Author: David Pike

Wednesday’s front pages continue their coverage of the upcoming October Budget with the papers continuing to speculate over whether the chancellor will introduce a national insurance increase. Other domestic political stories make the lead with the Conservative leadership race being a popular topic as the race narrows down.
Elsewhere, several of the papers report Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife met Taylor Swift during one of her London concerts as the row over why the American singer was given a blue-light escort continues.
Images of Thomas Tuchel are splashed on many of the front pages – and all the back pages – after it emerged he is set to become the new England manager.

Liz Truss’ think tank publicly shames Kemi Badenoch for not answering questions Liz Truss’ think tank Popular Conservatism has publicly shamed Kemi Badenoch for failing to answer 12 questions it sent to her and Tory leadership rival Robert Jenrick. With Tory members set to choose the replacement for Rishi Sunak, the think tank also known as Popcon and launched by Ms Truss last year, put out the replies it got for each question. For each…

Ministers warned not to repeat same mistakes by leaving Afghan heroes at mercy of Taliban Ministers have been warned not to repeat the same mistakes over Afghan soldiers, with fears their pledge to finally relocate special forces soldiers who fought with the UK could still leave 1,500 at the mercy of the Taliban. Campaigners and former military top brass hailed armed forces minister Luke Pollard’s announcement this week that acknowledged the troops had worked for…

Pictured: Note allegedly found by Sara Sharif’s body saying ‘It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’ A note that was allegedly found by Sara Sharif’s body in her father’s handwriting has been pictured in court. Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of his 10-year-old daughter’s murder alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29. It is alleged within hours of her death the defendants had…

Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift at London gig as questions continue over her blue-light escort Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer met with pop star Taylor Swift at one of her London concerts to discuss the Southport attack. It is understood that Sir Keir and his family spoke to the Shake if Off singer and her mother after he was invited to attend the Wembley gig on 20 August. This comes amid questions over government intervention…

General Sir Mike Jackson, former head of British Army, dies aged 80 General Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the British Army, has died aged 80. He served as Chief of the General Staff between 2003 and 2006. In a statement, the British Army announced his death, saying:” It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the death of General Sir Mike Jackson GCB, CBE, DSO, on 15 October surrounded by his…

Budget 2024 live updates: Inflation falls to lowest rate in three years, Reeves ‘eyes £40bn’ in cuts and spending Rachel Reeves will announce Labour’s first Budget in 15 years later this month, leading one of the most highly-anticipated fiscal events in over a decade. As the chancellor looks to fill the £22bn “black hole” in public spending she announced in late July, speculation has mounted about what measures will be included on 30 October. During…

Majority of parents not deterred by fines for term-time family holidays – survey The majority of parents say fines for unauthorised absences would not deter them from taking their children out of school for a holiday, a survey has found. Half of parents are opposed to the policy in England where fines are considered if a child misses five days of school without permission, according to a poll by Parentkind charity. The survey, of nearly…

Food guru Tim Spector and health experts call on NHS to make vegan food the norm in hospitals Food guru Tim Spector has joined healthcare chiefs and at least 1,000 health experts in calling on the NHS to make vegan food standard in UK hospitals. In an open letter to every NHS trust and healthcare leader in the UK, they ask healthcare organisations to implement “plant-based by default” menus. It follows a trial in New…

Assisted dying ‘dangerous’ says Archbishop of Canterbury as bill to be introduced today – UK politics live The new bill to allow assisted dying will be introduced to the Commons today amid claims by the Archbishop of Canterbury that the concept is “dangerous”. Meanwhile, Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Sir Keir Starmer received free Taylor Swift tickets as a “thank you” after she was given taxpayer-funded police security while performing in London. No 10…

Deaths of people sleeping rough up 42% as nearly 1,500 homeless people died last year Deaths of rough sleepers in the UK have increased by 42 per cent in a year in an alarming indicator of the surging homelessness crisis. New research from The Museum for Homelessness found that 1,474 people died while homeless in 2023, up 12 per cent on the year before. Deaths of rough sleepers also rose from 109 to 155 in…

Assisted dying: What is the current law and will it change? The assisted dying debate will return to Parliament this week as a new bill is formally introduced in the House of Commons. Campaigners who are terminally ill or have watched loved ones die in pain have called the existing legislation “unbelievably cruel” and pointed out that animals suffering severely can be legally euthanised. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member’s bill…

Average rent across the UK reaches record high Rent prices outside London have hit a new record high. Prices outside the capital have now reached £1,344 on average per month, having increased by 5.2% annually, according to a property website. The average rent advertised for London properties also reached a new record of £2,694 per month, which was 2.5% higher than a year earlier, Rightmove said. The figures cover the third quarter of 2024 across…

Lucy Letby initially failed her student nurse placement after lack of empathy, inquiry finds Lucy Letby initially failed her final year placement as a student nurse after her perceived lack of empathy with patients and families, a public inquiry has revealed. Letby’s assessor, Nicola Lightfoot, deputy ward manager at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s children’s unit, told the inquiry it was apparent to her that Letby, who was later convicted of multiple infant murders, did…

Covid vaccine: How to book a jab and who is eligible? The number of people going to hospital with Covid across Britain has risen at an “alarming” rate after a new variant of the virus emerged, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned. UKHSA figures showed the admission rate for patients testing positive for Covid XEC stood at 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6 – up from 3.7 a week earlier. The North East has seen…

Inflation falls below 2% target for first time in three years UK inflation has decreased to below the 2 per cent target for the first time in over three years. The consumer price index (CPI) has dropped to 1.7 per cent, down from 2.2. per cent in August, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure has beaten expert predictions, which largely estimated a more modest drop to 1.9 per cent. It’s expected the…

Rise in rough sleeper deaths in UK prompts call for shelter funds Campaign group warns of ‘emergency on our streets’ after estimated 155 people died while rough sleeping last year. Andrew Reece was 37 and sleeping rough in Stoke-on-Trent when on 10 May 2023 he took his own life in an abandoned and roofless children’s home. Reece, known locally as Pud, was one of an estimated 155 people who died in the UK last year…

Brand new London Underground trains vandalised before making it to the tracks | UK News Londoners have been left outraged after a brand-new Underground train was vandalised with mindless graffiti, months before it is even due to enter service. A snap of the train was shared online on Monday, showing it sporting three spray-painted tags. The carriage was reportedly targeted while being transported to a depot for testing, with the new trains planned to start…

Water industry ownership should be decided by citizens’ assembly, new bill says Labour MP Clive Lewis to argue for nationalisation and public involvement in management of water companies. The future ownership of the water industry should be decided by a citizens’ assembly to remove decision-making from boardrooms and impose democracy on the sector, a private member’s bill is to argue. Labour MP Clive Lewis, who in the past has called for water to be put…

King Charles faces unusual ‘snub’ as Zara Tindall’s husband lays bare life in royal family King Charles and Queen Camilla are facing an embarrassing snub by leading Australian politicians ahead of their tour of the country. As the couple prepares 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…

UK politics live: No 10 rejects new accusations over Taylor Swift ticket and police escort row Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Sir Keir Starmer received free Taylor Swift tickets as a “thank you” after she was given taxpayer-funded police security while performing in London. No 10 would not say whether the prime minister was confident that perceptions of a conflict of interest had been avoided but insisted “operational decisions” were “ultimately” up to Scotland…