Category Archives: UK news

Families vow to step up fight for answers on anniversary of Nottingham killings

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Relatives of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates instruct legal team to investigate police and health trust

The families of the victims of the Nottingham attacks have vowed to take their fight for accountability “to the next level” on the one-year anniversary of the killings.

In a joint statement, the families of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates, who were killed by Valdo Calocane in the early hours of 13 June last year, said they had instructed a legal team to help them “leave no stone unturned on our quest for answers”.

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Starmer promises ‘long-term strategy’ in business-friendly Labour manifesto

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Labour puts economic policy and wealth creation at heart of pitch to win over former Conservative voters

Keir Starmer will put economic growth and wealth creation at the heart of Labour’s offer to voters as he launches a business-friendly manifesto targeted at former Conservative voters.

The Labour leader will launch his election manifesto in Greater Manchester on Thursday, promising to emphasise economic stability in a deliberate contrast to the Conservatives’ more policy-heavy offering earlier this week.

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Deadly cancer treatment delays now ‘routine’ in NHS, say damning reports

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Studies sound alarm at state of cancer care with hundreds of thousands waiting months to start essential treatment

Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to wait months to start essential cancer treatment, with deadly delays now “routine” and even children struck by the disease denied vital support, according to a series of damning reports.

Health chiefs, charities and doctors have sounded the alarm over the state of cancer care in the UK as three separate studies painted a shocking picture of long waits and NHS staff being severely hampered by a worsening workforce crisis and a chronic lack of equipment.

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Body of TV presenter Michael Mosley to be repatriated by the weekend

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The result of tests to determine the cause of death could take months, but an autopsy has ruled out any criminal action

The body of Dr Michael Mosley is likely to be released to his family and repatriated by the weekend, forensic pathologists have said.

But tests revealing the precise cause of his death could take months because of a lack of certified laboratories to conduct advanced analysis.

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General election live: Green party defends ‘ambitious’ spending plans at manifesto launch

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The Greens’ spending commitments include £50bn for the NHS and £29bn to insulate homes

In an interview with ITV due to be broadcast on Wednesday evening, Rishi Sunak says he went without “lots of things” as a child, including Sky TV.

Sunak was pressed in the interview by the ITV journalist Paul Brand to give examples of things he didn’t have a child to which he replied: “There’ll be all sorts of things that I would’ve wanted as a kid that I couldn’t have. Famously, Sky TV, so that was something that we never had growing up actually.”

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‘A lot of people won’t vote’: Chingford voters unenthusiastic as Labour does battle with Faiza Shaheen

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Labour is fighting its former candidate in Iain Duncan Smith’s long-held seat, but local residents don’t appear bowled over by their election options

“The Tories really don’t deserve to be in but I’ll struggle to support Labour. I will have to vote. But it will be a struggle to vote.” David Cherry is out walking his dog, Bella, in the spring sunshine in Chingford Green park.

“It’s quite a depressing state, to be honest,” Cherry continues. “Neither of them give you a clear indication. They all talk, we all know nothing’s going to happen.”

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G7 leaders head to Italy for summit as Ukraine and Russia top the agenda

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US wants show of strength with planned sanctions for helping Russia, but group will also discuss migration, Middle East and AI

A dramatic expansion of entities exposed to US sanctions for helping the Russian economy and an EU-led $50bn loan to ease the financial burden on Ukraine will be at the centre of discussions at a summit of the leaders of wealthy G7 nations in Puglia, Italy, starting on Thursday.

The leaders, facing unprecedented challenges from discontented electorates, will be under heightened pressure to provide concrete results as their three days of discussion range across an interlinked agenda encompassing the war in Ukraine, migration, Africa, the Middle East, the climate crisis and harnessing artificial intelligence (AI).

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Green party launches election manifesto with ‘honest’ tax proposal

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Leaders outline ideas including wealth levy, rent controls, house-building, and water and energy firm nationalisation

The Greens have launched their election manifesto with an appeal to voters to help them into parliament as a challenge to what they termed the unambitious, “more of the same” policies of Labour.

Setting out their plans in Brighton and Hove, the location of one of the party’s key target seats, the co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, said their proposals for higher taxes – mainly on wealthier people – were the only realistic way to improve public services and undertake vital environmental policies.

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Major Birmingham redevelopment plans fail residents on green space, campaigners say

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Plans for the £1.9bn Smithfield scheme include a park that is smaller than a football pitch, falling short of the council’s own guidelines

Campaigners are warning that a major development project that will be approved by Birmingham city council falls far short of the city’s own guidelines for open green space.

The £1.9bn Smithfield scheme will bring 3,500 new homes as well as restaurants and offices to 17 hectares (42 acres) of fenced brownfield land in the centre of the city. But the new park – Smithfield Park – will be only 0.8 hectares, smaller than a football pitch.

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‘I drove like an American,’ Anne Sacoolas tells Harry Dunn inquest

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US government employee provides hearing into teenager’s death with written statements but declines to attend

Anne Sacoolas said she “drove like an American”, on the wrong side of the road, as she told an inquest about the crash in which Harry Dunn, a 19-year-old motorcyclist, was killed.

