Category Archives: UK news

New questions raised over Prince Andrew’s award to Selman Turk

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Exclusive: Concerns were aired over Pitch@Palace contest win for banker linked to over £1m of payments to Duke of York

Fresh questions have been raised over Prince Andrew’s Dragons’ Den-style scheme after it emerged that concerns were raised over a contest winner who since been linked to more than £1m of payments received by the royal.

Selman Turk, a Turkish businessman, received an award in November 2019 from the Duke of York at a Pitch@Palace event during which 40 entrepreneurs gave rapid-fire pitches in a room full of potential investors.

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What you need to know about the privatisation of Channel 4

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As the government presses ahead with the sale, what is the broadcaster worth and who would buy it?

The industry player most likely to buy Channel 4, with the least regulatory hurdles, is Discovery. The big US pay-TV company, which is merging with WarnerMedia, the parent company of CNN, HBO and the Hollywood studio behind the Batman and Harry Potter franchises, expressed interest the last time the broadcaster faced privatisation in 2016.

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Nadine Dorries presses ahead with plan to privatise Channel 4

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Ministers hope to raise £1bn from sell-off ending broadcaster’s 40 years in public ownership

The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, is pushing ahead with controversial plans to privatise Channel 4, with the government backing proposals to sell off the broadcaster after 40 years in public ownership.

The government hopes to raise around £1bn from the sell-off, making it one of the biggest privatisations since Royal Mail went public a decade ago. Ministers have suggested they could spend the proceeds to boost creative training and independent production companies, essentially funding their levelling up agenda.

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Unions call for Westminster ban for MPs accused of sexual misconduct

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Move, after accusations against David Warburton, would help ‘bring parliament into the 21st century’

Unions representing parliamentary staff have called for MPs accused of sexual misconduct to be excluded from the Westminster estate while investigations take place, after allegations against the Conservative backbencher David Warburton.

The joint call by unions representing parliamentary workers – Prospect, the FDA, the Public and Commercial Services Union and the GMB – comes after Warburton was accused of sexual harassment as well as alleged cocaine use and potentially failing to declare a loan.

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Sanctions on Russia must stay till all troops leave Ukraine, says Liz Truss

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Foreign secretary in discussions with Ukrainian foreign minister about intensifying sanctions after atrocities in Bucha

The West must not lift sanctions against Russia until all its troops have left Ukraine and Vladimir Putin is unable to mount such an offensive again, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said.

She was speaking alongside the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in Warsaw, where the two discussed how to step up sanctions against Russia to the maximum in the wake of the alleged war crimes revealed in Bucha.

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EasyJet cancels more than 200 flights over Covid staff sickness

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Some passengers stranded amid travel chaos at some of UK’s biggest airports

EasyJet cancelled more than 200 flights over the weekend with disruption expected to last into this week, leaving some passengers stranded amid travel chaos at some of Britain’s biggest airports.

The airline blamed the problems on high levels of sickness among employees caused by Covid, with at least 222 trips axed since Friday.

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UK public do not believe government will tackle crime, documents show

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Government polling finds a high fear of crime and little confidence anything will be done about it

The public do not believe ministers’ promises to tackle crime, official documents seen by the Guardian show.

The Home Office documents reveals polling carried out for the government found a high fear of crime, and low confidence much will be done about it.

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Will the news boom prevent more media outlets going bust?

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Analysis: newspapers have attracted record numbers of readers seeking trusted sources in uncertain times

From the pandemic and the war in Ukraine to the Westminster partygate saga, newspapers are benefiting from a financially lucrative news boom. However, is the news industry enjoying a one-off blip in the battle for survival against big tech, or is this proof that publishers have finally forged commercial models fit for the new media age?

In a sign of the shifting fortunes amid unprecedented news events, Rupert Murdoch’s Times and Sunday Times last week reported a doubling of operating profits to their highest level since 1990 and the Sun, a one-time cash cow turned high-profile casualty of the digital age, is within £1m of returning to operating profit for the first time in a decade.

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Labour women urge party not to use NDAs for sexual harassment allegations

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Exclusive: Senior figures say signing confidentiality agreements that cover up unacceptable behaviour violates Labour policy

A dozen senior Labour women have called on the party to end its use of confidentiality agreements to “cover up” allegations of sexual harassment, saying the treatment of two former staffers was appalling.

Laura Murray, Labour’s ex-head of complaints, and Georgie Robertson, who worked in the party’s press office, said they refused to sign the agreements after reporting an official for “inappropriate” and “possessive” behaviour.

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High-carbon goods imported into UK should be subject to new tariffs, say MPs

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Carbon border adjustment mechanism would penalise companies and countries trying to evade responsibility for cutting emissions

High-carbon goods imported into the UK should be subject to new tariffs, to help ensure other countries are fulfilling their obligations to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions as well as the UK, an influential committee of MPs has said.

A carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) would penalise companies and countries trying to evade responsibility for cutting emissions, the MPs said, and provide an incentive for certain industrial sectors to move away from environmentally damaging practices.

