First buses to return to public control since deregulation to offer cheaper fares across integrated transport system
The first buses to be brought back into public control in England since deregulation in the 1980s will set out from depots in Bolton and Wigan on Sunday morning.
Greater Manchester will launch its Bee Network, which promises better, cheaper transport with fares capped across an integrated public transport system that combines buses and Metrolink trams.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Concerns over patient safety after NHS figures show less-qualified staff attending urgent calls
One in three life-or-death 999 ambulance calls in some parts of England are not attended by a paramedic, NHS figures obtained by the Guardian reveal.
The disclosure has prompted fears that seriously unwell or badly injured patients may receive inadequate care from a less-qualified member of ambulance staff lacking a paramedic’s skills.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Poll finds fewer than a quarter of people trust PM to tackle climate crisis after policy U-turn
Only 22% of people trust Rishi Sunak to tackle the climate crisis after his announcement that he will weaken the UK’s net zero policies.
An exclusive poll for the Guardian found that fewer than a quarter of people trust the prime minister to take on the challenge. A total of 53% said they did not trust him, while 19% said they did not know.
Continue reading...Legal firm had said Real World Portal encouraged misogyny and there was evidence to suggest it is an illegal pyramid scheme
Apple has withdrawn an app created by Andrew Tate after accusations that it encouraged misogyny and could be an illegal pyramid scheme.
Tate created the app, Real World Portal, after the closure of his “Hustler’s University”, which was an online academy for his fans, promising to assist them in making thousands of pounds while helping Tate’s videos on social media, which have been described as misogynistic, to go viral.
Continue reading...Gareth Roper was hit by an unlicensed driver while walking in Bolton and died of severe head injuries, court told
A man was killed by a hit-and-run motorist driving without a licence shortly after police left him barefoot three miles from his home, a court has heard.
Gareth Roper, 35, was killed while walking along the centre of the road in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Continue reading...Party leaders start to reveal clearer positions on policy areas ranging from net zero to transgender rights
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have faced off against each other for the past 11 months as leaders of their parties, but the time has been marked by frustration within their own ranks that they are failing to create clear dividing lines with their opponents.
That situation has begun to change. The Conservative leader suddenly seems more eager to lay out his own ideological credentials – even if recent net zero announcements were quickly rushed out in response to leaks.
Continue reading...Sudiksha Thirumalesh, 19, and her family had opposed her being moved to palliative care
A 19-year-old woman who died after a legal battle with an NHS trust over her treatment for a rare mitochondrial disorder can be named, a judge has ruled.
Sudiksha Thirumalesh, an A-level student, and her family were embroiled in a dispute with an unnamed trust over whether she should be moved on to palliative care.
Continue reading...Jamie-Leigh Kelly left centre for vulnerable mothers and children in London on Tuesday with her daughter, 3, and newborn baby
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of child abduction as police hunt for a missing mother and two children.
The Metropolitan police said Jamie-Leigh Kelly, 31, left a centre for vulnerable mothers and children in Colindale, north-west London, with her three-year-old daughter and newborn baby boy on Tuesday.
Continue reading...The supermarket hopes its new range will see cash-conscious brides stepping from one aisle to another
Milk, bread, eggs … wedding dress? Brides-to-be can usually be found browsing in chic boutiques or stuffy department stores but now Sainsbury’s is hoping it can persuade them to hit the supermarket aisle instead as they go in pursuit of the perfect wedding dress.
This week its mass market fashion brand, Tu clothing, launched its first bridal collection.
Continue reading...Rightwing magazine is said to be a favourite of the billionaire and is considered a ‘trophy prize’
Rupert Murdoch may have officially stood aside as chair of his media businesses but he’s still eyeing up what could be his last major UK deal: the purchase of the Spectator magazine.
The rightwing magazine, which is due to be auctioned off next month, is said to be a favourite of the billionaire, who used his resignation statement to claim much of the media is “in cahoots” with elites who have “open contempt for those who are not members of their rarefied class”.
Continue reading...Deputy prime minister to urge UN general assembly to create international regulatory system
Artificial intelligence is developing too fast for regulators to keep up, the UK’s deputy prime minister is to announce as he aims to galvanise other countries to take the threat seriously in advance of the UK’s AI safety summit in November.
Oliver Dowden will use a speech at the UN general assembly on Friday to sound the alarm over the lack of regulation of AI, which he says is developing faster than many policymakers thought possible.
