Category Archives: UK news

New headsets bring Wimbledon to life for visually impaired fans

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Device trialled at tournament captures images with camera and projects them into sight line

Rosie Pybus has been to Wimbledon several times and watched her first tennis match this year, thanks to a headset for visually impaired people. She told of the “exhilarating” moment she tested the innovative device, which allows users to watch live action from the stands.

Visually impaired tennis fans at SW19 have been trialling the headsets, which capture images with a camera and project them into a person’s sight line. Users can adjust the images with a remote control.

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Scottish windfarm built in 1995 to be ‘repowered’ with new turbines

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ScottishPower expects Hagshaw Hill to produce five times as much energy with half the turbines by early 2025

One of Britain’s oldest onshore windfarms will soon be “repowered” so it can generate five times as much green electricity as it did in 1995 – with almost half as many turbines.

The owner of the Hagshaw Hill windfarm, ScottishPower, began dismantling 26 turbines on its site in rural South Lanarkshire on Wednesday.

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Legal aid cuts denying vulnerable women access to justice, says thinktank

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Women’s Budget Group says changes have disproportionately affected women and cut critical lifeline in England and Wales

Vulnerable women in England and Wales, including survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, are being denied justice because of cuts to the civil legal aid budget, a thinktank has said.

The Women’s Budget Group says a decade on from major changes to legal aid, women have been disproportionately affected, leaving them without essential support to fight discrimination, violence and housing insecurity.

Ineligibility, for example some employment discrimination not being included in legal aid.

Inaccessibility due to insufficient legal aid providers.

Lack of awareness and signposting of what qualifies for legal aid.

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Home care providers in England fear collapse over unpaid invoices

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One in five firms see risk of financial failure in next six months due to sums owed by NHS and councils

Dozens of home care companies in England fear collapse because invoices are going unpaid by councils and the NHS.

Hundreds of millions of pounds in unpaid bills are threatening parts of a care industry already stretched by a recruitment crisis and rising wages, according to research by the Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM).

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US and UK call for more gratitude from Kyiv after Zelenskiy’s Nato complaint

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Comments come after Ukrainian leader complained his country had not been given firm timetable for joining alliance

Britain’s defence secretary and the US national security adviser have suggested Ukraine ought to show more gratitude for the help it has received from the west, in response to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s complaints that his country has not been issued a firm timetable or set of conditions for joining Nato.

Their unscripted remarks – at two different events on the margins of the second day of the Nato summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius – appeared to prompt a change of tack from the Ukrainian leader on Wednesday, who later said he was “grateful to all leaders of Nato countries” for their support and help.

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HS2 chief executive resigns from delayed and scaled-back rail project

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Mark Thurston to leave government-owned company as construction moves ‘into an exciting new stage’

The chief executive of the HS2 railway has resigned amid severe delays and soaring costs that have seen the project scaled back.

Mark Thurston announced on Wednesday he would be departing the government-owned company at the end of September after six and a half years at the helm – making him the firm’s longest serving chief executive.

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Nutmeg entrepreneur Nick Hungerford dies of bone cancer aged 43

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Hungerford founded the charity Elizabeth’s Smile for children who lose a parent to terminal illness after his diagnosis

One of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs has died aged 43 as a result of bone cancer.

Nick Hungerford, the founder of the personal investment site Nutmeg, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma in 2020 after feeling pain in his right thigh. An X-ray confirmed that he had a 5-inch tumour, which could also affect tissue around the bones.

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Home Office had murals for children removed at second asylum centre

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Murals at Manston and Kent Intake Unit understood to have been painted over last week by MoJ estates team

The Home Office ordered the removal of child-friendly murals from the controversial Manston detention camp near Ramsgate, as well as a separate reception centre, the Guardian has learned.

The i newspaper revealed last week that the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, had ordered the removal of colourful murals of Disney cartoon characters including Mickey Mouse and Baloo the bear painted on the walls at the Kent Intake Unit (KIU) at Dover.

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‘They were chilled’: bated breath as beavers released in Northumberland

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Animals make first return to the county in 400 years as National Trust introduces family of four to Wallington estate

It was a genuinely tense tale of the riverbank as a family of four beavers were released into the Northumberland countryside on Wednesday, the first time in more than 400 years that the animals are making the county their home.

Would they even come out of their cages? Would they be as feisty coming out as they apparently were going in? Would they be happy with their new surroundings?

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Rayner attacks Tories over ‘mortgage bombshell’ as Sunak misses PMQs again – as it happened

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This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage here

Civil service chief Simon Case said the last five years had seen a deterioration in relations between officials and politicians, although he added the situation had improved since Rishi Sunak became prime minister, PA News reports.

The cabinet secretary told MPs:

The last five years or so have seen, I think, an increased number of attacks on civil servants individually and collectively by significant political figures which has undoubtedly undermined the good functioning of government.

I’m very happy to say that under this prime minister things have changed very significantly.

Obviously I don’t agree with a characterisation which is insulting, dehumanising, totally unacceptable.

It would surprise me if current ministers were using this language, not least because if they were it would indicate something akin to self-defeating cowardice.

