Category Archives: UK news

Vegetable shortages in UK could be ‘tip of iceberg’, says farming union

Posted on by

Energy prices, Brexit and climate crisis mean growers lack confidence to plant crops, says NFU deputy

Shortages of some fresh fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers could be the “tip of the iceberg”, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has said.

Certain products are hard to come by in UK supermarkets due to poor weather reducing the harvest in Europe and north Africa, Brexit rules and lower supplies from UK and Dutch producers hit by the jump in energy bills to heat glasshouses.

Continue reading...

Roald Dahl threatened publisher with ‘enormous crocodile’ if they changed his words

Posted on by

Conversation with Francis Bacon emerges amid the row over updating controversial language in the children’s author’s books

One of Roald Dahl’s best-known characters was the Enormous Crocodile, “a horrid greedy grumptious brute” who “wants to eat something juicy and delicious”.

Now a conversation the author had 40 years ago has come to light, revealing that he was so appalled by the idea that publishers might one day censor his work that he threatened to send the crocodile “to gobble them up”.

Continue reading...

‘Norfolk’s Mary Rose’: remains of 17th-century shipwreck go on display

Posted on by

Artefacts, video and 3D model tell tragic story of the Gloucester, which ran aground carrying future king

The remains of a 17th-century royal shipwreck will go on display in Norwich as part of an exhibition exploring its last voyage.

The Gloucester sank off the Norfolk coast in 1682 while carrying the future king of England, Scotland and Ireland, James Stuart, then the Duke of York.

Continue reading...

Hopes grow for Northern Ireland Brexit deal as Tory MPs ordered to attend Commons on Monday – as it happened

Posted on by

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story here

Forbes interrupted her maternity leave following the birth of her baby daughter last summer to run to be the next SNP leader.

I want to lead Scotland into better days. I have a vested interest in achieving this, not least for the sake of my daughter’s future.

Scotland needs a leader who is bold, brave and energised. My vision centres on delivering a strong growing economy that expands the tax base and reinvests in tackling poverty and making our public services sustainable.

We need somebody competent, who voters trust, who speaks the truth, who has integrity and commitment … I’m the only candidate with a strong grip on the economy and our finances.

If anything, can be said of me in the past week it is that I am willing to be honest and open, even at the cost of my leadership bid and my career.

Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak faces calls to ban TikTok use by government officials

Posted on by

PM under pressure to follow EU and US in taking step over fears Chinese-owned app poses cybersecurity risk

Rishi Sunak has been urged to ban government officials from using TikTok in line with moves by the EU and US, amid growing cybersecurity fears over China.

Officials in Europe and the US have been told to limit the use of the Chinese-owned social video app over concerns that data can be accessed by Beijing.

Continue reading...

Moonpig to stop selling cards with pugs over animal welfare concerns

Posted on by

Firm responds to calls from vets who say pictures fuel demand for flat-faced breeds, which often have serious health complaints

Moonpig is to stop selling cards featuring pictures of pugs and French bulldogs after criticism from vets and campaigners who fear the images fuel demand for the breeds, which often have serious health complaints.

Last year, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) wrote to the Greeting Card Association and card retailers, including Moonpig, Paperchase and WH Smith, urging them to stop using pugs and other flat-faced dogs on cards.

Continue reading...

Sunak could announce Northern Ireland protocol deal on Monday

Posted on by

Move would come after four months of intense negotiations and mark an end to two-year standoff with EU

Rishi Sunak is poised to announce a deal to end the protracted row over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol as soon as Monday, the Guardian has been told.

The move would come after four months of intense negotiations and mark an end to a two-year standoff with the EU. But in a huge political gamble for the prime minister, it may trigger a fresh battle with pro-Brexit Conservative backbenchers in the European Research Group (ERG) and the Democratic Unionist party (DUP).

Continue reading...

Apples and pears could be next UK food shortage, farmers warn

Posted on by

Growers say they do not get paid enough by supermarkets, as supply of leeks also comes under threat

Apples and pears could be the next food shortage in the UK, after it emerged that British growers are planting just a third of the number of trees needed to maintain orchards, saying their returns from selling to supermarkets are unsustainable.

Ali Capper, head of the British Apples & Pears trade association which represents about 80% of the industry in the UK, said 1m new trees would have to be planted each year to maintain the UK’s 5,500 hectares (13,590 acres) of production.

Continue reading...

Bernard Ingham, press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, dies aged 90

Posted on by

Family pay tribute to man they described as ‘a journalist to his bones’

Margaret Thatcher’s former press secretary Sir Bernard Ingham has died at the age of 90 after a short illness, his family has said.

Ingham was a journalist with the Guardian in the 1970s before going into communications for the government. He served as press secretary for Thatcher for almost her entire time as prime minister.

Continue reading...

