Category Archives: UK news

M&S pledges to put recycling at heart of Marble Arch store redevelopment

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Mark & Spencer says 95% of materials will be recovered, recycled or reused amid growing opposition

Marks & Spencer has pledged that 95% of the materials in its Marble Arch building in Oxford Street, west London, will be recovered, recycled or reused as it fights back against heavy opposition to its plan to flatten the shop.

In the run-up an inquiry into the scheme, scheduled to begin on 25 October, the retailer said some materials would be reused directly on site within its new building as part of its efforts to “promote circular economy principles”.

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Labour sets out plan to link minimum wage to cost of living

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Exclusive: Earnings of lowest paid could rise by £832; lower rates for 18- to 22-year-olds to be scrapped

Labour has drawn up plans to put hundreds of pounds into the pockets of the lowest paid by instructing the Low Pay Commission to factor in living costs when it sets the minimum wage.

They also want to scrap the lower pay categories for workers aged between 18 and 22, so they would all be paid at the higher rate.

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Wayne Couzens to be charged with two further offences of exposure

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CPS authorises decision following referral of evidence by Met police against killer of Sarah Everard

Sarah Everard’s killer, Wayne Couzens, will be charged with two further offences of exposure, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the CPS special crime division, said: “The CPS has authorised two further charges of exposure against Wayne Couzens, following a referral of evidence by the Metropolitan police.

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Plan to offer young people £50,000 to move to Scottish islands scrapped

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Islands bond idea, dismissed as ‘election gimmick’ by critics, found to be unpopular with islanders

Controversial proposals to offer a £50,000 welcome grant to encourage more young people and families to stay on or move to Scottish islands have been scrapped after a consultation found that islanders themselves did not believe the scheme was the right way to tackle depopulation.

The Scottish government announced that the proposed islands bond, which was dismissed as a gimmick by critics and attracted initial inquiries from as far afield as Ecuador, would not go ahead after an analysis of consultation responses found that those in favour of it were largely non-islanders.

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‘Generation sensible’ risk missing out on life experiences, therapists warn

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Reports of rise in social anxiety among overly cautious 11- to 25-year-olds who often interact online

They have been deemed “generation sensible” for their focus on social issues, healthy living and drinking less alcohol. But therapists say generation Z could miss out on a wealth of life experience due to their overly cautious attitude to taking risks.

Many young people increasingly choose to stay within a comfort zone of a small network of like-minded friends in which much of their social activity is virtual, according to mental health experts.

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53,000 UK students enter university clearing, the most in over 10 years

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Strong competition for places means many of those who dropped grades in their A-levels are missing out on preferred institutions

More than 53,510 UK-based students were scrambling for places on university courses on Friday, the day after receiving lower grades in their A-level results, with many missing out on their offers in the most competitive year for university places in a decade.

This year’s number of applicants marked as “free to be placed in clearing” on the Ucas website is the highest in more than a decade, and compares with 39,230 at the same point last year. Some of these students missed their grades while others declined their offers, and some may decide not to go to university.

By Friday, 6,640 UK school-leavers had found places through clearing, a 33% increase on last year. A third more students – 23,640 – accepted their insurance choices after missing the grades for their top choice.

University admissions directors reported unprecedented levels of demand in clearing, with phone lines busier than ever, including from students with top grades.

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France to blame for refugees risking Channel crossings, say NGOs

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Hostile policies encourage asylum seekers to try dangerous routes to England, say French support groups

Organisations supporting refugees in northern France have blamed the French government for the high number of people risking their lives to cross the Channel in small boats.

So far this year more than 20,000 people have crossed with UK Border Force union officials predicting that the number could reach 60,000 by the end of the year.

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Weather tracker: flash floods as Europe’s heatwave ends with thunderstorms

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Torrential rains hit parts of England, Italy, France and Belgium, while in China flooding leaves 18 dead

Prolonged heat across parts of northern and western Europe ended with torrential showers and thunderstorms this week.

On Wednesday, parts of southern England received 50-65mm of rainfall within a few hours, causing London’s Gatwick airport to delay and cancel dozens of flights.

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UK consumer confidence weaker than during major recessions

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Monthly look finds deepening pessimism about personal finances and prospects for the economy

Consumer confidence in the UK is weaker than during the four major recessions of the past half century as rapidly rising inflation saps morale.

Although the UK is technically yet to enter recession, the latest barometer of sentiment from the data company GfK found the public gloomier than at any time since the survey began in January 1974.

