What would make your life easier? Martin Lewis asks public for ‘small ideas’ to improve UK
Finance expert launches Small Ideas Initiative to gather ‘practical, low-cost’ ideas to put before cross-party panelEvery day, people run into what the finance expert Martin Lewis calls “the life-potholes of unintended consequences” – clunky systems and…
Free land for those who will build social homes on it. Is this the radical solution to the UK’s housing problem? | Phineas Harper
A bold south London initiative to give land to community groups rather than private developers could transform the systemLewisham council, in southeast London, is developing ambitious plans to transfer public land to community groups in an attempt to get…
How success of Manchester City helped put Andy Burnham in power
PM has praised Abu Dhabi group as ‘huge partner’ in reshaping Manchester, but critics say this ignores public cost of city’s transformationIn July 2016, the Manchester City player Yaya Touré ambled into a small bar near Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium and…
The Guardian view on Grenfell prosecutions: at last, survivors have a date | Editorial
Prosecutors will decide who to charge within eight months. But ministers should also re-examine the lawPolice have at last asked prosecutors to consider charges relating to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The suffering of those who survived or were…
‘Contract between humans and river’: Bristol Avon’s rights enshrined in charter
River charters part of wider movement establishing ‘moral’ framework to protect nature and hold institutions to accountOne Monday morning in spring last year, 12 people gathered in the morning drizzle at Joyce’s Pool, one of the sources of the Bristol…
Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Decision to allow development of 190 new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the lawHouses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to…
What are the Lib Dems for? They must champion localism to stay relevant in an age of single-issue politics | Simon Jenkins
Ed Davey’s party are the obvious candidates to push for the deeper local democracy the public is crying out forSeptember is the cruellest month for political commentators because it is when something has to be said about the Liberal Democrats. They are a…
Labour’s last chance? The people shaping Andy Burnham’s grand plans for Britain
The new prime minister has declared he wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism. But is he really prepared to be that radical?In May 2025, when Keir Starmer was still prime minister, Labour politicians, campaigners and journalists gathered at the Ministry…