Category Archives: UK news

‘Not every measure will be popular’: Truss says voters may not like all her pro-growth measures – UK politics live

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Latest updates: prime minister says she is willing to implement unpopular policies to try to boost growth in the UK

Rosie Cooper has indicated that she intends to stand down as Labour MP for West Lancashire to take up a new job as chair of the Mersey Care NHS foundation trust. In her statement announcing the move Cooper says that events in recent years have “undoubtedly taken their toll” – a reference to Cooper being targeted by a neo-Nazi who was jailed for life in 2019 for plotting to kill her.

Cooper’s statement implies she will resign and trigger a byelection. At the last election she had a majority of more than 8,000 over the Conservatives, and in a byelection Labour would be expected to hold the seat very easily.

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Kwasi Kwarteng urged to allow release of OBR forecasts with mini-budget

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Tory chair of Treasury committee says independent forecasts vital to provide reassurance to markets

The Tory chair of the Treasury select committee has urged Kwasi Kwarteng to allow independent forecasts for the public finances to be published alongside his mini-budget on Friday.

Mel Stride released a strongly worded statement urging more clarity around the effects of the new chancellor’s fiscal interventions.

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Leicester violence could spread beyond city, warns local MP Claudia Webbe

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Leicester East MP says ministers must clamp down on ‘extremist rightwing ideology’

Violent clashes between groups of mainly Hindu and Muslim young men will spread beyond Leicester to other towns and cities without central government and police intervention, a local MP has warned.

Claudia Webbe, whose Leicester East constituency has been at the centre of several incidents over the past month, said ministers needed to clamp down on “extremist rightwing ideology” and misinformation being spread through social media.

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Fresh rail strikes to hit Tory party conference

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RMT members at 14 train operating companies take action in dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions

Workers across the rail industry will join train drivers in strikes on 1 October, targeting the start of Conservative party conference.

The RMT union has announced fresh action after planned strikes were put on hold during the 10 days of mourning for the Queen.

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Wales may impose ‘visitor levy’ on overnight guests

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Proposal to tax visitors – including Welsh residents – branded a ‘misguided and damaging bed tax’

Everyone who overnights in Wales, whether it be in a luxury hotel, a cosy holiday cottage or the most basic campsite, may face a “visitor levy” under a hugely controversial Welsh government scheme.

The Labour-led government has launched a consultation on the proposal that could result in almost all visitors – including Welsh residents staying away from home – being taxed for their stays.

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UK unions seek legal review of government’s strike-breaking laws

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TUC leads legal action over ministers’ plans to allow agency workers to replace striking staff

Trade unions have launched legal proceedings against the UK government, arguing that new laws allowing companies to use agency workers to break strikes are a “broad daylight” attack on the right to take industrial action.

Eleven trade unions, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), have sought permission for a judicial review of new regulations making the change.

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Madeleine McCann’s parents lose challenge over Portuguese libel case

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Couple sought redress from European court of human rights after libel case against detective was overturned

The parents of Madeleine McCann have lost their European court of human rights challenge to the Portuguese supreme court’s decision to throw out their libel case against a former detective who implicated them in their daughter’s disappearance.

Kate and Gerry McCann sued Gonçalo Amaral, who led the botched police search for Madeleine in 2007, over statements he made in a book, documentary and newspaper interview alleging that they were involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.

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UK under pressure to increase aid to Global Fund after US pledge

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Initiative to fight malaria, TB and Aids has asked for 30% increase after Covid crisis, but UK yet to announce pledge

Britain’s new government is facing the first test of its commitment to the global south as it decides whether to follow Joe Biden’s lead and pledge an extra £1.8bn to the Global Fund, the highly successful 20-year-old initiative that fights malaria, tuberculosis and Aids.

A replenishment event to cover funding for the next three years is taking place in New York, and Liz Truss’s administration has been delaying an announcement, partly owing to the death of the Queen.

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Met handcuff peaceful anti-Bolsonaro protester to delight of Brazil’s far right

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Police accused of unnecessary force as president’s son shares video of detention to show Britons ‘don’t like communists either’

The Metropolitan police have been accused of using unnecessary force and handing a propaganda coup to Brazil’s far right after a peaceful demonstrator was detained and handcuffed during a protest outside the Brazilian ambassador’s London residence.

Ali Rocha, a 50-year-old Brazilian and British citizen, and her flatmate were intercepted by officers on Sunday lunchtime as they joined a protest against Brazil’s radical rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who was in the UK for the Queen’s funeral.

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Queen Elizabeth II: from public pomp to a private family farewell

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Ceremonial splendour in London gave way to a quiet burial in Windsor as Britain said goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch

After the majestical funeral pomp and military spectacle, unsurpassed in the nation’s living memory and watched across the world, the final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II would belong only to her family.

Night had fallen as she was laid to rest next to the Duke of Edinburgh in the George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, in private and away from cameras.