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Bonuses for water bosses in England up 20% last year despite sewage failures

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Water company executives received on average £100,000 in bonuses, despite most firms missing targets

The annual bonuses paid to water company executives rose by 20% in 2021, despite most of the firms failing to meet sewage pollution targets.

Figures show on average executives received £100,000 in one-off payments on top of their salaries, during a period in which foul water was being pumped for 2.7m hours into England’s rivers and swimming spots.

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British travellers left struggling to board flights after NHS Covid pass down

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Users trying to check in for flights were left unable to access proof of their vaccination status for several hours on Thursday night

British travellers were left struggling to board flights after the NHS Covid Pass system went down for several hours on Thursday night.

Users trying to access proof of their vaccination status via the NHS app and website found that the service was unavailable, with the app telling users: “We are sorry the NHS Covid Pass is currently unavailable.

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Recall parliament early to tackle soaring energy bills, Labour urges PM

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Letter to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak calls for action to help households before price cap rises

Labour has urged Boris Johnson to recall parliament next week so the government can offer more help to struggling households before the announcement of the new energy price cap.

The opposition has written to the prime minister and both Tory leadership candidates warning that it is a “crucial deadline” for government action to tackle soaring energy bills, after inflation topped 10% for the first time in 40 years.

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Liz Truss called for patients to be charged for GP visits, 2009 paper reveals

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PM hopeful co-authored pamphlet that also called for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% and abolition of universal child benefit

Liz Truss called for patients to be charged to see their GP and for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% in a pamphlet she co-authored in 2009, the unearthed document has revealed.

The Tory leadership frontrunner also wanted to see the universal child benefit abolished in the report, which she co-wrote with six other people when she was deputy director of the Reform thinktank.

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No 10 denies ministers seeking political fight with rail unions

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Denial comes as language toughens on both sides and head of RMT again warns of de facto general strike

Downing Street has denied that ministers are deliberately seeking a political fight with rail unions, as both sides toughened their language further and the head of the RMT warned the impasse could continue “indefinitely”.

Just 20% of rail services ran on Thursday, in a sixth day of strike action since June involving the RMT and TSSA unions, with further disruption taking place on Saturday, which is likely to affect trains throughout the weekend.

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Two-thirds of UK families could be in fuel poverty by January, research finds

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Estimated 45m people will struggle to pay energy bills this winter with predicted rises in price cap

Two-thirds of all UK households will be trapped in fuel poverty by January with planned government support leaving even middle-income households struggling to pay their bills, according to research.

It shows 18 million families, the equivalent of 45 million people, will be left trying to make ends meet after further predicted rises in the energy price cap in October and January.

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UK’s 10% inflation casts doubt on Truss and Sunak’s tax cut promises

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Soaring cost of living is forcing up government spending on benefits, pensions and debt leaving no spare cash to lower taxes

Britain’s first double-digit inflation in more than four decades has cast doubts on the plausibility of the tax cuts being promised by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak during their leadership battle, one of the UK’s leading thinktanks has said.

Following news that the government’s preferred measure of the cost of living rose by 10.1% in the year to July, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said higher inflation would mean extra spending on welfare benefits, state pensions and on debt interest.

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Rail strikes: Britons face three more days of disruption from Thursday

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Network Rail, several train firms, London Underground and London buses to be hit by latest action

Commuters and other travellers are facing further disruption over three days from Thursday on rail, tube and bus services, as tens of thousands of workers begin the latest round of strike action.

Network Rail, several train companies, London Underground and buses in the capital will be hit by industrial action due to long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

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Storms and flash floods hit southern England

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Amber warning issued for London with risk of transport disruption and power cuts

Thunderstorms and flash floods have hit parts of southern England, amid warnings that the unsettled weather is expected to continue into the weekend.

There were torrential downpours in London, with the rain spreading across the south-east until about 10pm. An amber warning for the area has been issued by the Met Office, with a risk of transport disruption and power cuts.

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Political strategist calling Sunak-backing MPs to win them over to Truss camp

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Exclusive: Mark Fullbrook having ‘long conversations’ with high-profile potential switchers

A veteran political strategist who used to work for Boris Johnson has been phoning senior Conservatives currently supporting Rishi Sunak to persuade them to back Liz Truss for prime minister.

Mark Fullbrook, who ran the prime minister’s successful leadership bid in 2019, has been playing a key role in the foreign secretary’s bid to win over more high-profile Tory MPs to cement her frontrunner status.

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