Greggs adds 5p to cost of sausage rolls despite plan not to raise prices

Bakery chain says price of meal deals will stay the same but increased costs have put it under pressure

Greggs has increased the amount it charges for some of its items, including an extra 5p on sausage rolls and their vegan equivalent, despite the bakery chain having said earlier this year it had no plans to increase prices.

Roisin Currie, chief executive of the Newcastle-based group, said it had increased prices on a small number of products, including cheese sandwiches, in recent weeks as it continued to come under pressure from a growing wage bill.

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‘Axis of upheaval’ adds urgency to review of UK defence spending

Deepening military and trade links between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are making western powers uneasy

Gen Roly Walker, the head of the British army, has described it as the “axis of upheaval”. George Robertson, the new head of the UK’s defence review, has called the countries the “deadly quartet”. Either way, less than a month into a Labour government, an emerging geopolitical alignment is being highlighted as a threat.

The concerns centre on the growing military and trade links between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Though the four are some way from a cold war-style bloc acting in concert, they have enhanced bilateral ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in a manner that has fuelled anxiety among defence officials and policymakers.

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Tanker carrying jet fuel for Israel must not dock in Gibraltar, say MPs

Campaigners say overseas territory will be complicit in breach of international law if US vessel stops there

There is an overwhelming case for the UK to intervene to stop a US oil tanker carrying 300,000 barrels of jet fuel for use by Israel in Gaza from docking in Gibraltar, according to a letter from a cross-party group of MPs addressed to David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary.

Protests in Spain led by trade unionists and political activists have already resulted in the owners of the Overseas Santorini abandoning plans to dock in the Spanish port of Algeciras. According to Marine Traffic, the ship is now destined to reach Gibraltar at 3pm UK time on Tuesday.

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Winter fuel payments to be restricted as Reeves says there is £22bn spending shortfall – UK politics live

Chancellor suggests budget, on 30 October, will involve tax rises and cuts to spending and benefits

Downing Street has refused to comment on a report saying junior doctors are being offered a pay rise worth about 20% over two years.

In a story for the Times, Steven Swinford reports:

The British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctors committee has recommended an offer that includes a backdated pay rise of 4.05 per cent for 2023-24, on top of an existing increase of between 8.8 per cent and 10.3 per cent.

Junior doctors will be given a further pay rise of 6 per cent for 2024-25, which will be topped up by a consolidated £1,000 payment. This is equivalent to a pay rise of between 7 per cent and 9 per cent.

As we’ve said before, we’re committed to working to find a solution, resolving this dispute, but I can’t get into detailed running commentary on negotiations.

We’ve been honest with the public and the sector about the economic circumstances we face. But the government is determined to do the hard work necessary to finally bring these strikes to an end.

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Southport stabbings: children among victims, say witnesses – latest updates

Youngsters attending a dance workshop were being treated at the scene according to those nearby

At least eight people, feared to include several children, have been stabbed in Southport, where a man with a knife was arrested.

Armed police arrested a man and seized a knife after being called to the “major incident” at a property on Hart Street, in Southport, north of Liverpool, at about 11.50am on Monday.

The man has been taken to a police station and there was no wider threat to the public, police said.

North West ambulance service said it had so far treated eight patients with stab injuries, who have been taken to Alder Hey children’s hospital, Aintree university hospital and Southport and Formby hospital.

Alder Hey children’s hospital declared a major incident and asked parents not to bring their children to the emergency department unless it was urgent.

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said she is “deeply concerned” over the major incident in Southport.

Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, said:

I am deeply concerned by the reports coming from Merseyside police about a major incident on Hart Street in the constituency.

I am hoping for the best possible outcomes to the casualties affected. My thoughts go out to all those affected, their loved ones and to the entire community.

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Man held after at least eight people injured in Southport stabbing

Armed officers seize knife after a number of people hurt in ‘major incident’, say Merseyside police

Southport stabbings: man detained – updates

At least eight people, feared to include several children, have been stabbed in Southport, where a man with a knife was arrested.

Merseyside police said they were responding to a “major incident” at a property in the seaside town in north-west England, where there were “a number of reported casualties”.

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Hospital and road projects face cuts to plug £22bn fiscal hole, Reeves says

Social care and winter fuel payments also targeted as chancellor accuses Tories of covering up scale of fiscal shortfall

Rachel Reeves has scrapped the social care cap and curbed winter fuel payments, as well as announcing big cuts to hospital and road projects, as she seeks to plug what she called a £22bn hole in public spending that was “covered up” by the Conservative government.

In a statement to the Commons that mixed detailed economics and partisan politics, the chancellor justified the cuts with the repeated mantra: “If we cannot afford it, we cannot do it.”

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Police appeal for information after death of Suffolk woman attacked while walking dog

Anita Rose, 57, was found near the railway line at Brantham early on Wednesday morning

Detectives investigating the murder of a woman who died after she was attacked while taking her dog for a walk are appealing for information from rail passengers who may have seen something.

Anita Rose, 57, left her house to take her springer spaniel Bruce for a walk in Brantham at about 5am on Wednesday, Suffolk police said.

