Category Archives: UK news

Thames Water bypassing local opposition in attempt to launch water recycling project

Posted on by

Company faced public backlash over scheme, which campaigners say threatens to increase river pollution

Thames Water is bypassing local democracy to attempt to push through a controversial water recycling project that campaigners say threatens to increase pollution in the river.

Steve Barclay, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, has agreed to an application by the water company to consider its Teddington water recycling scheme under national infrastructure rules. The decision means local authorities will be bypassed, and the secretary of state will make the decision whether to grant a development consent order.

Continue reading...

UK car finance: ‘millions of drivers could get payout’ as watchdog investigates

Posted on by

FCA to examine whether consumers have been charged inflated prices for loans on new and secondhand cars

Millions of drivers could be in line for a payout, it has been claimed, after the UK financial watchdog opened an investigation into whether consumers had been unfairly charged inflated prices for loans on new and secondhand cars.

The Financial Conduct Authority said on Thursday that it had decided to examine whether a compensation scheme was needed to deal with alleged large-scale mis-selling in the £50bn-a-year motor finance sector.

Continue reading...

Why Home Office visa plans will be ‘nail in the coffin’ for UK hospitality

Posted on by

Rise in salary requirements will further fuel staff shortages in industry that relies on skilled migrant workers

• Business live – latest updates

What do you call an Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve pizza?

During the 2022 Edinburgh fringe, Gusto’s restaurant in the city sounded like the punchline to one of the comedy festival’s jokes.

There’s a threshold at which it becomes impossible to make money, so you have to put prices up, which drives inflation, which flies in the face of what the government say they’re trying to do,” says Snell.

Continue reading...

Scotland to ban unlicensed XL bullies, says Humza Yousaf

Posted on by

SNP leader to replicate new restrictions in England and Wales that have resulted in apparent influx to Scotland of breed

Unlicensed XL bully dogs will be banned in Scotland, Humza Yousaf has said, as the Scottish government moves to replicate the new restrictions in England and Wales that have resulted in an apparent influx to the country of the breed.

Speaking at first minister’s questions on Thursday, the SNP leader told MSPs: “What has become clear, I’m afraid, in the last few weeks is we have seen a flow of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland.”

Continue reading...

TFL considering installing fake steering wheels at front of DLR trains

Posted on by

Sadiq Khan says cardboard steering wheels could bring to life driverless train experience for children

It is already the most in-demand spot on the London transport network, but plans to install stickers and cardboard steering wheels in driverless Docklands Light Railway (DLR) trains could intensify the scramble for its front seats.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said the trains, in which tens of thousands of Londoners have sat pretending to be the driver, could now include a steering wheel and stickers mimicking control panels to make the experience more realistic.

Continue reading...

UK has some of worst cancer survival rates in developed world, report says

Posted on by

Rates for lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach cancers worse than in most comparable nations

The UK has some of the worst cancer survival rates in the developed world, according to new research.

Analysis of international data by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce found that five-year survival rates for lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach cancers in the UK are worse than in most comparable countries. On average, just 16% of UK patients live for five years with these cancers.

Continue reading...

Some comprehensive schools ‘more socially selective than grammars’

Posted on by

Research by Sutton Trust finds disadvantaged students less likely to get into top performing schools in England than their peers

Some comprehensive schools are more “socially selective” than grammar schools, according to new research which has called on the government to review the admissions code in England to improve access for poorer pupils.

While grammars are inherently selective, as admission is based on passing an 11-plus examination, comprehensive secondary schools admit local children, regardless of academic ability or social background, based on a school’s admissions policy.

Continue reading...

UK government sets out plans for ‘biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years’

Posted on by

Ministers hope to build fleet of reactors to meet quarter of electricity demand by 2050 but critics highlight long delays and rising costs

The government has set out plans for what it claims will be Britain’s biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years, despite concerns about faltering nuclear output and project delays.

Ministers published a roadmap on Friday that recommits the government to building a fleet of nuclear reactors capable of producing 24GW by 2050 – enough to meet a quarter of the national electricity demand.

Continue reading...

Number of women in UK who die during pregnancy rises sharply

Posted on by

Separate study finds women who are depressed in pregnancy more likely to die prematurely

The number of women who have died during pregnancy or soon after has risen sharply to its highest levels for 20 years, prompting concern from experts.

The maternal death rate increased to 13.41 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies between 2020 and 2022, according to figures published by the MBRRACE-UK investigation into maternal deaths in the UK. The figure was 8.79 in the period 2017 to 2019.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Continue reading...

Britain warns of severe consequences after Houthi attack in Red Sea repelled

Posted on by

US and UK warships shoot down barrage of rockets, drones and cruise missiles fired at ships by Yemeni group

The US and the UK have warned “there will be consequences” after warships from both countries repelled a barrage of 21 Houthi rockets, drones and cruise missiles apparently fired at western warships in the Red Sea.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said further attacks by the Yemeni rebels on international shipping could prompt a western military response amid speculation that Washington could bomb military targets in an attempt to prevent future raids.

Continue reading...

