Category Archives: UK news

Campaigners save Bradford birthplace of Brontë sisters

Posted on by

Crowdfunding and significant donation from Nigel West – who has a family connection to Charlotte’s husband – secure property, with plans to transform it into a cultural and education centre

Campaigners have saved the birthplace of the Brontë sisters and are now fundraising to turn the building into a cultural and education centre – helped by a man with a link to the literary family.

Nigel West, who traces a family connection to Charlotte Brontë’s husband, made a “significant donation” to the crowdfunding appeal, which aims to transform 72-74 Market Street in Thornton, Bradford, into a tourist destination.

Continue reading...

Leicester woman given life term for 2012 murder of one-year-old baby

Posted on by

Katie Tidmarsh found guilty of killing ‘defenceless young child’ she had been in the process of adopting

A woman has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 17 years for murdering the one-year-old baby she was in the process of adopting, after failing to disclose mental health problems to the adoption panel.

Katie Tidmarsh, 39, was convicted of murdering Ruby Thompson, who sustained catastrophic brain damage and died in hospital in August 2012.

Continue reading...

How pro-Palestinian marches have caused crises for Tories and Labour

Posted on by

While Sunak deals with Braverman’s claims against protesters and police, Starmer faces pressure to support Gaza ceasefire

At midday on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people will gather outside Hyde Park in London for what organisers say will be the biggest pro-Palestinian march since the Israel-Hamas war broke out just over a month ago.

The marchers will hope their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza put pressure on the British government to do the same. But even before they have taken a step, the protesters have triggered political crises for both of Britain’s largest parties, leaving the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, looking weaker than he has for months and the home secretary, Suella Braverman, facing the sack.

Continue reading...

UK couple on holiday in Egypt died of carbon monoxide poisoning, coroner rules

Posted on by

Susan and John Cooper, from Burnley, fell ill after hotel room next door was sprayed for bed bug infestation

A woman whose parents were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning during a holiday to Egypt has said her family is “broken without them”.

John and Susan Cooper, aged 69 and 63 respectively, died after falling ill in their hotel room after a pesticide was sprayed in the room next door to kill bed bugs, a coroner ruled on Friday.

Continue reading...

Drop in Latin American drinking prompts Diageo to issue profits warning

Posted on by

Shares fall in world’s largest spririts company as consumers seek cheaper brands

The Guinness to Johnnie Walker drinks maker Diageo has issued a profit warning as a result of cash-strapped customers in Latin America and the Caribbean consuming less alcohol and seeking cheaper brands.

Shares in the world’s largest spirits company plunged more than 11% in early trading on Friday, making it the biggest faller in the FTSE 100, as investors worried that the trend in the region might spread to other markets.

Continue reading...

Vehicle breakdowns due to potholes hit record level in 2023, says RAC

Posted on by

Calls over pothole incidents hit 6,000 in usually benign summer months amid ‘substandard’ roads

Vehicle breakdowns caused by Britain’s pothole-ridden roads reached record levels this year, according to the RAC.

The motoring organisation said it received almost 6,000 calls for pothole-related incidents from July to September – its highest total for the relatively benign summer period since it started collecting data in 2006.

Continue reading...

Prioritise quality of life over prolonging it for elderly, Chris Whitty tells medics

Posted on by

England’s chief medical officer says more realistic conversations needed about some treatments’ side-effects

England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has called for a cultural shift in medicine away from maximising lifespan and towards improving quality of life in old age, arguing that sometimes this means “less medicine, not more”.

Speaking before the publication of his 2023 annual report, which this year focuses on health in an ageing society, Whitty said doctors needed to have more realistic conversations with patients about the risk of some treatments extending life at the expense of quality of life and independence.

Continue reading...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marjorie Taylor Greene unite in push to free Julian Assange

Posted on by

Maga Republican and leftwing Democrat among 16 US Congress members lobbying Joe Biden to drop extradition attempts against WikiLeaks founder

Maga Republican and fierce Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene and leftwing Democratic firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have found common ground in freeing Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The pair are among 16 members of the US Congress who have written directly to president Joe Biden urging the United States to drop its extradition attempts against Assange and halt any prosecutorial proceedings immediately.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Two charged with murder of missing man after body found in boot of car

Posted on by

Justin Henry, 34, disappeared three weeks ago. The Met has asked for anyone with information to come forward

Police investigating the disappearance of a man in south London say they have found a body in the boot of a car.

Justin Henry, 34, was wearing distinctive jewellery – including a Rolex watch, three Cartier bracelets and a diamond ring – when he went missing on 15 October, shortly after leaving a McDonald’s drive-thru in Croydon, south London, in his Mercedes.

Continue reading...

Regulator vows crackdown on ‘squeamish’ charities rejecting donations

Posted on by

Chair of Charity Commission says funds should not be rejected due to the views or preferences of donors

The head of England’s charity regulator has promised to crack down on “squeamish” charity boards who reject large cash donations from corporations or wealthy philanthropists on moral grounds.

Orlando Fraser, the chair of the Charity Commission, said the regulator may intervene where trustees have rejected or returned donations simply because their “personal worldviews or preferences” were incompatible with those of the donor.

Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak under pressure to sack Suella Braverman over Met criticism

Posted on by

Opposition parties call for removal of home secretary as inquiries launched into article on pro-Palestine march

Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure to sack Suella Braverman after she ignored Downing Street advice and published an explosive article accusing the Metropolitan police of political bias.

Amid claims that the prime minister is too weak to remove the home secretary, ministers joined with senior police officers in accusing Braverman of stoking “hatred and division” before a pro-Palestinian march on Saturday.

Continue reading...

Over half of UK nationals seeking to flee Gaza have left, Foreign Office says

Posted on by

Distressing cases of families being split up prompt criticism officials are not doing enough to keep them together

More than half of the British nationals seeking to escape Gaza for Egypt have managed to do so, but there are still distressing cases of families being split up, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

It said more than 150 British nationals and families had crossed into Egypt, and that the total number that came forward seeking help to escape was in the low hundreds, a figure that had not changed in recent days.

Continue reading...

Ex-minister Gavin Williamson warned as he takes job at payment card provider

Posted on by

Advisory committee on business appointments tells MP he must not utilise contacts in government in Lanistar role

The former cabinet minister Gavin Williamson has taken a job at a firm launching a payment card “built for the influencer lifestyle”, which was previously hit with a consumer warning by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and currently only offers its product in Brazil.

Williamson has gained permission to join the advisory board of Lanistar, whose website says it wants to roll out its virtual payment card and crypto services to the UK and EU.

Continue reading...

Tongue-twisters could be used to gauge alcohol-intoxication levels, study finds

Posted on by

Method could be used to stop people from unlocking cars or to support bartenders serving alcohol

Whether it is the story of Peter Piper and his pickled peppers or a woman selling sea shells on the seashore, tongue-twisters tackled when sober can sound rather different after a drink.

Now researchers believe such changes, in particular those relating to pitch and frequency, could be used to alert people to their level of intoxication.

Continue reading...

Energy efficiency scheme for cold homes going at a glacial pace, says Labour

Posted on by

Government’s Energy Company Obligation has managed to upgrade only 65,000 homes since April 2022, figures show

Labour has attacked the Conservatives over the speed of government efforts to upgrade Britain’s draughty housing stock, as analysis showed a leading household energy efficiency initiative was proceeding at what the party called a “glacial pace”.

Just 65,000 homes have been upgraded under the government’s Energy Company Obligation (Eco) scheme since it was relaunched in April last year, according to analysis of statistics released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Continue reading...

China tells UK to stop using trade to improve Taiwan ties

Posted on by

UK and Taiwan sign trade agreement they hailed as a first in fostering bilateral trade between Taiwan and Europe

China’s government has accused the UK of using trade cooperation “as an excuse” to enhance its ties with Taiwan, after the announcement of a bilateral trade talks agreement.

On Wednesday Taiwan’s representative to the UK, Kelly Hsieh, and his British counterpart based in Taipei, John Dennis, signed an enhanced trade partnership (ETP). The agreement paves the way for future talks on green energy, digital trade and investment, among other trade-based issues. The UK is Taiwan’s third-biggest trading partner in Europe and 21st largest overall.

Continue reading...

Simple blood tests for dementia to be trialled in NHS

Posted on by

£5m project launched with aim of having reliable tests within five years to provide quick diagnosis

Scientists are to begin piloting simple blood tests for dementia that could revolutionise detection of the disease and within five years lead to people being diagnosed in seconds by the NHS.

Currently, getting a formal diagnosis in the UK relies on mental ability tests, brain scans or invasive and painful lumbar punctures, where a sample of cerebrospinal fluid is drawn from the lower back.

Continue reading...

‘Success stories’: Historic England adds several sites to risk register but removes 203

Posted on by

Hotel that inspired Charles Dickens added to Heritage at Risk Register alongside Gunpowder Plot house

Charles Dickens described it as an enormous, labyrinthine tavern that was “known far and wide” and famous for its stone statue of an animal “distantly resembling an insane cart-horse”.

He was a regular guest at the Great White Horse Hotel in Ipswich, Suffolk, and was so captivated by the place that it helped inspire him to write his first novel, The Pickwick Papers.

Continue reading...

Far-right groups plot London rally against pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day

Posted on by

Extremist organisations and football hooligans have been urged to gather at Cenotaph in central London

Far-right groups, from football hooligans to so-called “migrant hunters”, are seeking to mobilise supporters to turn up in central London on Armistice Day to oppose the pro-Palestine march.

Evidence from social media and closed chat forums suggests there has been a push from a range of extremist organisations to get their supporters out.

Continue reading...

The Guardian wins three Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards

Posted on by

City editor Anna Isaac, political editor Pippa Crerar and columnist Marina Hyde honoured at ceremony in London

The Guardian has won three awards at the Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards at a ceremony in London.

Anna Isaac, the Guardian’s city editor, was named the Media Freedom Awards National Journalist of the Year and was praised by the judges for her stories exposing a culture of sexual misconduct at the Confederation of British Industry.

Continue reading...