Author: UK News
Thursday’s front pages continue speculation about the upcoming October Budget. The papers offer up their predictions and reports on whether the chancellor will raise taxes or cut spending.
Other domestic topics are splashed on the front pages including reports on whether Russian spies planted devices in Birmingham, and there’s ongoing coverage of showbiz topics.
The newspapers had gone to print long before news broke of the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina. The 31-year-old fell from his balcony at his hotel. The story is dominating the UK news cycle online and on social media.
The papers continue their coverage of the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the new England Football manager.
Council puts up giant pencils to stop parents driving children to school | UK News Giant pencils have been introduced in one London borough’s streets to stop busy parents from driving their kids to school, and some people are inevitably unhappy. The coloured pencils are part of a plan to prevent cars entering certain roads at drop-off time. And while many have welcomed the idea, others have said it simply pushes traffic problems further out. The borough of Richmond-upon-Thames in south west London has now approved a roll-out of the eye-catching designs, which warn people a school street is near.…
Man arrested for selling illegal Sky streaming packages in bulk | UK News A man has been arrested on suspicion of selling illegal streaming packages which provided access to Sky channels. Officers from the police intellectual property crime unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police arrested the 38-year-old while executing a search warrant at a home in Wolverhampton early yesterday morning. He was detained on suspicion of copyright and money laundering offences after he was suspected to have sold illegal streaming packages in bulk for others to sell to the public. Further search warrants were carried out at four business…
Two-metre-long snake is breeding in UK living in attics and walls | UK News Invasive snakes breeding in the wild in at least three UK regions crawl up walls and into attics to survive, researchers said. Aesculapian snakes, which can grow to over 7ft long, originally escaped from captivity, but are now surviving on their own using warm corners made by humans. Researchers tracked 13 males and eight females between 2021 and 2022 to find out how they were surviving in a climate previously thought to be too cold for them. They found out they relied on ‘human habitats’ –…
80s punk legends announce huge tour – with iconic rock band supporting The Offspring sent fans into meltdown as they confirmed a worldwide tour, kicking off next year. The legendary punk band, first formed in 1984, will be hitting the road for the Supercharged tour in 2025, including five dates in the UK. The You’re Gonna Go Far Kid icons – currently made up of Bryan ‘Dexter’ Holland, Noodles, Todd Morse, Jonah Nimoy and Brandon Pertzborn – are set to be joined by rockers Simple Plan, who are serving as their support act. They will be heading to the UK…
Huge reward to find killer who stabbed student to death at Soho club | UK News Scotland Yard has released new enhanced images of the suspect in the murder of Camille Gordon in 2004 (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA) Detectives investigating the murder of a Soho nightclub hostess 20 years ago have put up a £20,000 reward to help finally catch her killer. Camille Gordon was stabbed in the heart on the doorstep of the Blue Bunny Club in Archer Street, where she was working part-time as a hostess while training to be a nursery assistant, on March 1, 2004. The 23-year-old…
Drivers keep getting stuck on housing estate stairs thinking it’s a shortcut | UK News Multiple drivers have become stuck on a set of stairs in the middle of a London housing estate – after apparently mistaking the route for a shortcut. Residents at Maitland Park Estate in Camden say there have been five incidents of cars becoming trapped on the steps in the last month alone. But while locals can see the funny side when drivers take a wrong turn, they have also voiced concerns over the possibility of someone getting hurt, especially children who happily roam the estate. Camden Council has now said it will…
Elderly man attacked at london bus stop ‘for letting women and children on first’ | UK News A manhunt has been launched three months after an elderly man was attacked at a London bus stop. The 85-year-old had stopped to let women and children board the 220 bus at Hammersmith bus station on Tuesday July 2. However, someone in the queue behind him started verbally abusing him. The same man then pushed him out of the way, causing him to fall to the ground at around 1pm. The victim needed hospital treatment and it was later discovered he suffered a…
How to get tickets for London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks 2025 | UK News Highlight the bias, if any in the title by underlining the biased words or phrase in the original title Watching one of the most famous fireworks shows in the world is certainly one way to ring in the new year Getty Images Europe SHOPPING – Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information. While you might mentally still…
Seven-year-old boy killed in ‘truly devastating’ explosion in Newcastle A seven-year-old boy has died after an explosion on a residential street in Newcastle, as police and fire chiefs begin to investigate the cause of the devastating blast. Six people were also in hospital following the tragic incident at the line of terraced homes in the Benwell area of the city in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Pictures taken from the scene show the devastation caused – with at least two properties completely destroyed. Speaking at a press conference at lunchtime, Superintendent Darren Adams said: “It is with great sadness…
The £40bn question: How will Rachel Reeves balance the books? Rachel Reeves is being warned that she may have to break Labour’s manifesto pledge not to raise income tax or national insurance in order to fill a £40bn black hole in her spending plans. The concerns come after the chancellor warned her cabinet colleagues this week that she needs to find spending cuts and tax rises of £40bn to balance the books – far more than the £22bn she has claimed the Tories left behind. Ms Reeves was boosted on Wednesday by a drop in inflation to 1.7 per cent…
Annie Kilner ‘files for divorce’ from England and Manchester City star Kyle Walker England and Manchester City star Kyle Walker’s wife, Annie Kilner, has filed for a divorce, according to reports. It was alleged last week that Ms Kilner had “met with lawyers” to start legal proceedings to end their marriage. The 31-year-old, who married Mr Walker, 33, in 2021, has reportedly filed for the divorce following his reported affair with influencer Lauryn Goodman. The Manchester City right-back has four children with Ms Kilner and secretly fathered two children with Ms Goodman. It has now been claimed Ms Kilner is…
