Four nightingale courts made permanent in push to cut court backlogs Four temporary courts set up during the Covid-19 pandemic will be made permanent in an effort to cut court backlogs. Former court buildings in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester will become part of the estate, providing an extra 11 courtrooms, the Ministry of Justice
Ground rents to be capped at £250 under leasehold shake-up Ground rents will be capped at £250-a-year in England and Wales as part of sweeping changes to the leasehold system announced by the Government. New leasehold flats will be banned and existing leaseholders will get the right to switch to commonhold in a bid to
Cate Blanchett to perform at National Theatre as 2026 programme released Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is one of a host of acclaimed actresses who will be performing at the National Theatre this year. Releasing details of its programme for 2026, the London-based theatre said Sandra Oh will make her debut at the venue, while
Three stars pass selection in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins Former Love Island stars Dani Dyer-Bowen and Gabby Allen and retired Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm have passed the course in the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. The Channel 4 show sees 14 celebrity contestants undergo a version of a Special Forces selection
Family of Gordon McQueen in plea to make football safer after his death Football must do more to protect players, the family of ex-Scotland defender Gordon McQueen said after an inquest found that heading the ball was “likely” to have contributed to a brain injury which was a factor in his death. McQueen – who
Nigella Lawson to replace Dame Prue Leith on Great British Bake Off Nigella Lawson will replace Dame Prue Leith as a judge on the Great British Bake Off, it has been announced. The TV chef and cookbook author has the “expertise, empathy and humour” that are the “perfect ingredients” for the Bake Off Tent, according
Former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK Former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK. She told a Reform UK veterans event in London that she had resigned her Conservative Party membership of 30 years. Ms Braverman said she would represent her constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville as a
Action needed to improve growth of UK towns and cities Warrington, Bristol, Barnsley and Brighton buck the national trend of slow growth in living standards since 2013 Top-performing cities and towns experienced economic growth of 27% in the decade to 2023 compared to 18% nationally, new research suggests. Had all 63 of the UK’s largest
Bowel Cancer: Thousands more to be checked NHS England changes bowel screening in bid to pick up more cases early The NHS in England is improving the sensitivity of bowel cancer screening in a bid to pick up thousands more cases that could be prevented or caught early. NHS England said it will lower the
Desk job Bobbies heading back out on the beat Home Secretary pledges faster police response and less red tape in major reforms Shabana Mahmood has vowed to get more police officers out of back offices and on to the streets as part of her radical overhaul of policing in England and Wales. In reforms set