Category Archives: England

Revealed: cabinet split over NHS pay disputes piles pressure on Sunak

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Health secretary Steve Barclay urges unions to lobby PM over improved pay offer for striking nurses and ambulance workers

The health and social care secretary Steve Barclay has privately urged trade unions to help him make the case to the Treasury and No 10 for extra money for nurses, ambulance workers and other NHS staff in an extraordinary twist to the escalating crisis over health service strikes, the Observer can reveal.

A serious cabinet split has opened up, with Barclay now wanting more money for all NHS staff except doctors – while Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, are refusing to budge from their insistence that no more can be offered.

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Ambulance workers accuse government of demonising them

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In letter to Rishi Sunak, GMB union members say they feel ‘utterly betrayed’ by attempts to portray them as ‘uncaring about safety’

A group of ambulance workers has sent a furious letter to the prime minister saying they feel “utterly betrayed” by the government’s attempts to paint them as “uncaring about safety standards”.

Steve Rice, the head of the GMB union’s ambulance committee, sent Rishi Sunak a letter on behalf of ambulance workers protesting against the government’s plans to introduce anti-strikes legislation.

PA Media contributed to this report

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October start set for ban in England of single-use plastic tableware

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Sale by retailers and food outlets in England of single-use plastic tableware to be banned but not ‘shelf-ready pre-packaged food’ containers

Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and a range of other items will be banned in England from October, to curb their “devastating” impact on the environment, the government has confirmed.

The Department for the Environment said the ban will also cover single-use plastic bowls, trays and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.

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‘Persistent heavy rain’ triggers flood warnings across Great Britain

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Rain and flood warnings issued for much of Wales and western parts of England and Scotland

Some homes and businesses could be flooded in parts of the UK on Tuesday, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office has issued three yellow warnings for “persistent heavy rain” throughout the day, covering much of Wales and north-west England.

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One-off payment ‘unlikely to avert teacher strikes in England and Wales’

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Union chief welcomes hour-long meeting with ministers on Monday but says ‘months have been wasted’

A potential government offer of a one-off payment to teachers is unlikely to be enough to prevent upcoming strikes in England and Wales, the head of the biggest teaching union has warned ahead of talks with ministers on Monday.

Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said while talks with the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, were welcome, she was sceptical about what could be achieved.

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‘Not really relevant’: Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he uses private healthcare

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PM urged to ‘come clean’ amid suggestions he is out of touch with millions who face long NHS waits

Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether he uses private healthcare amid suggestions he is out of touch with millions of ordinary people who face long waiting times to receive treatment on the NHS.

The prime minister said his own healthcare was “not really relevant” and was a “distraction” from his focus on making sure people across England receive high-quality NHS provision.

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Only one in five British trains to run on final day of planned strikes

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Industrial action over pay and working conditions has caused almost four weeks of disruption

The last day in the latest stretch of railway strikes has begun, ending a run of almost four weeks of continuous disruption caused by industrial action over pay and working conditions.

Only about one in five trains across Great Britain will run on Saturday as a 48-hour walkout by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union concludes, with no early morning or evening services and a pared-back schedule on main intercity and urban lines.

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NHS recruiting from ‘red list’ countries after Brexit loss of EU staff, says report

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Specialisms such as dentistry have shortages and EU exit still causes issues with medicines in Northern Ireland, thinktank finds

NHS trusts in England have increased recruitment from low-income “red list” countries to make up for the post-Brexit loss of EU staff, despite a code of practice to safeguard health services in those developing countries.

A report by the Nuffield Trust thinktank also identified shortages in vital specialist areas since Brexit, including dentistry, cardiothoracic surgery and anaesthesiology.

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900,000 crimes committed by people on bail under Tories, analysis finds

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Offences committed in England and Wales have included murder, kidnap, and child rape, study of data shows

Nearly 900,000 offences including murder, kidnap, and child rape, have been committed by people on bail in England and Wales since the Conservatives came to power, a new analysis has found.

The latest government figures show more than 20,000 offences were committed by those released from custody as they awaited a hearing, equating to 55 offences a day.

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Rising number of foreign objects found in patients after surgery in England

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In what NHS calls ‘never events’, items including swabs, blades and drill bits left in patients 291 times in England in 2021-22

A rising number of medical foreign objects, including wire cutters, scalpel blades and drill bits, have been left inside hospital patients after surgery in England, new figures reveal.

