New Chancellor given pre-Budget challenge as borrowing jumps unexpectedly The fiscal squeeze facing new Chancellor John Healey ahead of his inaugural Budget has been laid bare as official figures showed government borrowing unexpectedly rose to £1.8 billion last month. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said government borrowing stood at £1.8 billion in July, £700
World’s oldest person celebrates ‘lovely’ 117th birthday after year she met King The world’s oldest person is celebrating her 117th birthday after a year of “many firsts”, including meeting the King and holding his hand. Ethel Caterham, who lives at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, is spending the day with her family and
‘Unprecedented’ El Nino event to bring storms and rain to UK, says Met Office The UK is set to experience more storms and rain over the upcoming autumn and winter seasons caused by an “unprecedented” El Nino event, forecasters have warned. El Nino is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5C
Fly-tippers will be made to pay for cleaning up waste they dumped, Burnham says Fly-tippers will be forced to pay for the clean-up when they dump waste illegally, Andy Burnham has said. The Prime Minister made the announcement as he laid out plans to crack down on waste crime, vowing that the days of criminal
Wildlife killed in New Forest fire will take ‘decades to recover’ Wildlife in the New Forest which was ravaged by a fire will take decades to recover – with the blaze destroying ancient beech and oak trees which have grown at the site for hundreds of years, according to Forestry England. The blaze began when
Lewes rail line to reopen in September as work under way to remove train Work is under way to remove a derailed train from a track in East Sussex after an incident that injured 30 people, as rail bosses confirmed the line will reopen in September. A major incident was declared by British Transport Police
Reforming English and maths GCSE resits ‘crucial to tackling Neets crisis’ Reforming compulsory resits for English and maths GCSEs is crucial to tackling the Neets crisis and opening doors for young people, education leaders have said. Hundreds of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their GCSE grades and technical awards on
Harry and Meghan to move back to UK in shock development six years after Megxit The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain in a shock development more than six years after they relocated to the US, the Press Association understands. The couple will return to the UK later this month
Top GCSE grades rise but key pass rate returns to pre-pandemic levels The proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades has risen from last year but the rate scoring a decent pass has returned to pre-pandemic levels, national figures show. The gap in results between boys and girls has shrunk again, and is at its
Sadie Sink and Tom Fletcher lead nominations for Stage Debut Awards US actress Sadie Sink and musician Tom Fletcher are among the famous faces nominated for the Stage Debut Awards. They will compete for prizes at the ceremony next month alongside stars such as Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes, Oscar-nominated star Brendan Gleeson and I