Look up, despite the bleak midwinter, the flu crisis and this dismal mood of political cynicism. Despite, too, the daily doom that pumps out of the...

07.01.2025 50

Polly Toynbee

Forget ‘benefit cheats’ – £23bn a year is going unclaimed. How do we get that to vulnerable people?

At the stroke of midnight on Saturday night, the shutters came down. Anyone who didn’t claim pension credit by then will have lost their winter...

23.12.2024 5

Polly Toynbee

The Waspi women suffered outrageous misogyny, but in poverty-stricken Britain they’re not the top priority

Some women born in the 1950s were not adequately warned that they would have to work up to six extra years before drawing their state pension. Some...

19.12.2024 6

Polly Toynbee

Labour seems to be flailing, but keep faith: Starmer’s long-term plans are both radical and sound

This is slow government. This solemn and serious cabinet is not one for quick, bright eye-catchers, timed to hit 6 o’clock bulletins. The best it...

17.12.2024 40

Polly Toynbee

The latest cost of Brexit is about to hit – and voters are watching. Will Labour act?

“It’s done! Get over it! It’s eight years ago! We’re independent and we’re free!” claimed Nigel Farage on Question Time last week. But the...

10.12.2024 200

Polly Toynbee

George Osborne is a walking ad for a wealth tax. Labour should target the inheritocracy

Now he’s retired from casting millions of people into poverty, George Osborne has become another flaunting, flamboyant example of a fast-growing...

03.12.2024 100

Polly Toynbee

The assisted dying bill has passed. At last: a decent life can end in a decent death

Here it is at last, a landmark that will be an enduring symbol and the humane legacy of this Labour government. Parliament has finally caught up...

29.11.2024 40

Polly Toynbee

Here’s one way to slash Britain’s rate of child poverty: stop dithering and make all fathers pay what’s due

Men don’t pay and won’t pay. Governments for more than 30 years have failed abysmally to make fathers pay for their children. The latest report,...

29.11.2024 10

Polly Toynbee

Don’t listen to opponents of assisted dying: this Labour government’s legacy must be freedom

The time has come for a defining moment early in a Labour era that has so far lacked definition. This is the week a Labour parliament can make its...

26.11.2024 40

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Rachel Reeves must think big to fund Labour’s ‘battle-ready’ Britain. Tweaks and tinkering won’t do

Polly Toynbee

Is Trump’s ‘baby bond’ really pro-child? No – children need a fair society to thrive

Polly Toynbee

This uproar over a Brighton GP surgery shows how the NHS is slipping into private hands

Polly Toynbee

This new EU deal is great for Britain. Now, Labour, focus on the future, not on Farage

Polly Toynbee

MPs are voting on the next stage of the assisted dying bill. This is their chance to create a legacy

Polly Toynbee

It’s the great immigration experiment. But will Starmer test Labour to destruction?

Polly Toynbee

There are three ways moderates could yet save the Tories. One is to renounce Brexit

Polly Toynbee

The lesson for Labour? Until it can improve local lives and stop fearing Farage, more losses are coming

Polly Toynbee

Enjoy this victory, Nigel Farage – because it could also be the start of your downfall

Polly Toynbee

Inside Labour’s top-secret plan for new towns, I see signs of hope

Polly Toynbee

Britain needs houses, and Labour’s bold plan will address that. But it may require more migrants

Polly Toynbee

Labour has done right by British Steel – now it must speed up a radical strategy for all industry

Polly Toynbee

Trump is pushing students towards Britain – ministers, don’t let your immigration obsession stand in the way

Polly Toynbee

On Britain’s election battleground, I learned what people want from Starmer: the change he promised them

Polly Toynbee

We should celebrate Labour’s good news on nurseries – but it needs to be bolder

Polly Toynbee

Trumpism is sinking democratic values. It’s Starmer’s job to steer the UK back to safety

Polly Toynbee

Will Rachel Reeves’s tough decisions pay off? Our panel on the spring statement

Polly Toynbee

Rachel Reeves is all about growth. So why won’t she admit that Brexit is its worst enemy?

Polly Toynbee

Thirteen years ago, Emma told me disability cuts nearly broke her family. Now, under Labour, it’s worse

Polly Toynbee

I believe Labour cares about those in need, but it must show that. It can’t go on like this

Polly Toynbee

Ben Jennings on Elon Musk and the backlash against Tesla – cartoon

Polly Toynbee

The Guardian view on the abolition of NHS England: political cover for a funding fight

Polly Toynbee

The Guardian view on Trump and Ukraine: respite is possible, but resolution looks distant

Polly Toynbee

Dear Rachel Reeves: if there is no alternative to cuts, at least do them with care

Polly Toynbee

‘Country first, party second,’ says Starmer. So why menace Labour members who actually believe that?

Polly Toynbee

If Britain must rearm, how to pay for it? Stiffen the sinews; summon up the taxes

Polly Toynbee

Voters like councillors more than MPs – so why is Labour wasting time destroying local democracy?

Polly Toynbee

After a week of turmoil, one thing needs saying about our NHS: slowly it is healing

Polly Toynbee

Ben Jennings on the rise of the AfD in Germany – cartoon

Polly Toynbee

Starmer has the backing of Britons to stand up to Trumpism. At the White House, he should do so

Polly Toynbee

The concerted attack on assisted dying won’t stop the public supporting this bill

Polly Toynbee

Who’s to blame if creators of deepfake porn get off lightly? Labour ministers, it seems

Polly Toynbee

After 50 years, can’t we shut down this cult of Margaret Thatcher? Just look at the mess she made of Britain

Polly Toynbee

Young people say they’d elect a ‘strong leader’. I say give more of them the vote

Polly Toynbee

Here’s what Labour should learn from Donald Trump: think bigger, think faster

Polly Toynbee

Ben Jennings on Rachel Reeves’s obsession with economic growth – cartoon

Polly Toynbee

Of course there’s a bosses’ backlash over workers’ rights. Starmer must face them down

Polly Toynbee

There’s a way to beat a far-right takeover in the UK. So why has Starmer gone silent about it?

Polly Toynbee

This could be the toughest winter in NHS history. Here’s a simple way we can all help