Author: UK News

Inside the £995,000 London home where Star Wars icon grew up When you move into a house, you might find yourself imagining the people who lived there before you – who they were, what they loved, and how they spent their years inside the four walls of your new home. But there’s one £995,000 home that’s come onto the market in South London that leaves no doubt as to the identity of its previous inhabitant. Any longstanding fan of the legendary Star Wars franchise will know Peter Cushing, who played Grand Moff Tarkin, for which he was nominated for the…

Gang on bikes who snatched phones worth £20,000 jailed | UK News Highlight the bias, if any in the title by underlining the biased words or phrase in the original title Three e-bike riding thieves who snatched £20,000 worth of phones from pedestrians in London have been sentenced. Kie Joyce, 21, and a 16-year-old boy who can’t be named for legal reasons, werejailed for three and a half years and six months respectively, while another 16-year-old boy, who also can’t be named, was handed a supervision order. CCTV footage of the trio swiping phones from people in Greenwich and Bermondsey…

London Underground November 2024 Tube strikes suspended | UK News Londoners can let out a sigh of relief after all the upcoming Tube strikes have been called off by Aslef. It comes after the RMT union had already called off its walk-out which would have impacted Tube travel this week after reaching an agreement over pay. Now the drivers’ union Aslef has also cancelled its industrial action which was set to paralyse the Underground tomorrow and Tuesday. Aslef’s full-time organiser Finn Brennan said it agreed to suspend the planned strike action ‘following fresh talks and an improved offer.’ Claire Mann, TfL’s…

EU leaders tell Trump to stand up to ‘bully’ Putin as Starmer is warned Britain can’t rely on US for defence Sir Keir Starmer and fellow European leaders have urged Donald Trump to stand up to the “bully” Vladimir Putin as they digest the potential consequences of the historic Republican election victory in the US. Volodymyr Zelensky made a desperate appeal at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Budapest for leaders to continue their support for Ukraine in its war with Russia amid fears that Mr Trump will try to force a deal involving concessions. It came as Sir…

Father and son jailed for murder plot after hiring ‘female assassin in hijab disguise’ A father and son who hired a hijab-wearing female assassin to carry out a gun attack have been jailed after their assassination plot was bungled. Mohammed Aslam, 58, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 30, from Derby, orchestrated the attack on a rival family in September 2019. The suspected would-be killer, a US woman identified during the trial as Aimee Betro, threatened Sikander Ali with a gun and tried to shoot him at a range of six to seven yards but the pistol jammed, allowing him to flee…

Labour minister struggles to name any benefits of Trump election win A Labour minister struggled to name any benefits of Donald Trump returning to the White House in an awkward Question Time grilling. The Minister for Industry, Sara Jones was asked about the Republican’s historic win repeatedly by host Fiona Bruce when she appeared on the show on Thursday evening (7 November). Discussing trade between the UK and the US, the BBC host stepped in to tell her: “None of that is specific to Trump?” Ms Bruce added: “Can you not think of any benefits?” https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/trump-labour-minister-question-time-fiona-bruce-b2643579.html

David Lammy dismisses past criticism of Donald Trump  Foreign secretary David Lammy has dismissed his past criticism of Donald Trump in his first interview since the Republican’s election victory. Mr Lammy previously described the president-elect as a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”. In his first interview since Trump’s victory, he appeared on BBC’s Newscast podcast to discuss the future of the UK’s relationship with the US. Lammy said he sees Trump as “someone that we can build a relationship with in our national interest”. The foreign secretary also praised Trump’s election campaign as “very well run”. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/lammy-responds-trump-criticism-bbc-podcast-b2643591.html

Kemi Badenoch slashes two points off Labour’s lead in her first week as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has cut into Keir Starmer’s poll lead in her first week as Conservative Party leader, closing the gap by two points. The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has revealed in the week since she took over from Rishi Sunak, Ms Badenoch has increased the Conservative support by one point to 25 per cent while Labour has fallen a point to 29 per cent reducing the gap from six points to four. It comes in a difficult week for Sir Keir’s…

David Lammy breaks silence on past criticism calling Trump ‘neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath’ for first time David Lammy has moved to dampen down speculation of a rift with Donald Trump after his comments branding the president-elect “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser” resurfaced. In an article in 2018 the now foreign secretary wrote about Mr Trump’s first official visit to the UK and described him as a “tyrant” and “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”. However, in his first interview since the president-elect’s victory he told the BBC Newcast podcast that Mr Trump’s campaign was “very well run”, adding: “I felt in my bones…

Royal news – live: Kate Middleton to make poignant return to duty as Prince William opens up on ‘brutal’ 2024 The Princess of Wales is continuing her steady return to royal duties as she prepares to appear at two remembrance events over the weekend. Kate, who announced she had finished cancer treatment in September, is to attend both the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Queen’s attendance at Remembrance events will be subject to medical advice nearer the time, the Palace said. Camilla, 77, is unwell…

Prince William has opened up about the ‘brutal’ year he and his family have faced following his wife’s cancer diagnosis. William also discussed his father’s cancer diagnosis and expressed how proud he was of both of them for the way they handled their health issues. 