The US government employee declined to give live evidence at the inquest, on Wednesday, providing two written statements that were read to the court.

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Wreck of Shackleton’s ship Quest found, last link to ‘heroic age of Antarctic exploration’

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The vessel, which sank off the coast of Canada in 1962, was used by the explorer on his final voyage to the continent

The wreck of the ship on which renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died has been found off the coast of Labrador, Canada, searchers have announced.

Locating the Quest – a schooner-rigged steamship which sank on a 1962 seal hunting voyage – represents a last link to the “heroic age of Antarctic exploration”, said search leader John Geiger.

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DFS furniture chain blames Red Sea crisis for profit warning

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Attacks on shipping leading to delays to deliveries and higher shipping costs, says retailer

The furniture retailer DFS has issued its second profit warning of the year, blaming much of the drop on delays to deliveries and higher shipping costs caused by the Red Sea crisis.

The retailer, which owns 118 shops across the UK, said it expected pre-tax profits of £10m-£12m for the year ending 30 June 2024, well down on the £20m-£25m predicted in March, amid supply chain disruption and weaker consumer demand.

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UK politics: Anas Sarwar says election is about ‘getting rid of Tories’, not Scottish independence – as it happened

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Leaders of Scotland’s five main political parties clash during live TV debate

Momentum, the leftwing Labour group set up when Jeremy Corbyn was leader, is not happy about Keir Starmer’s jibe about Corbyn’s manifesto.

Labour’s 2019 manifesto was fully costed.

Keir should know, he stood on it as a member of the shadow cabinet.

How about stopping attacking your own side during an election @Keir_Starmer?

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‘Cosplaying Liz Truss’: Rishi Sunak condemned for £17bn tax giveaway

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Critics say funding of Tory manifesto’s policies is ‘implausible’ and they would mainly benefit wealthier voters

Rishi Sunak has presented a £17bn tax giveaway as the centrepiece of the Conservative manifesto, an offer that was immediately condemned for being “implausible” and mainly benefiting wealthier voters.

The policy programme set out by the prime minister, seen by many Tory MPs as probably the party’s last big chance to win over voters, contained few big surprises and was centred on cuts to national insurance and stamp duty, higher thresholds for child benefit and help for pensioners.

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Labour candidate in Liverpool criticises Starmer for advert on Sun homepage

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Kim Johnson said city, much of which still boycotts paper over false Hillsborough reporting, would be disappointed in Labour

Labour has been criticised by one of its own parliamentary candidates for paying the Sun to advertise Keir Starmer’s policies to its readers.

Visitors to the Sun’s homepage on Monday afternoon were greeted with full-site takeover adverts featuring Starmer’s face, urging readers to “vote for change” and listing his “first steps”.

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Jury told to disregard Lucy Letby’s convictions during trial for attempted murder

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Ex-nurse to go on trial after Manchester crown court unable to reach verdict last year on attempted murder of baby

A jury has been told to disregard Lucy Letby’s convictions for murdering babies when they decide whether she is guilty of trying to kill another infant.

Letby, 34, is due to go on trial on Wednesday accused of attempting to murder the child, known as Baby K, in February 2016.

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Man arrested after objects thrown at Nigel Farage in Barnsley

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Reform UK leader on top deck of party battlebus when objects reportedly thrown from nearby construction site

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after Nigel Farage had objects hurled at him while campaigning in Barnsley.

The Reform UK leader was waving to local people from the top of the party’s battlebus in South Yorkshire on Tuesday morning when two separate objects were thrown at him.

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Top civil servant joins EDF after running department that struck nuclear deal

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Alex Chisholm, who led business office during Hinkley Point C negotiations, appointed UK chair of energy firm

One of the UK’s most senior civil servants, Alex Chisholm, has been revealed as the new UK chair of the energy company EDF, after having previously run the department that struck a deal for it to build a new nuclear power station.

Chisholm was permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, and before that led the business department, which worked on the government deal for EDF to go ahead with the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset. The agreement was struck in 2016 with UK bill payers bearing the cost of the construction over a 35-year period.

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One in three Asda staff have been attacked at work, survey finds

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GMB poll receives reports of workers being stabbed, punched and threatened with syringes

One in three Asda staff have been attacked at work, according to research that included reports of workers being stabbed, punched and threatened with syringes.

The poll of almost 1,000 members of GMB, one of the UK’s biggest unions, returned stories of delivery drivers being chased by people in cars, while store workers had food thrown at them. More than half (58%) of respondents said they had suffered injury or illness on the job.

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Media studies are popular, dynamic and have ‘profound impact’, report says

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Degrees often derided as ‘low-value’ or ‘Mickey Mouse’ subjects are praised as vital to UK’s £108bn creative industries

Media and communications studies, often derided as “soft”, “low-value” or “Mickey Mouse” subjects, are in fact popular, dynamic and have “profound impact”, according to a report.

The British Academy study says that rather than being “low value”, such courses play a vital role in the UK’s £108bn creative industries and have become increasingly relevant in a world grappling with new technologies, artificial intelligence and the dangers of disinformation.

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