Month: January 2025

The head of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has said “the time has passed” for another lengthy examination of grooming gangs and that the row is “distracting from the issues”. Professor Alexis Jay said “we’ve had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions” as she called for action. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is pushing for a national inquiry after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X platform to launch […]

Severe flooding and snow are causing travel disruption as weather warnings remain in force. Road and rail links have been closed while Manchester and Bristol airports were forced to suspend flights earlier on Tuesday because of the conditions. A yellow snow and ice warning is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, coastal parts of North Wales and Merseyside and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, […]

The Social Justice Secretary is to pledge to eradicate child poverty through warm safe homes, sustainable jobs and benefits. During a debate on tackling child poverty and inequality, Shirley-Anne Somerville will tell MSPs later on Tuesday that the 2025-26 Budget will contain the means to drive progress on the missison to make child poverty a thing of the past in Scotland. She is expected to say the Scottish Government will commit more […]

Weather warnings for snow and ice are in force across much of the UK after severe flooding and snow caused travel disruption and school closures. A yellow snow and ice warning is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, coastal parts of North Wales and Merseyside and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, until 10am on Tuesday. The same warning is in place for western and […]

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his record of prosecuting child grooming gangs and said those “spreading misinformation are not interested in the victims”, as he remains locked in a row with billionaire Elon Musk. The Tesla and X owner has launched a slew of social media posts attacking the Prime Minister in recent days, accusing him of being “complicit in the crimes” of child sex offenders as he called for […]

Many commuters are suffering travel disruption from severe weather, with major roads closed and railway lines blocked. Manchester airport’s runways were closed early on Monday morning because of heavy snow but have since reopened. Severe weather warnings from the Met Office remain in place for large parts of the UK. It was the UK’s coldest night of the winter so far, with a temperature of minus 13.3C recorded in Loch Glascarnoch in […]

Aldi has beaten its supermarket rival Lidl as the UK’s cheapest supermarket of 2024, according to consumer website Which?. Using an independent price comparison website, the research tracked thousands of grocery prices across eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose – to find out how much each shop was charging for everyday items throughout the year. The results published on Sunday showed Aldi remained […]

The former head of a national inquiry into child sexual abuse has called for the “full implementation” of reforms set out in her 2022 report amid calls in Westminster for the Government to launch a fresh review. Professor Alexis Jay distanced herself from demands for a new independent inquiry and said instead the introduction of measures like a child protection authority which she recommended two years ago was “critical”. She […]

A young woman is cancer-free after undergoing the UK’s first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, was given the surgery in the hope it could offer a potential cure for her deadly disease. The procedure has been a huge success and together with other treatments: targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy and surgery; she now has no signs of cancer anywhere in her body. […]