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‘Now we have her no longer’: the crowds on the Queen’s final journey

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As the coffin made the short trip to Westminster Abbey before heading on to the palace then Windsor, many were determined to pay their respects

As the Queen’s coffin emerged from Westminster Hall just before eleven o’clock for the short, slow journey to her funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the thousands who had gathered at Parliament Square, on Whitehall, and along the Mall, gradually fell into silence. The companionable chatter stilled, some climbed to their feet from folded chairs. Some bowed their heads.

Many, even among those who had been there all night, were dressed in black, others wore a chestful of medals or a union jack waistcoat, or wrapped themselves in a flag. There were woolly beanies and black fascinators, selfie sticks and a few stepladders.

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David Dimbleby echoes father to lead BBC coverage of Queen’s committal

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Richard Dimbleby commentated on the Queen’s coronation 69 years ago and the funeral of George VI in 1952

The veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has commentated on the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s committal at Windsor Castle, in an echo of his father from 70 years ago.

As the procession gradually made the mile-long journey to St George’s Chapel, Dimbleby calmly and clearly described for BBC viewers the “extraordinary scenes” that unfolded at Windsor over the past few days, the royal standard that covered the Queen’s coffin and the understandable restlessness of the horses moving at the slow place.

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Decades of planning helped to ensure security at Queen’s funeral, says expert

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Scale of operation surpasses 2012 Olympics as world leaders and hundreds of thousands of spectators attend event in London

The success of the enormous security operation surrounding the Queen’s funeral followed decades of intricate planning and heightened public vigilance, a counter-terrorism expert has said.

Royalty, world leaders and hundreds of thousands of members of the public were kept safe on Monday, amid heightened concerns over possible attacks.

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Half of those arrested over clashes in Leicester from outside county

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Exclusive: Concerns outsiders have stirred up trouble between Hindu and Muslim groups heightened after discovery people travelled into the city

Almost half of the 18 people arrested after violence between Hindu and Muslim communities in Leicester over the weekend came from outside the county, the Guardian has learned.

Concerns that outsiders have stirred up trouble in the city have heightened as it was discovered eight of those arrested were not from Leicestershire. Of these, five came from Birmingham, while one came from Solihull, one from Luton and one gave an address in Hounslow.

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Guardian Essential poll: Australians divided on whether King Charles should be head of state

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Survey respondents split 50-50 but women, older voters and Coalition supporters more likely to back new monarch, poll suggests

Australians are divided over whether King Charles III should be the country’s head of state, with the latest Guardian Essential poll suggesting a 50-50 split between those who support the new UK monarch and those who do not.

The survey of 1,075 people, taken after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, gives little hope to the republican cause with fewer than half of the respondents (43%) supporting Australia becoming a republic – a figure that has barely moved over the past five years.

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‘End of an era’: how the Queen’s funeral was seen around the world

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From Melbourne to Paris, New York to Delhi, the solemn events in London resonated around the globe

As the doors to Westminster Abbey opened to allow guests to take their seats, across the other side of the world, Australians sat down in front of their TVs to watch the historic event.

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Porsche IPO could raise up to €75bn for parent Volkswagen

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Flotation on Frankfurt stock market would be one of the largest European public offerings to date

The luxury carmaker Porsche could be valued at as much as €75bn when it floats on the Frankfurt stock exchange later this month, which would make it one of the largest European public offerings to date, according to the pricing of shares by its parent company, Volkswagen.

Volkswagen, which is planning to float 12.5% on 29 September, has priced the shares in Porsche at between €76.50 (£67.14) and €82.50.

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Queen’s funeral: Elizabeth II laid to rest alongside husband, royal family announces – latest updates

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The official website of the royal family said a private burial took place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel

Food confiscated from people waiting in the queue for the Queen’s lying in state is being donated to charity, reports PA Media:

People are not allowed to take food or drink inside the Palace of Westminster and any such items will be confiscated.

Charity the Felix Project said it expects to collect over 2 tonnes of food, mostly snacks including crisps, chocolate and biscuits, and is also accepting unwanted blankets.

With people waiting up to 24 hours to complete the five-mile walk from Southwark Park to Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen, they are coming with plenty of food to keep them going.

When they get to Victoria Tower Gardens the food is confiscated before entry to the parliamentary estate is allowed and instead of being thrown away, all non-perishable and unopened packages are saved.

The Felix Project will distribute the items to the thousands of community groups it works with across the capital.

Charity chief executive Charlotte Hill said: “We are honoured to be here to play a small part in this hugely poignant event and to know that an extra layer of good is being done here.

It’s hard to say exactly how many additional people [will travel], but we’re preparing for potentially a million people just within the footprint of the royal palaces and Hyde Park …

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Fifteen arrested to ‘deter further disorder’ in Leicester, say police

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Police said groups of men were gathering in North Evington after incidents of violence and damage in the city’s east

Fifteen people have been arrested during a policing operation in east Leicester “to deter further disorder”.

It comes after two arrests were made when police said disturbances broke out at an unplanned protest on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

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Queen’s funeral: timeline of day’s key moments

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A guide to the proceedings of the first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965

The first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965 will take place on bank holiday Monday for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Below is a guide of what will happen at key moments throughout the day.

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