Politics

Follow the day’s news liveGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastSports precinct funding report reveals a ‘pattern of behaviour’, Wilson saysTim Wilson says there are questions for Labor to answer over an ABC report which says health minister Mark Butler’s office asked an Adelaide council to put forward a $6m sports precinct upgrade for federal funding before any detailed costings or formal planning had been done.I think what we’re now seeing is a pattern of behaviour. The prime minister gave a grant to a golf course in his electorate just around the corner from his home, of which he was a member, which he failed to declare. Now we have the health minister, the next wannabe prime minister, doing exactly the same thing.That’s a difficult thing to do. However, I think one way to do it is to ensure that Muslim leaders are at the centre of any such discussion and guide that discussion in a way that Australian Muslims as a whole do not feel targeted.Because there is a real risk when you have a discussion about extremist Islam, you have a real risk that Muslims as a whole feel under pressure. Equally, if you don’t have that discussion, you play into the hands of extremists at the other end of the spectrum. Continue reading...

Comments come after court on Monday rejected the president’s mail ballot restrictions ahead of the November midterm electionsSupreme court rejects Trump’s mail ballot restrictions for midterm electionsDonald Trump is facing a rare backlash from the US Congress as Democrats and some Republicans push for guardrails on the world’s most powerful AI companies.Concerns over the dangerous potential of AI reached fever pitch this week after tech leaders sounded the alarm over the rapid advancement of the technology and its potential threat to humanity.Mitch McConnell, the 84-year-old former Senate majority leader from Kentucky, was seen in Washington for the first time in months on Monday, minutes before his office released a statement saying that he was back at work.With a slip of the tongue reminiscent of Joe Biden, Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, told CNN that he would not run for president in 2028 if his fellow Californian, former vice-president Kamala Harris, decides to run again, since “I know what that means: I know her base of supporters, I know her friends, the zen diagram on that is just pure crossover.”Donald Trump claimed there is a “SICK conspiracy” against artificial intelligence and data centers in response to the growing calls for greater checks on AI development.In a statement posted on social media, Barack Obama, the former US president, called for the pace of AI development to be slowed to allow time for the federal government to develop regulations to address “serious safety concerns”. Continue reading...

Union statement comes after Nigel Farage says a Reform UK government would stop unions funding Labour if they block £72m donations to his partyThe Liberal Democrats have said that they will try to introduce a cap on the amount people donate to political parties by amending the representation of the people bill as it goes through the Lords.Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson, said:We can’t keep playing whack-a-mole with each new attempt by Farage to sell out our democracy.Labour’s residency requirements aren’t good enough and the Conservatives simply sat on their hands whilst in power. For decades governments of both colours have stood by and done nothing.The scale of donations made to Reform in recent days is unprecedented in British politics and should deeply concern anyone who cares about the health and integrity of our democracy.We cannot afford to see the Americanisation of our politics, with out of control political spending, funded by stratospheric sums of crypto and corporate cash. These donations show clearly whose side Reform are on, with crypto billionaires, foreign and powerful corporate interests lining up to pour in eye-watering sums of money to advance their agendas. Continue reading...

Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you. Thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.Migration will dominate parliament again today, after One Nation yesterday announced its policy to cut 750,000 temporary visas over three years – which the major parties said would send the country into a recession.That’s the Australia that I know. And I fear that that is the Australia that we’re losing … Every time we talk about immigration, multiculturalism, it comes from a deficit point of view.Social cohesion becomes the burden of people from different countries who have come here and it is their fault, it is their responsibility to socially cohere. The fact is that multiculturalism is who we are. It is part of our identity. It’s who we are as Australia. Continue reading...

Sources say there are ‘significant differences’ in opinion as debate inflamed by crypto billionaires’ £72m donations to ReformUK politics live – latest updatesBritain’s trade union movement leader Paul Nowak has said the government must act to “stop the super-rich corrupting our politics”, as union leaders met on Monday to discuss possible support for a domestic cap on donations.Union leaders are split on the prospect of limiting domestic donations to political parties, with many including the GMB fearing it would lead a future rightwing government to curb union donations. Continue reading...

The US Supreme Court is ​still weighing the administration’s ⁠request to ​overturn a separate ​order ​blocking the ​ruleSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.A second ⁠federal ⁠judge has prevented ⁠Donald Trump’s administration from implementing ⁠a ​new ‌US ‌Postal Service ‌rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements.Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage. He spoke after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.British ministers face calls to act after US authorities secretly flew out of the UK a diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children. US officials reportedly raided the diplomat’s London flat in August before taking him to an American airbase and flying him out of the country, without warning the Metropolitan police.A newly unveiled statue of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The statue was found with red spray-paint. A nearby poster memorial in front of the statue was vandalized with red paint as well.A coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak. Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen.A Republican congressman said he had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late Saturday. Representative Tom Tiffany says he was returning from the La Crosse county Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau downtown airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. They both ended up in the water and swam to safety.Barack Obama urged Democrats to prioritize a “public conversation” about AI management and safety in a closed-door Manhattan fundraiser last week. The comments by the former US president reportedly urged the party to create a sweeping framework for everything from a safety “slow-down” to domestic job losses and children’s wellbeing. Continue reading...

