Category Archives: UK news

‘He could have died’: family calls for better jaundice testing of black and Asian babies

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Jaxson’s symptoms were initially dismissed by health staff in a case that could have had fatal consequences

Soon after her son Jaxson was born, Lauren Clarke spotted that his eyes were yellow and bloodshot. “We kept asking if he had jaundice, but each time we were told to keep feeding him and just put Jaxson in front of a window,” she says.

It was only when Clarke was readmitted six days later with an infection that Jaxson’s jaundice was detected by a midwife. By this time, his levels were becoming dangerously high.

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Labour would keep two-child benefit cap, says Keir Starmer

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Leader says party in power will stick with Tory policy seen as driving low-income families into deeper poverty

Keir Starmer has confirmed that a Labour government would keep the Conservatives’ controversial two-child benefits cap, despite unease among his top team and leading academics over the policy, which has been blamed for pushing families into poverty.

Starmer said on Sunday that he was “not changing that policy”, when asked if he would scrap it if Labour wins the next election. His shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, had condemned it as “heinous” just last month.

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Scheme to stop people being quizzed by abuser in court failing, lawyers say

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Exclusive: Courts in England and Wales unable to attract sufficient numbers of advocates

A scheme designed to ensure people representing themselves in court do not have to be questioned by their abuser is failing due to lack of resources, family law experts have said.

Since last year, family and civil courts have been required in certain cases to appoint a qualified legal representative (QLR) so that litigants in person are not cross-examined by the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator of their abuse and vice versa, but there has been a shortage of lawyers signing up to the scheme.

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‘A huge market going untapped’: lack of visitors worries Wales

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Country does not seem to get its fair share of tourists or money, despite so much spectacular mountain scenery and coastline

Any summer’s day on top of Yr Wyddfa you may be forgiven for thinking all is well with Welsh tourism. People are queuing to touch the summit cairn, the cafe is rammed and the railway fully booked.

But the Welsh affairs committee at Westminster this week voiced serious concerns. It pointed out that in 2019, international visitors spent about £515m in Wales, less than 2% of the £28bn they spent in the UK overall. Closer scrutiny revealed other worrying signs: in 2022, there were almost 2.8bn day trips taken by British residents but only 6% happened in Wales, and on those visits people spent less than elsewhere in Britain.

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RMT leader says government has not contacted him since January

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Mick Lynch downplays prospects of a resolution to dispute over pay, jobs and conditions

The RMT leader, Mick Lynch, has claimed he has not met a government minister since January as he downplayed prospects of a resolution to the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

The next strike by members of the of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union takes place on Thursday, with strikes also scheduled for Saturday and 29 July.

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British backpacker stabbed in Australian beach resort – reports

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Fifteen-year-old boy charged with assault by police after incident in Queensland in early hours of Sunday

A British backpacker has been stabbed by a teenager at an Australian beach resort, according to local media reports.

Police were called to Hastings Street in Noosa, on the Queensland coast, in the early hours of Sunday after a 25-year-old man was allegedly attacked by a 15-year-old boy after an argument.

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How Britain became the G7’s inflation outlier – in one chart

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This week’s CPI figures look set to highlight a trend: that prices in the UK seem to rise faster than they do elsewhere

The UK has a longstanding problem with inflation. Since the 2008 banking crash, bouts of inflation felt across the world have sent prices higher in the UK than its G7 rivals.

In July 2009, during the recession that followed the banking crisis, UK inflation was 3.1 points above the G7 average. Two years later, when recovery sent oil prices soaring, it stood about 2% above the G7 average. In March this year, however, it stood a full 3.5 points above the G7 level.

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Justin Welby says it was ‘a privilege to be her son’, after mother dies at 93

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Archbishop of Canterbury says he had a messy childhood due to alcoholism in the family but he loved Jane Williams deeply

The archbishop of Canterbury has paid tribute to his mother, Jane Williams, who has died at 93, saying she had “lived a full human life, with all its ups and downs”.

Justin Welby said it had been “a privilege to be her son. I am the person I am in part because of her love, example and encouragement.”

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Fire breaks out at Royal Albion hotel in Brighton

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Emergency services working to put out blaze after being called to seafront hotel shortly before 5.30pm

A fire has broken out at a hotel in Brighton, with emergency services saying high winds are impeding their efforts to tackle the blaze.

East Sussex fire and rescue service (ESFR) was called to the Royal Albion hotel on the seafront at 5.24pm, and later tweeted that “15 fire appliances, one high volume pump and three aerial ladder platforms [were] in attendance”.

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Teenager arrested after boy, 17, killed in north-west London

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An 18-year-old man is being held on suspicion of murder after fatal stabbing following birthday party in Granville Road, Brent

A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 17-year-old boy, who was stabbed to death after a birthday party in a street fight in north-west London.

The boy died in Granville Road, Brent, at about 11.30pm on Friday during a fight that is believed to have taken place on several roads nearby. Another male, also believed to be 17, was taken to hospital, as was a woman in her early 20s, who suffered a hand injury.

