50 h. ago Sunak: I would do the same again on Covid business loans despite fraud risk

Mr Sunak, who served as chancellor during the pandemic, defended the rollout of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme as he appeared at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Economics

57 h. ago Ministers to back regulation of England’s funeral industry after scandals

Demands for oversight grow after inquiry calls sector an ‘unregulated free for all’ and families seek stronger safeguardsMinisters are expected to back calls to regulate England’s funeral industry for the first time, after a series of scandals over the handling of remains.Bereaved families have called for a new investigatory body and rules governing professional qualifications after an official inquiry declared the sector an “unregulated free for all”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Ministers were told not to go 'too early' with Covid restrictions amid fears Brits would refuse to comply, says Rishi Sunak

The former chancellor, who was in charge of the UK's economic response to the pandemic, revealed medical experts were 'quite focused on getting the timing right'.

Politics

3 d. ago Rishi Sunak says ministers told not to bring in Covid interventions ‘too early’: Latest

The former chancellor is giving evidence on the economic impact of the pandemic

Politics

6 d. ago Oil rig safety measures to be probed after Covid death in first of its kind inquiry

Donald Singer, 66, died after contracting Covid-19 in May 2020 and was airlifted from the Ninian Southern Platform to Aberdeen Roayl Infirmary.

Events

6 d. ago Inquiry into death of worker with Covid to consider safety measures on oil rig

Donald Singer, 66, died in hospital a month after being airlifted from the Ninian Southern Platform off Shetland in April 2020.

Events

8 d. ago 'I know the pain of losing my daughter through extreme violence' says campaigning mum

Bereaved families are demanding action on Jade's Law saying Government delays mean children orphaned by domestic homicide remain exposed and without vital legal protection

Events

2 w. ago How much the Covid inquiry is costing as figures soar to astronomical sum

The Covid inquiry set up by the Government has hundreds of staff working on it. It's expected to be the most expensive one of its kind ever

Politics

2 w. ago Planning for any future pandemic must include impact on economy – Diane Dodds

The former Stormont economy minister made the comments to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Events

2 w. ago The lawyers always win: Fury as government blows £100m responding to Covid inquiry

The huge outlay by Whitehall comes on top of the near-£200million cost of the probe itself - a figure that is expected to rise significantly.

Politics

2 w. ago Covid Inquiry costs UK taxpayers £100million in Government responses alone

More than half of the figure has been spent on legal fees, including bringing in external lawyers

Economics

2 w. ago Government has spent more than £100m so far responding to Covid inquiry

Transparency data from the Cabinet Office shows the staff and legal costs associated with responding to the public inquiry.

Economics

2 w. ago Final Hillsborough report provides closure but not consequences

Failings of legal system mean 97 people were unlawfully killed, but no one will be held accountableWhen the Independent Office for Police Conduct published the final report on its mammoth investigation into the Hillsborough disaster, the response from bereaved families and survivors was conflicted.Some of the IOPC’s findings could be regarded as historic, in particular that 12 former officers would have had cases to answer for gross misconduct, including Peter Wright, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police at the time of the 1989 disaster. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Final Hillsborough report ends investigation with no consequences

Failings of legal system mean 97 people were unlawfully killed, but no one will be held accountableWhen the Independent Office for Police Conduct published the final report on its mammoth investigation into the Hillsborough disaster, the response from bereaved families and survivors was conflicted.Some of the IOPC’s findings could be regarded as historic, in particular that 12 former officers would have had cases to answer for gross misconduct, including Peter Wright, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police at the time of the 1989 disaster. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hillsborough probe key findings as 12 police officers to walk away without punishment

A solicitor representing bereaved Hillsborough families said 'not a single officer' would be held to account after a report found 'more than a hundred findings of misconduct'

Events

2 w. ago Furries, 'gooning' and 'muscle mommies': What really goes on in the warped porn chatrooms that have broken the brains of young men

If the Covid Inquiry is looking for anything else to add to its expensive agenda, it might reflect on this: how pandemic-era boys cooped up in their bedrooms got hooked on the worst of the internet.

Events

3 w. ago Bereaved families face higher inheritance tax bills as thresholds are now frozen until 2031

The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the proportion of estates paying IHT will double to 10% by 2030.

Economics

3 w. ago The shameful attacks on the Covid inquiry prove it: the right is lost in anti

There is nothing wrong with questioning the mighty cost of the lockdowns, but we can’t let hardline libertarians rewrite Britain’s pandemic historyThat number will stay fixed for ever in public memory: 23,000 people died because Boris Johnson resisted locking the country down in time. As Covid swept in, and with horrific images of Italian temporary morgues in tents, he went on holiday and took no calls. With the NHS bracing to be “overwhelmed” by the virus, he rode his new motorbike, walked his dog and hosted friends at Chevening.Nothing is surprising about that: he was ejected from Downing Street and later stepped down as an MP largely for partying and lying to parliament about it. Everyone knew he was a self-aggrandising fantasist with a “toxic and chaotic culture” around him. But this is not just about one narcissistic politician. It’s about his entire rightwing coterie of libertarians and their lethally dominant creed in the UK media.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continu...

Events

3 w. ago Covid inquiry hears from businesses as it begins examining economic response

Monday’s hearing began with an impact video featuring people who’s lives were affected by the pandemic.

Economics

3 w. ago One in five bereaved families wait more than SIX MONTHS for a post

A shortage in paediatric pathology doctors is also causing delays in diagnosing and treating health conditions in foetuses, babies and children, the Royal College of Pathologists warned.

Politics