Prince William has opened up about the difficult year he and his family have faced following his wife’s cancer battle. Shortly before Kate’s cancer was announced, William’s father was also diagnosed with cancer. The prince has described the year as ‘brutal.’

The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 4.75%. It’s the second cut in the base rate this year – it came down from 5.25% to 5% in August. The Bank’s base rate heavily influences the cost of borrowing, including mortgages – a lower rate is supposed to encourage consumer spending. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey says it is “likely that interest rates will continue to fall gradually from here” – but adds inflation needs to stay close to the 2% target.

Three people have been arrested in the death of former One Direction pop star Liam Payne. They have been arrested on drug charges and “the abandonment of a person followed by death”. Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina last month, his body was recently flown home.

Most areas will have a dry but cloudy and cool day, with hill fog in places. It will be breezy in the west, with patchy drizzle most likely here too. Northern Scotland will see some sunshine. Local brighter breaks elsewhere.

The Independent says European leaders have urged Donald Trump to stand up to the “bully” Vladimir Putin.

The Guardian leads on Joe Biden’s speech in which he promised a peaceful transition of power.

The Church of England covered up the sexual abuse of at least 130 children and young men according to a review.

The Sun leads on Prince William’s comments that it has been “the hardest year of his life” after the health battles of his wife and father.

Prince William has opened up about his wife and father’s health issues while on his trip to South Africa, the Daily Express says.

The Daily Mirror leads with Prince William revealing he is “so proud” of the King and the Princess of Wales after their cancer diagnoses.

Much of Friday’s tabloid coverage regards recent comments made by Prince William – who spoke candidly about the difficult year his family have faced following his wife’s cancer diagnosis.

The broadsheets continue political coverage on their front pages with the latest analysis from the US election as well as some domestic political news creeping back onto the front splashes.

Met chief hits out at social media speculation around Chris Kaba shooting as 67 gang linked to 11 gun attacks The Metropolitan Police commissioner has hit out at “dangerous narratives” over the police shooting of Chris Kaba by a firearms officer who was cleared of murder, revealing that Kaba’s gang has been linked to 11 shootings in the past year. Sir Mark Rowley said online commentary, often largely focussed on Kaba’s ethnicity, risked undermining justice in the wake of the shooting as he urged commentators to be more aware of the weight of their words. “From the outset, over the…

Bank of England cuts interest rates to 4.75% – but mortgages still set to rise Interest rates have been cut for the second time this year, by a quarter of a percentage poi, but mortgage rates are still set to rise in a blow to homeowners. The Bank of England reduced the base rate from 5 per cent to 4.75 per cent on Thursday, following a 0.25 percentage-point cut in August, which was the first drop in four years. Governor Andrew Bailey said rates were likely to “continue to fall gradually from here”, but warned they could not be cut…

Royal news – live: William laments ‘brutal’ 2024 calling it hardest year of his life after King and Kate’s cancer battles Prince William has spoken candidly about the most difficult year of his life after his father and wife both went through their battles with cancer. Asked by reporters how his year has been ahead of the Earthshot prize in Cape Town, the Prince of Wales replied: “Honestly? “It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.” William who took time off Royal duties as his wife went through preventative chemotherapy, added: “So, trying to get through…

Tax unhealthy foods to tackle obesity, say campaigners Health and children’s groups urge UK ministers to impose levies on products containing too much salt or sugar. Dozens of health and children’s groups have urged ministers to tackle obesity by imposing taxes on foods containing too much salt or sugar. New levies based on the sugar tax on soft drinks would make it easier for consumers to eat more healthily by forcing food manufacturers to reformulate their products, they claim. 74% think food firms are not honest about the health impact of their products. 61% worry about the amount of sugar…

28 fun things to do in London this weekend Now that Halloween and Bonfire Night are out of the way, surely we’re in socially acceptable territory to start celebrating Christmas? Well, Pret teased its Christmas menu this week, and other restaurants and lunch spots will be gearing up to do the same. So we’re here to let you know what we won’t judge you if you’ve already watched your first Christmas film of the year or (dare we say it) put your Christmas tree up. With that being said, we’ve got all sorts of plans for you to choose from…