Category Archives: UK news

NHS staff shortages in England could exceed 570,000 by 2036, leaked document warns

Posted on by

Exclusive: workplace plan sent to ministers says deficit will rise rapidly from current 154,000 if current trends continue

The NHS in England needs a massive injection of homegrown doctors, nurses, GPs and dentists to avert a recruitment crisis that could leave it short of 571,000 staff, according to an internal document seen by the Guardian.

A long-awaited workforce plan produced by NHS England says the health service is already operating with 154,000 fewer full-time staff than it needs, and that number could balloon to 571,000 staff by 2036 on current trends.

Continue reading...

‘He’s a great guy’: Kwasi Kwarteng told fake firm he could introduce them to Boris Johnson

Posted on by

Former chancellor boasted of his political career in hope of securing £10,000-a-day second job

Kwasi Kwarteng told representatives of a fake South Korean firm that he could introduce them to Boris Johnson – the “best campaigner you will ever see” – in the hope of securing a £10,000-a-day second job.

Kwarteng also indicated that Conservative whips would allow him to skip his parliamentary duties in order to further the interests of the fake firm, after apparently being duped by the campaign group Led By Donkeys.

Continue reading...

‘It’s a con’: Labour amendment to put Sunak’s migrant bill under fresh scrutiny

Posted on by

Prime minister told to expect ‘biggest rebellion of this parliament’ as migration bill returns to Commons

Labour will seek to put Rishi Sunak’s inability to secure an EU migrant returns deal under fresh scrutiny with a vote on the government’s migration bill.

The bill will return to the Commons on Monday for its committee stage, where MPs will examine it line by line over two days. The prime minister has been told to expect the biggest rebellion of this parliament, with at least 60 Conservative MPs likely to vote against the bill amid concerns that it is not tough enough.

Continue reading...

Rwanda scheme would ‘completely erode’ UK’s standing on world stage

Posted on by

New Human Rights Watch head Tirana Hassan says UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers is ‘cheap politics’

The UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda would “completely erode” Britain’s standing on the world stage, the new head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

Tirana Hassan, who takes over as HRW’s executive director on Monday, also said other conservative governments in Europe were considering following Britain’s lead and looking at African states as an offshore dumping ground for asylum seekers, potentially dealing further blows to established refugee protections.

Continue reading...

Investors force HSBC shareholder vote on structural overhaul

Posted on by

Minority shareholder Ken Lui leads campaign seeking to split bank’s Asian and western businesses

Hong Kong investors have forced HSBC into a shareholder vote on its structure and strategy, including a potential spin-off of its Asian arm.

An investor group, led by the minority shareholder Ken Lui, said the bank’s Asian activities were “effectively subsidising the western businesses, to the detriment of HSBC’s global shareholders” in a way that undermines efforts to increase the bank’s value and growth.

Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak outlines ‘immediate justice’ scheme to combat antisocial behaviour

Posted on by

Offenders to clean up damage within 48 hours, wearing jumpsuits or hi-viz jackets, in government bid to claim crime as priority

Offenders guilty of crimes such as vandalism will be ordered to start repairing the damage they caused within two days of receiving their punishment, under a government pledge to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Victims of crimes will also be given a say over the type of punishment that offenders should face, as will communities, under an “immediate justice” scheme to be unveiled by Rishi Sunak on Monday.

Continue reading...

Man arrested by police investigating alleged blackmail of Alison Hammond

Posted on by

Blackmailer reportedly threatened This Morning presenter that they would spread lies to damage her career

A man has been arrested by police investigating claims of blackmail targeted at the This Morning presenter Alison Hammond. West Midlands police confirmed the arrest of a 36-year-old man from Warwickshire on Saturday evening.

Hammond regularly presents the ITV show alongside Dermot O’Leary and was recently announced as the new cohost of The Great British Bake Off. In an earlier statement, West Midlands police said: “We are investigating an allegation of blackmail of a woman in her 40s. We take reports of this kind very seriously and our inquiries are progressing swiftly.”

Continue reading...

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eldest son, Nicholas, dies of gastric cancer aged 43

Posted on by

Oscar-winning composer says son, also a successful composer, died on Saturday in hospital surrounded by family

Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced that his eldest son, Nicholas, has died from gastric cancer aged 43.

The Oscar-winning composer wrote on Twitter that his son, who was also a successful composer, died on Saturday at Basingstoke hospital in Hampshire surrounded by his family.

Continue reading...

Man, 32, killed in suspected targeted shooting in Manchester

Posted on by

Police have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of murder and are looking for a second after attack in Openshaw

A 32-year-old man has been killed in a suspected targeted shooting in Manchester, police have announced.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and detectives are looking for a second man who is thought to have escaped in a vehicle shortly after the attack in Openshaw, at about 2pm.

