13 minutes ago No 10 says Starmer won’t offer reparations or apology over Britain’s role in slavery at Commonwealth summit – UK politics live

Government opposed to idea of paying reparations for Britain’s historic role in slave trade and will not issue apology at Commonwealth meetingIn the past the weirdest budget tradition was the convention that the chancellor is allowed to drink alcohol while delivering the budget speech. But since no chancellor has taken advantage of the rule since the 1990s (and no one expects Rachel Reeves to be quaffing on Wednesday week), this tradition is probably best viewed as lapsed.But Sam Coates from Sky News has discovered another weird budget ritual. On his Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast, he says:Someone messaged me to say: ‘Did you know that over in the Treasury as they’ve been going over all these spending settlements, in one of the offices, its full of balloons. And every time an indivi...

Politics

29 minutes ago Trump and Musk’s sudden bond suggests ‘other things going on behind scenes,’ warns Newsom

California governor voiced concerns about Musk ‘sucking up’ to Trump after the tech billionaire announced plans to hand out $1m per day to voters

Events

42 minutes ago WH Smith brings 'popular' product back to stores for first time in 30 years

Sales of vinyl jumped 11.7% to nearly six million in 2023, rising for the 16th year running

Politics

48 minutes ago Fossil firefly trapped in Myanmar amber reveals mysterious origins of glowing insects

Firefly from nearly 100 million years ago represents transitional stage in evolution of its species

Events

72 minutes ago Two key allowances can protect £70,000 of your cash from 'stealth tax'

Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers have been quietly dragged into higher tax brackets in recent years

Economics

93 minutes ago Streeting revives claim that some patients face avoidable ‘death sentence’ due to current state of NHS – UK politics live

Health secretary says NHS is going through the ‘worst crisis in its history’In the past the weirdest budget tradition was the convention that the chancellor is allowed to drink alcohol while delivering the budget speech. But since no chancellor has taken advantage of the rule since the 1990s (and no one expects Rachel Reeves to be quaffing on Wednesday week), this tradition is probably best viewed as lapsed.But Sam Coates from Sky News has discovered another weird budget ritual. On his Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast, he says:Someone messaged me to say: ‘Did you know that over in the Treasury as they’ve been going over all these spending settlements, in one of the offices, its full of balloons. And every time an individual department finalises its settlements, one of the balloons is ...

Politics

96 minutes ago 'One in a million' nan went on holiday and never came home after partner killed her

Mum and grandma Jillian Hughes died after travelling to Douglas, on the Isle of Man, from Liverpool earlier this year alongside her family - including her granddaughter

Events

1 hour ago ‘What is my faith? What am I doing?’ The American evangelicals ‘deconstructing’ their religion to save it

When a young Southern Baptist came out as gay, it prompted a ‘major reckoning’: could he reconcile his religion with his sexuality?In 2017, at the end of his first year at Samford University, a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama, Nathan Peace realized he’d never “pray the gay away” and he’d never “turn straight”.Peace had grown up in a “churchy” family in Georgia and attended Southern Baptist services his entire life. In high school, he showed up early for Bible study and participated in group prayers before marching band performances. In the 2016 election, he voted for Donald Trump. It’s what he thought he had to do to be a “faithful” Christian. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago 'Stunning security failures' led to 'preventable' assassination bid against Donald Trump, House report finds

A House task force report released Monday ruled that the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania on July 13 was 'preventable and should not have happened'.

Events

1 hour ago Humza Yousaf admits huge regret over Kate Forbes following bitter SNP contest

Humza Yousaf has admitted he “didn’t get it right” over a key decision about Kate Forbes when he entered Bute House.

Politics