Continue reading...British ex-politician, a cult figure in the US, will reportedly appear alongside Love Island’s Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu
Former House of Commons speaker John Bercow is reportedly starring in the upcoming series of TV show The Traitors US, alongside Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
The former MP will feature alongside reality TV stars from Big Brother, Dancing With The Stars and RuPaul’s Drag Race, according to media reports.
Continue reading...Studios behind Harry Potter films to undergo 400,000 sq ft expansion by 2027, in boost to struggling industry
The Warner Bros studios behind the Harry Potter film series are to undergo a major expansion, creating 4,000 jobs and providing a boost to Britain’s beleaguered film and TV production industry.
The development in Hertfordshire, expected to be complete in 2027, will add 400,000 sq ft (37,000 sq metres) to Warner Bros Studios Leavesden (WBSL).
Continue reading...UK climate watchdog said policy change would make it more difficult to meet legal commitments
Rishi Sunak is likely to face a series of legal challenges aimed at thwarting his plans to U-turn on net zero policies amid further international condemnation of the proposals.
Though the prime minister sought to shrug off criticism on Thursday, the UK’s independent climate watchdog joined the voices of concern, saying it was disappointed with changes that would make it more difficult for Britain to meet its legal commitments.
Continue reading...PM wants pupils in England to study a wider range of subjects including maths and English until they are 18
The A-level system in England could be reformed with a new style of British baccalaureate in which children would study more subjects after the age of 16, according to reports.
The proposals include English and maths becoming compulsory up until the age of 18, the Times said. Students would also be required to study a wider range of subjects in post-16 education.
Continue reading...PC Cameron Lindley of West Yorkshire police attended incident in which man was already being held down by officers
A police officer has been dismissed after a man complained his head was stamped on during an arrest.
PC Cameron Lindley was called to a disturbance in Bradford in December 2021 after colleagues asked for urgent support, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Thursday.
Continue reading...Party leader says he would not bring in lower environmental and food standards than in Europe or reduce workers’ rights
Keir Starmer has gone further than before in outlining his vision of a future UK relationship with the EU, saying Labour didn’t “want to diverge” – in comments that were immediately seized on by the Conservatives.
The Labour leader was speaking at an event in Canada bringing together liberal and centre-left politicians, where he said that “most of the conflict” since Brexit had arisen because the UK “wants to diverge and do different things to the rest of our EU partners”.
Continue reading...Climate Change Committee head says ‘we’ve moved backwards’ after PM defends decision to delay ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars
Robinson quotes from Sunak’s resignation letter as chancellor, in which he said if something sounded too good to be true, it probably wasn’t true. Weren’t you doing that in the speech yesterday?
Sunak does not accept that. He says in his speech he accepted change was needed. He just want a “realistic approach”.
Continue reading...PM says people to be given more time to switch gas boilers to heat pumps, and ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars delayed
Climate scientists have expressed dismay at reports that Rishi Sunak is to row back on net zero commitments, arguing that this would be harmful not just environmentally, but economically too.
Prof Myles Allen, professor of geosystem sciences at Oxford University, said:
We haven’t heard the actual speech yet, but we all have to hope the PM is true to his word that he is looking for better ways to deliver net zero, not just slower ways. As we have found time and again in Britain, dithering costs money. The USA is seeing other countries’ faltering as an opportunity to get ahead. It will be sad indeed if we just see it as an opportunity to join the laggards.
It’s not pragmatic, it’s pathetic. This rolling back on emissions cuts for short-term political gain will undermine the transition to net zero and with it the future opportunities, prosperity and safety of the entire country.
Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide which causes global warming which amplifies the consequences of extreme weather events, as we have so clearly seen this summer. Climate change will continue until we reach net zero globally, and we will then have to suffer the consequences of that warmer world for decades or more. It also matters how we reach net zero, not just when – delaying action means more emissions which means more severe consequences.
Continue reading...UK prime minister delays ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars as he pushes back net zero goals
Rishi Sunak has announced a major U-turn on the government’s climate commitments as he promised to put his party on a more radical path in an attempt to close the gap with Labour before the next general election.
In one of his biggest policy changes since taking office, Sunak confirmed the UK would push back the deadline for selling new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers, prompting furious condemnation from the automobile and energy industries.
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