46 m. ago As the UK looks to invest in nuclear, here’s what it could mean for Britain’s environment

In this week’s newsletter: The government’s bid to speed up nuclear construction could usher in sweeping deregulation, with experts warning of profound consequences for nature• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWhen UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced last week that he was “implementing the Fingleton review”, you can forgive the pulse of most Britons for failing to quicken.But behind the uninspiring statement lies potentially the biggest deregulation for decades, posing peril for endangered species, if wildlife experts are to be believed, and a likely huge row with the EU.2025 ‘virtually certain’ to be second- or third-hottest year on record, EU data showsJust 0.001% hold three times the wealth of the poorest half of humanity, report finds‘Even the animals seem confused’: a retreating Kashmir glacier is creating an entire new world in its wake Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Health and safety rules holding UK infrastructure back, says writer of government report

Exclusive: John Fingleton says regulators need to change their attitude to risk to end the country’s economic stagnationOverbearing health and safety rules are stopping Britain building new infrastructure, according to the economist whom Keir Starmer has cited as an inspiration for his growth strategy.John Fingleton, who recently wrote a report for government on how to encourage developers to build new nuclear power plants, told the Guardian regulators needed to change their attitude to risk if the country was to end its long economic stagnation. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago JACK ANDERTON: The PM walks through Downing Street with all the charisma of a junior accountant hunting for the printer, no wonder local councillors have more TikTok followers than him

Keir Starmer launched his new TikTok account this week - but you'd be forgiven for having missed it.

Politics

6 h. ago 'Starmer lied to my face': Entrepreneur's fury after PM told him in 2024 not to fear rates reforms

Steve Perez, who set up drinks maker Global Brands, said Keir Starmer assured him two days before the general election that he had 'nothing to fear'.

Politics

9 h. ago Hundreds of furious landlords are barring Keir Starmer & Labour MPs from their boozers in protest at Budget tax

HUNDREDS of furious landlords are barring PM Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour MPs from their boozers in protest at a sly Budget tax-grab. They fear they will have to call last orders on pubs in the wake of the punishing Budget. Scores have joined the Taxed Out campaign and back banning Labour MPs from...

Economics

9 h. ago Why Keir Starmer's facing criticism for stuffing the House of Lords with even more peers

The Prime Minister has announced a raft of new members of the House of Lords, but has received criticism over the move

Politics

10 h. ago Keir Starmer and allies say Ukraine at ‘pivotal moment’ in coalition call

Ukraine has pushed back against a US-drafted plan and submitted its own 20-point document to Washington as part of negotiations.

Politics

10 h. ago ‘Superflu’ mayhem will drag into New Year as mutant bug’s ‘longtail fuels post

THE NHS has been plunged into its worst-case winter scenario as an “unprecedented wave of superflu” pushed hospital cases up 55 per cent in a week.  Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged Britons to “be careful” and blasted doctors plotting a mid-crisis strike next week as “irresponsible”.  NHS officials said there are now enough virus...

Science

11 h. ago Downing Street issues statement on urgent Russia meeting after 'ready for war' comments

Sir Keir Starmer hosted a coalition of the willing meeting

Events

12 h. ago Keir Starmer gives major update after NATO boss issues alarming WW3 warning

Keir Starmer headed a Coalition of the Willing meeting as crunch talks aimed at securing peace in Ukraine continue - hours after NATO boss Mark Rutte warned about Putin's 'next target'

Events

13 h. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s new peerages: another boost for the ermine arms race | Editorial

Sir Keir Starmer promised to bring meaningful reform to the House of Lords. He is failing to introduce itIn opposition, Sir Keir Starmer called the unelected House of Lords “indefensible”. This week, barely 18 months into his prime ministership, Sir Keir took the total of unelected peers he has appointed since July 2024 to 96. Remarkably, Wednesday’s 34 new life peerages, mainly Labour supporters, take his appointment total above those of each of his four most recent Conservative predecessors. You must go back to David Cameron to find a prime minister who did more to stuff the Lords than Sir Keir.At the last election, Labour presented itself to the voters as a party of Lords reform. The party manifesto promised to remove the remaining hereditary peers, to reform the appointments process, to impose a peers’ retirement age, and to consult on proposals for replacing the Lords with an alternative second chamber. The House of Lords, the manifesto flatly declared, was “too big”....

Politics

14 h. ago Trump and Europe want ‘same thing’ for Ukraine, insists Starmer

The Prime Minister said there were a ‘number of issues still to be resolved’ but dismissed suggestions his optimism had been frayed

Politics

16 h. ago Keir Starmer blasted for stuffing 'bloated' House of Lords with even more members

PM Sir Keir Starmer is under fire for creating even more unelected peers. It means he's now overseen 96 new members of the House of Lords since entering Number 10

Politics

18 h. ago Sir Keir Starmer clarifies 'wear a mask' advice in 'be careful' warning as flu cases soar

The Prime Minister has urged 'common sense' amid a rise in flu cases

Events

18 h. ago Trump and Europe want ‘same thing’ for Ukraine, Starmer says

The Prime Minister said there were a ‘number of issues still to be resolved’ but dismissed suggestions his optimism had been frayed.

Politics

20 h. ago Wes Streeting fuels Labour leadership frenzy with veiled barb at 'maintenance man' Keir Starmer

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been at the centre of intense speculation about his intentions amid growing doubts about the PM's prospects of survival.

Politics

21 h. ago Keir Starmer says buses 'shouldn't cost the earth' in new £3 cap message

The Prime Minister has issued a fresh message on public transport costs this morning

Economics

22 h. ago Keir Starmer to chair coalition of the willing call after Trump talks on Ukraine

The Prime Minister is expected to co-chair a call with leaders and officials from around 30 nations on Thursday.

Politics

22 h. ago Tony Blair gives Shabana Mahmood stamp of approval amid Labour leadership speculation

The former prime minister praised the home secretary’s ‘radical’ style and ‘political philosophy’ behind her immigration crackdown, comparing it to his own approach in power

Politics

25 h. ago What will be the cost of Keir Starmer’s new medicines deal with Donald Trump? British lives | Aditya Chakrabortty

More than £3bn that could have been used for UK patients will go to big pharma for its branded products – money for care siphoned off for profitOf Arthur Scargill it was said that he began each day with two newspapers. The miners’ leader read the Morning Star of course, but only after consulting the Financial Times. Why did a class warrior from Yorkshire accord such importance to the house journal of pinstriped Londoners? Before imbibing views, he told a journalist, he wanted “to get the facts”.In that spirit, let us parse a deal just struck by the governments of Donald Trump and Keir Starmer. You may not have heard much about this agreement on medicine, but it is huge in both financial and political significance – and Downing Street could not be more proud. A “world-beating deal,” boasts the science minister, Patrick Vallance. It “paves the way for the UK to become a global hub for life sciences,” claims the business secretary, Peter Kyle, with the government press release adding: ...

Economics