From Send to single-sex spaces: key tests facing Keir Starmer in 2026
Keir Starmer will begin his second full year in Downing Street as one of the least popular ever prime ministers – a spectacularly rapid reversal from his landslide election win of just 18 months ago.Yet Starmer believes this will be the year things start to improve for his beleaguered premiership and fractious Labour party.His chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, recently told special advisers gathered in Downing Street that 2026 would be “the year of proof” when Labour begins to show voters that the change they voted for in 2024 is being delivered.Starmer will start the year with a speech on the cost of living, flagging recent interest rate cuts and the abolition of levies from energy bills as signs that life is becoming more affordable.But he faces a number of potential pitfalls in the year ahead that could end up defining his premiership.
Bridget Phillipson has been drawing up plans for several months to change the way children with extra needs are treated in the school system, and she is due to publish them in the form of a white paper in the new year.The education secretary is under pressure to come up with a cheaper and more efficient way to run the system, given the financial pressures caused by the recent rise in the number of children with conditions such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Parents’ groups are concerned that Phillipson could do away with the system of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which grant children the legal right to additional support and are often cumbersome to secure and costly to manage.Labour backbenchers say privately they are willing to rebel on the issue if the changes look as if they are aimed at saving money rather than improving the way the system is run.A repeat of last year’s welfare rebellion, which led to the government backing down over proposed cuts to disability benefits, would be another major political blow for Starmer.
The moment of maximum danger for the prime minister will come in May when voters in Scotland and Wales will elect their devolved administrations and local elections will be held in parts of England including London.Labour and the Conservatives are each expected to take heavy losses in those elections, with Labour officials worried their party could finish third in Wales and in Scotland.Such a result, coupled with losses in London councils, could be enough to trigger a leadership contest against Starmer – though the lack of an obvious single challenger could yet save his job.Before that, Starmer and his advisers are planning a new year offensive against Reform UK and its leader, Nigel Farage, in which they will label the populist party as “far right” and warn about the consequences of electing it to the national government.Starmer is already plotting his post-local election comeback, including a plan to prorogue parliament and return for a new session with a new king’s speech.
That package of legislation is likely to include Phillipson’s Send measures, a new immigration bill, changes to the House of Lords and long-awaited changes to the leasehold system, including an end to new flats being sold as leasehold.The prime minister is hoping the new bills will help breathe fresh life into his government and give MPs a clear sense of direction for the following 12 months.Arguably the greatest success of Starmer’s premiership so far has been his deft handling of foreign affairs, particularly the combustible US president.Next year promises to be a crunch one in US-UK relations as Starmer attempts to finalise negotiations over trade agreements while also making sure Ukraine is not left stranded by attempts in Washington and Moscow to stitch together a peace deal.Starmer wants to agree a technology deal with the US that would enable closer collaboration on AI and quantum computing, but talks have been hit by last-minute objections from US officials over unrelated trade complaints, including British food safety standards.
Helping the prime minister during this sensitive year will be the incoming ambassador to Washington, Christian Turner, a career diplomat who brings with him experience from the Middle East, north Africa and Pakistan.Ministers have still not approved official guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on access to single-sex public spaces and are now likely to do so in 2026.The guidance is required because of a supreme court ruling in April saying the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex, and it is expected to reflect interim advice that transgender people should not be allowed to use toilets reserved for the gender they live as.The government’s decision on approving the ECHR’s recommendations is likely to prove a flashpoint, given that trans rights campaigners and some inside the commission criticised the interim advice as overly literal.
Jose Pizarro’s recipe for caramelised brussels sprout and panceta montaditos
Brussels sprouts are perhaps not the first thing you think of when you think about Spanish food, but they do have a little history in my homeland. They arrived in Spain in the 16th century, through trade with Flanders, and were often paired with pork, which we love. Here, however, I caramelise them with onion, thyme and sweet vinegar, then serve on crisp baguette with soft cheese and pine nuts. A small bite with big flavour, and just right with a glass of oloroso – perfect for festive times.Prep 15 min Cook 35 minMakes About 20 canapes1 tbsp olive oil 125g sliced panceta (Spanish bacon), or pancetta, finely chopped1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced300g brussels sprouts, finely sliced3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped2 tbsp sweet apple vinegar 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar Salt and black pepper 20 slices fresh baguette 150-200g soft curd cheese, whipped, or whipped cream cheese50g pine nuts, toastedHeat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the chopped panceta for about five minutes, until golden and crisp
Tasting 291 Australian supermarket products has taught me there’s no correlation between price and deliciousness
After a year of taste tests, Nicholas Jordan has learned never to judge a food by its packet – including the cooking instructionsImagine going to a work Christmas party and being greeted not by your current workmates and bosses but by everyone you’ve ever worked with. Imagine the mix of dread, nostalgia and excitement that would bring on. That’s how I feel every time I walk into Coles Broadway.After trying 291 supermarket products for 14 taste tests this year (one more than last year’s haul) I feel as if I know all the characters in there and, despite only having relatively short interactions with many, I have strong opinions about all of them.I want to tell everyone my opinions but supermarkets aren’t particularly welcoming places for giddy soap-box speakers
Drinks ideas to get your NYE party fuelled
Oh, you thought it was all over? After all the carolling, gifting and tree-ing (not to mention the eating and drinking) of the actual Christmassy bit, it feels almost cruel to have to do it all again, and on – in my opinion – one of the most stressful nights of the year: New Year’s Eve.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.If you’re not paying over the odds and going out, with long queues and stressed-out staff, you’re the stressed-out one yourself
Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for pimento cheese and pickle loaded crisps | Quick and easy
Pimento cheese, a much-loved American spread, has been a permanent fixture in my kitchen this month. Whether it’s a quick sandwich filling in times of chaos or an effortless party dip, I am addicted. My favourite way to serve it, though, is as part of a loaded crisp platter. Use salted or pickle crisps, and load them up with spoonfuls of pimento cheese, sliced pickles, herbs and heat. Move over nachos, there’s a new crisp platter in town
Ten things I love (and hate) about restaurants in winter
As the wildly popular social media platform celebrates its 10th year, we ask the Topjaw frontman what he loves – and hates – about eating out during the festive season.PiesI love pies. I scoff when people ask: “What is British cuisine?” First, we have the most diverse culinary scene on the planet, with great Asian and Mediterranean food everywhere. And, second, what even is British cuisine?! A pie is one of the greatest dishes ever created. Think a chicken, rabbit and tarragon pie, with good 50:50 butter:potato mash and really good gravy
‘Many over-hyped London restaurants left me cold’: Grace Dent’s best restaurants of 2025 | Grace Dent on restaurants
For reasons that may already be apparent, and that are currently playing on BBC One, I have spent much of 2025 watching people cook scallops and souffles in a windowless television location unit in Digbeth, Birmingham. MasterChef, despite being one of the most exhilarating jobs a girl can do, sucked up most of my waking hours this year, and made my free time extra-precious. So the very best restaurants I found this year – those with zinging hospitality and heart-thumpingly good food – became equally extra-crucial.I’m talking about the likes of Tropea in Harborne, just down the road from the TV studio, and where I’ve spent a fair few Saturdays eating butternut squash arancini, fresh tagliolini and whopping great deep-fried salted cannoli. Over in Bristol, meanwhile, two absolute gems revealed themselves on the very same trip: Ragù and Lapin, both in Wapping Wharf and both in repurposed shipping containers, but entirely different creatures
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