Category Archives: UK news

English mayors push for visitor levy to boost income from tourism

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Group led by Steve Rotheram says introducing local tourism tax would empower regional growth

A coalition of mayors from across England are urging the government to allow local authorities to bring in a Barcelona-style visitor levy to generate income from tourism.

The group, led by the Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, argues that a visitor levy would unlock vital funding for tourism and cultural infrastructure, empower regional growth and reduce dependence on central government funding.

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Edinburgh fringe event organisers urged to capitalise on Oasis and AC/DC gigs

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Fringe Society CEO says venues could offer concertgoers ‘morning after’ shows or tempt residents who ‘want to hide’

Organisers of Edinburgh fringe events have been urged to be “pretty smart” and capitalise on the decision by Oasis and AC/DC to play gigs in the city midway through the festival.

There was surprise and irritation when it emerged the bands would be staging four concerts at Murrayfield stadium in mid-August when the world’s largest arts festival is in full flow.

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Human remains found in search for Derby woman missing since 2010

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Police believe remains are of Izabela Zablocka, from Normanton, and have launched murder investigation

Human remains have been found in a search for a woman missing for more than 15 years as police launch a murder investigation into her disappearance.

Izabela Zablocka, from Normanton in Derby, was 30 when she went missing in 2010. Originally from Poland, she had last made contact with family on 28 August 2010.

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Andrew Tate allegedly secured Vanuatu ‘golden passport’ in month of Romania arrest

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Influencer accused of rape and human trafficking alleged to have gained citizenship via £96,000 investment scheme

Andrew Tate allegedly secured a “golden passport” from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu the month he was arrested in Romania on charges including rape and human trafficking, it has been reported.

The 38-year-old influencer allegedly received the passport through a citizenship-by-investment programme that allows foreign nationals to buy citizenship for $130,000 (£96,000), according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Intelligence Online.

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UK should impose sanctions on Egypt over jailed activist, says Helena Kennedy

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Top human rights lawyer calls for UK to take case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah to international court of justice

The UK government should impose sanctions on key figures in the Egyptian government in response to its refusal to release the British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Labour’s most prominent human rights lawyer has proposed.

Writing in the Guardian, Helena Kennedy called for the UK to take the case to the international court of justice, as France has recently done in the case of a national held by Iran.

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Starmer defends not putting date on 3% defence spending target as UK to announce plans to build new submarines – politics live

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Prime minister to launch strategic defence review in Glasgow this morning

Here is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.

In an interview with the Times published on Saturday John Healey, the defence secretary, said that he had “no doubt” that Britain would reach the 3% target by 2034 – ie, before the end of the next parliament. Yesterday he described this as an “ambition”.

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Keir Starmer refuses to set date for UK to spend 3% of GDP on defence

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PM says he will not indulge in ‘performative fantasy politics’ before launching strategic defence review

Keir Starmer has refused to give a date for the UK to spend at least 3% of GDP on defence, saying he would not indulge in “performative fantasy politics”, as he prepared to launch the government’s strategic defence review.

Speaking at a defence facility in Scotland, the prime minister said his commitment to hit 2.5% of GDP on defence spending from 2027 showed he was serious about the issue, but that he could not go further without fiscal certainty.

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Spending on agency staff across NHS in England drops by almost £1bn

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Exclusive: Cost-saving for 2024-25 follows pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%

Spending on agency staff across the NHS in England dropped by almost £1bn in the last financial year, ministers have said, after a pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the total spent by trusts on agency staff during 2024-25 was nearly £1bn lower than the previous year.

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London mayor reverses TfL ban on ads calling for abortion decriminalisation

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Sadiq Khan seeking ‘urgent review’ of decision to ban adverts from British Pregnancy Advisory Service

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stepped in to reverse a ban on adverts on the London transport network calling for abortion to be decriminalised.

It is understood that the mayor is seeking an “urgent review” of a Transport for London (TfL) decision to ban the adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) charity on the grounds they may bring the Metropolitan police into disrepute.

