Month: September 2024

The Ukrainian prime minister has asked the UK for “help and support” in using long-range missiles to strike Russian territory as he met the Foreign Secretary in Kyiv. David Lammy and his US counterpart Antony Blinken are on a joint visit to the Ukrainian capital to show support for Kyiv. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pushed for permission to use Western missiles to strike at targets within Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and […]

The UK economy flatlined in July for the second month in a row, according to the latest official figures, as the Chancellor said she was “under no illusion about the scale of the challenge” the country faces. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP) recorded no growth in July. Economists had been expecting GDP to edge up by 0.1% in the month, according to a consensus […]

Mel Stride has been eliminated from the Conservative leadership contest as Robert Jenrick topped the second round of voting by MPs. The second ballot in the Conservative leadership contest put Mr Jenrick first with 33 votes, followed by Kemi Badenoch with 28. James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat tied with 21 votes. Mr Stride came in last with 16, knocking him out of the race. Dame Priti Patel was eliminated in […]

The case of serial killer Beverley Allitt formed part of nurse Lucy Letby’s training, a public inquiry has heard. The Thirlwall Inquiry, which will probe how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016, opened on Tuesday with a statement which referenced nurse Allitt, who attacked children at the Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, in 1991, and killer GP Harold Shipman. Chairwoman […]

Sir Keir Starmer has seen off a backbench rebellion over plans to cut the winter fuel allowance but the Government’s majority fell to 120. MPs voted 348 to 228 against the Tory motion for the controversial policy to be blocked. A list of how MPs voted will be available shortly, though it will not be immediately clear how many actively chose to abstain as it will only show who voted […]

The United States and the UK have formally accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine, and plan to take measures to punish those involved. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said sanctions will be announced later on Tuesday. “Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will […]

Prisoners could be put up in hotels when they are freed early to ease jail overcrowding, the Justice Secretary said. Shabana Mahmood told the Commons that inmates who are homeless on release could be temporarily placed in taxpayer-funded budget hotels if there is not enough space in bail hostels and other community accommodation typically used for offenders. A watchdog warned it was “inevitable” some of the 1,700 prisoners being released […]

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted bosses are not “knocking on my door saying they want to rip up employee rights” as he defended his plan to tackle bad working practices. The Prime Minister, who vowed to “rewrite the rules of our economy” and forge a new partnership between government, business and workers, rejected criticism of his plans – which the Tories have dubbed “French-style union laws”. The Institute of Directors […]

Consumer group Which? has called on Oasis and Ticketmaster to “do the right thing” and refund fans hit by inflated ticket prices. Many fans were shocked by the price of standard tickets for the reunion tour more than doubling from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster amid surging demand, prompting the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they will look into the use of dynamic pricing. Following the controversy, […]