Continue reading...

Top Tory MPs ask for £10,000 a day to work for fake Korean company

Posted on by

Video footage shows Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng discussing pay rates after being duped by campaigners

The former chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and former health secretary, Matt Hancock, agreed to work for £10,000 a day to further the interests of a fake South Korean firm after apparently being duped by the campaign group Led by Donkeys.

Kwarteng attended a preliminary meeting at his parliamentary office and agreed in principle to be paid the daily rate after saying he did not require a “king’s ransom”. When Hancock was asked his daily rate, he responded: “It’s 10,000 sterling.”

Continue reading...

Liz Truss criticised for ‘stunning lack of humility’ over reported peerage plans

Posted on by

Ex-PM has reportedly nominated at least four new members of Lords despite only lasting 49 days in No 10

Liz Truss has been accused of showing a “stunning lack of humility” following reports that she plans in effect to create a peer for every 10 days she spent in office.

The former prime minister is reported to have nominated at least four new members of the House of Lords, despite being forced from office after only 49 days, following a disastrous mini-budget.

Continue reading...

BBC’s Race Across the World stirs Canadian hopes of UK tourist boom

Posted on by

British viewers are showing an interest in travelling to Canada after launch of reality show’s third series

Canada’s tourism industry this week expressed hopes for a rise in UK visitors after the third series of BBC’s Race Across the World launched in the UK to rave reviews.

The reality show, in which five couples travel 10,000 miles (16,000km) from one side of Canada to another on a shoestring and without flying, could be a boon to the country’s recovering tourism sector. Arrivals were down 40% in 2022 from their high in 2019, but there are hopes for an increase with UK viewers inspired by the epic scenery and charmed by helpful Canadians.

Continue reading...

Union leader urges TUC to unite in defying planned anti-strike law

Posted on by

Fire Brigades Union chief says joint action needed to oppose ‘pernicious’ minimum service levels bill

A leading trade union has called for a concerted campaign of defiance and civil disobedience against the government’s planned anti-strike laws.

Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), urged a coordinated campaign among trade unions of “mass non-cooperation and non-compliance” against the minimum service levels bill.

Continue reading...

Rise of slimming jabs could lead to overseas trips to remove excess skin, UK surgeons warn

Posted on by

Exclusive: Surgeons raise concerns that people using jabs are unaware of risks of redundant skin

From unbearable side-effects to cravings curbed: readers on weight-loss jabs

A surge in the number of people using slimming jabs to lose weight could lead to a rise in patients travelling abroad for tummy tucks or other surgery to remove excess skin, surgeons have said.

Drugs such as liraglutide and semaglutide, which could help people reduce their weight by more than 10%, have been approved for use on the NHS for certain groups of people with obesity, although supplies of the latter under the brand name Wegovy have yet to arrive in the UK.

Continue reading...

Strawberries instead of bin liners: poll reveals strange supermarket delivery substitutions

Posted on by

Shoppers reported replacement items in 47% of UK deliveries, including 62% from Asda, in Which? survey

Dog chews instead of chicken breasts? Strawberries in place of bin liners? These are just some of the strangest supermarket substitutions, according to a poll.

Almost half of supermarket deliveries (47%) included a substitute item over the past 12 months, the survey for the consumer group Which? found.

Continue reading...

Head of Credit Suisse talks of his profound sadness over UBS takeover

Posted on by

Ulrich Körner acknowledges an ‘emotional and challenging week’ after deal was forced through by Swiss authorities

The chief executive of stricken Credit Suisse has said that he shares its employees’ “profound sadness and disappointment” after its emergency takeover by rival UBS earlier this week.

UBS took over Credit Suisse on Sunday in a £2.65bn deal forced through by Swiss authorities amid fears that a failure to protect depositors would kickstart a global banking crisis.

Continue reading...

Pets could be gene-edited under new English law, says RSPCA

Posted on by

Act opens door to technology being used to create cats and dogs with extreme features, says charity

Pets could be subjected to gene editing under a new government act, the RSPCA has warned.

The animal charity has said that the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act applies to all vertebrate animals, not only farmed animals, and that it could lead to cats and dogs being gene-edited to include extreme features.

Continue reading...

London theatres may lock up audiences’ phones after illicit James Norton photos

Posted on by

Outrage over naked images of actor published in MailOnline could prompt move to curb cameraphones

Theatre audiences in London’s West End could be made to lock up their phones to prevent illicit images of actors being taken during performances.

The suggestion comes after naked photos of James Norton on stage in A Little Life were published in MailOnline.

Continue reading...