4 h. ago Treasury minister says ‘headline’ rate of income tax won’t go up, in hint thresholds might be frozen in budget – UK politics live

Darren Jones also declines to rule out wealth tax when questioned about government plansRecord-breaking extreme weather is the new norm in the UK, a report by the Met Office says. Damian Carrington has the story.Here is the Met Office summary. And here is the full report.The number of days with temperatures 5°C above the 1961-1990 average has doubled for the most recent decade 2015-2024 compared to 1961-1990. For 8°C above average the number has trebled and for 10°C it has quadrupled. This shows how the hottest days we experience in the UK have increased in frequency dramatically in just a few decades. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Ed Miliband warns the British way of life is 'under threat' because of the hot weather caused by climate change

The latest state of the UK climate report shows the impact of human-caused global warming on the UK's weather, seas, people and wildlife.

Events

5 h. ago Extreme weather 'becoming the norm' as minister warns UK's way of life 'under threat'

The Met Office says country’s climate is ‘notably different’ from just a few decades ago in new report

Events

7 h. ago Extreme weather becoming the norm as warning UK’s way of life is ‘under threat’

The Met Office is warning that we are continuously breaking heat and rainfall records, and this is how it is affecting the nation

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8 h. ago ‘Profound concern’ as scientists say extreme heat ‘now the norm’ in UK

Increasing frequency of heatwaves and flooding raises fears over health, infrastructure and how society functionsEd Miliband to tell MPs who reject net zero policies they are betraying future generationsRecord-breaking extreme weather is the new norm in the UK, scientists have said, showing that the country is firmly in the grip of the climate crisis.The hottest days people endure have dramatically increased in frequency and severity, and periods of intense rain have also ramped up, data from hundreds of weather stations shows. Heatwaves and floods leading to deaths and costly damage are of “profound concern” for health, infrastructure and the functioning of society, the scientists said. Continue reading...

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13 h. ago UK’s way of life ‘under threat’ as extreme weather becomes the norm Ed Miliband says

The hottest summer days have warmed about twice as much as average summer days have in the past decade in some parts of the UK, according to new analysis in the report.

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14 h. ago Miliband says UK’s way of life ‘under threat’ amid extremes of heat and rainfall

The Met Office said the country’s climate is ‘notably different’ from just a few decades ago, in the latest state of the UK climate report.

Events

6 d. ago The life swap dream – or a marketing gimmick? The Italian towns selling houses for €1

Frustrated with my life back in the US, I was captivated by the idea of a new home – and new life – for less than the price of an espresso. So I travelled to Italy to find out whether it was too good to be trueIf you could move anywhere, where would it be? This used to be a question I’d ask myself or others at dinner parties, but two years ago, as new parents facing the unsustainable costs of Bay Area life and the looming threat of middle-age atrophy, my husband, Ben, and I took to the internet in earnest with the notion of reinventing our lives somewhere new.We were, of course, part of a widespread trend: seeking adventure and greener pastures elsewhere in the era of globalisation. Even so, the notion felt thrilling. Where would we go? Our search had some parameters: affordability, a natural landscape (I dreamed of cicadas, cypress trees), a place with a language we either already spoke or could learn easily enough so that we could contribute to the community. We’d spent our career...

Politics

7 d. ago Texas’s Camp Mystic confirms 27 children and counsellors died in floods

Camp says the search continues for missing people while life-threatening flooding still remains a threat Texas floods – latest updatesCamp Mystic, the girls summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, has confirmed that 27 children and counsellors died in the flash floods that have wreaked devastation on the area since Friday.“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” a statement on the camp website read.Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Government considers cancer warnings on alcohol as NHS plan targets drink

A ten-year plan for the NHS recommends introducing warning labels on alcohol products

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1 week ago Mad Vlad Putin could target UK's 'soft belly' as we enter 'new era of threats'

A UK minister has warned of the potential for havoc caused by adversaries targeting vital undersea cables - Luke Pollard said the cables are easier to target than they used to be

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2 w. ago Labour rule in Wales taken for granted and under threat at Senedd poll – Morgan

The Welsh First Minister warned that Reform are the biggest threat to the nation’s way pf life.

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2 w. ago An entire village in Dorset is facing eviction – proof that private money holds all the power in rural England | George Monbiot

This scandalous story gives lie to the claim that the biggest threat to country life comes from city dwellersPower hides by setting us against each other. This is never more true than in the countryside, where the impacts of an extreme concentration of ownership and control are blamed on those who have nothing to do with it. Rural people are endlessly instructed that they’re oppressed not by the lords of the land, but by vicious and ignorant townies – the “urban jackboot” as the Countryside Alliance used to call it – stamping on their traditions.Near Bridport in Dorset right now, an entire village is facing eviction, following the sale of the Bridehead Estate for about £30m. The official new owner, Bridehead Estate Ltd, is registered to the same address, with the same officers, as a company called Belport. The Telegraph reports that the estate “was bought by Belport, a private equity firm, on behalf of a wealthy client last autumn”, but no one knows who the client is. So far I’ve re...

Economics

2 w. ago Nine major threats to UK security as PM issues plea as a terrorist attack on British soil is 'likely'

The Prime Minister's stark warning comes as the UK faces a 'growing' number of threats at home and abroad

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3 w. ago West is facing ‘moment of peril’ after Iran vows retaliation for US strikes

Ministers have warned the UK is facing an elevated threat as tensions in the Middle East escalate

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3 w. ago What are the legal issues around Britain helping Trump bomb Iran?

Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to back the US and – as a lawyer – will be aware of the legal landscapeMiddle East crisis – live updatesUK politics live – latest updatesAs Keir Starmer considers whether Britain should support the US if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, the attorney general, Richard Hermer, has reportedly warned him that UK involvement could be illegal. The prime minister was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war when he was a human rights lawyer in 2003 and will be well aware of the thorny legal issues around engagement in strikes against Iran. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Tories say they would support UK joining fight against Iran if Starmer deems it necessary – UK politics live

Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said.Campaigners from trade unions, voluntary organisations and the Church of Scotland have announced plans for an anti-poverty march to “demand better” from politicians in Scotland, reports the PA news agency.The campaign, Scotland Demands Better, will culminate in a march in Edinburgh on 25 October, walking from the Scottish parliament, up the Royal Mile and along George IV Bridge to The Meadows.Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. Scotland desperately needs that change.Too many of us are being cut off from life’s essentials. Too many are frightened of what the future will bring. Too many of us are feeling tired, angry, isolated, and disillusioned.Air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to health, with impacts throughout the life course.It is an area of health where the UK has made substantial progress in the last three decades, with con...

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