• Crude oil futures rose at the start of the week after Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West Pipeline. • The shutdown followed a series of attacks that occurred last week. • This supply disruption increases the risk of higher energy costs for global markets.

Labour MPs and unions are pressuring the government to legislate for a stricter cap on political party donationsGood morning. This afternoon peers will debate the second reading of the representation of the people bill. If you hear a loud bang echo around the Lords chamber, it will be the sound of stable door being shut after the horse has bolted.At the end of 2024 the Sunday Times carried a report saying that Elon Musk was considering donating $100m to Reform UK. It made a good headline, but the idea seemed so preposterous that no one at Westminster really took it very seriously. Musk is not a British citizen, and so it would have been illegal for him to have given the money directly anyway; he would have had to have donated via UK companies.We’re completely confident that [the Delo and Harborne] donations comply with not only the existing rules, but they also comply with the rules currently going through parliament, albeit with that retrospective element …Unless [Labour] literally try and change the rules again as it’s going through the House of Lords, in which case it would have to go back to the Commons. I mean, anything’s possible with this sort of dictatorship currently ruining the country. You know, we’re the victims of a coup.These donations are made in accordance with the rules and the regulations, and you’ve now got a hyperventilating hypocrisy from the socialists ruining this country, who are trying to change the rules retrospectively, which is it’s not the fair way, it’s not the British way, and I think most people will say ‘does that just mean that Labour are terrified of the progress of Reform and they’re trying to create an unlevel playing field? Continue reading...

• The Australian Senate voted to launch an inquiry into a Labor grants program that awarded $6 million to the Marrickville Golf Club. • The funding was provided through an invitation-only program to a golf course located within the prime minister's electorate. • Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston claims the government is silencing its own MPs to prevent them from defending the policy.

In today’s newsletter: As Labour MPs scramble to realign later today around a bill that could stop donations like this in their tracks, a look at new game-changing donations to a party engulfed in financial scandalsGood morning. Nigel Farage has a confirmed talent for upending the laws of political gravity, and this weekend has been no exception, as he declared himself “humbled” by two donations of £36m each from cryptocurrency tycoons Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.I’d shoehorn a joke about buses in here but, honestly, this feels too consequential for that.Economy | Former chancellor George Osborne said Britain’s economy had “fallen off a cliff” since Brexit – and that rejoining the European Union’s customs union would be the fastest route to recovery.Technology | Sam Altman and Elon Musk backed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call to “slow the pace” of AI development. Amodei had cautioned that an AI swarm could otherwise become capable of “taking over the entire internet” within a year.Sweden | With most of the votes counted, Sweden’s national election remained too close to call on Sunday night, with left-wing parties holding a lead of just a single seat according to a partial tally by the election authority.Ukraine | A train carrying Boris Johnson and the former CIA chief David Petraeus may have been the target of a Russian drone strike that hit a train engine near the Poland-Ukraine border, according to Ukrainian Railways.Travel | The air traffic control outage that caused thousands of flights to be grounded across the UK earlier in the week was caused by a military aircraft entering “spurious” flight data into the system, according to a report.Monday | First ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will meet in Cardiff to discuss moves towards self-determination across the nations.Tuesday | The final report of the Thirwall Inquiry into events at the neonatal unit where Lucy Letby worked will be published. Letby was sentenced to 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others.Thursday | Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, will address the European parliament. Continue reading...

Electoral Commission finds abuse, particularly of women, minority ethnic and disabled people, is affecting candidates’ behaviourAbuse and intimidation of election candidates is “a serious and growing concern”, the Electoral Commission has said, as a review of this year’s local and mayoral elections in England revealed a surge in threats to those who stood.More than half of the candidates for Labour or Reform UK reported abuse while those most likely to be targeted were women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities. Continue reading...

• The White House, CNN, NPR, and Al Jazeera are providing active coverage of U.S. politics and policy decisions. • The White House website features a "Live News" page specifically for September 13, 2026. • These updates provide the public and market analysts with real-time information on congressional actions and election developments.

