Category Archives: UK news

Starmer accuses Whitehall of being comfortable with failure in landmark speech

Posted on by

Prime minister sets out milestones for delivery but faces claims of watering down targets and ignoring immigration

Keir Starmer accused Whitehall of becoming comfortable with failure as he challenged civil servants to hit a series of policy targets and deliver on 150 “major infrastructure projects”.

Ushering in the “next phase” for the five-month-old Labour government, the prime minister urged “a profound cultural shift away from a declinist mentality” and a relentless focus on getting things done.

Higher real household disposable income and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by the end of this parliament, as part of a long-term aim to make the UK the fastest-growing G7 economy.

Building 1.5m homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects.

Putting the UK “on track” to achieve at least 95% clean power by 2030.

Meeting the NHS standard of 92% of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective care.

Getting a record 75% of five-year-olds ready to learn when they start school.

A named police officer for every beat, and 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers for England and Wales.

Continue reading...

Prison population in England and Wales set to exceed 100,000 by 2029

Posted on by

Rising prosecutions, higher maximum sentences and soaring number of people on remand driving growth from 86,000 today

The prison population could top 100,000 within five years in England and Wales, official estimates show.

The justice department acknowledged that a perfect storm of rising prosecutions, politicians bringing in higher maximum sentences, and soaring numbers of people on remand – meaning they are in jail awaiting trial or sentencing – are responsible for the projected rise.

Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says new ‘milestones’ on living standards, NHS and more are ‘almighty challenge’ – as it happened

Posted on by

Prime minister makes speech intended to to show Labour government is ‘delivering change’

Starmer says there is record dissatisfaction with the NHS. The public insititutions but that they are not beyond repair.

Says this is great nation and we are rediscovering that we can do new things and we can deliver the change that they voted.

The purpose of this government is to make our public services work. It’s cause that demands the full power of government.

Starmer is up. Opening gambit is a swipe at Kemi Badenoch: the leader of the opposition thinks if you do a couple of shifts in McDonald’s you can become working-class.

Continue reading...

CEO of Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group says budget felt like being ‘kicked in the face’

Posted on by

Sports Direct owner reports weaker consumer confidence before and after the budget as it cuts profit expectations

The chief executive of the high street retail giant Frasers said that “we felt we’d been kicked in the face” after Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget.

Frasers said it had witnessed weaker confidence among shoppers leading up to and since the budget, as the company reduced its profit forecasts for the year.

Continue reading...

Hundreds detained in Northern Ireland in crackdown on people smugglers

Posted on by

Gangs charging €8,000 for illegal travel packages that avoid crossing Channel on small boats

Hundreds of people have been detained in Northern Ireland trying to get into Great Britain by crossing the border from Ireland in an operation aimed at cracking down on people smugglers.

Criminal gangs are charging up to €8,000 for the illegal travel package they present as a safer route to crossing the Channel on small boats , say immigration officials.

Continue reading...

French authorities rescue 85 migrants trying to cross Channel

Posted on by

Authorities say ‘numerous’ boats set out to sea and that one called for help after hitting a sandbank off the Pas-de-Calais region

The French navy rescued 85 migrants trying to cross the Channel from France to England on Wednesday, maritime authorities said, the latest in a deadly series of dangerous crossings.

One of “numerous” migrant boats that set out to sea called for help after hitting a sandbank off the Pas-de-Calais region, France’s Channel and North Sea maritime prefecture said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Starmer seeks to relaunch premiership with new promise to crack down on crime

Posted on by

After a rocky start, PM sets out ‘next phase’ covering economic growth, NHS backlogs, energy, and a ‘bobby on every beat’

Keir Starmer will attempt to reset his premiership with a series of pledges to show he is “delivering change”, including 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and a named “bobby on every beat”.

In a speech Labour hopes will set out the “next phase” of government, the prime minister will detail half a dozen “milestone” targets covering living standards, NHS backlogs, secure energy, housebuilding and children’s readiness for school.

Continue reading...

Tata Steel’s UK losses hit £1.1bn on cost of closing Port Talbot blast furnaces

Posted on by

Losses quadruple from a year earlier after decision to end primary steelmaking in south Wales with loss of 2,500 jobs

Losses at Tata Steel’s UK operations ballooned to £1.12bn due to the cost of closing Port Talbot’s two blast furnaces.

Accounts for the Indian-owned company show that pre-tax losses quadrupled from £279m to £1.12bn in the year to the end of March due to restructuring costs associated with the closure of its blast furnaces and coke ovens at the site in south Wales.

Continue reading...

Two-child benefit cap ‘will be scrapped’ in Scotland, vows SNP

Posted on by

Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, reveals plans in budget to end ‘pernicious’ policy

The Scottish government has unveiled plans to scrap Westminster’s controversial two-child benefit cap to lift thousands of “children out of poverty”.

Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, said her budget for the coming year “offers hope for Scotland’s future”, announcing that the two-child cap on benefits would be scrapped in Scotland as she pledged record spending for both the NHS and councils.

Continue reading...

Lucy Letby questioned over suspicious deaths of babies in Liverpool

Posted on by

Jailed neonatal nurse’s lawyer condemns ‘leaking by police’ as possible link to Liverpool Women’s hospital emerges

Lucy Letby maintains her innocence, her lawyer said on Wednesday as he condemned “leaking by the police” after it was confirmed the neonatal nurse had been interviewed over more suspicious deaths of babies.