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Five arrested after climate protest at Ineos oil refinery in Scotland

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Police say alleged offences include breach of the peace after 200 people march to plant and four climb on roof

Five people have been arrested after environmental activists staged a day of resistance at the Ineos oil refinery near Falkirk.

Four people climbed on to the roof of the Ineos gas power station at Grangemouth and held up a banner on Saturday afternoon. Earlier, about 200 people marched to the fence of the Ineos plant, which powers the oil refinery, from a climate camp approximately a mile away.

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Keir Starmer: ‘We can’t win power by spending. We need to reform and create wealth’

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Exclusive: Labour leader urges left to ‘care more about growth’ and rules out spending ‘vast sums of money’

Labour will only succeed in winning power and rebuilding Britain if it prioritises economic growth, wealth creation and radical reform of public services over reckless spending promises, says Keir Starmer.

With four days to go before a crucial set of parliamentary byelections, the Labour leader delivers the most robust defence to date of his strategy for returning his party to power after 13 years, in an exclusive article for the Observer. Starmer takes on, directly, those who say his agenda is dull and uninspiring, insisting that the hard grind of rebuilding economic credibility must come first, as opposed to Labour retreating to its normal “comfort zone” of promising “vast sums of money”.

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Ben Wallace to quit as defence secretary and stand down as MP at next reshuffle

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Defence secretary rows back comments about Ukraine needing to show ‘gratitude’ and says he will not contest next general election

Ben Wallace is to leave government at the next cabinet reshuffle after four years as defence secretary and will not stand in the general election.

Wallace, who has played a key role in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was a close ally of Boris Johnson, told the Sunday Times he was “not standing next time” but he ruled out leaving parliament “prematurely” and forcing another byelection on Rishi Sunak, of whom he remains supportive.

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Woman dies two months after husband killed by suspected gas leak on honeymoon

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Mary Somerville, 39, died in Edinburgh following loss of Jaime Carsi, 40, in Mallorca, which was blamed on a faulty fridge

A woman has died two months after her husband was killed by a suspected gas leak from a broken fridge while on honeymoon in Mallorca.

Mary Somerville, 39, was found unconscious lying next to Jaime Carsi at a holiday home on 6 May.

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Labour must ‘give people something to vote for’, says Unite head

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Sharon Graham, of UK’s second largest union, says party lacks ambition and is not showing itself as distinct alternative to Tories

Labour should “talk about what they can do to change Britain”, the leader of the UK’s second largest trade union has said.

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said the union could reduce the amount of money it gave to Labour if the party’s leadership did not back more of its policy priorities, saying “people want something to vote for”.

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UK supermarket food prices up by more than 25% in two years, says Which?

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Retailers should be forced to display detailed price information on loyalty card deals, says consumer group

Supermarket food prices have increased by more than 25% over the past two years according to the consumer group Which?, with the size of the rise reinforcing the case for retailers to be forced to display detailed price information on loyalty card offers and promotions so shoppers can find the best deal.

Which? said the government needed to close loopholes that result in “confusing and inconsistent” pricing practices of some supermarkets. Last month it reported Tesco to the UK’s competition watchdog because it does not provide unit prices – such as the price for each 100g or 100ml – for the loyalty card offers it uses as a sales tactic to pull in shoppers.

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Foreign Office cannot say how many climate officials it has

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Exclusive: Former envoy raises concerns over possible ‘deliberate defunding of climate diplomacy under Sunak government’

The UK Foreign Office has said it does not know how many of its officials and diplomats are working on climate change and energy issues, in response to freedom of information requests.

The government has frequently described itself as a world leader on climate issues and the Foreign Office recently stated that “climate change remains an area of utmost importance and is a central focus of our diplomatic relations on a daily basis”.

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UK savings: more accounts now offering 6%-plus interest

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Government-backed NS&I increases its rates, as building societies and banks launch better deals

Amid the mortgage misery, there was more good news this week on savings rates, with a growing number of accounts now paying 6%-plus interest.

Meanwhile, the government-backed NS&I – a favourite of many in these uncertain times – has upped the rates on some of its popular fixed-rate accounts.

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Councils in England and Wales join calls for ban on disposable vapes

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LGA says single-use e-cigarettes are a litter blight and cause problems in bin lorries and recycling centres

Councils are joining paediatricians in calling for a ban on disposable vapes owing to the environmental damage they cause and the soaring number of young people taking up the addictive products.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, said urgent action was needed to save taxpayers’ money – as single-use e-cigarettes are costly to recycle without going through special treatment – protect the planet and keep children safe.

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Man whose mother-in-law’s blue and black dress went viral charged with trying to kill wife

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Keir Johnston, 38, from Colonsay in Scotland, is alleged to have conducted 11-year campaign of serious domestic violence

A man who found fame after a dress worn by his mother-in-law at his wedding went viral due to its unusual colour properties has reportedly appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of his wife.

Keir Johnston, 38, from the Isle of Colonsay in Scotland, is alleged to have conducted an almost 11-year campaign of serious domestic violence and coercive control which resulted in him attempting to kill his wife, the Times reported.

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