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Miss World organisers accused of being ‘vindictive and bitter’ towards ex-contestant

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Milla Magee, the reigning Miss England, left over claims she had been used as window dressing

Their mantra is “beauty with a purpose”. But the organisers of the Miss World pageant have been accused of something altogether uglier: being “vindictive and very bitter” towards a contestant who left over claims she had been used as window dressing.

The reigning Miss England, Milla Magee, said she agreed to take part in the 2025 Miss World pageant because she believed it would be a platform to promote her campaign to have CPR included in the school curriculum. But she said the reality was very different.

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British businessman accused of plotting to smuggle US military technology to China

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John Miller and Chinese national Cui Guanghai are facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation

A British businessman has been indicted in the US with attempting to traffic sensitive American military technology to China and silence a critic of the Chinese president.

John Miller, 63, was named by US authorities at the weekend after his arrest in Serbia, where he is facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation. The Mail on Sunday reported that he was from Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

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UK twice as likely to have hot summer this year, says Met Office

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Predictions of increased risk of heatwaves follow country’s sunniest spring on record

The UK is twice as likely as usual to have a hot summer this year, the Met Office has predicted, warning that there is also an increased risk of heatwaves.

The predictions follow the country’s sunniest spring on record, with the UK clocking up 630 hours of sunshine since the start of March, in what has also been the driest spring for more than a century.

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Manston staff asked to work overtime amid record number of small boat arrivals

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More than 1,100 migrants arrived on Saturday, the highest number on a single day so far this year

Staff at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent have been asked to work overtime to deal with the record number of small boat arrivals, the Guardian has learned.

The 11th-hour appeal to staff on Saturday evening to work was circulated by Management And Training Corporation (MTC), one of the Home Office’s contractors on the site near Ramsgate, due to concerns about not having enough staff on duty.

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UK Sikhs threaten to ‘no platform’ Labour MPs over lack of Golden Temple massacre inquiry

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Exclusive: Warnings ‘frustrated’ Sikh voters could turn to Reform over failure to investigate UK’s role in 1984 tragedy

British Sikhs are threatening to “no platform” Labour MPs over the lack of a public inquiry into UK complicity in the 1984 Golden Temple massacre in India, amid warnings “frustrated” Sikh voters could back Reform UK.

More than 450 gurdwaras, charities, associations and university societies have written to Keir Starmer demanding he honour previous promises to fully investigate the affair or risk “massive consequences for the re-election of many Labour MPs”.

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Body of British hiker missing since New Year’s Day found in northern Italy

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Rescuers discover Aziz Ziriat’s body buried in snow at foot of the southern face of the Carè Alto mountain

The body of a British hiker missing in the Dolomites in northern Italy since New Year’s Day has been found, local rescuers said on Saturday.

Aziz Ziriat, 36, from London, was discovered buried in snow by rescuers from the Trentino Alpine and speleological rescue team, the organisation said.

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UK plans to build six weapons factories to bolster military readiness

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Plans for £1.5bn investment in munitions manufacturing response to government’s defence review’s call to boost stockpiles

The UK will spend £1.5bn on building six munitions and energetics factories to “better deter our adversaries” as part of its long-awaited strategic defence review.

John Healey, the defence secretary, said the funds formed part of plans for an “always-on” weapons pipeline and would support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons.

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UK trade secretary to seek exemption from US steel and aluminium tariffs

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Trump announced on Friday night that he planned to double rates on imported steel, piling more pressure on the industry

The UK’s trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet his US counterpart next week to thrash out a timeline for exempting the UK from US steel and aluminium tariffs after Donald Trump announced he would double them.

British officials are seeking clarity on the implications of Trump’s announcement on Friday night that he planned to double the tariffs from 25% to 50% from Wedneday 4 June, piling further pressure on global steel trade.

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Sweet dreams: dessert parlours help to revive UK’s high streets

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Market thought to be worth more than £500m as diners seek cheaper alternatives to the pub or a meal out

Dessert cafes and ice-cream parlours are hoping to play a role in a revival of UK high streets and the night-time economy, as people seek an alternative to going to the pub or an expensive meal out.

Their number has soared by almost 700 in the UK in the past decade, according to analysts at Green Street, formerly the Local Data Company, with outlets in places from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

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