Category Archives: UK news

UK ministers urged to do more to protect new drivers in road safety overhaul

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Motoring groups welcome plan to ban over-70s who fail eye tests but call for young drivers to face passenger restrictions

Motoring groups have welcomed government plans to overhaul road safety laws that could result in over-70s being banned if they fail eyesight tests but have implored ministers to go further with measures they believe could protect younger drivers and their passengers.

Ministers are considering cutting the drink-drive limit in England and Wales and introducing mandatory eye tests for older drivers, the Times reported on Monday. The proposals also reportedly include tougher penalties for uninsured driving and failing to wear a seatbelt – but not measures to stop inexperienced drivers being responsible for the safety of groups of their friends.

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UK toy sales rise as nostalgic adults turn to Pokémon and Lego

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Increase of 8% this year in line with ‘strong rebound’ in global market, data shows

UK toy sales have bounced back as adults increasingly muscle in on the market, snapping up everything from Pokémon trading cards and Lego sets to collectibles and action figures based on movie and TV franchises.

After falling almost 4% in 2024, UK toy sales have risen 8% so far this year, in line with the “strong rebound” enjoyed by the global market, data shows.

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UK firms’ hiring intentions remain at record low amid rising employment costs

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Economic uncertainty also a factor as bosses ‘stuck in limbo’ and drop in recruitment hits young people hardest

Hiring intentions among Britain’s businesses remain at a record low as they grapple with rising employment costs and worry about the economic outlook, with young people hit hardest by the drop in recruitment.

Three separate surveys issued on Monday painted a gloomy picture on hiring activity, pay and business confidence, with claims that bosses were “stuck in limbo” and waiting for greater clarity in the autumn budget.

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Average private rent in Great Britain falls for first time in five years

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Lower mortgage rates have helped cool rental sector after years of above-inflation increases in rent, data shows

Average private rents in Great Britain have fallen for the first time in five years as lower mortgage rates helped take some of the heat out of the rental sector, data shows.

Years of above-inflation increases in rents have put the squeeze on many households but the estate agent Hamptons said the average rent on a newly let property fell by 0.2% year on year in July. It was the first annual decline since August 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic – although this national figure masks wide regional variations.

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UK road safety push could see mandatory eye tests for older drivers

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Ministers also considering lowering drink-drive limit among measures to reduce road deaths and injuries

Older drivers could face mandatory eye tests and the drink-drive limit could be cut as the government tries to reduce the number of road deaths.

In a major overhaul of the UK’s road safety laws, ministers are also reportedly considering tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and failing to wear a seatbelt.

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Man charged with murder of father and son after London business site stabbing

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Hassan Cevik, 31, charged with murders of Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, in Southwark

A man has been charged with the murder of a father and son after a stabbing at a business premises in central London.

Terry McMillan, 58, and Brendan McMillan, 27, from Chislehurst, Bromley, died after reports of stabbings inside a commercial property in Long Lane, Southwark, at about 1pm on 28 July.

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More countries added to UK’s ‘deport first’ scheme for foreign criminals

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Former justice secretaries criticise expansion of policy that they say allows perpetrators to go unpunished

Foreign criminals from 15 more countries face deportation before they have a chance to appeal in an expansion of the UK government’s “deport first, appeal later” scheme.

Ministers are extending the scheme, which applies in England and Wales and was restarted in 2023, to cover 23 countries including India, Bulgaria, Australia and Canada.

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Europe’s leaders raise pressure on Trump to involve Ukraine in Putin talks

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Move comes as Germany warns White House against any deal hatched ‘over heads of Europeans and Ukrainians’

Europe’s leaders have raised the pressure on Donald Trump to involve Ukraine in a planned summit with Vladimir Putin, as Germany warned the White House against any deal hatched “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians”.

Speaking before a bilateral meeting expected to take place between the US and Russian leaders on Friday in Alaska, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he hoped and assumed that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would also be involved.

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UK’s chief rabbi criticises Labour’s Palestine pledge at march for hostages

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Sir Ephraim Mirvis joins relatives of hostages in calling for their release before any recognition of a Palestinian state

The chief rabbi has criticised Labour’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state at a “national march for the hostages” in central London organised by a number of Jewish groups.

Family members of Israeli hostages taken on 7 October also joined the march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

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Prince Harry considers founding new charity after Sentebale dispute

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Duke of Sussex ‘absolutely committed’ to supporting children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana

Prince Harry is considering establishing a new charity after a dispute that led to him leaving Sentebale, a spokesperson has said.

It comes after the Duke of Sussex was criticised by the Charity Commission for allowing a row with the chair of Sentebale, which he co-founded in 2006, to “play out publicly”.