Keir Starmer denies he knew CPS was prosecuting post office operators

Posted on by

Labour leader was director of public prosecutions when three cases brought by CPS resulted in convictions

Keir Starmer has denied he was aware of Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions against post office operators caught up in the Horizon IT scandal when he headed the agency.

The Labour leader’s comments came as calls grew for the former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back £3m in bonuses earned during her period in charge.

Continue reading...

Starmer to embrace ‘nanny state’ with plan for toothbrushing in schools

Posted on by

Labour leader hits out at perceived criticism as he attacks Tory record on child health

Keir Starmer has said he is “up for the fight” of defending the “nanny state” as he announced plans to improve child health under a Labour government, including supervised toothbrushing in schools.

The Labour leader said that children were “probably the biggest casualty” of the Tories’ sticking-plaster approach to politics over the past 14 years, adding that, if the government were a parent, they could be charged with neglect.

Continue reading...

French post office opens changing room for online shoppers

Posted on by

Customers can collect their parcels and try on items in one trip during trial at La Poste branches

It is an increasingly common irritant of modern life. You order an item of clothing online; you wait with anticipation for it to arrive, and five minutes after it has arrived you’re packaging it up because it doesn’t fit.

For shoppers in France, however, the national post office may have the answer – or at least a way of making the process less logistically challenging. It is experimenting with in-store changing rooms to cater to people who want to quickly return purchases they do not want.

Continue reading...

Greggs enjoys bumper Christmas period as it hails easing inflation

Posted on by

Reduced cost pressures and popular festive bakes and chocolate orange muffins boost bakery chain

Greggs has hailed easing inflationary pressures after the UK’s biggest bakery chain rang up bumper Christmas sales amid less travel disruption and enthusiasm for seasonal specialities such as festive bakes and chocolate orange muffins.

The company said sales at established stores had risen 9.4% in the three months to 30 December as it attracted more customers with extended opening hours and by offering online ordering.

Continue reading...

Crack down on mouldy homes in England or more will die, warns doctors’ body

Posted on by

Royal College of Physicians urges government to introduce new law amid rising damp, mould and leaks in social housing

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has called on Michael Gove to accelerate a promised crackdown on landlords failing to fix tens of thousands of mouldy homes with a warning that unless laws are toughened many more people will die from the effects.

As the housing ombudsman reported increasing failures among landlords to properly tackle damp, mould and leaks in England’s social housing, Prof Sir Stephen Holgate, special adviser on air quality to the RCP, warned of widening ill-health as more people inhale fungal toxins.

Continue reading...

Plans to clear names of Horizon scandal victims to be announced ‘imminently’

Posted on by

Post Office minister says government is close to setting out how hundreds of operators wrongly prosecuted will be exonerated

Plans to clear the names of hundreds of post office operators wrongly convicted in the Horizon IT scandal will be announced “imminently”, a government minister has said.

Rishi Sunak will face MPs for prime minister’s questions and is under pressure to set out how the government will exonerate hundreds of post office operators accused of swindling money as a result of the flawed computer system.

Continue reading...

Ministers prioritised driving in England partly due to conspiracy theories

Posted on by

Exclusive: Documents show shift in transport policy influenced by unfounded fears about loss of freedom of movement in ‘15-minute cities’

Ministers decided to prioritise driving over active travel because of worries among ministers about “15-minute cities”, documents seen by the Guardian show.

They indicate that a significant shift in transport policy was guided at least in part by conspiracy theories.

Continue reading...

Conservative ‘failures’ have led to more sewage pollution, say water experts

Posted on by

Increased flooding blamed on years of government delays over ‘sponge cities’ rules

Increased sewage pollution, urban flooding and water supply interruptions are the result of a decade of failures by the Conservative ministers, according to water experts who are demanding an independent inquiry into water be set up by the next government.

The repeated failure of the Tories to implement rules to create “sponge cities” has led to much more visible sewage pollution, more flooding and increasing instances of water being cut off for householders and businesses, they say.

Continue reading...

Man found dead on Bibby Stockholm lay undiscovered for 12 hours, roommate says

Posted on by

Exclusive: Leonard Farruku’s former roommate was offered no support after being relocated to another room without belongings

The man who was found dead on the Bibby Stockholm barge after it was suspected he had killed himself lay undiscovered for up to 12 hours, his former roommate has claimed.

Speaking publicly for the first time since Leonard Farruku, 27, an asylum seeker from Albania, was found dead in a shower room on the barge last month, Yusuf Deen Kargbo, 20, urged the Home Office to stop using it to accommodate those seeking refugee status.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Continue reading...

Adopting rightwing policies ‘does not help centre-left win votes’

Posted on by

Study of European electoral data suggests social democratic parties alienate supporters by moving towards the political centre

Adopting rightwing policies on issues such as immigration and the economy does not help centre-left parties win votes, according to new analysis of European electoral and polling data.

Faced with a 20-year decline in their vote share, accompanied by rising support for the right, far right and sometimes the far left, social democratic parties across Europe have increasingly sought salvation by moving towards the political centre.

Continue reading...