Category Archives: UK news

New prepayment meter rules must be properly enforced, says Grant Shapps

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Suppliers in Great Britain have agreed code banning them from installations in homes of over-85s

The energy secretary, Grant Shapps, has urged Ofgem to turn words “into action” to ensure new industry rules designed to protect vulnerable people from being forced on to prepayment meters are properly enforced.

The Guardian revealed on Monday that all energy suppliers in Great Britain had signed up to a code of conduct banning them from putting the meters in the homes of people aged 85 and over as well as those with severe health conditions.

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Rishi Sunak investigated by standards commissioner over claims he failed to register an interest – UK politics live

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It is thought complaint refers to prime minister’s wife, Akshata Murty, being a shareholder in a childcare agency

Q: Are you going to have to offer more money to teachers?

Sunak says what is on offer is “a good and fair settlement”.

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Scottish Labour leader criticises ‘deluded’ SNP amid party donations row

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Anas Sarwar tells rally in first minister’s constituency the party is rapidly losing right to govern

The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has accused the Scottish National party of being politically bankrupt and deceitful, as further questions emerged about Nicola Sturgeon’s role in discussions over party finances.

Sarwar told a Labour rally in Glasgow the SNP was rapidly losing its right to govern after Sturgeon’s party endured a divisive battle to succeed her as leader, followed by a series of dramatic developments in the police inquiry into SNP finances.

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UK progressive Judaism bodies merge to give movement more reach and voice

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New organisation will represent about 30% of British Jews who are affiliated to synagogues

Two bodies representing progressive Judaism in the UK have joined forces to give their movement greater reach and a stronger voice.

The Movement for Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism announced on Monday that they would put aside 120 years as separate organisations “to create one single unified progressive Jewish movement for the UK”.

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Boy who ‘hoped’ to stab someone guilty of murdering Tomasz Oleszak, 14

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Newcastle court convicts 15-year-old who armed himself before stabbing stranger

A 15-year-old boy who went out with a knife “hoping” to stab someone has been found guilty of murdering another schoolboy in Gateshead.

A jury at Newcastle crown court on Monday found the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of the murder of Tomasz Oleszak, 14.

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King Charles and Camilla choose coronation quiche as signature dish

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Recipe follows coronation chicken and platinum pudding as suggested centrepiece for parties and events

From coronation chicken to platinum pudding, royal occasions demand a signature dish and King Charles III’s coronation is no exception.

The “coronation quiche” has been personally chosen by the king and Camilla, the Queen Consort, in the hope it will be a centrepiece to many a coronation “Big Lunch” at street parties and community events on 6 May.

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Brexit backer Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos to build electric Grenadier in Austria

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Britain misses out on building second Ineos vehicle, after company chose France for original model

Ineos, the company founded and run by the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will build an electric version of its new Grenadier off-road vehicle in Austria.

The electric version of the 4x4 will be developed with the Canadian car parts manufacturer Magna and production is scheduled to start in 2026.

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Why are British audiences suddenly so out of control? – podcast

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From fights at the Bodyguard musical to wild drunken antics at comedy clubs and even heckling at the opera, performers and theatre staff say crowds are getting out of hand. What’s going on?

From drunken revellers singing over emotional ballads at jukebox musicals to an opera-goer heckling a child performer, there has been a growing number of news stories since the pandemic about people behaving badly at entertainment venues. Then came the headlines about the police being called to the Bodyguard musical to quell an actual fight.

So what, exactly, is happening to British audiences, which are stereotypically seen as polite and even repressed? Theatre critic Alice Savile tells Nosheen Iqbal about her recent wild nights out at the theatre, and how front-of-house staff are finding it hard to cope. We hear from usher Bethany North on the abuse she’s experienced.

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‘Buckling’ NHS fails to treat 250,000 children with mental health problems

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Exclusive: child mental health crisis deepens with one-third of all referrals denied help

A quarter of a million children in the UK with mental health problems have been denied help by the NHS as it struggles to manage surging case loads against a backdrop of a crisis in child mental health.

Some NHS trusts are failing to offer treatment to 60% of those referred by GPs, the research based on freedom of information request responses has found.

In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk. YoungMinds is at youngminds.org.uk.

