Category Archives: UK news

Populist threat to rule of law a danger to UK working class, says attorney general

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Richard Hermer to aim criticism at Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick at Labour conference event

Rightwing populists threaten working-class people’s protections under the rule of law, the attorney general will say in his most political intervention yet.

In a criticism directed squarely at Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick, Richard Hermer will say that populist politicians pose a threat to the “everyday protections to people” who use the legal system and the courts “to right significant wrongs”.

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Yvette Cooper suggests international community on brink of Gaza peace deal

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Exclusive: Foreign secretary says world has ‘reached moment’ it wants to end war after Donald Trump signals plan within reach

The international community is on the brink of securing a peace deal for Gaza that could finally bring an end to two years of conflict and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed thousands of lives, Yvette Cooper has suggested.

The new foreign secretary, who has just returned from a UN summit, said that they had “reached a moment where the world wants to end this war” after US president Donald Trump indicated a peace deal was within reach.

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Family of British couple held in Iran say their health is deteriorating in prison

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Son of Lindsay Foreman expresses ‘real concerns’ after mother put on drip and stepfather, Craig, ‘constantly ill’

The family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges, have said their health is deteriorating in prison.

The pair, both 52 and who previously split their time between Spain and England, were seized in Kerman, central Iran, and taken into custody in January while on an around-the-world motorcycle tour.

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‘I refuse to be defined by fascism’: daughter of murder victim speaks after death of neo-Nazi killer in prison

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After the man who killed her father is found dead in his cell, Maz Saleem reflects on living with loss and choosing not to hate

Neo-Nazi murderer and bomber Pavlo Lapshyn did not get to serve out the 40-year term of his sentence. He was found dead in his cell at Wakefield prison on Tuesday, 12 years after being jailed. The circumstances of his death have not yet been publicly confirmed.

The Ukrainian national was 37. He was convicted at the Old Bailey in October 2013 of murdering Muslim man Mohammed Saleem, 82, in April of that year.

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King Charles to visit Vatican and meet Pope Leo for first time

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King and Queen Camilla to join pontiff in late October amid jubilee year celebrations, says Buckingham Palace

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will make a state visit to meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time at the Vatican next month, Buckingham Palace has said.

The trip in late October will come about six months after the royal couple visited Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, shortly before his death in April.

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Keir Starmer to warn Labour that battle with Reform is ‘fight for soul of the nation’

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Exclusive: PM says history will not forgive his government if it fails to confront and defeat the populist right

Keir Starmer will warn the Labour party that it is in a “fight for the soul of the nation” and that history will not forgive his government if it fails to confront and defeat Reform UK and the populist right.

Speaking to the Guardian ahead of a vital conference for his leadership, he said he would tell disgruntled party members that now was “not the time for introspection” and infighting.

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Labour restores whip to two more child benefit cap rebels

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John McDonnell and Apsana Begum were among last still suspended for July 2024 rebellion

Labour has restored the party whip John McDonnell and Apsana Begum 14 months after they lost it for rebelling over the two-child benefit cap, the Guardian understands.

The pair had the whip reinstated after a conversation on Friday with Jonathan Reynolds, who became Labour’s chief whip in a reshuffle earlier this month.

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IOPC investigators allegedly said Nottingham stabbings inquiry was ‘politically motivated’

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Mother of victim Barnaby Webber says allegations about watchdog staff have left families asking whom they can trust

Police watchdog investigators who are alleged to have described an inquiry into the 2023 Nottingham stabbings as politically motivated are “disrespectful and inhumane”, the mother of one victim has said.

Emma Webber said new allegations about staff at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had left families asking whom they could trust.

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Farage endangering women by failing to condemn paracetamol claims, says Bridget Phillipson

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Labour deputy leader candidate criticises ‘scaremongering’ on autism and says party must be firmer in tackling Reform

Nigel Farage is “endangering women’s health” by failing to condemn Donald Trump’s claims that using paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism, Bridget Phillipson has said.

The education secretary and minister for women said she had used the painkiller throughout her second pregnancy, and she warned that Reform’s connections with medical conspiracy theories including anti-vaccine rhetoric made the party a danger to public health.

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Keir Starmer says digital ID cards an ‘enormous opportunity’ for the UK

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PM to set out plans for compulsory ‘Brit card’ but faces opposition from civil liberty groups over privacy concerns

Digital ID cards present “an enormous opportunity” for the UK, Keir Starmer has said, as the government braces for a civil liberties row over the proposals.

The prime minister will set out the measures on Friday morning at a conference on how progressive politicians can tackle the problems facing the UK, including addressing voter concerns around immigration.

