News – World and UK

The Budget will embrace the “harsh light of fiscal reality” but “better days are ahead”, Sir Keir Starmer will say in a speech ahead of one of the most significant financial statements in recent history. The Prime Minister will warn of “unprecedented” economic challenges and invite the public to judge him on his ability to rise to them as he sets the tone for Wednesday’s announcement. He is expected to […]

Rachel Reeves will not announce any new freeports in the Budget, despite a Downing Street press release on Friday saying five more would unveiled, it is understood. The Chancellor will instead confirm funding for “next steps” for five of the existing sites, which will receive official clearance to have customs facilities within their boundaries. Ms Reeves will also approve plans for a separate “investment zone” in the East Midlands that […]

A 21-year-old hoping to become the first woman to row from mainland Europe to mainland South America solo has begun her record attempt. Zara Lachlan, 21, from Cambridge, set off from Lagos on the Portuguese Algarve on Sunday morning, aiming to row 3,600 nautical miles to French Guiana in a journey which it is estimated will take around 90 days. Ms Lachlan, who will join the Army in September as […]

Sir Chris Hoy has revealed his “selfless” wife kept her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis a secret as they dealt with his cancer treatment. Sir Chris, one of Britain’s most successful Olympians, revealed his terminal prognosis last weekend, after announcing in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer. According to an extract from his memoir, All That Matters: My Toughest Race Yet, published in The Sunday Times, Sir Chris, 48, […]

Veterans, service personnel and families have marked the 10th anniversary of the end of UK combat operations in Afghanistan with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Organised by the Royal British Legion, it featured a service of remembrance and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Armed Forces Memorial. The 235 guests included the serving and veteran communities of Afghanistan, the families of those who served, and those […]

Michelle Obama has challenged men to support Kamala Harris’s bid to be America’s first female president, warning that women’s lives will be at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House. During a rally in Michigan on Saturday, the former first lady described the assault on abortion rights as the harbinger of dangerous limitations on healthcare for women. Some men may be tempted to vote for Mr Trump because […]

The King will return to regular overseas trips next year as he adapts to living with cancer. Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, the traditional periods for official foreign royal trips, provided doctors sanction the travel. The development comes after the King’s recent tour of Australia and Samoa with the Queen he was “determined” to carry out and which was a “perfect tonic” for the head of […]

Rachel Reeves has announced £1.4 billion to rebuild crumbling schools and a tripling of investment in free breakfast clubs as part of her first Budget. The Chancellor said children “should not suffer for” the dire state of the UK’s public finances, despite the Labour Government needing to fill what it describes as a £22 billion “black hole” of overspend. However, economists cautioned that most of the funding announced on Sunday […]

A Labour MP has said he will “co-operate with any inquiries” police have as officers probe reports of an alleged assault involving the backbencher. Mike Amesbury said an incident on Saturday had left him feeling “threatened” after footage circulated online appearing to show him berating a man who was lying on the road before a bystander pushed him away. Cheshire Police confirmed officers were called to reports of an attack […]