News – World and UK

Dedicated surgical hubs deliver more operations such as hip replacements and cataract removal in a shorter time and could be key to driving down NHS waiting lists, an evaluation has found. A new report from the Health Foundation charity found that surgical hubs, which are still being rolled out across the NHS, increase the number of operations that can be carried out while reducing the length of time patients spend in hospital. […]

Pupil suspensions and exclusions in England are predicted to have risen by more than a fifth in the past year, a report has found. The “alarming” numbers of children losing learning since the pandemic must be addressed, according to a paper by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank and education charity The Difference. The research explores an “exclusions continuum” to identify the formal ways children miss school […]

The TUC is calling for a workforce commission as part of an urgent drive to repair the country’s “broken” public services. The plan is to bring together unions, employers and independent experts to tackle challenges facing the NHS, schools and other parts of the public sector. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said there was a crisis in hospitals, schools and other sectors after 14 years of underinvestment under the Conservatives. […]

The Government is examining the recommendations of the seven-year probe into the Grenfell Tower fire, following its damning conclusion. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is expected to face questions from broadcasters on Thursday morning about the next steps ministers will take following the end of the inquiry into the 2017 tower block fire. The Housing Secretary’s appearance on the airwaves comes after Sir Keir Starmer issued a state apology for […]

Water firm bosses could face up to two years in jail for obstructing regulators under sweeping new laws proposed by the Government to crack down on the pollution of England’s rivers, seas and lakes. The Water (Special Measures) Bill, introduced to Parliament on Wednesday, will hand new powers to Ofwat and the Environment Agency to take action on companies damaging the environment and failing customers. The Government said the current […]

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane lead a list of six England players nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or while Lionesses trio Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp were shortlisted for the women’s award. But eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi – who lifted the men’s award last year – was left off the list along with longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Shortlists for the respective awards were unveiled by France […]

Oasis have announced two new Wembley Stadium dates due to “phenomenal public demand”, with tickets to be sold by an “invitation-only ballot”. Applications for the ballot for new dates on September 27 and 28 will only be open to those who were unsuccessful in the initial Ticketmaster sale. Announcing the new dates, the band also addressed ticketing issues and said “it needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing […]

Robert Jenrick has emerged as the frontrunner among Tory MPs to take over the leadership of the party as former home secretary Dame Priti Patel was eliminated from the contest. Former immigration minister Mr Jenrick picked up 28 votes in the first ballot of MPs, with bookmakers’ favourite Kemi Badenoch in second place on 22. Shadow home secretary James Cleverly was one vote behind on 21, shadow security minister Tom […]

About 70 firefighters are tackling a blaze at two flats on the ninth and 10th floors of a tower block, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. The brigade has received more than 50 calls to the fire in Catford, south-east London, as images on social media showed flames and smoke billowing from the building. The LFB said the fire was under control as of around 2.15pm and there were no reports of any injuries. An […]