Politics - Sunday, March 22, 2026

Republicans have largely been on defense against Democratic criticism. Here are five arguments advanced by figures in both parties.

Programme is being billed as the most ambitious housebuilding project in England for half a century Ministers have confirmed the locations for seven new towns, which include under-developed inner-city land, a historic village and an existing new town. The programme is being billed by the housing and communities department as the most ambitious housebuilding project in England for half a century, with the planned construction of between 15,000 and 40,000 homes in each new town. Continue reading...

President Trump’s hopes that an Israeli plan to ignite an internal uprising against Iran’s theocratic government could bring the war to a swift end have so far been dashed.

The increased use of tags makes sense if done right. But years of accumulated problems include a depleted probation workforce Given the frayed and depleted state of the public sector, it is not surprising that prisons in England and Wales are struggling to escape from a sense of perpetual crisis. Recent days saw the latest in a series of urgent notifications. These put a prison in special measures, and require ministers to produce an action plan within a month. Inspectors found that  Woodhill in Milton Keynes is unsafe while a report on another failing prison, Swaleside in Kent, pointed to high levels of violence, staff shortages and education cuts. David Lammy, who was shuffled into the role of justice secretary as a result of Angela Rayner’s hasty exit from government, is busy with the alarming push to remove most defendants’ right to a jury trial. So the implementation of recent sentencing reforms, and problems inside jails, have largely been left to the prisons minister, James Timpson. While there is no doubting his personal commitment, good intentions will not be enough. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...

President Donald Trump will deploy ICE agents to airports across the country on Monday in support of TSA agents amid a funding battle with Democrats.

Shadow justice secretary had called Trafalgar Square event an ‘act of domination’ James Cleverly has said he disagrees with his Conservative frontbench colleague Nick Timothy’s assertion that public Muslim prayers are an act of domination, as another senior Tory called for the party to respect the right to worship. Kemi Badenoch has defended Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, after he posted images of mass prayer at a Ramadan event on Monday evening in Trafalgar Square, calling it “an act of domination” and “straight from the Islamist playbook”. Continue reading...

President Trump says he is considering “winding down” operations in Iran. But many of his original war goals remain unaccomplished.

Tim and Christen Bass are barred from working and facing homelessness after indefinite leave application rejected by Home Office An American family who have brought their children up in the UK are facing the threat of homelessness and detention due to confusion over a Home Office application form. Tim Bass, a data and technology consultant, and his wife, Christen, an autism specialist, have lived in the UK since arriving on a skilled worker visa in 2019. The couple have lived with their two children, aged 10 and eight, in south London since then. Continue reading...

He imposed the most significant overhaul of the F.B.I. in its history. Later, after concluding that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election, he became a target of the president’s anger.

Mike Pence says preserving conservative principles amid rising GOP populism is the calling of his life, ahead of his new book on the conservative agenda.