Rishi Sunak signalled changes in the king’s speech that create a policy divide with Labour
The government has confirmed its plans to grant new North Sea oil and gas licences every year at the opening of parliament, deepening a political fault line between the Conservatives and Labour, and angering environmental campaigners who argue it undermines efforts to reach net zero. Here, we examine the move.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Suppliers for firm linked to UK peer Michelle Mone helped source Covid masks for Australian government that were found unusable
Suppliers of PPE for a company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone were also involved during the Covid pandemic in supplying millions of face masks to the Australian government that were rejected over safety concerns.
Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care told the Guardian that of 50m face masks supplied to fulfil a government contract awarded to a small online retailer, Australian Business Mobiles (ABM), the overwhelming majority – 45.7m – were deemed unusable for its health service. A department spokesperson said five of seven manufacturers that supplied the masks were “deemed non-compliant with quality regulations”.
Continue reading...Anastrozole to be made available to women who have been through the menopause and have family history of breast cancer
Almost 300,000 women at higher risk of developing breast cancer are being given access to a drug that can halve their risk in a “major step forward” in the fight against the disease.
An estimated 289,000 women in England who are at moderate or high risk of breast cancer will from Tuesday be able to take the tablet to try to prevent it from developing, NHS bosses said.
Continue reading...Customer dissatisfaction with service thought to be reason for expanding remit to Evri and DPD
Royal Mail is to lose its 360-year-old monopoly on delivering parcels from Post Office branches, after concerns about poor quality of service persuaded the postal service to sign deals with rivals Evri and DPD in the run-up to Christmas.
The two couriers would be added to the options available at the counter from later this month, the Post Office said, with customers given a choice for the first time.
Continue reading...Drop in retail sales also because of consumer worries over high energy bills and mortgages, surveys suggest
Fears that the UK is heading for a recession this winter have intensified amid signs Britain’s hard-pressed households are cutting spending as they save for Christmas and higher fuel bills.
Two monthly snapshots of retail activity found shops and online outlets struggling because of consumer budgets being squeezed by dearer mortgages and the UK’s lingering cost of living crisis.
Continue reading...Frontman’s Liverpool bandmates and fellow touring band the Wombats post tribute message and pictures online
The indie band the Night Café have said they are “devastated” as they announced the sudden death of their lead singer, Sean Martin. The group, from Liverpool, announced the news on Instagram: “We are devastated to share the sudden passing of our best friend Sean.
“Words can’t describe the pain we are feeling right now. We’re still struggling to process it all. We ask everyone to respect the privacy of Sean’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Continue reading...PM to announce tougher sentences for rapists and killers ahead of upcoming general election
Rishi Sunak’s first king’s speech will include a series of hardline criminal justice measures promising tougher sentences for rapists and killers in the run-up to a general election.
With crime and punishment a major point of contention with Keir Starmer’s Labour, the prime minister will confirm the introduction of a new sentencing bill under which murderers whose crimes involved sadistic or sexual conduct will face spending the rest of their lives in jail.
Continue reading...Force could apply to outlaw protest on grounds of risk of disorder, but move would be ‘shocking’ threat to freedom of expression, rights campaigners say
The Metropolitan police appeared to be on the brink of banning Saturday’s planned pro-Palestine march through London after claiming that a protest on Remembrance Day would be inappropriate and risked violence.
After a meeting between organisers of the protests and the Met, a statement was issued on Monday in the name of the deputy assistant commissioner, Ade Adelekan, claiming that “the risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing”.
Continue reading...Letter to James Cleverly criticises ‘offensive rhetoric’ by some Israeli ministers and calls for settlers inciting hatred to be banned from UK
Labour has issued its most direct criticism of the Israeli government since the Hamas attacks on 7 October, criticising the remarks of rightwing Israeli ministers over the West Bank and saying they have been responsible for “unacceptable and offensive rhetoric about Palestinians”.
In a letter to the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, that puts policy daylight between the government and Labour on the crisis in the Middle East, David Lammy demanded to know what had been done to press the Israelis to curb the violence in the West Bank by settlers and government forces.
Continue reading...Letters from loved ones of captured ship’s crew during seven years’ war lay forgotten for centuries
A forgotten bundle of love letters sent to French sailors more than 260 years ago – but never before opened or read – has been discovered among British naval archives, revealing intimate details of 18th-century marital and family life.