Yes, was aware of those communications and have flagged them to both the chief whip and Speaker of the House.

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Teachers in England vote for strike action in autumn over pay

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Members of NASUWT give ‘largest mandate in a decade’ for action over pay, workload and working hours

Members of the NASUWT teachers’ union have voted in favour of industrial action over pay and workload, raising the prospect of mass strikes and widespread disruption across schools in England this autumn.

After months of stalemate with no progress over teachers’ pay, NASUWT members voted decisively for industrial action, with 88.5% of eligible members voting to support strike action and 94.3% supporting action short of strike.

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UK care home employed 80-year-old nurse who was not able to help lift residents

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HC-One employed nurse at Tower Bridge Care Centre, which was found to be ‘not safe’ by inspectors

One of Britain’s biggest care home companies employed an 80-year-old senior nurse in a short-staffed care home who was older than some residents and not strong enough to help lift them.

HC-One employed the octogenarian at Tower Bridge Care Centre, which was found by inspectors to be “inadequate” and “not safe”, in a case that highlights a chronic shortage of care workers across the UK.

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Ladbrokes adverts banned for attracting under-18s with football managers

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Advertising Standards Authority rules against two promoted tweets featuring Premier League coaches

The advertising watchdog has banned two adverts run by the sports betting business Ladbrokes for appealing to under-18s by featuring well-known Premier League managers including Frank Lampard and Eddie Howe.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launched an investigation into the two promoted tweets, published in January and February, after concerns that the use of images of managers of top flight teams would break UK rules banning ads that have a “strong appeal” to young people under 18 years old.

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Tests to assess newborns health not effective for BAME babies in UK

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Minority ethnic newborns risk late diagnosis and poorer health as guidance was developed for white European babies in 1952

Tests to assess newborn babies’ health are not effective for non-white children and should be replaced, according to the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

In the UK, neonatal death rates among black and Asian newborns are much higher than for white babies.

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Financial firms must boost protections against AI scams, UK regulator to warn

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Financial Conduct Authority chief to highlight risks of ‘deepfake’ fraud as well as benefits of Artificial Intelligence

The head of the UK’s financial regulator is to warn that banks, investors and insurers will have to ramp up their spending to combat scammers using artificial intelligence to commit fraud.

Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), will say that there are risks of “cyber fraud, cyber-attacks and identity fraud increasing in scale and sophistication and effectiveness” as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widespread, in a speech in London on Wednesday.

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Senior Tories attack illegal migration bill as Lords amendments overturned

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Theresa May and Tim Loughton among more than a dozen backbench Tories criticising bill

Rishi Sunak’s immigration bill was heavily criticised by senior Conservative MPs as the government overturned amendments made by the House of Lords.

Theresa May and Tim Loughton were among more than a dozen backbench Tories seeking further changes to the illegal migration bill, which the prime minister says is crucial to stopping small boats from crossing the Channel.

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No extra money for public sector pay rises, Jeremy Hunt tells ministers

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Chancellor thought to have ruled out providing extra cash if PM decides to accept pay review bodies’ recommendations

Jeremy Hunt has told ministers there will be no extra money to give millions of public sector workers an average 6% pay rise, potentially leaving departments facing a difficult choice between raising salaries or cutting frontline services.

The Guardian understands the chancellor has ruled out providing a further cash injection beyond what is already budgeted if Rishi Sunak decides to implement the recommendations of independent pay review bodies, which are expected as soon as Thursday.

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Australian PM hands Sunak picture of Bairstow stumping at Nato meeting

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Anthony Albanese tries to ambush UK counterpart, but Sunak was ready with image of England team at Headingley

The Australian prime minister tried to ambush his British counterpart at the Nato summit with a picture of the controversial stumping of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes cricket series.

Rishi Sunak was unexpectedly prepared, and produced from his official portfolio his own photo of England’s Mark Wood and Chris Woakes celebrating getting the winning runs at Headingley on Sunday, giving the host nation their first victory after two consecutive Australian wins.

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Police in Hong Kong raid family home of UK-based exile Nathan Law

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Relatives of pro-democracy activist taken in for questioning days after bounties issued for political exiles

Police in Hong Kong have raided the home of Nathan Law’s family, taking relatives of the UK-exiled pro-democracy activist away for questioning.

Officers from the national security department visited the housing estate where Law’s family live and took his parents and brother in for questioning in the early hours of Tuesday morning. So far no arrests have been made.

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UK pay growth hits record 7.3%, despite calls for wage restraint from Bailey and Hunt – business live

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Basic pay rises at joint-fastest rate on record, protecting workers from soaring inflation but adding to pressure on Bank of England

Bloomberg agrees that the Bank of England will not be pleased by today’s jobs report, saying:

UK wage growth held at a level that Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said is fueling inflation, maintaining pressure for higher interest rates.

Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses held at 7.3% in the three months through May after figures for the period through April were revised up, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday.

“These figures are another dismal reflection of the Tories’ mismanagement of the economy over the last thirteen years.

“Britain is the only G7 country with a lower employment rate than before the pandemic and real wages have fallen yet again – just as more and more families feel the devastating impact of the Tory mortgage bombshell.

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