BASF to cut 2,600 jobs as energy crisis puts Germany on track for recession

Posted on by

Chemicals company says disruption from Ukraine war, rising costs and inflation will continue this year

The German chemicals company BASF has said it will cut 2,600 jobs as Europe’s largest economy braces for recession triggered by the energy crisis that intensified after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

The year was “dominated by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and in particular by increased raw material and energy prices”, BASF said in a statement on Friday. It paid additional energy costs of €3.2bn (£2.8bn) globally during 2022.

Continue reading...

Life amid the rubble: UK specialists on their Turkey earthquake rescue effort

Posted on by

After the first quake hit, 77 Britons were deployed to join teams from around the world. Here, some recount their experiences

British search-and-rescue specialists deployed to Turkey after its earthquake on 6 February have recalled the scenes of devastation that they encountered, as the country and its southern neighbour Syria were hit by two more tremors this week.

“If we were still out there [this week], we would have been in those buildings,” said Wayne Ward, a firefighter for Lancashire’s rescue service, and one of 77 British specialists deployed to Turkey in the days that followed the first quake.

Continue reading...

UK politicians mark anniversary of war with renewed call to send arms to Kyiv

Posted on by

They stopped short of Boris Johnson’s demand for UK to ‘break the ice’ and supply Ukraine with fighter jets

UK political leaders have marked the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a renewed call to support Kyiv with additional weaponry – but stopped short of the firm commitments on fighter jets demanded by Boris Johnson.

With James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, in New York for a meeting of the UN security council, Rishi Sunak hosted the Ukrainian ambassador at Downing Street, with a national minute’s silence planned for 11am on Friday.

Continue reading...

Possible sighting of Yorkshire man missing in Glencoe area

Posted on by

Kyle Sambrook, 33, was seen with his dog in the Lost Valley area of Glencoe on Sunday

There has been a possible sighting of a man who is missing in the Glencoe area after leaving his Yorkshire home to climb a hill, police have said.

Kyle Sambrook, 33, was seen with his beagle called Bane in the Lost Valley area of Glencoe at about noon on Sunday and police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen him in the area at the time.

Continue reading...

Paul Mescal tells of clash with female fan who groped him during selfie

Posted on by

Oscar nominated actor says a woman ‘put her hand on my ass’ after asking for photograph outside theatre where he is performing

The Oscar nominated actor Paul Mescal said he confronted a female fan who groped him outside the theatre where he was performing.

He told ES Magazine that the woman “put her hand on my ass” as he posed for a photograph with her outside the Almeida theatre in north London.

Continue reading...

Defence review at risk of delay amid funding row

Posted on by

Original review published in 2021 but Ukraine war demonstrates need for investment

A planned refresh of the government’s integrated review of defence and foreign policy is at risk of being delayed until after the budget in mid-March amid a row over funding and a lack of clarity over its aims.

It had been expected that the fresh look at Britain’s geopolitical strategy, originally announced by Liz Truss and inherited by Rishi Sunak, would be released on 7 March – more than a week before the 15 March annual financial statement.

Continue reading...

Rugby player paralysed after ‘reckless’ tackle wins case against opposing player

Posted on by

Judge finds Natasha King liable for unintentional injuries suffered by Dani Czernuszka in amateur game

A rugby player who was paralysed from the waist down after a “reckless” tackle has won her high court claim against the opposing player who made the “red mist” challenge.

In October 2017, Dani Czernuszka suffered a spinal fracture during an amateur league rugby match that has since left her having to use a wheelchair.

Continue reading...

Keir Starmer rejects claims Labour’s five ‘missions’ are vague or easy to achieve – UK politics live

Posted on by

The Labour leader will set out his party’s five ‘missions’ for government in a speech later

In an interview with BBC Breakfast this morning Keir Starmer defended the special immigration appeals commission (Siac) decision yesterday to refuse Shamima Begum’s appeal against the decision to remove her British citizenship. Starmer said “national security has to come first”.

Yesterday, after the Siac decision was announced, the Conservative party was tweeting a clip from an interview that Starmer gave to Sophy Ridge on Sky News in March 2019 saying that the decision by the then home secretary, Sajid Javid, to deprive Begum of her citizenship was “wrong”.

Continue reading...

Register of tutor-student relations proposed for England campuses

Posted on by

Academics may face dismissal if relations involving romance, sex or financial dependency are not reported

Universities in England could face sanctions if intimate relationships between staff and the students they have academic responsibilities for are not disclosed, under plans by the higher education watchdog.

Academics who refuse to report relationships with their students that involve sexual activity, romantic intimacy or financial dependency, should be dismissed, the Office for Students (OfS) has proposed.

Continue reading...

Almost 40% of domestic tasks could be done by robots ‘within decade’

Posted on by

Chores such as shopping likely to have most automation, while caring for young or old least likely to be affected, says report

A revolution in artificial intelligence could slash the amount of time people spend on household chores and caring, with robots able to perform about 39% of domestic tasks within a decade, according to experts.

Tasks such as shopping for groceries were likely to have the most automation, while caring for the young or old was the least likely to be affected by AI, according to a large survey of 65 artificial intelligence (AI) experts in the UK and Japan, who were asked to predict the impact of robots on household chores.

Continue reading...