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Elon Musk’s Tesla applies to supply electricity to households in Great Britain

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US carmaker makes move for licence that would allow it to provide energy to domestic and business premises

Elon Musk’s Tesla is gearing up to launch a household electricity supplier in Great Britain in the coming months.

The US electric car manufacturer run by the world’s richest man has formally applied to the energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem, for an electricity supply licence, according to a notice published on the watchdog’s website.

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UK family killed in car crash on holiday in southern Portugal

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Four members of family from Thetford, Norfolk, died after car collided with another vehicle in Alentejo region

A UK family have been killed in a car accident while holidaying in southern Portugal, local authorities have confirmed.

Domingos Serrano, 55, his wife, Maria, 51, and their 20-year-old twin sons, Afonso and Domingos, died when their car collided with another vehicle on Saturday on the IP2 motorway near Castro Verde, in the Alentejo region.

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Revealed: oligarchs spied on UK lawyers who ran Serious Fraud Office cases

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The Guardian has obtained surveillance images taken by hired spies whose goal is said to have been identifying sources and gaining ‘leverage’

Oligarchs whose business empire was under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office spied on lawyers who ran some of the UK’s most sensitive criminal cases.

The Guardian has obtained surveillance images of former SFO prosecutors taken by hired spies. Their goal is said to have been gathering information on the agency’s activities, identifying its sources and gaining “leverage”.

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Staff at UK’s top AI institute complain to watchdog about its internal culture

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Whistleblowing complaint warns Alan Turing Institute is in danger of collapse due to government threats over funds

Staff at the UK’s leading artificial intelligence institute have raised concerns about the organisation’s governance and internal culture in a whistleblowing complaint to the charity watchdog.

The Alan Turing Institute (ATI), a registered charity with substantial state funding, is under government pressure to overhaul its strategic focus and leadership after an intervention last month from the technology secretary, Peter Kyle.

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Experts warn against DIY Botox-like injections available illegally online

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Self-administering Innotox, which is not licensed for use in UK, can lead to eyelid droops, infection and even botulism

People seeking cheap Botox-like injections have been warned by experts against doing it themselves due to the risk of “eyelid droops”, infection and even botulism.

There are growing concerns over the availability of medication called Innotox that is being sold illegally online in the UK. Unlike Botox, which comes as a powder that must be reconstituted for use in an injection, Innotox is a ready-to-use liquid – making it easier to self-administer.

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Women call out ‘creepy’ experiences on Vinted as trolls and image thieves target site

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Scrutiny of selling platforms grows as female users warning of harassment on sites after photos stolen and sexualised

Users of secondhand clothing websites such as Vinted are warning about the danger their images will be used against their will on pornography sites, and sounding the alarm about the spread of sexually charged harassment under their posts.

The potential for hijacking photos posted on the internet for real or faked erotic content has long been known, but victims and their advocates say culprits appear to have zeroed in on Vinted with targeted campaigns.

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Path to peace cannot be decided without Ukraine, says Europe

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Ukrainian and European partners to join UK foreign secretary and US vice-president at Chevening for talks

The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the US vice-president, JD Vance, held a meeting with Ukrainian and European partners in Britain on Saturday to discuss the drive for peace in Ukraine.

The summit comes before a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin set for next Friday in Alaska. In a comment that that was met with pushback from Kyiv, the US president said that an end to the war must involve “some swapping of territories”. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressed early on Saturday that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers”.

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Arrests begin in London at largest protest over Palestine Action since group’s ban

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Met police says it has drawn officers from other forces to form ‘significant presence’ in busy weekend of protests

Arrests have begun in central London at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

The Metropolitan police said they had drawn officers from other forces to help form a “significant policing presence” in the capital as it faces a busy weekend of protests.

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Early Beatles photos by Paul McCartney to go on show in London

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Portraits taken in early 60s reveal intimate moments before band’s fame became all-consuming

A collection of photographs taken by Paul McCartney when the Beatles were on the brink of global stardom are to be shown in an exhibition that sheds light on intimate moments as the group first experienced fame.

Rearview Mirror: Liverpool-London-Paris, which opens at Gagosian in London on 28 August, features 18 shots taken by the singer-songwriter during late 1963 after the release of the Beatles’ first album, and early 1964 as they travelled to the US.

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Canadian who could not renew visa due to mental health crisis faces UK ban

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Academic Heather Scott has been told by Home Office that being ‘acutely ill’ is not an exceptional circumstance

The Home Office is threatening to ban a Canadian academic from the UK after she was unable to renew her visa in time during a mental health crisis.

Dr Heather Scott has lived in Britain since she came in 2011 on a study visa. The renowned academic, whose area of research relates to Victorian cemeteries including Highgate, Brompton and Abney Park, is required to be based in London.

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