Browsing: UK News

Doctors and teachers in England have been given a 4% pay rise after the government accepted recommendations from public sector pay review bodies.

Irish rap group Kneecap performed a surprise show in London despite member Liam O’Hanna facing a charge related to a flag supporting Hezbollah.

The Princess of Wales named the new Royal Navy warship HMS Glasgow by smashing a bottle of whisky against its hull, a traditional ship-naming ceremony believed to ensure good luck.

Doctors and teachers will receive a 4% pay rise after government approval, surpassing initial budget predictions by 2.8%.

Net migration in the UK has halved from 860,000 to 431,000, marking the largest recorded drop for a 12-month period since the pandemic’s early stages.

Wednesday’s headlines highlight Britain’s media divide: on the left, you’ll see reports of the government’s new approach to Israel, highlighting the strong condemnation of Israel used by the government.

Whilst the right-leaning press have largely left the story off the front splashes altogether and instead have chosen to focus on domestic political stories.

This could have something to do with the Israeli event, the night before, that Farage and Kemi attended and their respective media friends attended.

Most of Thursday’s UK newspaper front pages lead with the U-turn on the winter fuel payment cuts. Last year the government announced changes to the benefit which saw more than nine million pensioners lose out on payments worth up to £300 – after the eligibility threshold was tightened.

Ruben Amorim has stated he will not seek compensation from Manchester United if they decide to part ways following the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Much of England’s news is dominated by last night’s all-English Europa League final that saw North London club Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United to claim their first silverware in 17 years.

Good morning! Grab your coffee and let’s take a brisk scroll through today’s headlines…

In politics, Sir Keir Starmer has bowed to pressure and announced a U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts. The scheme, which had been scaled back to save £1.4 billion, left over 10 million pensioners without support. Starmer now says more pensioners will qualify again, with changes expected in the autumn Budget – though the exact numbers and timing are still under wraps. It comes after Labour lost big to Reform UK during recent local elections.

Meanwhile, a government-commissioned review has suggested that prisoners should serve only a third of their sentences in custody, rather than the current half. There are proposals to chemically castrate sex offenders in order to release them earlier in a bid to free up spaces in prisons.

In economic news, the UK government’s borrowing reached £20.2 billion in April, surpassing expectations and placing additional pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

After lots of glorious sunshine, the UK is set to experience a shift in weather just in time for the bank holiday weekend. The Met Office forecasts unsettled conditions, with many areas expecting rain or showers and more unpredictable weather patterns continuing into the half-term week.

Elsewhere, the UK government has been temporarily blocked from finalising a landmark deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, following a late-night injunction granted by the High Court.

In sport, underdogs are stealing the spotlight. Crystal Palace shocked football fans by beating Manchester City 1–0 to lift the FA Cup – their first major trophy. Not to be outdone, Spurs ended their 17-year silverware drought with a scrappy 1–0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final, with Brennan Johnson the unlikely hero.

On the international front, there has been a shooting in the US with two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

The WHO has said Gaza’s health service is ‘stretched beyond breaking point’ and Donald Trump held a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – in which the US president ambushed his counterpart with unfounded claims of genocide against white South Africans.

A High Court injunction has temporarily blocked the UK government from finalising a deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, initiated by legal action from Chagossian woman Bertrice Pompe.

Tottenham Hotspur have finally ended their 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United 1–0 in the Europa League final.

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts, following weeks of political pressure.

The proposed sentencing policy review could lead to sex offenders undergoing chemical castration, with widespread early release for certain inmates after serving only a third of their sentences.

Chris Brown has been released on bail with a £5m security fee, allowing him to continue his world tour despite facing a charge of grievous bodily harm.

Tottenham Hotspur secured the Europa League title, defeating Manchester United 1-0, with Brennan Johnson scoring the decisive goal.

Parents of a student who took her own life challenge a government report on student suicides for failing to address systemic issues within higher education.

Cliff Notes At an inquest into Jay Slater’s death, his friends, who were present before he went missing, failed to appear as witnesses, despite summonses…

Cliff Notes Proposals suggest that criminals, including sex offenders and domestic abusers, could be released after serving one-third of their sentence to alleviate prison overcrowding.…

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a U-turn on last year’s controversial cuts to winter fuel payments. More than nine million pensioners lost out on payments…

Cliff Notes Andriy Portnov, a former aide to Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovich, was shot and killed in Madrid while reportedly taking his children to school.…

Cliff Notes Vladimir Putin’s visit to Kursk marks his first since Ukrainian forces were reportedly ejected from the region, which was the largest territorial incursion…

Wednesday’s headlines are dominated by the shock announcements from the UK government regarding the situation in Gaza. Despite being fairly silent and in line with the USA regarding the Middle East crisis, the UK government has finally taken a stand. The right-wing papers keep the story off the front pages, instead focusing on various domestic political stories.

Wednesday’s headlines are dominated by the UK government’s U-turn on its stance on the genocide in Gaza. For the right-leaning UK press, the story is largely kept off the front pages and replaced with domestic stories – mostly political.

Let’s grab a coffee and dive into this morning’s headlines — it’s a busy one! From rising inflation giving wallets a bit more to worry about, to the UK taking a firm stand on the Gaza crisis, and Donald Trump unveiling a space-age missile defence plan (yes, really) — here’s your quick catch-up on the stories making waves across the UK today.