Category Archives: UK news

London tube strike shuts down services, causing congestion on roads

Posted on by

Downing Street says ‘Londoners rightly fed up’ as commuters forced to find other routes to work on first of four days of RMT action

Downing Street said Londoners would be “rightly fed up” as commuters turned to the other trains, buses and bikes – or just stayed at home – as strikes by the RMT union closed the underground on Monday.

The numbers attempting to use any public transport were down by about a fifth, according to Transport for London (TfL) data, but that still left many crowding on to bus and overground services or congested roads at the start of four days of commuter misery.

Continue reading...

UK may suspend visas for countries that won’t take back people refused asylum, says Mahmood

Posted on by

New home secretary vows to move ‘further and faster’ to cut number of people entering by irregular routes

Countries that refuse to take back rejected asylum seekers from the UK could face visa suspensions, Shabana Mahmood said on Monday, as she promised to move “further and faster” as home secretary.

Confirming that she hopes to take a harder line than her predecessor, Yvette Cooper, she said she would do “whatever it takes” to cut the number of people entering the UK by irregular routes such as small boats.

Continue reading...

Court staff cover up Banksy image of judge beating a protester

Posted on by

Artist’s latest work at Royal Courts of Justice in London is thought to refer to pro-Palestine demonstrations

A painting by Banksy of a judge using a gavel to beat a helpless protester appeared on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice in London before quickly being covered up by guards.

Banksy confirmed the artwork was his by posting a picture of it on Instagram on Monday morning.

Continue reading...

Disposable face masks used during Covid have left chemical timebomb, research suggests

Posted on by

An estimated 129bn were being used every month around the world at height of pandemic, with no recycling stream

The surge in the use of disposable face masks during the Covid pandemic has left a chemical timebomb that could harm humans, animals and the environment, research suggests.

Billions of tonnes of plastic face masks created to protect people from the spread of the virus are now breaking down, releasing microplastics and chemical additives including endocrine disruptors, the research found.

Continue reading...

Protests expected as 51 Israeli arms makers among exhibitors at London trade fair

Posted on by

Campaign Against Arms Trade says UK government has hit ‘peak complicity in genocide’ in allowing the firms to exhibit

Fifty-one Israeli arms makers and the US defence giant behind the F-35 fighters used to bomb Gaza are among the 1,600 exhibitors at the biennial DSEI trade show that begins in London’s Docklands on Tuesday.

Their presence will be the focus for hundreds planning to demonstrate outside the four-day arms fair, at which the defence secretary, John Healey, is expected to speak alongside senior British military officials.

Continue reading...

UK advertising watchdog accused of breaking rules in its own ad campaign

Posted on by

Complaint lodged asks ASA to investigate claims made in promotion launched in conjunction with household brands

The UK advertising watchdog has received a complaint about its own high-profile UK-wide campaign, accusing it of breaking the rules it enforces around misleading marketing.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which investigates whether ads breach UK regulations, is being asked to investigate claims made in its campaign launched in conjunction with household brands including Tesco, Comparethemarket and Lloyds bank.

Continue reading...

Londoners buying lowest share of property outside capital since 2013

Posted on by

Stalling house prices and shift back to office working are affecting people’s ability to move out of city, say experts

Londoners are buying the lowest share of houses outside the capital in more than a decade as their moving plans are curtailed by a stalling local market and the shift back to office working.

They were behind just 5.3% of house purchases elsewhere in the country in the first seven months of this year, the lowest proportion since 2013, research has found.

Continue reading...

Senior Labour figures tell Keir Starmer to stop making mistakes

Posted on by

Prime minister faces criticism from Emily Thornberry, who highlights risk of ‘handing country to Farage’

Keir Starmer has been warned by senior Labour figures to stop making mistakes, before a battle over the party’s deputy leadership and amid fears the government could row back on workers’ rights.

As candidates began to jostle to replace Angela Rayner, the prime minister faced public criticism from Emily Thornberry, a potential contender, who said further mistakes from Starmer could lead to having to “hand our country to [Nigel] Farage”.

Continue reading...

Labour insiders form new centre-left network in bid to change party’s direction

Posted on by

Exclusive: Andy Burnham-backed Mainstream group will inevitably influence looming deputy leadership contest

Keir Starmer is facing fresh pressure from Labour insiders, days after a sweeping government reshuffle, as party figures from the left and centre mobilise through a network, backed by Andy Burnham, designed to change Labour’s direction.

The network, called Mainstream, will inevitably influence Labour’s looming deputy leadership contest, with Burnham already throwing his weight behind former cabinet minister Louise Haigh as well as Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader.

Continue reading...

As home secretary, Shabana Mahmood will face enormous challenges

Posted on by

With Reform exploiting tensions in society, Mahmood must address frustration about immigration

Shabana Mahmood already showed she was willing to defy convention when she praised Margaret Thatcher for smashing a political mould – now she’s making history as the first Muslim woman to hold one of Britain’s great offices of state.

It’s not the new home secretary’s only moment as a surprising politician. Mahmood has spoken of how she has a “natural affinity for the faith, flag and family element of Blue Labour”, a small socially conservative fraction of the party which now holds some sway in No 10.

Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood to host Five Eyes meeting on people-smuggling

Posted on by

New home secretary will be joined in London by counterparts from US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand

Shabana Mahmood, the new home secretary, will host a meeting of the Five Eyes security alliance to discuss how to stop people-smuggling, as the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the channel topped 30,000 in record time on Sunday.

Mahmood is to be joined in London by Kristi Noem, the US secretary of state for homeland security, as well as interior ministers from Australia, Canada and New Zealand – the other member countries of the intelligence-sharing pact.

Continue reading...

Couple tell of ordeal when kittens went missing after being left in plane hold

Posted on by

British newlyweds feared worst when transportation of rescue cats from Greece to Paris went awry

A newlywed couple who married in Greece have said they feared the worst when three kittens they rescued from Crete went missing after being left in the hold of an aeroplane.

They first travelled to the island in September 2023 and found the mother cat, who “had a very distinctive bulging eye that needed to be removed”, Bethany Mulcahy-Stephenson, a veterinary nurse, said.

Continue reading...

South West Water taken to court over cryptosporidium outbreak in Devon

Posted on by

Inspectorate issues summons after water supply infected 140 people with diarrhoea-type disease in Brixham last year

South West Water is being taken to court over a parasite that infected the water supply in parts of Devon last summer and left dozens sick.

More than 140 people were confirmed to have the diarrhoea-type disease, which also causes stomach pains and vomiting, typically lasting for about two weeks. Four people were hospitalised at the time.

Continue reading...

Private menopause tests risk undermining NHS care, doctors say

Posted on by

Expert says self-testing kits are clinically useless and can be a distraction from evidence-based treatment

Expensive, over-the-counter hormone tests for menopause are clinically useless and risk undermining women’s healthcare, senior doctors have warned.

The testing kits, offered by private clinics and available to buy for self-testing, claim to offer tailored insights through measuring hormone levels. But they have been described by experts as misleading and medically unnecessary.

Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood expected to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels to barracks

Posted on by

New home secretary is expected to unveil plans to use military sites as Labour seeks to harden immigration policy

Shabana Mahmood is expected to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks as Labour seeks to harden its immigration policy amid rising numbers of crossings in the channel.

The new home secretary is reportedly set to announce the use of Ministry of Defence sites to house people after a wave of protests outside migrant accommodation over the summer.

Continue reading...

Lisbon funicular cable snapped before deadly crash, report finds

Posted on by

Investigators say it had not been possible to visually inspect section of cable that separated before incident

A cable linking two carriages snapped shortly before Wednesday’s funicular crash in Lisbon that killed 16 people, accident inspectors have said in a report.

An operator tried to apply emergency brakes but failed to prevent the derailment, investigators added.

Continue reading...

About 300 arrested as protesters defy ban on Palestine Action in London

Posted on by

Police say offences include assault and support for a proscribed group as 1,500 defied ban in Parliament Square

About 300 people have been arrested at the largest demonstration yet opposing the proscription of Palestine Action.

Defend Our Juries, who organised the demonstrations, said there were 1,500 sign-holders in Parliament Square on Saturday at a fresh protest in London against the ban. At the previous major demonstration last month, 532 people were arrested for taking part. Participants gathered in Parliament Square by 1pm, many holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

Continue reading...

About 300 arrested as protesters defy ban on Palestine Action in London

Posted on by

Police say offences include assault and support for a proscribed group as 1,500 defied ban in Parliament Square

About 300 people have been arrested at the largest demonstration yet opposing the proscription of Palestine Action.

Defend Our Juries, who organised the demonstrations, said there were 1,500 sign-holders in Parliament Square on Saturday at a fresh protest in London against the ban. At the previous major demonstration last month, 532 people were arrested for taking part. Participants gathered in Parliament Square by 1pm, many holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

Continue reading...

Reshuffle of junior ministers raises fears over future of Labour’s workers’ rights bill

Posted on by

Some believe fight is looming over sweeping reforms after employment rights minister Justin Madders sacked and union allies sidelined

Keir Starmer has sought to tighten his grip on his government with a wave of junior ministerial changes that has sidelined allies of the unions, raising questions over the future of Labour’s workers’ rights package.

The reshuffle has been used by Downing Street to signal a tougher stance on immigration in an apparent bid to take on Reform UK, with Shabana Mahmood – a self-described social conservative rising star – now in charge of the Home Office, supported by Sarah Jones who returns to her former policing brief.

Continue reading...

Reshuffle of junior ministers raises fears over future of Labour’s workers’ rights bill

Posted on by

Some believe fight is looming over sweeping reforms after employment rights minister Justin Madders sacked and union allies sidelined

Keir Starmer has sought to tighten his grip on his government with a wave of junior ministerial changes that has sidelined allies of the unions, raising questions over the future of Labour’s workers’ rights package.

The reshuffle has been used by Downing Street to signal a tougher stance on immigration in an apparent bid to take on Reform UK, with Shabana Mahmood – a self-described social conservative rising star – now in charge of the Home Office, supported by Sarah Jones who returns to her former policing brief.

Continue reading...