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UK should stop arming Israel after ICJ advisory ruling, top lawyer says

Exclusive: Philippe Sands KC says non-binding opinion will nevertheless be seen as ‘authoritative statement of law’

The UK should stop arming Israel in order to comply with the historic advisory opinion by the UN’s top court that member states should not “render aid or assistance” to the occupation of the Palestinian territories, a lawyer who represented Palestine has said.

In a broad and damning ruling published this month, the international court of justice (ICJ), found that Israel’s settlement policies and occupation of the territories were in breach of international law. It also said UN member states were under an obligation to neither recognise the occupation as lawful nor abet it.

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Number of plastic bags found on UK beaches down 80% since charge introduced

Hailing the success of carrier bag laws, the Marine Conservation Society urges nations to push forward with plans for other single-use items

The number of plastic bags washed up on UK beaches has fallen by 80% over a decade, since a mandatory fee was imposed on shoppers who opt to pick up single-use carrier bags at the checkout.

According to the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) annual litter survey, volunteers found an average of one plastic bag every 100 metres of coastline surveyed last year, compared to an average of five carrier bags every 100 metres in 2014.

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Man graduates 41 years after being denied ceremony by parrot problem

Jonny Clothier was refused graduation at Bristol University over unpaid bill relating to flatmate’s bird

A man who was denied his graduation for 41 years because of an unpaid bill of £64.80 relating to a parrot has finally donned his cap and gown on the same day as his son.

Jonny Clothier studied architecture at the University of Bristol and was meant to graduate with his peers in 1983. But his old flatmate had a parrot which, after being left unsupervised, had free run of their university accommodation and was said to have wrecked the place.

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Tommy Robinson arrested in Kent under Terrorism Act

Far-right activist detained by police at Channel tunnel in Folkestone and later released on bail

Tommy Robinson has been arrested a day after organising a major demonstration in central London, according to his X account.

Thousands of people marched in the city on Saturday as part of an event organised by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, while many others took part in a counterprotest.

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Woman dies four days after being attacked walking her dog in Suffolk

Man, 45, has been arrested on suspicion of murder following early-morning assault on Anita Rose in Brantham

A 57-year-old woman has died in hospital four days after she was attacked while walking her dog in Suffolk, police have said.

Anita Rose was found unconscious with a serious head injury by a member of the public at about 6.25am on Wednesday in the village of Brantham. She had left her house at about 5am to take her springer spaniel, Bruce, for a walk and was discovered on a track near Rectory Lane.

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Rachel Reeves paves way for cuts and tax rises to fill shortfall left by Tories

Chancellor will announce pause in work on a number of infrastructure projects, saying Conservatives ‘covered up’ true state of finances

Rachel Reeves will lay the ground for cuts to public spending, tax rises and delays to some major infrastructure projects on Monday as she sets out the toxic inheritance the Labour government inherited from the Tories.

She is expected to pause work on a string of infrastructure projects, including Boris Johnson’s flagship plan to build 40 new hospitals and the proposed two-mile road tunnel bypassing Stonehenge.

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Heartbreak for Adam Peaty on disappointing day two for Team GB

Swimmer narrowly misses third successive Olympic gold, as Andy Murray keeps tennis alive in doubles comeback

World record-holding swimmer Adam Peaty was left in tears after being beaten to gold by the smallest of margins on a day of disappointment for Team GB at the Paris Games.

The 29-year-old had been seeking to join American legend Michael Phelps as only the second man to win three successive Olympic golds in the same discipline, but trailed Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi by just 0.02 of a second in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

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One dead and dozens rescued in latest attempt to cross Channel

French authorities say they received call for help from overcrowded dinghy in early hours of Sunday

A woman has died trying to cross the Channel in an overcrowded dinghy, as a number of small boats made the dangerous journey over the weekend.

Thirty-four others were rescued from what was described as a “migrant boat” off the northern French port of Calais, after a call for help was made in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to French authorities.

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Tories ‘deliberately covered up’ true state of public finances, says minister

Steve Reed hits out at Conservatives’ handling of public services as chancellor prepares to detail ‘£20bn black hole’

The last Conservative government “deliberately covered up” the true state of public finances, a cabinet minister has said, as the chancellor prepares to detail a “£20bn black hole” in the public finances.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, said his cabinet colleagues “always knew” the inheritance from the Tories was “going to be bad”, but that since coming to office they had found “additional pressures” that had not been disclosed by the Tories.

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‘We got failed by the police’: how veterans of Leeds riots stepped in to defuse disorder

A group of Muslim men put themselves in danger to calm unrest in Harehills over children being taken into care

Nadsy Qurban bent his neck to show how the crown of his head was ­covered in a number of burns, each the size of coins. “The smell was like I’m burning some goat or something, like I’m cooking some goat. That’s how bad it was,” he said.

Needless to say, it hurt. But a week on, the burns he gained while putting out fires during unrest in the Harehills area of Leeds are ­starting to heal.

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Call to ban gambling sponsors from UK sport as hidden harms are revealed

Eleven Premier League teams start season with major bookmaker backing as industry watchdog report says stats can ‘mask’ scale of problem betting

Official figures on rates of problem gambling in Britain – which have been put as low as 0.3% – can “mask” the scale of harms by including people who never bet, a report published by the industry regulator has warned.

Various surveys suggest a problem gambling rate in Britain in a range of between 0.3% to 2.5%. But in the new report that figure rose sharply when non-gamblers were excluded – and was even higher among those who gambled on online casinos.

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