News – World and UK

Digital driving licences stored in a government smartphone “wallet” that can be used to prove a person’s age are to be made available this year. Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said “nothing is off the table” in terms of what digital versions of Government-issued documents could be stored in the new Gov.uk app. The app for Government services will be launched by June and will include a digital wallet […]

The deaths of a 36-year-old man and a six-year-old girl whose bodies were found at a property in West Lothian are being treated as “unexplained” by police. Officers found the bodies at a property in Harburn Drive, West Calder, after they were called to a report of concern for a person at about 4pm on Monday January 20. Police said the deaths are being treated as unexplained and post-mortem examinations will […]

A storm named Eowyn could put lives at risk as strong winds batter the north of the UK on Friday and into Saturday, the Met Office said. Gusts of more than 80mph could cause power cuts, travel disruption and damage to buildings as Storm Eowyn threatens the country. There could also be a danger to life caused by flying debris. The UK can expect the arrival of unsettled conditions on […]

Tougher laws could be needed to regulate the “nightmares of the online world”, Sir Keir Starmer said after it emerged Axel Rudakubana trawled the internet for extreme violent content before the Southport atrocity. The Prime Minister said users can view a “tidal wave of violence” on the internet, and that there are tougher rules for films shown in cinemas unlike for the material freely available online. Rudakubana had a PDF […]

The former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has criticised the recent “weaponisation” of child sexual abuse, as she told of her relief at news her report’s recommendations will finally be implemented. Professor Alexis Jay led the multimillion-pound long-running inquiry, which published its final report in October 2022. She said what followed was almost two years of inaction by the former Conservative government, describing their official […]

The Prime Minister has said the failure of state institutions in the case of child-killer Axel Rudakubana “frankly leaps off the page”. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July. Despite contact with state agencies such as Prevent, authorities failed to stop the attack which claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot […]

Britain’s jobless rate has risen unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment increased to 4.4% in the three months to November, up from 4.3% in the three months to October. The number of payrolled employees was estimated to have tumbled by 47,000 during […]

The UK is “long overdue a reckoning with Government spending”, a senior Treasury minister will say as Labour faces the prospect of making further cuts. Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is expected to use a speech at the Institute for Government’s annual conference on Tuesday to argue that ministers need a different approach to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent effectively. He will say the Government “will not […]

The Chancellor will attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting Rachel Reeves will bid for more investment in Britain as she travels to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this week. The Chancellor is expected to meet the heads of major international banks during her two-day visit to the Swiss town on Wednesday and Thursday in an effort to tout the UK as an investment opportunity. In what […]