Author: UK News

Rachel Reeves boosts big business as she caps corporation tax at 25% and woos investment in Britain Rachel Reeves announced her fourth big tax freeze on Monday, pledging to cap corporation tax at 25 per cent for the lifetime of this parliament as she made a bold offer to the world’s largest businesses to invest in Britain. It leaves her with little space to manoeuvre in this month’s Budget, having already promised not to raise income tax, VAT, or employee contributions on national insurance. And it will increase speculation that she will try to fill a £25bn gap in her…

Afghan special forces to be brought to Britain as minister finally admits troops were employed by UK Hundreds of Afghan special forces soldiers and their family members will be allowed to resettle in the UK after ministers admitted that new evidence has confirmed they were paid by the government. Luke Pollard, the armed forces minister, told the Commons on Monday that a Ministry of Defence review, sparked by campaigning MPs and a joint investigation by The Independent, Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, has found that members of Afghan specialist units were directly employed by the UK government, despite previous denials.…

Yvette Cooper jokes husband’s advice was to ‘shake it off’ after Taylor Swift police protection questions Yvette Cooper has joked her husband’s advice was to “shake it off” days after she faced questions over Taylor Swift’s VIP police protection at her London concerts. The home secretary also told journalists at Westminster that “haters gonna hate, hate, hate”. Last week ministers denied claims that a police escort for Ms Swift was the result of “undue influence” from senior politicians, including Ms Cooper. It followed reports the Metropolitan Police had initially been reluctant to give the pop star the kind of protection normally…

Children ‘doom scrolling’ on phones for hours a day causing widespread harm – MP Children who are “doom scrolling” for hours a day on smartphones are at risk of widespread harm, an MP has warned. The equivalent of “seatbelt” legislation is needed for children and their social media use to help them manage addictive content, according to former teacher Josh MacAlister. On Wednesday, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington will introduce a Private Member’s Bill (PMB) in Parliament on protecting children from harms caused by excessive screen time The Bill, which aims to empower families and teachers to cut…

Unemployed to be given weight-loss jab to help them back into work, government announces Unemployed people will be given weight-loss jabs to assist them back into work in a trial. The UK’s life sciences sector will receive £279 million from drugs giant Eli Lilly, to invest in developing new medicines and ways to deliver treatment. Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of the NHS praised weight-loss drugs as “game-changers” in supporting people to reduce their risk of life-threatening conditions. The plans with Lily, announced at the UK’s International Investment Summit, will include the first trial of the jab’s effect on unemployment, productivity and…

King Charles enjoys performance from Elton John at reception for UK’s international investment summit The King joined some of the world’s top chief executives and industry leaders at a reception that capped off the government’s first major summit to woo investors, and enjoyed a performance from Sir Elton John. Some 300 guests attended the exclusive reception at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday where Charles spoke to a wide group of notable figureheads. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, astronaut Tim Peake, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, also spent time with Charles. Sir Elton…

Charities urge Government to target smaller websites under Online Safety Act A group of charities and online safety campaigners have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to ignore advice from Ofcom around which websites to categorise as the most dangerous under the Online Safety Act. The group of campaigners said the regulator’s advice that smaller websites should not be designated Category 1 – the rating which gives Ofcom the greatest scope of powers for oversight and regulation of that platform – left a number of “the most dangerous online forums” not fully in scope of the regulation. In guidance…

UK ‘dangerously underprepared’ for future energy crisis and price spikes, experts warn The UK is “dangerously underprepared” and vulnerable to another energy crisis that would see price rises, a group of experts have warned. The Energy Crisis Commission, which includes representatives from Energy UK, Citizens Advice and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said weaknesses in Britain’s energy system have been laid bare – supply, demand and targeted support for the poorest households. The commission was launched earlier this year to review the impacts of the recent energy crisis on UK households and businesses after Russia’s war in Ukraine caused prices to…

A pensioner is set to miss out on winter fuel help this year because she is just £3.32 above the weekly threshold for support. Lynne Perry, 69, who lives in Cornwall, says she gets just enough income from her state pension to push her above the £218.15 limit for pension credit, the government’s payment to older people who need extra help with their living costs. Those on pension credit qualify for the annual winter fuel payment, which is means-tested this year. The pensioner denied winter fuel payment because she’s just £3 over threshold Chancellor Rachel Reeves decided to cut the…

UK ‘risks repeat of surging energy bills’ amid continued reliance on gas Energy crisis panel warns country is ‘dangerously unprepared’ and must shift away from gas quickly. Britain is at risk of experiencing a repeat of the sharp increase in energy costs which has fuelled the continuing cost of living crisis because it relies too heavily on gas, according to an expert panel of industry leaders. The Energy Crisis Commission has warned that the UK is still “dangerously underprepared” for another crisis because it continues to rely on gas for its power plants and home heating. Continue reading… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/15/uk-risks-repeat-of-surging-energy-bills-amid-continued-reliance-on-gas

