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‘What’s the point?’ Teenagers give their verdict on Britain’s social media curfew

15 July 2026 at 17:04

All the young people the Guardian spoke to disagreed with aspects of the government’s proposed block

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds in Britain are to be encouraged to observe a midnight to 6am social media curfew but will be able to opt out by changing their account settings.

From next spring, they will be urged to refrain from using certain apps, with the block being switched on by default. But the curfew will not be mandatory and can be overridden.

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© Photograph: Cultura/Alamy

© Photograph: Cultura/Alamy

© Photograph: Cultura/Alamy

The great carbon capture con: behold the wasted billions Burnham could claw back | George Monbiot

8 July 2026 at 09:10

There are far better ways to tackle climate breakdown, but successive governments have chosen to listen to the fossil fuel companies instead

The new prime minister will be looking for money? Well, here’s £21.7bn lying on the ground. The government could cancel its deranged, disastrous carbon capture and storage (CCS) programme at no cost to public welfare: in fact, it would greatly reduce the harm we will suffer.

Sorry, did I say £21.7bn? That’s the figure the government has been putting in its press releases for spending on this programme between now and 2050. But this covers only the first phase of the project. The climate experts Dr Andrew Boswell and Simon Oldridge worked through the data produced by the government’s Climate Change Committee, which was scattered across different spreadsheets, and discovered that the projected cost of the full CCS programme between now and 2050 is £264bn.

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© Illustration: Eleanor Shakespeare/The Guardian

© Illustration: Eleanor Shakespeare/The Guardian

© Illustration: Eleanor Shakespeare/The Guardian

What’s holding back Britain’s green revolution? – a visual story

Labour has approved a wave of renewable energy projects, but turning plans into power remains slow. Why is that?

Labour has a race on its hands if it is to lock in its promise to achieve a virtually zero-carbon electricity system by 2030.

Britain’s next prime minister will have to move fast: the climate emergency is raging, high energy bills are driving up the cost of living and the reactionary right is threatening a fossil fuel push if it wins power.

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© Composite: Guardian design / SSE

© Composite: Guardian design / SSE

© Composite: Guardian design / SSE

The Truth About the “Brains Behind Burnham”

24 June 2026 at 07:00

"Is Miatta Fahnbulleh the brains behind Burnham?" asks the New Statesman this week, even coining the term "Fahnbullehism". No, says Charlotte Gill: it's the brains behind Fahnbulleh that we need to be looking at.

The post The Truth About the “Brains Behind Burnham” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Angela Rayner Calls for Benefits Hike in Bid to Join Burnham’s Team

23 June 2026 at 17:24

Angela Rayner has been burnishing her Left-wing credentials this morning with a call for a hike in benefits as she joined other Labour big beasts in bidding to join Andy Burnham's top team.

The post Angela Rayner Calls for Benefits Hike in Bid to Join Burnham’s Team appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Starmer has a strong green record – but a rightwing backlash weakened his plans

Prime minister was forced to row back on some policies despite strong support among voters for climate action

Keir Starmer has faced a problem no Labour government has needed to deal with before. His energy and climate policies – core to solving the cost of living crisis – have come under attack from opposition parties, which have made dismantling the agenda one of their top priorities, second only to immigration, in their pitch to voters.

This is new in British politics, where a cross-party consensus on the climate and environment has held at least since the days of Margaret Thatcher. She warned the UN of the climate crisis in 1988; David Cameron in 2006 urged voters to “vote blue, go green”; Theresa May enshrined in law the requirement to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; Boris Johnson championed the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021; even Rishi Sunak only tried a partial rollback of green policies as a last desperate throw before calling an election.

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© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/PA

Starmer is Ready to Resign, Say Allies

21 June 2026 at 09:00

Allies of Sir Keir Starmer believe he is preparing to step down as he realises the "game is up" after facing an evaporation of support over the weekend.

The post Starmer is Ready to Resign, Say Allies appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Blair’s Encyclical Labor Imbecilis

18 June 2026 at 15:00

Everyone knows that Tony Blair and the Pope issued encyclicals in the last week or two. The Pope's was entitled ‘Magnifica Humanitas’; by analogy, Blair's should have been called ‘Labor Imbecilis’, says James Alexander.

The post Blair’s Encyclical Labor Imbecilis appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Will Wes Streeting Really Ditch Ed Miliband’s Net Zero Targets?

18 June 2026 at 07:00

Labour leadership hopeful Wes Streeting has said Labour should ditch Ed Miliband's Net Zero targets. Or has he? It's as clear as mud, says Ben Pile, with promises of yet more 'green growth' cakeism.

The post Will Wes Streeting Really Ditch Ed Miliband’s Net Zero Targets? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Too Young for TikTok, Old Enough to Vote?

17 June 2026 at 17:00

According to Keir Starmer, a teenager doesn’t have the judgement to scroll through Instagram without state supervision, but does have the judgement to pick the next government. We are governed by idiots, says Clive Pinder.

The post Too Young for TikTok, Old Enough to Vote? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Scrap Net Zero to Boost Defence

17 June 2026 at 07:00

After defence secretary John Healey quit over the under-resourcing of the Armed Forces, Paul Homewood has a simple solution: scrap Net Zero, then Britain can easily meet its military obligations and needs.

The post Scrap Net Zero to Boost Defence appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Miliband Comes for Underfloor Heating and Towel Rails in Net Zero Drive

13 June 2026 at 11:00

Ed Miliband will ban the sale of underfloor heating systems deemed to be using too much power in his latest Net Zero drive as he also sets his sights on electric towel rails, gas fires and storage heaters.

The post Miliband Comes for Underfloor Heating and Towel Rails in Net Zero Drive appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

John Healey Quits as Defence Secretary Over Starmer Military Funding Failure

11 June 2026 at 13:00

John Healey has resigned as defence secretary over Sir Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan, accusing the Prime Minister of failing to "meet the moment" over his long-delayed proposals to boost military spending.

The post John Healey Quits as Defence Secretary Over Starmer Military Funding Failure appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Can Anyone or Anything Stop Andy Burnham Now?

11 June 2026 at 11:00

Can anyone or anything stop Andy Burnham becoming PM now, asks Mark Littlewood in his latest Political Betting column as he contemplates breaking his usual rule and taking the 2/5 odds-on bet.

The post Can Anyone or Anything Stop Andy Burnham Now? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

The Maoist Origins of the Two-Tier State

9 June 2026 at 15:20

Britain's woke two-tier state has been rightly blamed for the police's appalling response to the stabbing of Henry Nowak. But less understood, says Professor Michael Rainsborough, is the Maoist origins of woke ideology.

The post The Maoist Origins of the Two-Tier State appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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