Number of asylum seekers in UK hotels falls to 18-month low 26. February 2026 (11:48) Home Office figures also show a rise in asylum refusal rates, with government claiming tightening of rules is workingUK politics live – latest updatesThe number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in hotels has fallen to the lowest level for 18 months, Home Office figures show.The statistics released on Thursday also show a drop in asylum granting rates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hillary Clinton to testify in House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation – US politics live 26. February 2026 (11:47) Deposition will be filmed but take place behind closed doors, with former president Bill Clinton scheduled to answer questions tomorrowSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxUS Secretary of state Marco Rubio has refused to speculate on what happened after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire.He said that it could be a “wide range of things,” and that the US will not solely rely on what the Cuban authorities have provided thus far. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer, Polanski and Farage in final pitch to voters as polls open in Gorton and Denton byelection – UK politics live 26. February 2026 (11:45) Voting begins in one of the most eagerly awaited and fiercely contested byelections of recent yearsA minister has confirmed that the government is pressing ahead with the deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.In an interview with Times Radio this morning, asked if the deal was going ahead “100%”, Alison McGovern, the communities minister, replied:Yes. My colleague the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has been talking to Marco Rubio, her opposite number in the US, about it. Foreign policy is never easy. We will make progress on the Chagos deal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sarwar gambles on break with Starmer as Labour support slumps 26. February 2026 (11:03) Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP’s record, but voters remain unconvincedUK politics live – latest updates“People look at Holyrood and think: ‘Lets give them all a bloody nose’,” says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly disappointed with the Labour government’s early performance, frustrated by the record of the Scottish National party and wearied by what they described as “scandal after scandal” polluting public life.Organised by the public opinion researchers More in Common, the discussion took place last week in Glasgow’s southside, where the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, grew up and still lives with his family. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rolls-Royce profits soar 40% amid booming demand for AI datacentre power 26. February 2026 (10:43) Engine maker promises to give up to £9bn to shareholders over next three years as turnaround gathers paceRolls-Royce’s profits soared by 40% last year as the engineering company’s turnaround gathered pace, helped by booming demand for power from datacentres.The company reported underlying profits of £3.5bn for 2025, up from £2.5bn the year before, as it also promised to give up to £9bn to shareholders over the next three years through share buybacks, its biggest return of cash to investors in a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ocado to cut 1,000 jobs in £150m cost-saving drive 26. February 2026 (09:29) Retail technology business to reduce about 5% of global workforce, with two-thirds of job losses affecting UKBusiness live – latest updatesOcado is to cut 1,000 jobs as the retail technology business attempts to £150m in costs though a substantial restructuring programme.The company confirmed that about 5% of its global workforce will be affected, with roughly two-thirds of the job losses affecting its UK operations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian solidarity in Britain ‘being silenced and criminalised’ 26. February 2026 (09:26) ‘Index of repression’ includes smears, harassment, job losses and arrests, legal advocacy group saysPalestinian solidarity is being “silenced, criminalised and sanctioned”, according to an advocacy group that says it has recorded more than 900 examples of repression across Britain in the last six years.People had been targeted with smears, disinformation, harassment, doxing (having private or identifying information published online), visa cancellations, financial blacklisting, loss of employment and arrest, according to the European Legal Support Center, which, along with the research group Forensic Architecture, has created the “index of repression”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two women arrested in Uganda for allegedly kissing in public could face life sentence 26. February 2026 (09:00) Wendy Faith and Alesi Diana Denise were taken into custody under laws that have outraged LGBTQ+ community and rights activistsTwo women have been arrested and detained in Uganda after allegedly kissing in public, an act of “same-sex activity” which can lead to a life sentence in the east African country..Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician known as Torrero Bae, and Alesi Diana Denise, 21, were taken into custody after police raided their rented room in Uganda’s north-west Arua City last week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
WPP to merge ad agencies and cut jobs in radical shake-up to counter AI threat 26. February 2026 (08:58) Group aims to be ‘simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business’ and achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028The beleaguered advertising group WPP has announced a radical restructure to counter the threat posed by the AI revolution, including merging its ad agencies and cutting jobs.Aiming to be “a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business”, the London-based company laid out plans to achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028, at a cost of £400m over two years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mumsnet campaign demands ban on social media for under-16s 26. February 2026 (08:28) Resembling cigarette packet warnings, the ads highlight dangers and urge people to email MPs Mumsnet has launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s featuring health warnings in the style of those on cigarette packets.The deliberately provocative national advertising campaign calls for all social media to be banned for children under the age of 16. The images on billboards and social media make a number of stark statements related to health. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