Letby, who is serving a whole-life sentence for killing and maiming newborns in her care, was questioned under caution about other unexpected deaths and collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital and, for the first time, at Liverpool Women’s hospital where she trained as a student, Cheshire police said.

Continue reading...

British army could be wiped out within six months of Ukraine-scale war, minister warns

Posted on by

Alistair Carns says a casualty rate similar to Russia’s invasion could lead to the army being ‘expended’ within six to 12 months

The British army would be wiped out in as little as six months if it was forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict, a defence minister has warned.

Alistair Carns said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months.

Continue reading...

Police raid migrant smuggling ring accused over small boat Channel crossings

Posted on by

More than 500 officers participated in the operation, which was co-ordinated with British, French and European agencies

Police have carried out dawn raids in several cities in Germany and France in an internationally coordinated operation to smash a network accused of smuggling migrants to Britain in small boats.

Coordinated with Europol, the French security service and British police after months of intelligence-gathering, the raids on Wednesday concentrated on western German cities where gangs are believed to have procured small boats and found migrants wanting to be taken to the UK from France across the English Channel.

Continue reading...

UK interest rates to fall more slowly than expected after budget, claims report

Posted on by

Government’s spending and borrowing plans mean rates will stay higher for longer, according to OECD

UK interest rates will fall by less than expected over the next two years after Rachel Reeves revealed significant spending and borrowing plans in the budget, according to an influential report.

In its annual economic survey, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said UK inflation would also surpass previous forecasts next year, and upgraded growth projections for the economy, because of boost from October’s budget.

Continue reading...

Rail renationalisation should reduce delays but may not cut fares, says UK minister

Posted on by

Heidi Alexander refuses to confirm cost of setting up Great British Railways but insists it is lower than fees paid to train operators

The renationalising of train companies will not necessarily bring cheaper rail fares but should reduce cancellations and late trains, the UK transport secretary has suggested.

South Western Railway is to become the first train operator nationalised under the Labour government, ministers announced on Wednesday. Greater Anglia and C2C will also be brought into public ownership next year.

Continue reading...

Rio Tinto investor urges mining giant to drop primary London listing

Posted on by

Hedge fund with £197m stake leads push to prioritise Sydney exchange as FTSE 100 firm outlines ambitious copper production targets

An activist investor in Rio Tinto has demanded the miner scrap its primary London listing and focus on Australia, as the FTSE 100 firm outlined its long-term investment strategy.

Palliser Capital called on the metals and minerals firm to drop its “outdated” dual listing structure across the London and Sydney financial markets.

Continue reading...

English pupils do better than expected in international maths and science tests

Posted on by

England maintained good maths scores and improved in science, coming ninth and fifth among 70 countries

English pupils have made a strong showing in the latest round of prestigious international tests, maintaining their scores in maths and improving in science, a subject in which they rose to fifth in the league tables.

They were among students from 70 countries who participated in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), which takes place every four years, providing education policymakers with international comparisons.

Continue reading...

Police seek dog owner after fatal attack on young deer in royal park

Posted on by

Footage released of spaniel chasing deer in ‘deeply distressing’ incident in Richmond Park

Police are looking for the owner of a pet dog that is believed to have chased and killed a deer in Richmond Park in south-west London.

Video footage of what appeared to be a Spaniel relentlessly chasing a deer was released by the Royal Parks Police following the incident on Monday at about 12.30pm near to Sheen Cross.

Continue reading...

Journalists strike over proposed sale of Observer to Tortoise Media

Posted on by

Forty-eight-hour strike, first at Guardian in more than 50 years, to take place on Wednesday and Thursday

Journalists at the Guardian and the Observer are holding a 48-hour strike in protest at the proposed sale of the Observer newspaper to Tortoise Media.

The strike, the first at the Guardian in more than 50 years, is due to take place on Wednesday 4 December and Thursday 5 December.

Continue reading...

MPs back PR bill in vote, a symbolic win for electoral reform campaigners – UK politics live

Posted on by

MPs vote to give leave to bring in private members’ bill on PR but it will have no practical effect

Lord Robertson, the former Labour defence secretary and former Nato secretary who is leading the government’s strategic defence review, is giving evidence to the Commons defence committee. He has told MPs that the Americans are being fully consulted about the review. This is from Shashank Joshi, the Economist’s defence editor.

Listening to George Robertson & Richard Barrons, who are writing the UK’s defence review alongside Fiona Hill, giving evidence to the Commons defence committee. They’re in “constant contact” with allies, Robertson says, and have a US officer on the review team.

Continue reading...

Water firms push for higher shareholder returns as Ofwat considers bills increase

Posted on by

Companies say higher returns are needed to ensure record infrastructure investment across industry is delivered

Water companies want to see higher returns for shareholders to ensure record investment into sewage infrastructure, pipes and treatment plants is delivered.

As Ofwat, the water regulator for England and Wales, prepares to announce its decision on how much customer bills will be allowed to rise by to fund tens of billions of pounds in investment across the industry, water companies said higher returns were needed.

Continue reading...