Follow the day’s news liveGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian households could save $5,000 a year by electrifying their homes and cars, AAP reports, and more than 30 organisations will call for incentives and stronger policies in Canberra as part of a national campaign.The campaign is linked to the international Electrify Now campaign, and follows a COP31 push to raise the global electrification rate from about 20% to 35% by 2035.There’s a role for the Australian government to send a clear signal that electrification is happening and that it’s what the future of our energy system will depend on.At the moment, federal policy is sending mixed messages.Too often we ask, “why didn’t she leave?,” when we should have asked, where would she go? We know that safe housing is absolutely critical to help women and children leave violence. That’s why we are building more than ever before. Continue reading...

Reform UK’s economic spokesperson talks to Sky News and BBC after record donations Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben DeloAnalysis: Donations of £72m make Reform’s prospects both rosier and riskierGood morning and welcome to the Guardian’s politics live blog in what is a fairly tumultuous period in electoral financing. To recap: In the past 48 hours, Reform UK has received a staggering sum of £72m from two crypto billionaires, the largest single donations in British political history. Christopher Harborne’s £36m donation, which he announced in the Telegraph newspaper yesterday, matches that given by another cryptocurrency investor Ben Delo on Friday.The huge injection into Reform’s coffers obviously help fund the anti-immigration party’s operations leading into the next general election, to be held by 2029. But it has also further muddied the reputation around the party’s finances and who it says it serves. Reform has pledged more crypto-friendly policies i.e. greater adoption of the unregulated currency across the UK if the party were to come into power. Continue reading...

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned delegates at the opening of the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York that the multilateral system is straining under fractured geopolitics. • Guterres offered his full backing to Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, who serves as the President of the 81st General Assembly session. • The warning highlights the difficulty of coordinating international responses to urgent, interlocking crises when global powers are divided.

Victims of those killed in September 11 attacks honored at memorials across the USHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.It is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, as Americans come together to remember and commemorate the devastating effects of the attacks, which claimed the lives of 2,977 victims.Donald Trump doubled down on his pledge to pay all US adults $5,000 if Republicans hold on to control of Congress in the midterm elections. He’s one of the few people to actually mention the pledge tonight, as many lawmakers and officials – including his vice-president, JD Vance – avoided mentioning the so-called “dividend” altogether. Trump defended his plan: “We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars.”In a shorter address to voters than his nearly two-hour speech on Wednesday, Trump again pleaded with voters to “pretend I’m on the ticket” in November. In an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, Trump directed the audience to commit to voting in the midterm elections at all costs. The president asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.” Trump also told those gathered in Dallas that they would “go to hell” if they didn’t vote.Earlier, JD Vance urged Republicans who may oppose parts of the Trump administration’s agenda not to abandon the party in November’s congressional races. The vice-president pointed to Charlie Kirk – the conservative activist killed a year ago today – to argue that voters shouldn’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over “a policy issue here or there”, an apparent nod to dissent over the Iran war that he avoided naming.Vance’s speech, in many ways, was an audition for a possible 2028 presidential run. He spent much of his time on stage setting out the threats of the so-called “far left”, listing the administration’s greatest hits and slamming Joe Biden’s tenure in office.Meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the arena to protest Trump’s policy agenda. Dallas police said that two people were taken into custody after an alleged assault involving a counter-protester and for blocking a roadway. Continue reading...

Bill would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to end their lives, after the approval of a panel of expertsEsther Rantzen has said she is no longer able to travel to Switzerland to end her life because she has become “too physically fragile”.Rantzen, who presented the TV current affairs programme That’s Life! for 21 years and founded the youth support charity Childline, had intended to end her life in a Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023. Continue reading...

• Drew Cline, chairman of the state Board of Education, reflected on the lasting political and cultural impact of the September 11 attacks. • Cline stated that the events left Americans less united, less patriotic, and less trusting of both outsiders and each other. • The perspective suggests that the trauma of the attacks continues to darken American politics and culture with persistent fears and hatreds.

• President Trump is working to fill over 800 positions that require Senate confirmation out of about 1,300 total positions. • The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service have created a tracker to follow the president's progress in filling these positions. • A major governor's race, Senate contest, and House elections are upcoming, with Democrats having a chance to win, which could impact the country's political landscape.

• The US Supreme Court has rejected a push to use Missouri congressional maps backed by President Donald Trump, dealing a loss to Republicans trying to maintain control. • The rejection involves maps that would have favored Republican candidates, with the court's decision marking a second time it has turned down the proposed maps. • The loss affects Republican efforts to maintain control of Congress, as the rejected maps would have potentially given them an advantage in Missouri's congressional districts.

• President Donald Trump claims that only his own sense of morality limits his power, amid concerns over the politicization of the Justice Department. • Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, emphasized that an educated citizenry is crucial for the success of self-government, highlighting the importance of informed citizens in a democracy. • The erosion of trust in democratic institutions, exemplified by Trump's nominees refusing to acknowledge Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election win, poses a significant threat to the functioning of American democracy.