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Essex pub that displayed golly dolls seized by police is vandalised

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White Hart Inn in Grays, which has been the subject of a reported hate crime, daubed with graffiti and has windows damaged

An Essex pub where police confiscated golly dolls has been vandalised with graffiti and damage to five windows occurring early on Sunday morning, police have said.

The incident occurred at about 12.40am at White Hart Inn in Grays. Essex police said they have deployed extra patrols in the area.

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Poll reveals voters negative about Labour and Tory attack ads

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Posters attacking Rishi Sunak on crime made Britons feel less favourable about both main parties, Opinium finds

Labour’s controversial “attack ad” accusing Rishi Sunak of failing to put paedophiles in prison has caused more voters to think negatively of Keir Starmer’s party than a Conservative poster that accused the Labour leader of being soft on crime, according to an Opinium poll for the Observer.

The striking result, when people were asked to react to the two posters, comes after 10 days of internal Labour ructions over its sudden switch to hyper-aggressive and personalised online campaigning.

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Delivery driver who was hit by own van has died, say Cardiff police

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Mark Lang died in hospital after being injured in incident on 28 March while out delivering parcels

A delivery driver who was allegedly hit by his own van that had been stolen has died in hospital, police have confirmed. Mark Lang, 54, suffered serious injuries following the collision in North Road, Cardiff, on 28 March.

Lang, of Cyncoed, was delivering parcels in Laytonia Avenue in Cathays, Cardiff, before the incident.

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Rishi Sunak appears ready to try to tough out further wave of NHS strikes

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High-risk tactic increases likelihood of combined stoppages by nurses and junior doctors in England

Rishi Sunak appears set on trying to face down unions in a high-risk strategy to tough out a renewed wave of NHS strikes in England that health service leaders warned were unsustainable and could put patient safety at risk.

With the prime minister and his health secretary, Steve Barclay, seemingly offering no fresh concessions for nurses or junior doctors, they risk the possibility of combined strike action, a scenario one NHS leader said would put the health service “into uncharted territory”.

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James Cleverly in Japan for G7 as UK tilts towards Pacific post-Brexit

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Foreign secretary says ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ is ‘critical to UK’ and releases manga-style cartoons to mark his visit

James Cleverly has arrived in Japan for a G7 foreign ministers’ summit to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, as the UK government steps up its focus on the region after Brexit.

The foreign secretary and his counterparts from countries including the US and France will hold high-level talks on closer security and defence ties in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific.

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Local election voters may punish Tories as NHS strikes drag on

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Chair says party could lose 1,000 English seats on 4 May, despite voters finding Rishi Sunak more palatable than his predecessors

Even by the standards of political expectations management, Greg Hands’ message in his Sunday morning interviews was stark: the Conservative party, which he chairs, should expect to lose more than 1,000 councillors in next month’s local elections.

When party bigwigs make such predictions they usually do so against a context of significant wins the last time the seats were contested. But in May 2019, Theresa May was weeks away from announcing her departure, and the Tories lost more than 1,300 seats.

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Some ‘nicotine-free’ vapes high in addictive substances, tests reveal

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Concerns raised after some brands sold in shops in England and Wales found to exceed legal limits

Some high street vapes claiming to be nicotine-free actually contain the same level of addictive substances as full-strength e-cigarettes, tests shows.

Data shared with the Guardian by Inter Scientific – which offers analytical testing of products to check whether they are following regulations – examined dozens of vape brands sold in shops across England and Wales.

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Is vaping safe or not? All you need to know about e-cigarettes

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Why is the government promoting vapes for smokers in England while discouraging them for youth?

E-cigarettes are being promoted in England as part of the government’s efforts to help people quit smoking tobacco at the same time as it cracks down on youth vaping. We take a look at why there are two very different campaigns on the devices.

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Amazon workers in Coventry begin first of two three-day strikes

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Workers gather at picket line on Sunday in ongoing demand for pay increase from £11 to £15 an hour

Workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have begun a fresh round of strike action in a dispute about pay during the cost of living crisis.

GMB union members are planning three days of strikes at the huge Coventry centre, known as BHX4, from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 April, to be followed by three further days, from 21 to 23 April.

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