Schoolgirl Sara Sharif suffered a catalogue of 71 injuries before her death, jury told Schoolgirl Sara Sharif’s body was found with at least 71 recent injuries and two traumatic brain injuries inflicted days before her death as she endured a “campaign of abuse”, a court heard. Jurors were shown a catalogue of bruises, burns, probable bite marks and other injuries identified on the 10-year-old by forensic pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary. He told the Old Bailey the total number of injuries sustained by the 4ft 6in schoolgirl, who weighed 4st 3lbs, is not known because it is impossible to tell if…
RAF chief lied to ministers about recruitment policy, senior MP claims in PMQs A senior MP has accused the former RAF chief air marshal of lying over allegations he had pushed through an illegal recruitment policy for the service. Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, used parliamentary privilege in prime minister’s questions (PMQs) to accuse Sir Mike Wigston of lying in the case of the RAF’s former head of recruitment group captain Lizzy Nicholl. Challenging Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Kearns said: “Group Captain Lizzy Nicholl had an exemplary career with the RAF until she was…
Invasive two-metre-long snake breeding inside walls, attics across UK, scientists warn One of Europe’s largest snake species is crawling up walls and into attics in the UK, seeking warmth for breeding, scientists say in a new study. Aesculapian snakes, which grow up to 7ft long, are not native to the UK. They went locally extinct during the last Ice Age, and were not seen widely in the UK for 300,000 years. But they have become an invasive species now, researchers say, surviving in warm corners in the UK. They were introduced during the 1970s to Colwyn Bay, North Wales, following…
Teenager passed driving test just six months before crash in Snowdonia which killed four friends A coroner has voiced concerns about inexperienced young drivers carrying passengers following the deaths of four teenagers in a car crash in North Wales. An inquest in Caernarfon on Wednesday revealed the young driver, 18-year-old Hugo Morris, had passed his driving test just over six months before he lost control of his car and rolled into a ditch on the way to a camping trip in Snowdonia. He and his three friends Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Wilf Fitchett, 17, all from Shropshire,…
DWP is warned against ‘rushing’ disability benefit assessment changes The government has been warned against “rushing” planned changes to disability benefits assessments, as experts say they will leave nearly half a million vulnerable people worse off. The previous Conservative government announced in 2023 that the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will be reformed, with the qualifying criteria being significantly overhauled. According to research from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the changes will mean around 450,000 fewer people will be considered to have limited capability for work. Labour recommitted to the plans in its election manifesto, saying the WCA is…
Father left with fractured eye socket and toddler in hospital after random attack A father was left with serious injuries and his three-year-old toddler was also taken to hospital after an “unprovoked” attack in west London. Police have released a CCTV image of a man, who was allegedly seen shoving the father to the ground as he walked along Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, West London, with his child. The incident occurred on 5 October and resulted in the father striking his head against a wall. The Metropolitan Police described the father’s injuries as “quite serious”. They included bleeding, a fractured…
Commonwealth should become a trade bloc and invite Ukraine to join, says new report A major new report has proposed turning the Commonwealth into a trade and security bloc and inviting Ukraine to join. Ahead of the biannual Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Samoa next week, the think tank Policy Exchange has produced a report to revitalise the international club of nations. The report, which has cross-party support in the Commons and has been backed by former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and Australia’s ex-foreign minister Alexander Downer, comes with exclusive polling revealing public support for the plans.…
Ministers vow crackdown on rip-off nursery fees Ministers are to crack down on the nurseries charging banned ‘top-up’ fees, warning they prevent parents from using much-needed childcare. In his first newspaper interview since taking the job, education minister Stephen Morgan told The Independent the government would look at “all options” to prevent the practice. The problem was “an issue up and down the country”, he warned. Earlier this year The Independent revealed parents were facing a hike in nursery fees of up to 15 per cent as they pick up the tab left by funding gaps in the Tory flagship…
King Charles given rare Sydney honour as Kate issues powerful tribute: Royal news – live King Charles is set to be given a rare honour at Sydney Harbour following an apparent snub from Australian officials ahead of his arrival on Friday. The white sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up for four minutes with images from previous royal visits to mark the arrival of the monarch and Queen Camilla. This rare honour was given the go-ahead by the New South Wales government at an estimated cost of around £50,000. As the couple prepares to kick off their…
Counter-terrorism police investigating UK warehouse fire over possible links to Russia Counter-terrorism police are investigating possible Russian involvement in an incident in Birmingham where a package caught fire at a DHL warehouse. It comes as another package suspiciously caught fire at a DHL facility in Leipzig, Germany, while other incidents involving fires suspected to have been started by Russian spies were identified across Europe this year. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that officers from counter-terrorism policing are investigating an incident at a commercial premises in Midpoint Way, Minworth. “On Monday 22 July, a package at the location…
London students fear abandoning courses over inability to apply for discounted fares System for applying for travelcards yet to be restored after cyber-attack on Transport for London’s IT systems. Students in London fear they may have to abandon their school and university courses to save money after a cyber hack on Transport for London’s (TfL) IT systems left them unable to apply for discounted travelcards. TfL suspended applications for discounted travel passes when its systems were hacked in early September, compromising the details of about 5,000 Oyster card holders. It is unable to say when the system will be restored.…
Great British Energy can become a major power generator, says its chair Jürgen Maier’s vision for company includes the potential to borrow its own money in order to rival multinationals. Britain’s new national energy company will eventually become a major power generator, running its own windfarms, tidal power and carbon capture schemes and potentially borrowing its own money, according to its new chair. Jürgen Maier, the chair of Great British Energy (GBE), told the Guardian in an interview that his vision for the company far outstrips its current scope and would put it on a par with multinational firms such…