Vice-president suggests payment would not go to all and would be paid for by tariff revenues despite supreme court rulings against much of Trump’s programUS citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans win midterms, Trump claims Sign up for the US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Vice-president JD Vance appeared to partially row back on Donald Trump’s outlandish claims that every adult citizen in the US would receive $5,000 if the Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections.In a nearly two-hour speech, Donald Trump capped off his first night remarks at the GOP midterm convention by pleading with Republicans to “pretend that I’m running”. The president centered himself in the battle to control Congress, and acknowledged that candidates are more successful when he is on the ballot. He offered an ominous outlook if Republicans fail to retain power.Throughout his remarks, Trump also tried to campaign on behalf of Republicans in competitive midterm races. While he made fun of Ken Paxton’s clothing choices and the way he speaks, he praised the Republican nominee for US Senate in Texas as “the single greatest attorney general” in the state’s history, while also branding his opponent James Talarico as a “disaster”.Earlier, Democratic senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention, delivering a video address supporting Dave McCormick, a Republican senator in Pennsylvania. Fetterman, who has increasingly broken with his party since his election in 2022, said in the video that he would always reject “extremes and socialism”, repeating an oft-used Republican critique of the Democratic party’s increasingly popular left wing.Meanwhile, several Republicans who are facing tough races have chosen not to attend the convention in Dallas. This include Susan Collins, the five-term incumbent senator from Maine, and Dan Sullivan – the Republican senator from Alaska who is facing a tough contest against former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola. Continue reading...

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the multilateral system is straining under fractured geopolitics during his opening address at the 81st UN General Assembly. • Guterres cited a combination of nuclear escalation risks, worsening climate chaos, and declining financial resources for humanitarian operations. • These systemic failures increase the risk of humanitarian suffering and record migration for vulnerable populations worldwide.

• Independent senator Jacqui Lambie and politicians from the Liberal and Greens parties defended Andrew Hastie after Pauline Hanson and One Nation released a cartoon video calling him a traitor. • The dispute follows Hastie's decision to give evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith during a failed defamation trial. • The Australian government is introducing new laws to target organized crime, distributors, and retailers involved in the growing illicit tobacco black market.

Follow the day’s news liveVictoria has highest rate of car theft and home burglary claims in ICA dataMelbourne recorded more insurance claims for stolen and broken-into cars than all other Australian capital cities combined, according to data analysis by the Insurance Council of Australia.The insurance data shows Victoria has a crime problem, and it is being felt directly by households, businesses and communities.I think it was hoped that they might but, you know, all countries have their own decisions to make. We all want the same thing and nobody says this is easy.I don’t know the basis upon which she’s made a decision not to be involved with us, but I’m sure that you know she believes that what she’s doing is in the interests of Palestinians and in the interests of justice.I’m always happy to talk to my Australian friends and maybe even persuade them. Continue reading...

• The European Commission has begun implementing Mario Draghi’s plan to boost economic competitiveness, but national governments are resisting key proposals. • Spain suggested the Commission borrow an additional €850 billion per year for EU countries, but the proposal was ignored by the Council. • Resistance from frugal nations to increase EU debt limits the ability to fund strategic projects like electricity grids and breakthrough research.

President to give speeches on both days of unprecedented gatheringRepublican midterm convention will be ‘Trumpist pageantry’ – at the party’s own riskSign up for US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Donald Trump is due to address Republicans tonight at the party’s first ever national convention ahead of the crucial midterm elections, with the GOP hoping to energize voters as it fights to hold its narrow congressional majorities.Clashing court rulings plunged Missouri’s congressional elections into uncertainty. The US Supreme Court decided not to intervene to reinstate a Donald Trump-backed US House map, upholding a a ruling from the state’s highest state court that prevented the use of the map in the November elections. But shortly after a federal judge temporarily barred the state from using its old congressional maps in November.The US military destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after a US navy warship was targeted with ballistic missiles. Iran had targeted the warship twice over two days, the US Central Command said.The US will ban Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and most alcoholic beverages. The move marked an escalation in the ongoing trade war between the North American countries, and comes just after Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US goods.Congressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for US Senate. Former senator John E Sununu, who is backed by Trump, won the state’s Republican Senate primary.Lonnie G Bunch III announced he is stepping down as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution after seven years in the role amid Donald Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on the world’s largest museum’s autonomy. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary ‘regrets’ Israel’s response to ban on trade with illegal settlements but ‘proud’ of his actionsUK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backingGood morning. Yesterday Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, made what may turn out to be one of the most important Commons statements of the year. Here is our overnight report by Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey.Here is an analysis by Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor. Continue reading...