Blunders involving a “foreign object accidentally left in body during surgical and medical care” led to 291 “finished consultant episodes” in 2021-2022, official data shows.

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Ministers yet to finalise Covid testing plans for travellers from China

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Officials confirm new policy for England will begin on Thursday but say they are still working on final details

Ministers are yet to set out details of a Covid testing regime for arrivals from China that comes into force this week, including whether it will apply to people flying from Hong Kong or to those who travelled to the UK indirectly from China.

Downing Street confirmed that people flying to the UK from China would need to take a Covid test before travelling, and would not be allowed to travel if they tested positive for the virus.

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Suspect identified in only one in 10 bicycle theft cases in England and Wales

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Figures uncovered by Lib Dems show that only 1.7% of 74,421 cases over 12 months resulted in a charge

Almost 90% of all bicycle theft cases reported to police over the past year were closed without a suspect even being identified, and just 1.7% resulted in someone being charged, analysis of crime statistics shows.

The Liberal Democrats, who uncovered the data from statistics for England and Wales from July 2021 to June this year, said it was indicative of under-funded police forces being unable to properly investigate such crimes.

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Ministers criticised as 200,000 eligible children in England miss out on free school meals

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Around one in 10 pupils who would qualify for assistance are not registered with the scheme

The government has been accused of “standing idly by while children go hungry” after new analysis showed that more than 200,000 of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSMs) in England are missing out because they are not registered.

Campaigners have urged ministers to automate the enrolment process using social security records, amid fears that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are going hungry because they have not signed up.

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£1.4bn devolution deal for north-east England announced

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Plan will bring Durham, Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland, Newcastle, South Tyneside and North Tyneside under control of one mayor

A £1.4bn devolution deal for the north-east of England would bring seven local authority areas under the control of an elected mayor in 2024, Michael Gove has announced.

The levelling-up secretary set out the £48m-a-year deal for Northumberland, Durham, Newcastle, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland on Wednesday after months of negotiations over the new devolved area covering 2 million people.

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Man dies after Boxing Day stabbing at Birmingham nightclub

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Police launch murder inquiry after 23-year-old man was stabbed at Crane nightclub in Digbeth

Police have launched a murder investigation after a 23-year-old man was stabbed on the dancefloor of a nightclub in Birmingham on Boxing Day.

West Midlands police said they were called to Crane nightclub in Digbeth just before 11.45pm on Monday after reports that a man had been stabbed. Despite efforts to save him, the man was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.

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Ministers plan to scrap NHS England targets to ‘boost efficiency’

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Labour says plan to ditch national targets equates to ‘scrapping standards altogether’ , after review by Patricia Hewitt

The government is preparing to ditch NHS national targets in an attempt to “boost efficiency”, as part of recommendations from a review led by a former Labour health secretary.

Patricia Hewitt led the government-commissioned review into the NHS in England, looking at how the new integrated care systems (ICSs) could operate efficiently. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced the assessment during the autumn budget.

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Rugby league star Rob Burrow’s wheelchair-accessible van vandalised

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Vehicle belonging to motor neurone disease fundraiser was targeted on Friday evening in West Yorkshire

The former rugby league star Rob Burrow’s wheelchair accessible van was vandalised while his family were out for a Christmas meal, his father has said.

Geoff Burrow said his son, who played for Leeds Rhinos between 2001 and 2017, had been out in Castleford, West Yorkshire, on Friday when the vehicle was targeted.

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Steak restaurant on paddle steamer in Essex starts sinking into lake

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Shopping centre eatery said to have begun sinking before lunch service and observers describe it as ‘going down like the Titanic’

A restaurant on a converted paddle steamer has begun to sink into a lake in Essex.

Photographs of the Miller & Carter Steakhouse at the Lakeside shopping centre showing it partially submerged emerged online on Friday. Some observers described the venue as “going down like the Titanic”, while one wrote online: “Looks like my family meal is cancelled!”

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Stay at home if you’re unwell, say experts, as flu and Covid cases rise in England

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‘Don’t mingle’ advice comes as UK Health Security Agency says scarlet fever and strep A infections continue to rise

Flu and Covid are on the rise in England, with experts stressing the importance of vaccination and warning that people who feel unwell should stay at home rather than mingling with others during the festive season.

The figures come as cases of scarlet fever and strep A infections continue to rise.

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