The remarkable stash of more than 100 letters was discovered by chance at the National Archives in Kew by Renaud Morieux, professor of European history at the University of Cambridge, who asked archivists if they could be opened so he could read them for the first time.
Continue reading...Swing to profit of £9.6m by Swedish firm improves its fortunes in run-up to possible £12bn flotation
The buy now, pay later company Klarna has logged its first quarterly profit in four years, improving its fortunes in the run-up to a potential $15bn (£12bn) stock market flotation and a regulatory crackdown under a possible Labour government.
The Swedish firm, which is the biggest BNPL provider in Britain and has about 150 million international customers, said on Monday that it had swung to a profit of 130m Swedish kronor (£9.6m) in the July to September quarter, marking a notable bounce from a 2bn kronor loss during the same period last year.
Continue reading...Foreign Office says situation has ‘potential to deteriorate quickly’ after Israeli and Hezbollah forces clash
The Foreign Office has withdrawn some embassy staff from Lebanon and is advising British nationals to leave the country while they still can amid increasing concern about violence and unrest connected to the conflict in Gaza.
“Events in Lebanon are fast moving. The situation has potential to deteriorate quickly and with no warning,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement, which advised Britons in Lebanon to register with the embassy and make plans to leave while possible.
Continue reading...Airline to pay regular dividends as finance boss says consumers are going to continue spending
Ryanair is to hand its shareholders regular payouts for the first time after soaring air fares put the airline on track to make record profits.
The budget carrier said it expects to notch up profits of between €1.85bn (£1.6bn) and €2.05bn in the financial year to the end of March, far outstripping its previous highest profit of €1.45bn in 2018.
Continue reading...MP offers ‘sincerest apologies’ for social media post and pays compensation into BMA strike fund
The Conservative deputy chair, Lee Anderson, has apologised to a doctor after he made a “misleading” social media post about him.
The MP for Ashfield said he wanted to offer his “sincerest apologies” to Dr Tom Dolphin for “any distress caused” by his post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Continue reading...Daye’s product doubles as PCR test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and other common infections
A tampon is being repurposed to screen for sexually transmitted infections, with the at-home test aiming to encourage more women to seek treatment.
The gynaecological health startup Daye has launched an STI diagnostic tampon, which uses a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to check for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas, mycoplasma and ureaplasma, with the tampon used in place of a swab or speculum.
Continue reading...Exclusive: recruitment and retention crisis means only 17% of nurseries say they could offer extra entitlement
A mass exodus of childminders and nursery staff risks scuppering the government’s flagship new funding for parents of young children in England, according to a new coalition of early years providers and campaigners.
More than half of all nursery workers surveyed by the Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC) said they were considering or planning on leaving the sector in the next 12 months.
Continue reading...Campaigners accuse government of failing to stick to promises made at Cop26 climate summit in 2021
Beef, soy and palm oil products driving deforestation are still being imported into the UK, despite government promises this practice would end, data has revealed.
Campaigners have criticised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for failing to put practices in place to stop the import of goods from areas with high deforestation rates. This is despite the government having promised at the Cop26 climate conference in 2021 to implement the rules.
Continue reading...Afrasiab Anwar, one of 11 councillors to resign, was among those who earlier asked party leader to step down
The leader of Burnley borough council has resigned along with 10 other councillors in protest at Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Afrasiab Anwar, who has been a member of the party for a decade, was among those who called for the Labour leader to step down last week.
Continue reading...British nationals say dependants trying to leave conflict zone via Rafah crossing have been left off Foreign Office lists
The government has been accused of separating British children in Gaza from their mothers after it was revealed that citizens without passports had been left off its safe passage list.
The names of British citizens allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt via the Rafah crossing have been added to a list but, some have said their dependants have not been included by the Foreign Office.
Continue reading...Thames Water has provided bottled water to people in Guildford, Godalming and surrounding areas
Thousands of people have been left without water after Storm Ciarán caused problems at a treatment works in Surrey, Thames Water has said.
A major incident was declared as at least 13,500 homes in Guildford, Godalming and the surrounding areas were left without water or with low pressure by 2.50pm on Sunday, while a further 6,500 were expected to lose supply later in the day.
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