Author: UK News

Met Police: Women arrested at Sarah Everard vigil paid damages The Met Police have paid damages to two women who were arrested at the London vigil for the murdered woman Sarah Everard, in 2021. Patsy Stevenson and Dania Al-Obeid took legal action against the Met over their arrests at the protest during Covid restriction. The law firm representing them said a settlement has been reached and “substantial” damages paid. The Met said they settled because it was “the most appropriate decision, to minimise the ongoing impact on all involved”. In March 2021, hundreds attended the vigil for Sarah Everard, 33.…

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Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, Liz Truss, has written a book about her 49 days in office. And no one is really sure why. 

This country has endured more than 13 years of Tory governments, experiencing years of austerity, economic turmoil and social divisions, and on top of that, we now get to hear the thoughts of the woman who sent the markets into meltdown amid a spiralling cost of living crisis and standards of living in apparent freefall. 

Liz Truss – the woman who was outlasted by a lettuce, the woman who almost crashed the economy, resigned from office less than two months after she entered it. 

Many are wondering if she could really have enough to write an entire book and if she does, why on earth would she want to remind anyone about her time in office? This is the leader who recorded the lowest-ever prime minister approval rating in the history of Britain.

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Voter ID: General election could face serious disruption – survey A local government think-tank has suggested the rules on voter ID could cause “serious disruption” to the general election. Next year will mark the first general election where all voters will have to show a form of voter photo ID.   The government claims Voter ID helps crack down on potential voter fraud. But electoral administrators surveyed by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) warned they will not have enough staff to implement the new rules, without more funding. England’s local May elections saw roughly 14,000 people unable to vote as they…

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What time is PMQs today? Rishi Sunak to face Sir Keir after more economic gloom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will face Labour’s Keir Starmer at this week’s Prime Minister’s Question (PMQs). The latest face-off comes after recent figures revealed the UK economy shrunk further than expected in July. The latest data from ONS show the economy contracted by 0.5 per cent, where economists had forecast a 0.2 per cent decline. The ONS points to strikes and wet weather as contributing factors to the data. The economy will be a key political battleground ahead of the next general election, especially as…

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Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Wednesday’s newspaper front pages report on various stories. Several of the papers lead on the devastating floods in Libya – as 10,000 remain missing as a dam bursts. The state pension triple lock and England’s 3-1 win over Scotland are also popular front-page leads this morning. Libya floods The Guardian leads with the floods. The paper’s headline says “beyond comprehension” as it claims whole neighbourhoods have been “washed away.” The Metro says local officials have described “apocalyptic scenes”, whilst the Sun says “catastrophic.” The Financial Times features a picture of the devastating aftermath of…

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Sara Sharif: Pakistan court hearings take place over custody of children Pakistani courts are discussing the temporary custody of five children who travelled from the UK with Sara Sharif’s father. Sara, 10, was found dead at her home in Surrey on 10 August. Just a day before her father, uncle and stepmother fled the UK for Pakistan. Post-mortem examinations found Sara suffered “multiple and extensive injuries”. Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik left the UK with five children aged between one and 13. All three adults are wanted in the UK as part of…

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Triple lock means state pension set to rise by 8.5% in April The state pension is expected to experience an 8.5% increase in April following the release of vital data integral to the triple lock system. This policy ensures that the state pension increment is determined as the highest among average earnings, inflation, or a fixed 2.5% rate. Those earnings – which are total pay, including bonuses – were recorded at 8.5%, and the inflation figure is unlikely to be higher. That means the state pension is likely to rise by 8.5%, which would be a weekly increase of £13.30.…

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Government may have broken law over sewage releases – watchdog The UK government and regulators may have broken the law over how they regulate sewage releases, the UK’s environment watchdog has said. The Office for Environmental Protection announced its preliminary findings into an investigation on Tuesday. The regulators and Defra now have two months to provide a response before a final decision is made. In response to the announcement the government said: “The volume of sewage discharged is completely unacceptable. That is why we are the first government in history to take such comprehensive action to tackle it”. But it…

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Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Tuesday’s newspapers lead on a variety of stories. There is continued coverage of the parliamentary researcher arrested for spying for China – he is reportedly claiming his innocence. UK China spy The response from some MPs after they were told not to identify the parliamentary researcher facing accusations of spying for China, the Daily Mail says. The paper says the man was arrested under the Offical Secrets Act in Mark and had some links to some Tory MPs. He insists he is innocent. The Guardian asks why MPs were not informed about the arrest…

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Accused U.K. Parliament Spy Is a 28-Year-Old Tory-Linked Hinge Bro: Report Daily Beast says Hours after it was reported that a researcher working in Britain’s parliament had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, The Sunday Times revealed his identity, reporting that the suspect is allegedly the director of a China-focused think tank co-founded by several high-profile conservative lawmakers—including the nation’s security minister. The researcher was named on Sunday night by the newspaper as Chris Cash, a 28-year-old history graduate and “long-suffering Scottish rugby follower,” according to an archived version of his Twitter account. Cash was also reportedly a…

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Parliamentary researcher arrested on suspicion of spying for China says he is ‘completely innocent’ Daily Mirror says A parliamentary researcher who has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China has said he is completely innocent. The man, who has not been named by his lawyers, is one of two suspects arrested under the Official Secrets Act. Reports of the spying allegation have sparked alarm in Westminster, with Rishi Sunak yesterday confronting the Chinese Premier after the accusation came to light. The PM tackled Li Qiang as they met at a gathering of world leaders in India. The two men…

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Parliamentary researcher arrested for ‘spying for China’ Sky News says Two men have been arrested under the Official Secrets Act amid reports that a parliamentary researcher spied for China. The researcher has links to several senior Tory MPs and has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, according to The Sunday Times. He was arrested along with another man by officers on 13 March, the newspaper reported. The researcher, who is in his 20s, is understood to have had links to security minister Tom Tugendhat, foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns and other senior Tory MPs. The MPs he is…

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