Category Archives: UK news

Coogan and Vorderman back tactical voting calls at Lib Dem conference

Posted on by

Celebrities lend their voices to ‘kick the Tories out’ as the party gathers in Bournemouth for the first time in three years

The Liberal Democrats have kicked off their annual conference with a call for people to vote tactically in the general election to remove Conservative MPs, until proportional representation makes this unnecessary.

Gathering in Bournemouth for their first autumn get-together since 2019, a conference rally heard video addresses from Carol Vorderman and Steve Coogan. Neither are party members but they said people should vote in a way to ensure Tory candidates lost.

Continue reading...

Ramblers unite at Scots Dyke to protest against England’s draconian right to roam laws

Posted on by

English and Scottish walkers meet in mass trespass to call for greater public access to land in England and Wales, like the more generous laws of Scotland

Flag-waving activists for land reform have expressed their demands for greater freedom to roam in England and Wales by staging a symbolic trespass through farmland on the Scottish border.

In a bid to highlight Scotland’s far more generous rights of access to the countryside, around 40 campaigners tramped through boggy, dense woodland to arrive at an earth dyke north of Carlisle which once marked the medieval border.

Continue reading...

Lib Dems would double shared parental pay and increase leave

Posted on by

Munira Wilson told party’s conference many men could not afford to spend time with their babies

The Liberal Democrats have said they would double statutory shared parental pay (ShPP) and extend the amount of leave new parents can take if the party form the next government.

Speaking at the party’s autumn conference in Bournemouth, education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, said not enough men were taking leave, while many “simply can’t afford” to spend time with their babies.

Continue reading...

‘They do my head in’: tour guides call for loudspeaker ban at London attractions

Posted on by

Official tour leaders complain that freelance guides with large groups and voice amplifiers are making their job impossible

They’re changing the guard at Buckingham Palace – but these days Christopher Robin would have trouble making out anything Alice says to him. Official Blue Badge guides working in London say a new wave of freelance tour guides at major tourist sights are deafening them and their guests by using megaphones and portable voice amplifiers.

The Institute for Tourist Guiding (ITG) says its members are increasingly concerned about the unofficial guides who have begun operating this summer around Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament.

Continue reading...

UK ministers scrap energy efficiency taskforce after six months

Posted on by

Group tasked with overseeing initiative to insulate homes and upgrade boilers was only set up in March

The government’s energy efficiency taskforce, charged with reducing the UK’s energy use by 15% by 2030, has been scrapped months after it was established.

The group, which was overseeing an initiative to insulate homes and upgrade boilers, was announced by the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in his autumn statement last year as part of plans to boost investment in energy efficiency.

Continue reading...

Ban on wood burners threatens British boat-dwellers with winter freeze

Posted on by

A new law allows councils to impose on-the-spot fines for emitting smoke

People who live on narrowboats and barges – many on low incomes – say they may struggle to stay warm this winter because an increasing number of councils are planning to fine people burning wood on moored vessels.

Under the Environment Act, which came into force in 2021, council enforcement officers can issue on-the-spot fines of up to £300 to boat dwellers emitting visible smoke from wood burners. Only Sandwell council, in the West Midlands, has so far approved plans to enforce smoke controls along its 41 miles of canals. But three other councils – Liverpool, Newham and Cannock Chase – are planning to start fining houseboats.

Continue reading...

Manchester to launch ‘revolutionary’ Bee Network public bus system

Posted on by

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...

Paramedics not sent to a third of 999 ambulance calls in parts of England

Posted on by

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...

Only 22% of Britons trust Sunak on climate, finds Guardian poll

Posted on by

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...

Apple removes app created by Andrew Tate

Posted on by

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...

Man killed in hit-and-run after police left him barefoot miles from home

Posted on by

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...

Dividing lines: where do Sunak and Starmer stand on key UK issues?

Posted on by

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...

Teenager who died after legal fight with NHS trust can be named, judge rules

Posted on by

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...

Met police arrest woman in hunt for missing mother and children

Posted on by

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...

Sainsbury’s launches bridal collection with £22 Tu wedding dress

Posted on by

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...

Rupert Murdoch’s last move? The Spectator is in his sights

Posted on by

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...

AI developing too fast for regulators to keep up, says Oliver Dowden

Posted on by

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...

Former speaker John Bercow ‘to star in The Traitors US’

Posted on by

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...

Warner Bros studios in Leavesden to expand, creating 4,000 UK jobs

Posted on by

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...

Rishi Sunak likely to face legal challenges over net zero U-turn

Posted on by

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...