The London Tube line ‘haunted by the Girl on the Train’ ghost | UK News We don’t want to put you off taking the Tube, but according to legend London’s historic network and its stations are home to a whole variety of ghosts. Among them is the mysterious ‘Girl on the Train’, as she’s now known. Several people, both underground employees and passengers, have reported seeing her on Bakerloo Line trains at Elephant and Castle. The young woman boards the train, walks through the carriages, then disappears without a trace, they say. Unexplained foot steps, possibly running, plus rapping noises…

PM pledges to scrap red tape to boost UK investment In a bid to stimulate investment, the prime minister will announce plans to scrap regulations that “unnecessarily hinder” investment in the UK at a high-profile summit in London.  Sir Keir Starmer will address business leaders with a pledge to “tear down” bureaucratic barriers and streamline processes. He’ll also call on the UK’s competition regulator to make boosting economic growth a top priority. As anticipation builds ahead of the international investment summit, several global corporations have written to The Times, noting that greater economic stability has improved the UK’s appeal to…

Labour accused of ‘absurd’ plan to break manifesto pledge over national insurance hike Labour has been accused of plans to break a manifesto commitment after repeatedly refusing to rule out an increase to employers’ national insurance contributions. The party has come under pressure to clarify whether it sees the employer side of the tax as distinct from employee contributions, after promising during the election campaign “we will not increase National Insurance”. A former Tory minister has said it would be “absurd” to claim that raising the levy on employers but not employees is not a breach of the explicit manifesto…

Nigel Farage’s Reform party offers £300 tours of parliament in apparent Commons rules breach Reform UK supporters have been offered paid tours of parliament in an apparent breach of House of Commons rules, it has emerged. Nigel Farage’s party has emailed some activists offering tours with an MP for up to £300 as part of a fundraising drive. Rules for MPs explicitly forbid the offering of access in exchange for payment. In 2020, Green Party former MP Caroline Lucas was found to have breached parliamentary rules by giving a tour of the Commons in exchange for a £150 contribution to…

Two men arrested after XL Bully killed in ‘deliberate attack’ Two men have been arrested after a dog believed to be an XL Bully was killed in an apparent targeted attack in Berkshire. The men, aged 20 and 22, were arrested after the animal was “deliberately attacked and seriously injured” on 29 September in Slough, Thames Valley Police said. The pair were detained on Friday at a home in the town, where a quantity of cannabis was also found, police added. The 20-year-old was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, possession with intent to…

UK weather: UK set for Autumn heat as temperatures could hit 22C this week Parts of the UK is set to see a late-in-the-year burst of warm weather this week as Britons look forward to some unseasonably high Autumn temperatures. The country is set to become milder but also wetter in the coming days, according to the Met Office. Temperatures might top 20C, with some places set to feel a sudden 10C increase. Forecasts show that this warmth should come around midweek. It follows the spell of wet, cold and blustery weather since the beginning of October. It’s not thought…

Sara Sharif murder trial latest: Father and stepmother to appear at Old Bailey over death of 10-year-old Three members of the same family are due to stand trial over the death of 10-year-old schoolgirl Sara Sharif. Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of killing her. The child’s body was discovered on 10 August at her home in Surrey. The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, have pleaded not guilty to her murder and to causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and…

Royal news – live: King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘snub’ by Australian leaders ahead of tour sparks backlash King Charles and Queen Camilla are facing an embarrassing snub by leading Australian politicians ahead of their tour of the country. As the couple prepare to kick off their nine day visit Down Under on Friday, every single state premier has turned down invitations to attend their royal reception in Canberra on October 21, reports suggest. The King is set to deliver a speech at the event to recognise Australians for their achievements in the arts, culture, sports and health. Victoria’s Premier…

‘Princess of Wales’ bedroom photo shared by Earl Spencer has royal fans asking the same question Earl Charles Spencer has shared a picture of The Princess of Wales Room at Althorp House – prompting speculation about whether or not the bedroom was once used by the late Princess Diana. Named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later became the Princess of Wales upon her marriage to King Edward VII in 1863, Charles Spencer revealed that the interior of the room has remained largely unchanged since 1911. Althorp House has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations, and Diana herself…

Trending News Inspiration Papers News that Matters Impact on your life Good News Labour accused of ‘absurd’ plan to break manifesto pledge over national insurance hike UK set for Autumn heat as temperatures could hit 22C this week Royal news – live: King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘snub’ by Australian leaders ahead of tour sparks backlash Alex Salmond death – latest: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to SNP ‘mentor’ who brought Scotland close to independence Previous Next Previous Next Football Confidential @footballconfid1 Read More Roy Keane is pushing Pep Guardiola for England. Hmmm… 🤔 Saul Staniforth@SaulStaniforth Read More #GMB reporting on…