 2026 (18:46) Treasury spokesperson Charlie Maynard reportedly resigned in attempt to unseat leader as party slips in pollsEd Davey is facing a growing revolt against his leadership of the Liberal Democrats, after the resignation of a senior frontbench figure on Friday.Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, has resigned in an attempt to unseat Davey after months of frustration over concerns that the party is failing to cut through with voters, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Does Polanski have to go? Greens at the crossroads after Holborn and St Pancras 09. October 2026 (18:32) Pressure is building on the party leader after byelection defeat, a damaging row over Zionism and polls that show him less popular than Nigel FarageWhen Zack Polanski addressed his campaigners flush with victory after the Gorton and Denton byelection in February, he declared: “Labour’s electoral stranglehold is over.” The election of Hannah Spencer as the new Green MP for the Greater Manchester seat was a seismic victory, he continued: “I said we were here to replace Labour and this is what replacing looks like.”But in the wake of Polanski’s defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on Thursday, and a calamitous row over the party’s stance on Zionism, the debate around what, or who, could be replaced has shifted to Polanski himself. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump establishes committee to investigate Fed governor Lisa Cook 09. October 2026 (17:39) US president renews his efforts to oust Cook despite supreme court ruling that her firing was unconstitutionalDonald Trump announced on Friday that he is establishing a committee to investigate Lisa Cook, the US Federal Reserve governor, over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud, renewing his efforts to oust her despite a June supreme court ruling that her earlier firing was unconstitutional.Trump said a committee will consult with justice department officials to decide whether there is “cause” for her removal. The White House will hold an in-person hearing on 5 November to consider the allegations against Cook, which will be closed to the public but transcribed and published. Cook will be able to submit a written statement to present her own evidence and will be subject to examination from White House and her own legal counsel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US imposes sanctions on international criminal court 09. October 2026 (17:11) Trump administration says US ‘doesn’t need’ ICC after accusing court of unfairly targeting Americans for war crime chargesThe United States imposed sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC), its latest escalation against an entity the Trump administration has accused of politicization and unfairly targeting Americans for war crime charges.The ICC accused Donald Trump’s officials of attempting to “obstruct the course of justice” after “an assault” on the international legal order. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hurricane Isaias barrels toward Gulf coast as category 3 storm 09. October 2026 (17:06) Alabama, Florida and Mississippi declare emergencies, as residents prepare for ‘long-duration power outages’Isaias strengthened into a category 3 hurricane on Friday morning as it barreled toward the US Gulf coast, where states of emergency have been declared in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.The hurricane, the first in the Atlantic in what has turned into a very late 2026 season, is expected to cause a “life-threatening storm surge”, officials said. Isaias is forecast to make landfall on Friday night, somewhere along the Alabama-Florida line with surging seas up to 7ft (2.1 meters) and waves as high as 30ft (9.1 meters). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China agrees to ‘halve’ hybrid car exports to EU in landmark deal 09. October 2026 (17:05) Brussels says Beijing’s shipments could fall by more than half over four years, cutting millions of vehicles amid fears for European jobsThe EU said it has reached a landmark deal with China to “halve” its sales of hybrid cars in the bloc amid fears surging sales could kill off parts of the European car industry.Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the deal was the first of its kind and the result of “intense” negotiations with China since June to curb a trade deficit of €1.18bn (£1bn) a day, which has caused mounting tensions between the two economic powers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New spate of stabbings, overdoses and fires at Australian immigration detention centres run by ICE-linked US prison firm 09. October 2026 (16:00) Exclusive: Federal government under scrutiny as documents reveal serious security lapses at Melbourne and Villawood immigration detention centresGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA new spate of stabbings, overdoses and drug use in Australia’s immigration detention centres has put the Australian government in likely breach of laws designed to protect staff and detainees, internal documents show.Earlier this year, Guardian Australia revealed catastrophic security failings across Australia’s onshore immigration network since Management and Training Corporation – a US private prison company used by Donald Trump to hold ICE detainees – won the $2.3bn detention contract in late 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream execution puts US in dubious company 09. October 2026 (15:55) Only Iran and Afghanistan routinely carry out sentences in public, with Saudi Arabia appearing to have ended practiceUS politics – live updatesIf the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, goes ahead with plans to livestream the execution of a soldier radicalised to extremist Islam who killed 13 people at a military base in Texas, his country will join a motley assembly of lesser powers and rogue actors who have conducted public executions in recent years.Only two countries currently systematically carry out capital sentences in public: Iran and Afghanistan. In 2025, the Taliban authorities carried out six such killings and the regime in Tehran 11, according to Amnesty International. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic Senate candidate responds to anti-trans attacks pushed by Republicans 09. October 2026 (15:50) Dr Annie Andrews voices opposition to ‘biological men … in women’s sports’ in response to Republican attacksDr Annie Andrews, a Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina, has responded to persistent efforts by Republicans to make trans athletes in women’s sports a wedge issue in the race.In a restrained direct-to-camera statement, Andrews – a pediatrician – outlined her opposition to “biological men playing in women’s sports”, as her party pushes back against Republican attacks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