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Labour MPs call for action to tackle deprivation in coastal ‘sea wall’ seats

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Exclusive: Group warn coastal communities need greater investment to reduce inequality and fight off threat from Reform

A group of Labour MPs representing coastal areas will demand urgent action to tackle deprivation in their seats, warning a lack of progress could leave them vulnerable to Reform.

They will use the party conference this weekend to call for an equivalent of the London Challenge, which turned around failing schools in the capital under Tony Blair’s government, but with a focus on post-16 training and apprenticeships.

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‘History will remember who showed up’: Keir Starmer faces call to attend Cop30 summit

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Response from leaders and key climate figures comes after PM’s aides advised non-attendance over concerns Reform may attack him

Leading climate figures and Labour MPs have urged Keir Starmer to attend the crucial Cop30 climate summit this November, after aides advised him not to attend for fear of attracting the ire of the Reform party.

Simon Stiell, the UN’s climate chief, said: “Cop30 is where leaders are expected to come and roll up their sleeves, make deals to help their nation’s economy transition faster, creating more jobs, and guide the world on what next steps we take together.”

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New research may rewrite origins of the Book of Kells, says academic

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Exclusive: Author challenges assumption monks on Iona created manuscript, instead positing its origins are Pictish

The Book of Kells was likely to have been created 1,200 years ago in Pictish eastern Scotland, rather than on the island of Iona, according to research that challenges long-held assumptions about one of the world’s most famous medieval manuscripts.

The Book of Kells is an intricate, illuminated account of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that was long thought to have been started in the late eighth century at the monastery on Iona before being taken in the 9th century to the monastery of Kells in County Meath, Ireland, after a Viking raid.

The Book of Kells by Victoria Whitworth (Bloomsbury Publishing, £35). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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White low-income pupils ‘report lowest enthusiasm for school’ in England

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Boys and girls in demographic start secondary school with weakest levels of engagement, research finds

White pupils from low-income families in England start secondary school with far lower levels of enthusiasm or effort than other ethnic groups, according to new research that may partly explain differences in academic results and behaviour.

Both girls and boys from lower-income white families reported weak levels of engagement from year 7 onwards. Girls were less likely to enjoy being at school while the boys made less effort with their school work.

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Fighter jets purchase would put UK in breach of nuclear treaty, says CND

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Legal opinion for campaign group says deal amounts to reversal of UK’s commitment to nuclear disarmament

Britain will violate its nuclear disarmament obligations if Labour presses ahead with the £1bn purchase of 12 F-35A fighter jets, according to a specialist legal opinion prepared on behalf of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Two international lawyers argue that the government’s plan to reintroduce air-launched nuclear weapons for the RAF will break a key provision of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) signed by the UK and 190 other countries.

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UK government backs return of international rail travel to Kent stations

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Ashford and Ebbsfleet have been shut to cross-Channel services since 2020, with Eurostar calling them unviable

Hopes that international rail services could return to UK stations abandoned by Eurostar have grown, with the government backing new competitors who plan to serve stops in Kent.

Ministers have been leaning on the rail regulator to give crucial space on the railway to prospective entrants who pledge to bring cross-Channel services back to Ashford and Ebbsfleet stations – and possibly London’s Stratford International.

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Low birthrates in England could lead to ‘closure of 800 primary schools by 2029’

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Primary pupil numbers could fall by 4% over next five years leading to reduction of 162,000 pupils, study finds

Declining numbers of children across England could lead to the equivalent of 800 primary schools falling empty or being closed by the end of the decade, according to research by a thinktank.

The national decline in pupils at state primary schools is mainly driven by low birthrates but is magnified in London by increasing numbers of people moving out of the capital or leaving the state system to move abroad or send their children to private schools, according to the Education Policy Institute.

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Social media and weight loss drugs drive UK rise in facelifts in men and people in their 40s

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Number of procedures on men up by 26% as experts say cosmetic surgery has become normalised despite risks

Growing numbers of men and younger people are getting facelifts, a trend driven by social media, advances in surgical techniques and the rise of weight loss drugs.

Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) show facelifts are on the rise in the UK. In 2024 there were 1,882 procedures, up 8% from the previous year. Women accounted for the majority, with numbers rising by 7% to 1,742. But the steepest increase came from men: procedures grew by 26%, from 111 in 2023 to 140 in 2024.

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Fake Labubu dolls account for 90% of counterfeit toys seized at UK border

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Many of the 236,000 imitations of the fluffy figures found this year contain banned chemicals or pose choking risk

Fake Labubu dolls accounted for 90% of counterfeit toys seized at the UK border this year, with many found to contain banned chemicals or pose choking hazards.

Border officials intercepted almost 259,000 counterfeit toys worth more than £3.5m, including 236,000 fake versions of Pop Mart’s toothy, fluffy Labubu dolls.

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