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Thousands of UK workers to take part in four-day week trial

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With work changed forever by the pandemic, firms say shorter week could help attract and retain staff

More than 3,000 workers at 60 companies across Britain will trial a four-day working week, in what is thought to be the biggest pilot scheme to take place anywhere in the world.

Employees from a wide range of businesses and charities are expected to take part in the scheme, which will run initially from June to December, including the Royal Society of Biology, the London-based brewing company Pressure Drop, a Manchester-based medical devices firm, and a fish and chip shop in Norfolk.

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More details emerge of Prince Andrew’s alleged links with banker Selman Turk

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Duke met man accused of fraud in high court months before receiving disputed payments, report claims

Prince Andrew had known an alleged fraudster for at least six months before receiving more than £1m in disputed payments from the man, it has been reported.

The Duke of York was introduced to Selman Turk via a mutual contact, Tarek Kaituni, a Libyan-born convicted gun smuggler, in May or June 2019 at Windsor Castle, and held subsequent meetings, the Sunday Telegraph reports.

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UK travellers face disruption as Easter holiday getaway begins

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Airports report long waits because of Covid checks and staff shortages, as tourist traffic eases near Dover

Passengers faced long queues at Heathrow and Manchester airports as the Easter holidays got under way.

Travellers vented frustration on social media as Covid checks, high passenger volumes and reported staff shortages and e-gate problems meant long waits for check-in at Heathrow.

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Bounce in Easter retail as trend for seasonal decorations grows

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High demand for crackers, wreaths and trees as sales soar beyond traditional bunnies and chocolate

Traditionally a time for bonnets, bunnies and a surfeit of chocolate, Easter has increasingly taken on a new aspect, and more so since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

Easter crackers, Easter wreaths, and Easter trees are now critical components in the commercialisation of the Christian festival, with the bank holiday beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

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Male striptease moves from UK city centres to small clubs – and even homes

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As The Full Monty is remade, entertainers are being booked for gigs in suburban and rural areas

With filming under way in Sheffield and Manchester for the remake of 1990s cult classic The Full Monty, the UK’s male strip scene is undergoing a makeover of its own, and paving the way for changes expected right across the entertainment industry as punters avoid city centre nightlife in favour of at-home entertainment.

Covid led to a surge in activities organised by and for local communities as people were confined to their immediate area. With restrictions lifted across the UK, many entertainers who spent the pandemic struggling for business are now increasingly being booked for out-of-town gigs in suburban and rural areas, and in venues such as social clubs, apartments and even old people’s homes – rather than city centre bars and nightclubs.

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BBC advertises political editor’s job after dissatisfaction with shortlist

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Bosses said to have been unhappy with choice of candidates after all-female shortlist was produced

BBC bosses have readvertised the job of political editor after being unhappy with the choice of candidates to replace Laura Kuenssberg in one of the most influential roles in British journalism.

Following weeks of interviews and an extensive recruitment process, the corporation had produced an all-female shortlist for the role, with ITV News’s Anushka Asthana and Sky News’s Sophy Ridge believed to be the final two candidates. An announcement on which of them would get the job had been expected to coincide with Kuenssberg stepping down last week.

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High energy-using industries fear lack of support from UK ministers

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Firms say they need the kind of help that EU competitors get as gas and electricity prices soar

Britain’s strategic heavy industries have warned they risk being left high and dry by a lack of support in the government’s upcoming energy strategy, warning that failure to follow European countries’ measures to reduce gas and electricity costs will put UK businesses at risk.

The government is expected to outline long-awaited proposals this week for a once-in-a-generation drive to invest in nuclear power and possibly more onshore wind and solar power, as well as approving continued North Sea oil and gas exploration.

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Minister rules out energy rationing in UK despite Ukraine crisis

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Grant Shapps says invasion is ‘wake-up call’ but onshore wind plan seems to have been scaled down

A cabinet minister has rejected calls for the UK to consider rationing energy, as a plan to drastically increase onshore wind power also appeared to be significantly scaled back.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had been a “massive wake-up call” for western nations about their dependence on imported oil and gas, which European countries are now trying to wean themselves off.

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Covid lockdown dreams reflected our claustrophobia and lack of control

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From the scary to the truly weird, our nights were full of apt visions in the early days of the pandemic, a study at University College London found

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Trapped inside a house, stuck inside a vehicle that wouldn’t move, unable to complete seemingly simple tasks: this was the stuff that dreams were made on during lockdown, according to new research from University College London.

Analysis of more than 850 dreams and nightmares submitted online to the Lockdown Dreams Project between March 2020 and March 2021 shows people often dreamed about having frustrating and restrictive experiences in mundane, everyday settings, like the home, at the height of the pandemic.

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Cadbury faces fresh accusations of child labour on cocoa farms in Ghana

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A new TV documentary alleges that children as young as 10 are using machetes to harvest pods

The food giant that owns the Cadbury brand is embroiled in fresh allegations of employing child labour after an investigation obtained footage of children working with machetes on cocoa farms in its supply chain.

Children as young as 10 have allegedly been found working in Ghana to harvest cocoa pods to supply Mondelēz International, which owns Cadbury. Campaigners say the farmers are being paid less than £2 a day and can’t afford to hire adult workers.

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